Canticle of the Sun

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Religious Writing, Saints

I came across this a short while ago and have veered in the short time I have known it from loving it to hating it and back again.  Parts of it resound and echo deep within me, parts of it grate and rub me up the wrong way.  Yesterday, a day without the sun we had come accustomed to – although the promised rain didn’t appear until this morning – reminded of this canticle as I drove back from the fellowship lunch with the hood down on ‘Baby’ and since then it has been bouncing round my head again with mixed feelings.

Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord!  All praise is yours, all glory, all honour and all blessing.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong,  No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce your name.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made, and first my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and light you give to us through him. How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendour!  Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
All praise be yours my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and fair and stormy, all the weather’s moods, by which you cherish all that you have made.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water, so useful, lowly, precious and pure.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten up the night.  How beautiful is he, how gay!  Full of power and strength.
All praise be yours my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces various fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon.  For love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, by you, Most High, they will be crowned.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death, from whose embrace no mortal can escape.  Woe to those who die in mortal sin!  Happy those she finds doing your will!  The second death can do no harm to them.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks, and serve him with great humility.

St Francis of Assisi

O God You Search Me And You Know Me

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Psalms

Surprised

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Photography

Now I know others have been saying this for a while but I have never been one to take pictures on my phone – apart from the odd facebook post – however this morning while at church I realised I had forgotten my camera.  (I wanted a picture for the magazine of the new foot washing jug and bowl.)  Having recently acquired a new phone I thought I would give it a chance before I headed back home for the camera.  It seemed okay – of course you never know until you get them back on a decent sized screen – so I snapped away at a couple of more things testing it out and I have to admit to being impressed with the results.  I am not sure what I was expecting but I certainly wasn’t expecting the low light (flash kicked in) close-up above from a camera phone.

I’m Sorry

I don’t know how it happens, but it seems to happen around me a lot.  I know there are those that would claim it is probably all my fault, but honestly it isn’t – not all of it.

It happens at the most surprising of moments but also at times when I just know it is coming.  It has happened with the last people I would have never expected it from and also from people for whom I am not in the least surprised.

What am I talking about – rebellion that is what.

Over the weekend the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway hosted over 50 members of staff from the Diocese of Gothenburg, three ended up at All Saints.  I would love to know show you some pictures, but I picked up a camera without a battery.  After a quick tour of the local churches, the Roman Baths and of course the service, Sabina, Jakob and Mikael were introduced to some Scottish delicacies – Haggis, Scotch Pies, Salmon, Scottish Cheeses, Oatcakes, Tunnocks caramel wafers and tea cakes, Clootie dumpling and Cranachan – the last three were extremely popular! – then it seemed only right and proper that they also sampled some whisky.  Now of course we could have just poured them a dram but we decided that they could do that back home so instead we headed up to the local distillery for a tour and buying spree before ending the afternoon having theological discussions over coffee.  So what you might be wondering am I sorry about and where is the rebellion.  Well they were supposed to be touring the Cathedral rather than a distillery and having, well I don’t know what kind of discussions elsewhere, rather than coffee in the Rectory, plus I had been the one who had agreed to get them back 2 hours before they actually got back to the Cathedral so I feel that I should apologise, however.

For the record I wish to state it was a rebellion, but I was not the cause.

Pirate Plummet Abseil

Daughter Pamela is spending her birthday joining in the Pirate Plummet Abseil down the Finnieston Crane on the banks of the River Clyde in aid of the Stroke Association.  As my Dad, John Macfarlane, had a series of strokes she is doing it in his memory.  If you know someone who has suffered and aren’t up to doing the abseil yourself then why not sponsor her?  I will have sponsor forms at church on Sunday, but if you would rather do it on-line or aren’t a member of either congregations then you can do it here http://www.justgiving.com/Pamela-Marshall

She is actually doing this totally independently of my 40 Acorns for Lent Challenge, but nothing to stop you sponsoring her as one of your 40 acrons.  Hopefully there will be pictures after the event later this month.

Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2012

Rivers in the Sand

Tags

Isaiah, Liturgical Seasons, Photography

 

Trickles of water carving pathways through the sand proof that there is water, working its way around small pebbles journeying onward, ever onward.

Draw near to me, hear this!
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret,
from the time it came to be I have been there.
And now the Lord God has sent me and his spirit.
Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you for your own good,
who leads you in the way you should go.
O that you had paid attention to my commandments!
Then your prosperity would have been like a river,
and your success like the waves of the sea;
your offspring would have been like the sand,
and your descendants like its grains;
their name would never be cut off
or destroyed from before me.

Isaiah 48:16-19

But Zadok Was AWOL

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Religion

Yesterday, a day early, All Saints marked the accession 60 years ago today of Queen Elizabeth II by crowning, robing, and generally kiting out king Neill.  His big brother wasn’t too keen about the whole having to pay homage to his younger sibling and was somewhat relieved when Neil’s reign was even shorter than that of Lady Jane Grey.  Of course you don’t need me to tell you it took over a year before the Queen’s coronation service actually took place, the day when one of the richest people in the world is handed a Bible and told:-

… the most valuable thing this world affords …

Not having access to the Crown Jewels and not being able to buy an orb anywhere I had to set about making one.

It turned out satisfactory enough and fairly illustrated the words which are said when the orb is presented:-

Receive this orb set under the cross and remember that the whole world is subject to the power and empire of Christ.

Talking with some members of the congregation after the service we did wonder how the next coronation might change.  There has been much talk in the past about Prince Charles wanting to be defender of faiths, rather than defender of the faith, words which are spoken at the handing over of the ring and also as part of the oath.  However throughout the service there are constant references to the Kingship of Christ, to things only being able to done with God’s help, and probably most controversial of all the instruction to the new monarch to protect the Holy Church of God as the sword of state is presented.  Sixty years is a long time but as a British monarch is reminded when the crown is placed upon their head the time will come when their reign will end, but Christ’s reign is an everlasting kingdom and it endures forever.  I  don’t expect that we will see a new monarch any time soon, especially if our current queen has her mother’s long-lived genes, but I can see much debate and discussion at some point in the future when a new British monarchs’ coronation is being planned.

Oh and the title of this post, well the one thing that was missing this morning I hadn’t let the organist in on what I was up to and primed her to play Zadok the Priest as we led the newly crowned king to be enthroned with his somewhat surprised newbie bishop – now there was an opportunity missed.

Well …

Keeping with my new resolution I walked to All Saints this morning.

As I set out the crisp air-filled my lungs making me feel really alive, the sun was bright and it felt good to be out walking rather than stuck in traffic in my car.  I wasn’t alone the dog walkers were out chatting with each other as their canine charges galloped about the whitened grass; mothers were guiding pushchairs loaded with well wrapped up children along the bumpy pavements; and the air was filled with the sound of countless birds chirping away as if their very lives depended on being the one with the loudest, melodious, longest song.  As the blue sky drew my eyes upwards I felt words from the Te Deum reverberate around my head and heart:-

We praise thee, O God:
we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee:
the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud:
the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim:
continually do cry,
Holy, Holy, Holy: Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty :
of thy glory.

I hadn’t even got to church or tasted of those most holy of mysteries and I felt virtuous, my body and soul was being blessed, this walking was a good idea I thought.

On the walk back my thoughts were somewhat different, yes the sun still shone, yes the sky was still the most magnificent blue, yes the birds still sung, and yes other people still walked and wandered along the pathways – most of them taking time to comment to me on what a nice day it was, but it wasn’t the Te Deum that echoed around me, it was Simeon’s words which now rose up to accompany me:-

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace : according to thy word.
For mine eyes have seen : thy salvation.

The walking was now looking a very bad idea indeed.  As I got closer to the Rectory I got slower and slower, like a bunny who had the wrong batteries inside.  I felt as if I was walking along with a giant question mark hanging over my head, asking, which will happen first reaching the Rectory or batteries totally running out.

I hadn’t realised just how unfit the last year has made me and therefore my resolve is greater than ever that on Wednesdays the car will be left at home and hopefully it wont be too long before the walk back will also be the joy that the walk too church was this morning.

Resolution

Since Mother Ruth has suggested over on Eat, Pray, Love Liturgy that Candlemas is a good time to make resolutions I am making one a bit early and decided to post it on my blog in the hope that it might help me stick to it.

On Wednesday’s we have a Eucharist over at All Saints, every week I jump in my car and make the journey which usually takes a while as the traffic is often busy.  In fact in the past I have seen it take so long that I have been late, even though it is only a mile and a half.  If on the other hand if I walked not only is the journey shorter, about a mile as there are paths that cut through, but also it would do me some good so from now on I am going to walk, unless there is a really really good reason not to.

Thank You Whoever You Are

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Books

Today a package plopped on the doormat addressed to me.  I wasn’t expecting anything but yes it was addressed to me so I opened it, inside was a book – The Levant Trilogy by Olivia Manning.  Puzzled I checked the package, nothing else in it however the address label told me the company which had sent it, so I contacted them after all someone could be waiting for it and it had landed on my doorstep instead of theirs by mistake.

Well I have received a reply from them and it I would appear someone has sent me this book as a gift.  So as I have no idea who sent it and the company who dispatched it understandably can’t tell me either, I decided the best way to thank them was by putting my thanks on here in the hope that they might read my blog.

So thank you whoever you may be.

Confession

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Family Life

I don’t like tea, or maybe to be more precise it doesn’t like me, it makes me physically sick.  Hubby on the other hand loves his tea and has a whole variety of blended and un-blended leaves to drink depending on his mood.  He does however also occasionally like an espresso.

I can be tempted towards a decent cup of coffee – for preference a cappuccino or latte – and for many a long year a coffee maker has languished on my Amazon wish list as the whole heating and frothing the milk can be a bit of a faff, so in the Rectory it has been the cafetière which has tended to be the major coffee-making bit of kit, but no longer.

Thanks to Hubby Santa brought me one of these and we can now both have just the coffee we like.