Our Carol Service in Hodge Hill this year was on Sunday 15th December - just a couple of days after the result of the UK General Election was announced. Our community here in Hodge Hill reflects many of the divisions that have come to visibility in our national life, but for many folk here who are committed to building relationships of trust across our divisions, living in solidarity those at the most vulnerable edges of our society, and tackling the entrenched and deepening inequality in the UK, our response to the result was one of grief, frustration and fear for the future. I've already shared some collected thoughts about practical 'next steps' from here. But here's a liturgical response - in Scripture, reflections and song.
Isaiah
40:1-5
Comfort, O comfort my
people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
3 A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
1 O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here,
until the Son of God appear.
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here,
until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
2 O come, thou rod of Jesse,
free
thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell
thy people save,
and give them vict’ry
o’er the grave.
thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell
thy people save,
and give them vict’ry
o’er the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
3 O come, thou dayspring, come and
cheer our spirits
by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows
put to flight.
by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows
put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
4 O come, thou key of David, come and
open wide our heav’nly home;
make safe the way
that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
make safe the way
that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
5 O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
who to thy tribes
on Sinai’s height
in ancient times
didst give the Law,
in cloud and majesty and awe.
on Sinai’s height
in ancient times
didst give the Law,
in cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
Emmanuel shall come to thee,
O Israel!
Isaiah
10 Ah, you who make iniquitous
decrees,
who write oppressive statutes,
2 to turn aside the needy from justice
and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be your spoil,
and that you may make the orphans your prey!
who write oppressive statutes,
2 to turn aside the needy from justice
and to rob the poor of my people of their right,
that widows may be your spoil,
and that you may make the orphans your prey!
33 Look,
the Sovereign, the Lord
of hosts,
will lop the boughs with terrifying power;
the tallest trees will be cut down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will hack down the thickets of the forest with an axe,
and Lebanon with its majestic trees[a] will fall.
will lop the boughs with terrifying power;
the tallest trees will be cut down,
and the lofty will be brought low.
34 He will hack down the thickets of the forest with an axe,
and Lebanon with its majestic trees[a] will fall.
11 A shoot shall come out
from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what
his eyes see,
or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
or decide by what his ears hear;
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist,
and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency. Hope should shove you out the door, because it will take everything you have to steer the future away from endless war, from the annihilation of the earth's treasures and the grinding down of the poor and marginal... To hope is to give yourself to the future - and that commitment to the future is what makes the present inhabitable.”
(Rebecca Solnit)
The
universe was waiting
in dark chaotic night,
until the word was spoken:
‘Let there be glorious light!’
From darkness and from chaos
were light and order born;
the God of new beginnings
rejoiced to see their dawn
in dark chaotic night,
until the word was spoken:
‘Let there be glorious light!’
From darkness and from chaos
were light and order born;
the God of new beginnings
rejoiced to see their dawn
And as in that beginning,
in every age the same,
creation’s Re-creator
is keeping hope aflame.
From Eden to the desert,
the manger to the tomb,
each fall becomes arising,
and every grave a womb.
Wherever people languish
in darkness or despair,
the God of new beginnings
is pierced, and rises there.
We join with him to listen,
to care and to protest,
to see the mighty humbled
and all the humble blessed.
We join with our Creator
to keep the vision bright:
in places of oppression
we call for freedom’s light:
a glorious new beginning,
a universe at peace,
where justice flows like fountains
and praises never cease.
Luke 1:26-38
In
the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called
Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And
he came to her and said, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.”[a]
29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered
what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said
to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31 And
now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him
Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son
of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor
David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said
to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”[b]
35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the
child to be born[c]
will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now,
your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is
the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For
nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said,
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
Long
ago, prophets knew
Christ would come, born a Jew,
come to make all things new;
bear his people's burden,
freely love and pardon.
Christ would come, born a Jew,
come to make all things new;
bear his people's burden,
freely love and pardon.
Ring,
bells, ring, ring, ring!
Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!
When he comes,
when he comes,
who will make him welcome?
Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!
When he comes,
when he comes,
who will make him welcome?
God in time, God in man,
this is God's timeless plan:
He will come, as a man,
born himself of woman,
God divinely human:
this is God's timeless plan:
He will come, as a man,
born himself of woman,
God divinely human:
Mary hail! Though afraid,
she believed, she obeyed.
In her womb, God is laid:
till the time expected,
nurtured and protected.
she believed, she obeyed.
In her womb, God is laid:
till the time expected,
nurtured and protected.
Journey ends! Where afar
Bethl’em shines, like a star,
stable door stands ajar.
unborn Son of Mary,
Saviour, do not tarry!
Bethl’em shines, like a star,
stable door stands ajar.
unborn Son of Mary,
Saviour, do not tarry!
Angel
(1) (Rachel Mann)
She was
so young.
Too
young.
But
it’s not my job to have opinions. It’s my job to deliver news.
I
thought she would run when I walked into her home. It would have been the reasonable
thing to do.
I’ve
got used to odd reactions to my presence. But she was cool. So composed that at
first I thought she was stupid. She looked at me without blinking.
But I
saw it was her courage. Men four times her age rarely have her self-possession.
She was nobody’s fool.
I also
saw the knife. The whole time she spoke to me – in even, carefully controlled
tones – she held a knife in her hand.
It was
just a knife from her kitchen duties, but it was capable of real damage.
She
gripped it tight, ready to strike. I don’t think she’d have hesitated to use
it.
I asked
her my question – ‘Will you say yes?’ Told her she was chosen and blessed.
She
didn’t seem very impressed. She kept me standing there as she sat down.
She
laid the knife out on the table and studied it. She sighed like a woman twice
her age. Who already knew what it would cost.
Something
within me hoped she would say ‘no’.
I felt
a tear fall down my cheek.
She
looked at the knife for a long time. Then she said ‘yes’.
Not the powerful,
not the privileged,
not the famous in the land,
but the no-ones and the needy
were the first to hold God’s hand.
not the privileged,
not the famous in the land,
but the no-ones and the needy
were the first to hold God’s hand.
Not
a well-established family
with an heirloom christening shawl,
but a homeless, wandering couple
parented the Lord of All.
with an heirloom christening shawl,
but a homeless, wandering couple
parented the Lord of All.
Not,
at first, to little children,
nor to those whose faith
burned bright;
but to adults, stalled in darkness,
angels brought God’s love and light.
nor to those whose faith
burned bright;
but to adults, stalled in darkness,
angels brought God’s love and light.
God,
determined to be different
from the standards we think best,
in his choice of friends and family,
lets forgotten folk be blessed.
from the standards we think best,
in his choice of friends and family,
lets forgotten folk be blessed.
John
L. Bell
©
1982 Wild Goose Resource Group, Glasgow G51 3UU
Luke 1:39-55
39 In those days Mary set
out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the
house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard
Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a
loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this
happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard
the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who
believed that there would be[a] a fulfillment of what
was spoken to her by the Lord.”
46 And Mary[b] said,
“My soul magnifies the
Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
1 When out of poverty is born
a dream that will not die,
and landless, weary folk
find strength
to stand with heads held high,
a dream that will not die,
and landless, weary folk
find strength
to stand with heads held high,
it’s then we learn
from those who wait
to greet the promised day,
‘The Lord is coming;
don’t lose heart.
Be blest; prepare the way!’
from those who wait
to greet the promised day,
‘The Lord is coming;
don’t lose heart.
Be blest; prepare the way!’
2 When people wander
far
from God,
forget to share their bread,
they find their wealth
an empty thing,
their spirits are not fed.
forget to share their bread,
they find their wealth
an empty thing,
their spirits are not fed.
For only just and tender
love
the hungry soul will stay.
And so God’s prophets echo still
‘Be blest; prepare the way!’
the hungry soul will stay.
And so God’s prophets echo still
‘Be blest; prepare the way!’
3 When God took flesh
and came to earth,
the world turned upside-down,
and in the strength
of woman’s faith
the Word of Life was born.
and came to earth,
the world turned upside-down,
and in the strength
of woman’s faith
the Word of Life was born.
She knew that God
would raise the low,
it pleased her to obey.
Rejoice with Mary in the call,
‘Be blest; prepare the way!’
would raise the low,
it pleased her to obey.
Rejoice with Mary in the call,
‘Be blest; prepare the way!’
This is the kind of remembering
Mary does as she sings the song we have come to know as the Magnificat. in
singing of the transformation of the world as though that transformation has
already happened, Mary is remembering forward. This is what hope looks like. it
needs to be said that hope can be a tricky thing. given how intimately it
intertwines with our longings and desires, hope has the ability to slide into
delusion or obsession, when we are so focused on a particular outcome that it
distorts our perceptions. or hope can dissipate into wishful thinking, in which
we want something to happen but are idly waiting for someone else to set it in
motion. True hope beckons us to do more than wish or want or wait for someone
to take action. it asks us to be the one who acts. it calls us to discern what
lives beneath our wishes, to discover the longings beneath our longings, to dig
down to the place where our deepest yearning and god’s deepest yearning are the
same. when we find that, when we uncover those deepest desires, hope invites
and impels us to participate in bringing about those things for which we most
keenly long. Mary knew this. as she sings her Magnificat, she carries within
herself the meeting place of her longing and god’s yearning. her yes to god, to
bearing the Christ who takes flesh within her, becomes a microcosm of what god
was doing in the world. what god had accomplished within Mary, god was
accomplishing within the world. had accomplished. would accomplish. This kind
of hope bends our understanding of time and tenses. This hope challenges the
linear, forward-moving way in which we usually live. But the tense in which
Mary sings is precisely the tense we are called to inhabit. This is the tense
god invites us to enact in this world as we, like Mary, remember how god has
transformed the world even as we work with god to bring this transformation
into being.
(Jan Richardson)
Once in Royal David's city...
1-2 The Word was first, the
Word present to God, God present to the Word.
The Word was God, in readiness for God from day
one.
3-5 Everything was created
through him;
nothing — not one thing! — came into being without him.
nothing — not one thing! — came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life, and the Life was
Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the
darkness couldn’t put it out.
6-8 There once was a man,
his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to
show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light;
he was there to show the way to the Light.
9-13 The Life-Light was the
real thing: Every person entering Life, he brings into Light.
He was in the world, the world was there through
him, and yet the world didn’t even notice.
He came to his own people, but they didn’t want
him.
But whoever did want him, who believed he was who
he claimed, and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God
selves.
These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not
flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.
14The Word became flesh and blood, and moved
into the neighbourhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes, the
one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.
Advent Calendar (Rowan
Williams)
He will come like last
leaf’s fall.
One night when the November wind
has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
wakes choking on the mould,
the soft shroud’s folding.
One night when the November wind
has flayed the trees to the bone, and earth
wakes choking on the mould,
the soft shroud’s folding.
He will come like frost.
One morning when the shrinking earth
opens on mist, to find itself
arrested in the net
of alien, sword-set beauty.
One morning when the shrinking earth
opens on mist, to find itself
arrested in the net
of alien, sword-set beauty.
He will come like dark.
One evening when the bursting red
December sun draws up the sheet
and penny-masks its eye to yield
the star-snowed fields of sky.
One evening when the bursting red
December sun draws up the sheet
and penny-masks its eye to yield
the star-snowed fields of sky.
He will come, will come,
will come like crying in the night,
like blood, like breaking,
as the earth writhes to toss him free.
He will come like child.
will come like crying in the night,
like blood, like breaking,
as the earth writhes to toss him free.
He will come like child.
We bring our stars up, as we sing:
The
love of God comes close
Where
stands an open door
To
let the stranger in,
To
mingle rich and poor:
The
love of God is here to stay
Embracing
those who walk his way.
The
peace of God comes close
To
those caught in a storm,
Forgoing
lives of ease
To
ease the lives forlorn:
The
peace of God is here to stay
Embracing
those who walk his way.
The
joy of God comes close
Where faith encounters fears,
Where heights and depths of life
Are found through smiles and tears:
The joy of God is here to stay
Embracing those who walk his way.
Where faith encounters fears,
Where heights and depths of life
Are found through smiles and tears:
The joy of God is here to stay
Embracing those who walk his way.
The
grace of God comes close
To
those whose grace is spent,
When
hearts are tired and sore
And
hope is bruised and bent:
The
grace of God is here to stay
Embracing
those who walk his way.
The
Son of God comes close
to those who wait tonight.
To those who sit in darkness,
He comes to shine his light.
The Son of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.
to those who wait tonight.
To those who sit in darkness,
He comes to shine his light.
The Son of God is here to stay
embracing those who walk his way.
©
1988, 1997 Wild Goose Resource Group,
Iona Community, Glasgow G2 3DH, Scotland
Iona Community, Glasgow G2 3DH, Scotland
[Prayers... to 'the God of the dark earth, the God of the dark sky, the God of the dark corners, the God of the dark shadows...']
O little town of Bethlehem...
Blessing (Jan Richardson)
hope nonetheless.
hope despite.
hope regardless.
hope still.
hope where we had ceased to hope.
hope amid what threatens hope.
hope with those who feed our hope.
hope beyond what we had hoped.
hope that draws us past our limits.
hope that defies expectations.
hope that questions what we have known.
hope that makes a way where there is none.
hope that takes us past our fear.
hope that calls us into life.
hope that holds us beyond death.
hope that blesses those to come.
[and the blessing of God…]
