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December 27, 2004
Back to normality?
It has been a busy few days at the Abbey. In fact the whole of Advent is busy, with performances of the Messiah (by candlelight and with the English Symphany Orchestra and Choir), school carol services (Birmingham Bluecoat School, Dean Close School, the Abbey School, and the local combined schools), organ recitals, choral concerts, and, of course, the full slate of services daily. The Christmas Services are always exciting, and it is a joy to welcome so many visitors and those who come infrequently to this celebration. It is a time to rejoice (my little swipe at bureaucrats notwithstanding!).
Our first major event is the Christingle Service at 1600 on Christmas Eve. This is always huge, but this year we went past all previous records. There were 800 chairs set out in the nave, the North and South Aisles, and the Choir Presbytery. There was a Brass Band with another 40 or so sat at the East end of the Presbytery across the Altar rails. We had extra fire extinguishers, extra stewards (the entire Serving Team, plus Stewards, Vergers, and of course the Ministry Team). We filled every seat, we had children on parents' laps or on the floor, we had people standing in the Ambulatory. We ran out of Christingles and had to hand out small hand candles instead. The best guess is that we had just over 1000 people in the Abbey for this short service for children.
Now I have to admit, that as a person who, as a "day job" deals with fire, to me this Christingle Service is a bit like the scene from Monty Python in which the Python team produce the "Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch". The instructions for use go along the lines of:
"1. Thou shalt take the Holy Hand Grenade in thy right hand.
2. Thou shalt take the pin at the top in the left hand.
3. Thou shalt pull out the pin and, casting it aside, shalt count to three.
4. Thou shalt not count to four, and five is right out ......
5. At the count of three, thou shalt cast the Holy Hand Grenade at thine enemy."
Perhaps I should explain that a Christingle (they were invented just after World War 2 by an English clergyman as a way to teach children the meaning of Christmas, the Christian message, and give them a treat (in post war Britain oranges were a luxury!) is an orange, with a hole cut in the top and a candle inserted. A red ribbon is tied around the circumference and at the four "cardinal points around this are cocktail sticks with a soft sweet (marshmallow), a raisin, and often a peanut in its shell. Perhaps now you can see why I view the prospect of handing out 400 of these to children aged from 2 - 13 with such trepidation .......
"Thou shalt not count to four - and five is right out ...."
Our Curate, Julian, manfully gave a short address, which was one of the most succinct and perfectly pitched attempts at explaining this strange ritual I have heard in a long time. Having attempted it once myself, I do not say this lightly. He actually managed to get everybody's attention for most of the five minutes he spoke!
With the Abbey once more restored to normal after this, we were all back for the Midnight service and rejoiced in the arrival of the Christ Child in our Christmas crib alongside the angels, about 600 people and with the fantastic music produced by our choir.
Christmas morning's services also saw large congregations, and even the Evening Prayer (Said, at the Crib) was well attended. St Stephen was also duly remembered and his ministry celebrated yesterday (My sermon is posted under yesterday's post!), and now we can attempt to regroup, relax, and prepare for the Epiphany.
Among the joys of this Christmas, for me, at any rate, was taking communion to the homebound and sharing with them, in an informal and very intimate setting, the joy of the fellowship of the communion and the presence of the Saints.
Today is, of course, the feast of the Jewish Martyr, John the Baptist. He who described himself in the Gospel of St John as "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord." Lest we forget that Jesus was born a Jew, a unique example of the strong spirit of our God still being present with them can be found at the Diplomad, as witnessed by this statement of goodwill.
Posted by The Gray Monk at December 27, 2004 10:49 AM