Ah, Christmas.
As I write, my laptop is wending it’s way through my favourite carols and the desk is covered with poems and scraps of liturgy.
Once, years ago, the summer dance camp took as it’s festive theme ‘Christmas in July’. Do you suppose there was a priest on the planning committee? But it was a brilliant idea, really. All the fun, none of the stress, and the reminder that Incarnation is never out of season.
A few weeks ago, as part of this year’s Growing Season, I invited the congregations to make a prayer map. The idea was to map out the various aspects of your life — people, places, projects, concerns — to act as a visual means of prayer. I also asked people to draw a map they were willing to share, so that we can put together a Prayer Book for each congregation so that when we pray for each other, we can pray with greater focus and depth.
A few people jumped at the idea — forming photo collages, flow charts, mind maps. But most of the congregation seem to have gone into hiding. Well, I’ll admit: I didn’t get to it at first either. But now I have. So I offer this as a reminder, or as a suggestion for those further afield.
Some of you may find yourself on this. Forgive the lack of accurate representation.
Yesterday I stumbled over the words of the grey book dismissal, and a trusty old-language loving member of the congregation called the right words out to me. Only she slipped and used the form in the blue book liturgy. We have been finding it harder and harder to remember the 1970 liturgy in the one congregation that uses it — further proof that chopping and changing between blue and grey is confusing for everyone.
But, since I teased said traditionalist about the fact that the modern words came so readily to her mind, I must now confess. After a somewhat extended time of prayer this morning, where lots of the strains of the church were present, the words that came were from prayer-book compline. I blame it St Leonard’s chapel in St Andrews, before they ruin it with electricity. In my world, compline is always candle-lit and sung, so the words I hear the words I was used to singing:
Whoso dwelleth under the defence of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.
I will say unto the Lord, thou art my rock and stronghold.
My God in him will I trust.
wonderful exchange 