Movember

This blog is a short one. It is, in fact, a piece I have written for our Parish Magazine. I thought I would also share it here...

Movember

One of my favourite Milton Jones jokes is this:

"Now Jesus had a beard and sandals and long hair, although we don't know for sure about the long hair or the beard. Or the sandals."

I would like to think, however, is that if Jesus was living on Earth right now he would have grown a moustache.

 Movember is a global movement which seeks to raise awareness of and funds for men's health issues. Essentially this means prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health. They also encourage men to live healthy lives. They do this by asking men to grow a moustache over the course of November to promote their cause. This year a team from St Mary's has taken this challenge on. There are 15 of us including the Rector, Assistant Priest, Curate, most of the men on the PCC and one of the church wardens (the other warden struggles to grow a moustache...) I think this is a great cause and am really pleased that the church has taken it on. As Christians we are called to be salt and light to the world. We cannot be insular and isolated. We should be showing people what we believe and what we believe in. I am glad that raising awareness of and money to help people with cancers and mental health problems is one of those things.

 If you would like to support the Mary's Hairies Team, then please go to http://moteam.co/mary-s-hairies.

Planning songs...3rd November 2013

Sunday 3rd November All Age Communion Service

Planning the songs for the service this week was a bit last minute. Usually we prepare the songs a month at a time, so all is ready well in advance. For a few reasons, November had not been done. This left me sending out emails to the worship band on Saturday morning confirming the rehearsal would be at 4pm that afternoon, and that the songs would be chosen 'at some point before then'!

I had the reading (Luke 6:20-31 - the Beatitudes), and just needed to sort the songs. With such a well known passage, should be easy, right?

Wrong.

When I read the passage with songs in mind, the first thing that struck me was all those 'Blessed be' phrases. This immediately brought songs such as 'Blessed be Your Name' to mind, but I quickly realised that the 'Blessed be' phrases in the passage were not referring to God at all. So which songs do you know that refer to us being Blessed - specifically the poor, the hungry, the bereaved? There are songs, of course, but it suddenly didn't seem quite as easy.

I sat quietly for a minute. I prayed.

I love this passage. I love the compassion, the theme of justice and of putting things right. I love the subversive nature of it, and it's worth taking a moment to think how the message can be received in a culture where being rich, well fed and content is seen as success.

I planned some songs, and sent the suggestions out. I had some suggestions in reply! One asked if we could do 'Hungry' by Kathryn Scott, which is new to our Church, but had been done 'before the service' last week. I incorporated it into the list.

When I lead the sung worship I always pay attention to the sermon and other things going on during the service, and am constantly thinking through how to introduce the next song. In the past I have carefully planned my song introductions, but have long stopped doing that, preferring to do it 'live'. This can be stressful, and I am sometimes left during the sermon wondering why I chose such and such a song, and how I can fit a suitable link in! On this occasion, however, when it came time to sing 'Hungry' after the sermon, we couldn't have chosen a more perfect fit. Barry preached about the poor in spirit, about those with questions about God, about those who may want to know more. I was able to pick up on that, and ask where people felt they were with God. Were people hungry, empty, broken or weary? The lyrics of the song then spoke for themselves:

Hungry, I come to You for I know,
You satisfy.
I am empty but I know Your love,
Does not run dry.
So I wait for You,
So I wait for You.

I'm falling on my knees,
Offering all of me,
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for

Broken I run to You, for Your arms
Are open wide.
I am weary but I know Your touch
Restores my life.
So I wait for You,
Oh I wait for You.

I'm falling on my knees,
Offering all of me,
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for.

So, the song I had not even thought to include was the one that worked best for me during the service. Sometimes, when you choose songs and they fit with the rest of the worship you feel pleased and a bit smug that you did such a good job. This week it was blatantly obvious that this was nothing to do with me. Thanks to Clare for the song suggestion, and thanks to God who clearly had it all planned anyway...