Why Christianity must not lose faith in its past.

 I admit I struggled conceiving of a suitable title for this article. A faith which began over two millennia ago is likely going to be firmly rooted in the (very ancient) past, and having thus far stood the test of time surely it's pretty future proof? Yet in recent years the Church of England has demonstrated an alarming trend towards denial of the fundamental founding principles of our faith, with a kind of apologetic embarrassment leaving us with a "Christianity-lite" offer. Whilst wonderfully convenient and less controversial, this is becoming further and further removed from where we ought to be. A collection of books compiled over a period of five thousand years by a people in transition as the foundation of faith would not seem to offer an obvious modern handbook for the future. Except ironically it can and it should. 

What is holding Christianity back- and specifically the Church of England, is its insistence that creating a modern veneer for today’s worshippers can offer a new, relevant representation of the faith fit for today. I personally feel this is selling out; an enduring ethos and way of life should not need a shiny new wrapper to ensure its survival. It’s not how Jesus operated and it misses the fundamental point of our faith; that superficial acceptance of the world we live in is not the way forward. Standing up against the tide, however difficult, is the only option when following Jesus. 

I might not be a Biblical scholar, but I'm pretty certain Jesus was a revolutionary- from overturning the moneylender’s tables in the Temple to riding a donkey through the side gate into Jerusalem in contrast to the Roman Governor arriving in pomp through the main entrance to the city. These are not the acts of someone hoping to go along with the status quo to achieve acceptance, they are confrontational acts designed to precipitate strong feelings. Jesus did not choose the easy path, he chose what he believed to be the correct one- and yet today convenience and acceptance triumphs daily in the CofE. The mental gymnastics required to avoid "offending" any person or group whilst simultaneously remaining relevant is astonishing. Ironically this is precisely what Jesus objected to; it is fundamentally UNChristian to avoid challenging something immoral, unethical or which causes persecution. Worse still, they have confused seeking justice and speaking out with persecution, in collusion with a "woke" agenda seeking to subvert society.

Religion and leadership thereof should not be a popularity contest, and the dependence on political acceptance is a dangerous path. Since the Reformation the Church of England has been unequivocally linked with the State, through the monarch as Head of the Church. In its infancy it is easy to see why political acceptance was essential, given the monarch's power over the Church. But those days are past and King Charles prefers to be considered "Defender of Faiths" with little real involvement in the affairs of Parliament. One could argue that our bishops play a more active role than the monarch within the legislature as members of the House of Lords. As active politicians who don't require election it beggars belief that they don't feel compelled to be more Christian - more Christ-like even, and speak out more often on controversial matters. Worse still, the Church is not only blind to compromise and conflict of interest but actively condones it. Anglican priest Paula Vennells was shortlisted for Bishop of London whilst Chief Executive of the Post Office, her application supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. 

Where was the voice of the church when buildings were closed during lockdowns? Whilst the pandemic presented opportunities as well as restrictions for congregations (which I wrote about here) the church fundamentally failed as an institution during this time; permitting self-serving compliance with reactionary public policy and selfish fear to override their raison d'être. There was always a middle way, and this golden opportunity for relevance was missed. Similarly, where is the voice of condemnation against the Trans agenda? The silence is deafening. Perhaps the insidious homophobia which is an intrinsic part of Trans ideology is morally convenient for the Church, along with the denial of women's rights and spaces. But acceptance of a body which is God-given is surely taught multiple times throughout the Bible. From the trials of Job, the barrenness of Elizabeth, to the identity of Jesus we are told being a Christian is not mean to be comfortable. Or convenient. Acceptance that we are merely instruments of God, with a wider role to play in society is unassailable and an obsession with the self, with identity and appearance surely misses the point? 

Faith is never supposed to be easy, or comfortable. We might include "Comfortable Words" in the liturgy, but they are intended to bring comfort to those finding their chosen path a trial, to offer support to Christians who struggle with what is asked of them, vital words to the Body of Christ (us) to reassure and convince. And absolutely not to make us feel safe and cosy.

My generation has perhaps enjoyed the longest ever stretch of peace and prosperity in Britain, and misinterprets this as an excuse to avoid confrontation. We do this at our peril, because tacit acquiescence of problematic events and developments only precipitates future conflict. It also dilutes the relevance of the Christian faith today. Of course there are fundamental tenets common to all the mainstream faiths but love and respect for others is not the same as avoiding opportunities to speak out against evil, hatred and persecution.

One of the most beautiful anthems we sing at our church is Phillip Moore's setting of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's prayers. German pastor and theologian Bonhoeffer met his end in a Nazi concentration camp in April 1945, just a fortnight prior to the camp's liberation by the Allies. A staunch opponent of Hitler's regime, Bonhoeffer faced condemnation as a pacifist and state adversary as early as 1936. Following his arrest in 1943, he endured two years of imprisonment, with his fate sealed when documents surfaced in 1945 exposing his close ties to the German Resistance. Unlike the Pope who preferred to avoid direct confrontation with Hitler to protect and preserve the Catholic Church in Germany, Bonhoeffer remained constant in his convictions. Challenging authority is not without risk, and I am not advocating we all become revolutionaries. What I do firmly believe is that connecting with what being a Christian really means involves occasionally speaking out, refusing to blindly accept something which appears wrong because it is more convenient to keep quiet, or being avoiding difficult choices for fear of becoming unpopular. 

Perhaps a degree of confusion over our responsibility for speaking out stems from the claim that “the meek shall inherit the earth”. However the true meaning of the word "meek" is perhaps not humility but strength or power that is under control. It's about appropriateness and responsibility, meekness before God. King David was not meek before Goliath or the enemies of Israel, but chose meekness in front of Saul. There is a time to speak, and a time to be silent. Trusting in God does not absolve us of our personal responsibilities., and sitting on the fence between two difficult positions is unchristian. Erecting such a fence from which to sit and cast judgement is blatant hypocrisy.

What I believe we desperately need is a crash course in “Back to (Christian) Basics”. To peel off the comfortable veneer & reassess our place in the world because the patronising avoidance of conflict is anything but Christian. We need more bishops like Dr. John Sentamu, and we need to listen and connect, rather than indulge in introspection. This week the resistance of Alexei Navalny has been celebrated the world over. I have no idea if he had a faith, but I strongly suspect Jesus would have related. And whilst Jesus is our Shepherd, the “lamb” analogy does not necessarily mean we should be passive. “For we, like sheep, have gone astray…”. and need to re-evaluate. What we need is constancy, within the frame of reference taught for millennia.

Christmas Carols

The word Carol means dance or a song of praise and joy. Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but only the tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived. Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. 

In 1223 St. Francis of Assisi initiated nativity plays in Italy, with people in the plays singing songs or 'canticles' that told the story. Sometimes, the choruses of these new carols were in Latin; but normally they were all in a language that the people watching the play could understand and join in. The new carols spread to France, Spain, Germany and other European countries. 

Photo by Dan Kiefer on Unsplash

Carols from this time were very loosely based on the Christmas story and were seen as entertaining rather than religious songs. Usually sung in homes rather than in churches, they evolved over time. Traveling singers or Minstrels started singing these carols and the words were changed for the local people wherever they were traveling. "I Saw Three Ships" is an example. 

Carols remained mainly unsung until Victorian times, when two men called William Sandys and Davis Gilbert collected Christmas music from villages in England. Sandy's compiled "Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern" which is now in the British Library. In the lengthy introduction Sandys relates the history of the festival, bemoans that celebrating Christmas is ‘on the wane’ . He includes 80 carols, some 15th to 17th century, others ‘still used in the west of England’, plus 12 pages of music with 18 tunes. The book saw the first appearance of many now-familiar carols, including 'God rest you merry, Gentlemen'; 'Hark, the herald angels sing'; 'I saw three ships'; and 'The first Noel'. (In 1852 Sandys published a similar carol collection, Christmas-tide, for a more popular market.) 

Waits

Before carol singing in public became popular, there were official carol singers called 'Waits'. These were led by important local leaders who had the only power locally to permit payment for wassailing or carolling. 'Waits' were so called because they only sang on Christmas Eve which was sometimes known as 'watchnight' or 'waitnight', because of the shepherds were watching their sheep when the angels appeared to them.

Each Christmas carol tells a story, here is the history of two of the best known:-

Once in Royal David's City

Cecil Frances Alexander lived 1818-1895 in Dublin, Ireland. She was the author of the iconic "Once in Royal David's City" (and "All things Bright and Beautiful" amongst many others). She was a prolific verse writer, her hymns heavily influenced first by Dr. Walter Hook, Dean of Chichester, and later her connections within the Oxford Movement. 

Whilst many of us are unfamiliar with the controversies surrounding both the Movement and Alexander's endorsement of the class system, her hymns are known and loved by Christians the world over. Alexander also published poetry in english and french, for adults and children.

"Once in Royal" as it's affectionately known is usually sung at the start of Carol Services in the approach to Christmas, and the Nine Lessons and Carols service on Christmas Eve. The first verse is usually sung as a solo, the soloist traditionally only learning they are singing it moments beforehand!

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Charles Wesley, the founder of Methodist Church wrote a beautiful carol which began:- 

Hark how all the welkin rings 

Glory to the King of Kings 

Peace on earth and mercy mild 

God and sinners reconciled.

Until twenty years later a preacher called George Whitfield published a new version with the now familiar first line "Hark, the herald angels sing Glory to the new-born King!" Wesley was apparently unimpressed, not least (according to a BBC Culture article) because the angels in the Bible spoke their message, rather than sang it. The text is still credited to Wesley, who wrote over 6500 hymns!

The history around the tune is even more interesting. It is by Mendelssohn; a song he wrote to commemorate the Gutenburg press 400 years after its invention. Realising some new lyrics might be needed once the anniversary had passed, Mendelssohn said he did not mind what words were substituted for the original lyrics, as long as they were not religious....  

Here is our choir singing Ben Parry's version of "Adam lay Ybounden":- 

(press the triangular "play" button at the bottom)

Bishop John Coleridge Patteson – a man truly ahead of his time.

This article bears no connection to music, for which I (partially!) apologise!

It was brought to my attention that September 20th 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the death of John Coleridge Patteson (1 April 1827 – 20 September 1871), an English Anglican bishop, missionary to the South Sea Islands, and an accomplished linguist, learning 23 of the islands' more than 1,000 languages. There is a large memorial to him in our churchyard, near the south entrance. 

Patteson grew up in Feniton, East Devon. He went to school in Ottery St. Mary and later attended Eton College and then Balliol College, Oxford. By September 1854, he had been ordained a priest at Exeter Cathedral and he soon began his missionary work, travelling from Devon to Melanesia (in the South Pacific) as a Christian missionary in 1855. Patteson was consecrated the first Bishop of the Diocese of Melanesia and head of the Melanesian Mission in 1861 and was martyred on the island of Nukapu in 1871. However the church he created in the South Pacific lives on, Christians in Melanesia still revere him as a martyr and the Diocese of Exeter retains close links with the Anglican Province of Melanesia. 

So why, might you ask, does St. Mary le Tower have such an ostentatious memorial to Patteson and what is its relevance a century and a half after his death? 

Attempting a narrative of his life might seem relatively straightforward, establishing the facts about or reasons for Patteson’s death is much more of a challenge, involving a mix of indigenous histories, eye-witness accounts, and subsequent interviews. Writer Charlotte Yonge was Patteson’s cousin. She had provided financial support for her cousin’s missionary work in the Pacific by sharing the profits from two of her romantic novels and she used her skills to write a two-volume biography (1873, 1874) of the martyred bishop which made use of a rich collection of family letters. It is a complex story with relevance to the current debate about Britain’s colonial history. 

At first sight there was little to differentiate Patteson from the multiple colonial evangelists at the time. A talented linguistic with a thirst for adventure, Patteson learnt Latin, Greek, German, Hebrew, and Arabic and travelled in Europe before venturing further afield to New Zealand and the islands of the Pacific. Patteson sailed around the islands preaching to the communities he discovered and setting up schools. But here was the key difference which was to mark him out from the crowd. He held a deep respect for the cultures and customs he encountered and learnt 23 of the local languages (even translating the Gospel of Luke into Mota). His ambition was to educate local boys in Christianity so that they could lead the next generation, to inspire and share – not to indoctrinate and rule. 

Patteson had been living in Auckland but he set up home on Norfolk Island in 1867. His own house served as a school, a mission station, and a chapel. His ultimate goal was to have a native ministry and he campaigned tirelessly to supress the slavery and ‘blackbirding’ (kidnapping people to work as poorly paid labourers) that were commonplace in Melanesia. 

On 20 September 1871, Patteson was aboard the missionary boat, the Southern Cross II. As they approached a Reef Island called Nukapu, Patteson took the decision to transfer to a native canoe and land alone on the island. Here he would receive fatal wounds to the head. It is unclear exactly why Patteson was killed, but it is thought to have been a case of mistaken identity: a revenge killing for the abduction of five young men by blackbirders only days earlier. It is said that local people realised their mistake and treated his body with respect, covering it with palm leaves and sending it out to sea in a small boat. It was found by the crew of the Southern Cross. 

Whilst Patteson did not see his vision realised, his death had a significant impact. On hearing the news back home, the British Government resolved to stamp out slavery in their Pacific territories. The slave-trade was technically illegal in the South Pacific at that time, but the laws were only laxly enforced and in fact slave-raiding was a flourishing business. Patteson was actively engaged in the effort to stamp it out. 

On the Islands themselves, Patteson’s legacy is evident. The church of St Barnabus was erected on Norfolk Island in 1882 in his memory and is still used today; the ‘Bishop Patteson Theological College’ in the Solomon Islands is a thriving institution; and, in 1963 and 1975 respectively, the first Melanesian Bishops and Archbishop were consecrated. A new boat – the Southern Cross IX – now travels around the islands, continuing the Mission’s work. 

Relevance today 

Most people are a product of their time and status, but Patteson was blessed with something quite unique for the time he lived in. He held a deep respect for his fellow human beings and does not seem to have suffered the same delusions of white superiority and viewed the people he met as equals. He valued and respected difference, learning new languages to engage better with others on common ground. 

Today this seems obvious, although far too many fall short of this ideal. One hundred and fifty years ago, in the golden age of the British Empire, this was revolutionary. The entire machinery of Victorian Britain depended on the foundation of national superiority - slavery might have been abolished in officially in 1807, but it was not until the late 1960s that most of our former colonies gained independence. 

Which is why Patteson holds such relevance for Christians today. Differences of skin colour, language, belief, and opinion should never be cause for lack of respect. Our humanity is what matters - in the eyes of God, family, society, and the world. Without respect for each other we cannot hope to share ideas, work together or connect. 

At a time when we are seeking to grow our congregation and renew our Mission here in Ipswich, we should perhaps first look inwards, at ourselves. The way we connect with people is founded on our view of ourselves and our place in the world. If we hope to inspire others and make a difference here, then we must lead by example. Spreading Christianity is about sharing and inspiring, not telling. 

Because Mission and growth can never be sustained without respect and equality.

 

Thomas Attwood Walmisley

Thomas Attwood Walmisley (21 January 1814 – 17 January 1856) was the son of Thomas Forbes Gerrard Walmisley, a well-known organist and composer of church music. Both in a privileged, musical family, both his father and his godfather Thomas Attwood had a significant influence on the young musician's life and career.

Thomas Attwood Walmisley

Thomas Forbes Gerrard Walmisley (Walmisley' father)

Walmisley senior was born in Westminster, London in 1783, the third son of William Walmisley, Clerk of the House of Lords papers. Like his brothers, he was a chorister at Westminster Abbey, and was educated at Westminster School. He studied music with John Spencer and Thomas Attwood (see below) and in 1796 is recorded as having sung in oratorios in Covent Garden. In 1814 he succeeded Robert Cooke as organist of St Martin-in-the-Fields resigning, with a pension, in March 1854. From 1803 he taught piano and singing becoming famous as a teacher; his alumni included Edward John Hopkins. In 1810 Walmisley married the eldest daughter of William Capon, an architectural draftsman. Thomas Attwood Walmisley was his eldest son (of six sons and four daughters who survived infancy), whose Cathedral Music he edited in 1857. 

Thomas Attwood (Walmisley's godfather)

His godfather was the composer and organist Thomas Attwood wo took responsibility for the boy Walmisley's education and music tuition. Born the son of a musician in the royal band, at the age of nine Attwood became a chorister in the Chapel Royal, where he received training in music from James Nares and Edmund Ayrton. In 1783 he was sent to study abroad at the expense of the Prince of Wales (afterwards King George IV), who had been impressed by his skill at the harpsichord. After two years in Naples, Attwood proceeded to Vienna, where he became a favourite pupil of Mozart. On his return to London in 1787 he held for a short time an appointment as one of the chamber musicians to the Prince of Wales. 

With the support of these two musicians Thomas Attwood Walmisley excellent academically and musically. He was organist of Croydon Parish Church in 1830 before becoming organist at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1833 at the age of 19, where he became well known for his composition. (He was simultaneously organist for the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge.) Graduating in music, he went on to obtain his Doctorate. In 1836 Walmisley was made Professor of Music at Cambridge. His bond with his father sustained throughout his life, his father editing his cathedral music edited after his death. Walmisley died in 1856, and is buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church, Fairlight, East Sussex.

John E West has suggested his premature death was 'hastened by an unwise indulgence in lethal remedies'. Stanford commented that 'Walmisley … was a victim of four o’clock dinners in Hall, and long symposiums in the Combination Room after; and being a somewhat lonely bachelor, the excellent port of the College cellars was, at times, more his master than his servant'. As a composer, Walmisley is chiefly known for his setting of the Evening Canticles in D minor, perhaps the only Magnificat which begins with the bass and tenor lines at full volume - certainly not a typical "Song of Mary"!

Corpus Christi - Celebrating the Institution of the Eucharist

The festival of Corpus Christi celebrates the Eucharist as the body of Christ. The name 'Corpus Christi' is Latin for 'the body of Christ' and the feast is celebrated by Roman Catholics and other Christians to proclaim the truth of the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the actual body of Christ during Mass. In some countries in the world, Catholic churches still celebrate the festival, not only with a Mass, but also with a procession that carries the consecrated wafer through the streets as a public statement that the sacrifice of Christ was for the salvation of the whole world.  

In the Church of England this feast is liturgically celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday and is known as the Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion (Corpus Christi), which this year is June 3rd. Christians already mark the Last Supper, when Christ instituted the Eucharist, on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday). Because Maundy Thursday falls during the solemn period of Holy Week, it was thought necessary to have a separate festival of the Eucharist that would allow the celebration not to be muted by sadness. The feast was proposed by Saint Thomas Aquinas who was inspired by the religious experience of St Juliana (1193-1258), a Belgian nun. He asked Pope Urban IV to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist, emphasising the joy of the Eucharist being the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. For Catholics, the host contains the real presence of Christ, and it is displayed on a 'monstrance' and treated as Christ in human form would be treated, with reverence, ceremony and adoration. 

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash

The feast of Corpus Christi was suppressed in Protestant churches in the Reformation for theological reasons as Protestants deny the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist other than as a symbolic or spiritual presence. As the English Reformation progressed the Church of England abolished the feast of Corpus Christi in 1548, but later reintroduced it in Anglicised form. Most Anglican churches now observe Corpus Christi, sometimes under the name "Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion". 

The liturgy 

Corpus Christi is often marked by a service originally devised by Thomas Aquinas.  It includes five great hymns, including Panis Angelicus (part of a longer hymn called Sacris Solemniis, 'At this our solemn feast') and Pange lingua ('Sing, my tongue') 

Rogation and Love at Ascension - a new commandment

Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity, observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The so-called major rogation is held on 25 April whilst minor rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday preceding Ascension Thursday. 

Rogation in History

Historically Rogation has been merged with pagan rites, The Christian major rogation replaced a pagan Roman procession known as Robigalia, at which a dog was sacrificed to propitiate Robigus, the deity of agricultural disease. A common feature of Rogation days in the middle ages was the ceremony of beating the bounds, in which a procession of parishioners, led by the minister, churchwarden, and choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year. (This was also a feature of the original Roman festival, when revellers would walk to a grove five miles from the city to perform their rites.) But the central theme was protection, and in the Christian faith this is derived from our relationship with God. As in any healthy relationship, love is required in both directions - God loves us conditionally, but requires that we also love one another in the same way.

The word rogation comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning "to ask", which reflects the beseeching of God for the appeasement of his anger and for protection from calamities. 

Rogation and Love

It is pertinent therefore that the days preceding Ascension Thursday are rogation days, following the Sixth Sunday of Easter when we remember Jesus' commandment that we love one another as selflessly as he loved us. 

May Day Celebrations

This week sees the start of the month of May, traditionally a time of looking forward – a celebration of the summer to come. This year as the UK emerges from months of lockdown after year of restrictions, the hope is palpable as we anticipate a summer of increased freedom and optimism. 

The spring bank holiday on the first Monday in May was created in 1978, May Day itself is 1st May and is not a public holiday in England (unless it falls on a Monday). In February 2011, the UK Parliament was reported to be considering scrapping the bank holiday associated with May Day, replacing it with a bank holiday in October, possibly coinciding with Trafalgar Day (celebrated on October 21), to create a "United Kingdom Day". 

The earliest known May celebrations appeared in Floralia, festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of flower – held from 27th April to 3rd May during the Roman Republic Era. A later May festival celebrated in Germanic countries, “Walpurgis Night”, commemorates the official canonization of Saint Walpurga on 1 May 870. In Gaelic culture, the evening of April 30th was the celebration of Beltane (which translates to "lucky fire"), the start of the summer season. 

Since the 18th century, many Roman Catholics have observed May – and May Day – with various May devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 1 May is also one of two feast days of the Catholic patron saint of workers St Joseph the Worker, a carpenter, husband to Mother Mary, and surrogate father of Jesus. Replacing another feast to St. Joseph, this date was chosen by Pope Pius XII in 1955 as a counterpoint to the communist International Workers Day celebrations on May Day. 

In Oxford, it is a centuries-old tradition for May Morning revellers to gather below the Great Tower of Magdalen College at 6 am to listen to the college choir sing traditional madrigals as a conclusion to the previous night's celebrations. Since the 1980s some people then jump off Magdalen Bridge into the River Cherwell. 

The origins of the May morning celebration date from around 1505 when the Great Tower at Magdalen College was completed. The event has taken place each year in its current form since the 17th Century when "Hymnus Eucharisticus" was written by Benjamin Rogers, 17th Century Magdalen Choirmaster, musician and composer with an interesting biography! The event starts early at 6 a.m. with bells ringing, followed by the Choir singing the Hymnus Eucharisticus from the top of Magdalen Tower. The last section of the climb to the top of the tower is reportedly only a ladder, and not for the faint-hearted! For this reason choristers only wear short surplices over uniform rather than cassocks... 

The choir traditionally also sings a madrigal, "Now Is the Month of Maying" following prayers for the city led by the Dean of Divinity. Large crowds of both students and Oxford residents normally gather under the tower, along the High Street, and on Magdalen Bridge. Students and fellows of Magdalen College gather in the college cloisters and on top of the other towers within the college grounds. Morris dancing and folk singing has also featured in Radcliffe Square as the choir "sing in" the Spring in this unique Oxford tradition.

Worship and the role of church buildings - a lockdown perspective.

Worshipping during lockdown with churches either closed or partially open with significant restrictions places both a burden and an opportunity on congregations. Separated from our usual routines, places of worship and normal practise it's easy to feel cast adrift, uncertain and isolated. But perhaps it's a time to reconnect with our faith, with what is important and essential? Christians have long gathered together in specific buildings which are holy places. But as with any other earthly object can a building become more than place of worship for uniting and gathering, can it become a prop and substitute for real faith?

St Mary le Tower church in Ipswich

Church buildings are invaluable historical resources, some standing as the best examples of our architectural achievements. The rich and varied contribution that churches make to society, from offering counselling and training for vulnerable social groups, to providing opportunities for volunteer work and employment means ensuring their survival is of real importance. Churches as places of worship offer somewhere calm away from our busy lives, where we can focus and worship. 

If we have learned one thing during the pandemic though, it is that although extremely valuable for many excellent reasons, the church building is not the only place we can worship. Neither is being inside one essential for worship to occur. Jesus' cleansing of the Temple illustrates the importance of following his teachings and the central message of the Ten Commandments, without which visiting a church or place of worship has little relevance in a Christian life. It's a reminder that "going through the motions" without connecting in our hearts has little value.

Music for Shrovetide - Harold Darke

The central theme around the week before Lent in the RSCM "Sunday by Sunday" guide is that of light; or more precisely Christ as our light, alongside the Transfiguration Gospel which I wrote about here. But the theme of light would ostensibly appear rather odd as we brace ourselves to enter the chasm of light that is Lent! 

Light has been a theme since Christmas Eve when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World. At Candlemas Jesus was presented to Simeon in the Temple, who proclaimed him 

"a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” Luke 2:32 (KJV)

The reading of the Transfiguration Gospel (Luke 9:28-36) before Lent would seem the culmination of this theme of light. Three disciples went up the mountain with Jesus, and for a moment had a glimpse of Jesus as God could see him. He was in fact no different, it was their perception that was altered. They simply saw him in a different light- God’s light. Thus the Light of Jesus' divinity shines before Peter, James, John, and us. This glimpse of glory in Christ seen by the disciples on the mount of the Transfiguration was perhaps to sustain them through the darkness of Good Friday, when we wait for the brighter light which is the Church's sole reason for existing: the Light of Jesus' resurrection. In the Bible, light has always been a symbol of holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, grace, hope, and God's revelation, which makes sense as the theme as we embark on the season of Lent. 

There are many options for anthems with such a theme; "O Nata Lux" by Tallis, "Be Thou my Vision" by Chilcott, McDowall's "Aurea Luce" or Howells' "My eyes for beauty pine" but  I've chosen an anthem by Harold Darke. Darke held an enviable reputation as an organist and choral composer during his lifetime, but the popularity of his setting of Rossetti's poem "In the Bleak Midwinter" has perhaps resulted in some of his other works achieving less attention in recent years. 

Christ Whose Glory fills the Skies - Harold Darke

Harold Edwin Darke was an English composer and organist, with a world-wide reputation as one of the finest organists of his era. He is particularly known for his choral compositions, which are an established part of the repertoire of Anglican church music.  Educated at the Royal College of Music, he became organist at St Michael Cornhill in 1916, and stayed there until 1966, briefly deputising for Boris Ord as Director of Music at King's College during World War II. Famous for his 1909 setting of Christina Rossetti's "In the Bleak Midwinter" (Voted the greatest Christmas carol of all time in a poll of choral experts and choirmasters in December 2008) his Communion Service in F is a popular staple in the repertoire of many choirs. "Christ Whose Glory Fills the Skies" is not an anthem I have sung, but was once a standard of parish church repertoire.

Christ, whose glory fills the skies, 

Christ, the true, the only Light, 

Sun of Righteousness, arise, 

Triumph o’er the shades of night; 

Dayspring from on high, be near; 

Day-star, in my heart appear. 

 Dark and cheerless is the morn 

Unaccompanied by Thee; 

Joyless is the day’s return 

Till Thy mercy’s beams I see; 

Till they inward light impart, 

Glad my eyes, and warm my heart. 

Visit then this soul of mine, 

Pierce the gloom of sin and grief; 

Fill me, Radiancy divine, 

Scatter all my unbelief; 

More and more Thyself display, 

Shining to the perfect day.

Shrovetide - Transfiguration and Transformation

"Shrovetide, also known as the Pre-Lenten Season, is the Christian period of preparation before the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. Shrovetide starts on Septuagesima Sunday, includes Sexagesima Sunday, Quinquagesima Sunday (commonly called Shrove Sunday) and culminates on Shrove Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras." 

This Sunday is Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, which falls roughly fifty days before Easter. In the Western Christian Churches, it is the last Sunday of Shrovetide, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. It is also called Quinquagesima Sunday, Quinquagesimae, Estomihi, Shrove Sunday, Pork Sunday, or the Sunday next before Lent. (Estomihi is derived from the beginning of the Introit for the Sunday, Esto mihi in Deum protectorem, et in locum refugii, ut salvum me facias, Psalms 31:3.) The name originates from the Latin quinquagesimus, referring to the fifty days before Easter Day using inclusive counting which counts both Sundays. (Although even with the most inclusive counting the ten day weeks are only roughly applicable!) Traditionally, it was the third of the three Sundays (following Septuagesima and Sexagesima) of preparation for Lent. 

Similarly, last Sunday (7th Feb 2021) was the Second Sunday before Lent, also known as Sexagesima & Creation Sunday. Sexagesima means "sixtieth", the date falling approximately 60 days before Easter. The liturgical theme for Sexagesima is the Word of God, sent to renew the face of the earth. Since God continually creates and recreates, our relationship with God will determine whether or not the seed of His Word bears fruit in our lives. 

Quinquagesima precedes Easter by the same number of days as Pentecost follows Easter. It is a watershed in the Christian year and it is no coincidence that we encounter the Transfiguration Gospel at this time as we prepare to revisit Jesus' mission through Lent, Passiontide and Easter. In the Transfiguration Gospel, Mark 9.2-9 we are reminded that God accepts us as we are, thus Quinquagesima is a good day to rejoice at this acceptance and focus on the coming seasons of Lent, Passiontide and Easter.

The acceptance theme of the Transfiguration is absolutely perfect for our current reality. As society becomes progressively more divided over controversies surrounding lockdown decisions, vaccination and how best to remain an inclusive society by protecting the weakest and most vulnerable we must remain united at least over the premise on which decisions are made. I personally struggle with lockdown, the impact it has on so many which to me appears to exceed the protection it allegedly gives. What I do not dispute is that we should always strive towards inclusion. If God accepts us as we are, then we must aim to offer that same acceptance to others. Shrovetide is the perfect time to be thankful for God's acceptance of us - and to examine ourselves and our care for others.

Dr. Ian Paul writes eloquently on his blog Psephizo about possible interpretations of the term "transfiguration". The Gospel of Luke suggests a more profound meaning, that it is not Jesus - or Moses or Elijah who change, but the disciples' understanding which is transformed. I highly recommend reading it, I really enjoy Dr. Paul's insightful articles. (He also tweets under the account @psephizo.) 

Meanwhile as we start the Lenten journey once more, we should remember that the symbolism of the ash cross on our foreheads is threefold. It symbolises God's acceptance of us, indeed to be "Shriven", means to receive forgiveness, to be absolved of our sins. It is our cue to examine ourselves and our faith as we approach Easter, and a timely reminder about our place in society and how we view and care for others. 

Franz Schubert

Born 31st January 1797, Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer who bridged the worlds of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast body of work which included more than 600 secular vocal works, seven complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large body of piano and chamber music. He was particularly noted for the melody and harmony in his songs (lieder) and chamber music.  

Franz was their fourth surviving son of Franz Theodor Schubert, schoolmaster, and Elisabeth Vietz who was in domestic service at the time of her marriage. The family was musical and cultivated string quartet playing in the home, the boy Franz playing the viola. He showed a gift for music from an early age, with his father gave him his first violin lessons and his elder brother gave him piano lessons, continuing later with organ playing and music theory under the instruction of the parish church organist. However Schubert soon exceeded their abilities. In 1808 aged 11 he won a scholarship that earned him a place in the imperial court chapel choir and an education at the Stadtkonvikt, the principal boarding school for commoners in Vienna, where his tutors were Wenzel Ruzicka, the imperial court organist, and, later, the composer Antonio Salieri, then at the height of his fame. There he became acquainted with the orchestral music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Schubert played the violin in the students’ orchestra, was quickly promoted to leader, and in Ruzicka’s absence conducted. He also attended choir practice and, with his fellow pupils, cultivated chamber music and piano playing. 

Schubert left the Stadtkonvikt at the end of 1813, returning home where he began studying to become a schoolteacher. He continued his studies in composition with Antonio Salieri and still composed prolifically. The first public performance of one of his works, the Italian Overture in C Major, took place on March 1, 1818, in Vienna. This boosted his pubic reputation and in June he left the city to take up the post of music master to the two daughters of Johann, Count Esterházy, in the family’s summer residence at Zseliz, Hungary. 

Initially Schubert struggled to publish his own works, but with support from friends his song “Erlkönig” ("Elf King") was offered gonna subscription basis. This proved very successful and in Vienna the popularity of Schubert’s songs and dance music became so great that concert parties were entirely devoted to them. These parties, called Schubertiaden, were given in the homes of wealthy merchants and civil servants, but the wider worlds of opera and public concerts still eluded him.   

In 1821, Schubert was admitted to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde as a performing member, which helped establish his name among the Viennese citizenry. He gave a concert of his own works to critical acclaim in March 1828, the only time he did so in his career. He died eight months later at the age of 31, the cause officially attributed to typhoid fever, but believed by some historians to be syphilis. 

Appreciation of Schubert's music while he was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased greatly in the decades following his death. Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms and other 19th-century composers discovered and championed his works. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers of Western classical music and his music continues to be popular.  

Schubert truly stands between the worlds of Classical and Romantic music. One of the last of the great Classical composers, his music is emotional and poetic in the style of the Romantic era. It is nevertheless a product of the formal mould of the Classical school and Schubert belongs to the age of Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart than to that of Schumann, Chopin, and Wagner.

Schubert's Mass in G is a personal favourite, and we recorded Schubert's "Holy, Holy, Holy" virtually during lockdown last year with our choir (below). I also have fond memories of my youngest son as a treble recording "Ave Maria" a few years back, then aged 11. 

Kate Thompson · Ave Maria di Schubert

Grayston Ives

Our anthem in church this week is "O Sacrum Convivium" by Grayston Ives. 

Born in 1948 Ives is a modern British composer. Composing as "Grayston", he prefers to be known as Bill - a nickname given him by his brother. Ives has spent his life in choral music, and until 2009 was Director of Music at Magdalen College, Oxford. In this role he also directed the choir in recordings on the Harmonia Mundi label; "With a Merrie Noyse", made with the viol consort Fretwork and featuring the works of the English composer Orlando Gibbons, was nominated for a Grammy in 2004. Paul McCartney's "Ecce Cor Meum" was written especially for Magdalen College Choir and the subsequent EMI recording won the Classical BRIT Award for Album of the Year in 2007. For his contribution to church music, Ives was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music (May 2008) and a Lambeth DMus (July 2008), conferred by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury. He is also an Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford.

Bill has spent his life in choral music – as a singer, conductor, teacher and composer (writing as Grayston Ives). A chorister at Ely Cathedral he later studied music at Selwyn College, Cambridge where he held a choral scholarship; taking composition lessons with Richard Rodney Bennett. After Cambridge he sang in Guildford Cathedral Choir before joining The King’s Singers, with whom he recorded and performed worldwide.

(A few years back my youngest son was fortunate enough to perform in a post-workshop concert with The Kings Singers. This was my first exposure to the group, now a household name following their "Carols from Kings" performance with the choristers of Kings College, Cambridge this Christmas.) 

"O sacrum convivium" is a Latin text honouring the Blessed Sacrament. It is included as an antiphon to the Magnificat in the vespers of the liturgical office on the feast of Corpus Christi. (The text is likely attributable to Saint Thomas Aquinas.) It expresses the profound affinity of the Eucharistic celebration,  to the Paschal mystery : "O sacred banquet at which Christ is consumed, the memory of his Passion is recalled, our souls are filled with grace, and the pledge of future glory is given to us."

Edward Elgar / Music for the Baptism of Christ

 Edward Elgar is a fine example of social mobility in later Victorian society. Born the son of a piano tuner who owned a music shop in June 1857, the young Elgar was largely self-taught. He benefitted from growing up in a musical household and took full advantage of the resources available in his father's shop in Broadheath, nr Worcester in the West Midlands. He struggled for many years to establish himself as a prominent composer fighting both class and religious bigotry common at the time. Born a Roman Catholic  among a Protestant majority, the cards were stacked against him. During the last two decades of the eighteenth century he persevered, taught music and played the organ at a Roman Catholic church in Worcester and conducted and composed for local musical organisations. His compositional ability and style matured, and by the turn of the century it was clear his talent had surpassed that of the leading composers of his day.

In 1901 came the first two "Pomp and Circumstance" marches, the first in D major containing the famous trio section that was later to become Land of Hope and Glory. Elgar appreciated its worth; he had prophesied: "I've got a tune that will knock 'em - knock 'em flat! … a tune like that comes once in a lifetime …". In July 1904 he was knighted by the new king, Edward VII.

In 1906, Elgar was busy working on his great oratorio, The Kingdom, the sequel to The Apostles of 1903. (Elgar originally intended that there should be a cycle of three oratorios but the third part of the trilogy was never completed.) You can read more about The Apostles below.

Edward Elgar, c. 1900

Aged 29, Elgar took on a new pupil, Caroline Alice Roberts, daughter of the late Major-General Sir Henry Roberts, and published author of verse and prose fiction. Eight years older than Elgar, Alice became his wife three years later. Elgar's biographer Michael Kennedy writes, "Alice's family was horrified by her intention to marry an unknown musician who worked in a shop and was a Roman Catholic. She was disinherited."

A prolific composer, the First World War depressed him significantly, and despite the support of his much-loved wife his output slowed significantly during this time. He was devoted to Alice and when she died in 1920 much of his inspiration and motivation disappeared. He died of a malignant tumour in 1934.

Elgar has been described as the first composer to take the gramophone seriously. Between 1914 and 1925, he conducted a series of acoustic recordings of his works. The introduction of the moving-coil microphone in 1923 made far more accurate sound reproduction possible, and Elgar made new recordings of most of his major orchestral works and excerpts from The Dream of Gerontius.

"For thirty years after his death in 1934, his music was considered to be 'out of fashion'. It was said to epitomise the Edwardian era and to have no relevance to a later age. I believe, however, that it is far too great to be tied to one short period of history and that, in any case, it is music of so personal a nature that it can be described accurately not as 'Edwardian' but only as 'Elgarian'." 

Michael Kennedy - 'Portrait of Elgar' (Oxford University Press -1968)

Edward Elgar (2nd June 1857 - 23rd February 1934) - "Those years had seen change accelerate as never before in human history. His response had been to seek the illumination of time remembered. For all those of his generation and the future who would feel the insight of retrospection, he had made of that evanescence his music." 

Jerrold Northrop Moore - 'Edward Elgar - A Creative Life' (Oxford University Press - 1984)

Baptism of Christ

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Epiphany, and marks the Baptism of the Lord. It is a time of new beginnings, and indeed Mark's Gospel opens at this point, where Jesus "goes public" and begins his Ministry. 

Elgar's oratorio "The Apostles" is a narrative work, dealing with the calling of the Apostles and their experiences of Jesus' preaching, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension. The work is in two parts and seven sections, each played without a break. Elgar claimed it had been a project he had first conceived  in boyhood, and selected the words from the Bible and Apocrypha.

   

Part 1 is the "The Calling of the Apostles" and fits well with Jesus' Baptism. The music begins just before dawn; the sun rises, and one by one the Apostles are chosen. The prologue is the well-known "The Spirit of the Lord" with the words from Isaiah 61 vv. 1–3, 11 :-

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because He hath anointed me to

preach the gospel to the poor;

He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,

to preach deliverance to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to preach the acceptable year of the Lord;

to give unto them that mourn

a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,

the garment of praise

for the spirit of heaviness;

That they might be called trees of righteousness,

the planting of the Lord that He might be glorified.

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud,

and as the garden causeth the

things that are sown in it to spring forth;

So the Lord God will cause

righteousness and praise to

spring forth before all nations.

"When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." 

Luke 3: 21-22