One of the things that Bishop David quoted in the sermon he preached at my Installation just over a month ago was members of St Saviour’s who had said that "no-one throws a party like Kelvin".
I’m interested in how literally this has been taken. For, I’ve no doubt that the B of A folk were referring to my ability to see the liturgical year as one party after another rather than any ability to throw a shindig with sausage rolls and chardonnay. Building the kind of celebration into church life that we had the night of my Installation is one of the things that I enjoy most about the life that has chosen me. I like to gather a relaxed and happy crowd and allow our senses to be tickled and our minds nudged onwards by the deep draughts that we can draw from ecclesiastical tradition. It is what tradition is for.
Notwithstanding that, the glittering moments only shine so brightly when you can enjoy the bread and butter stuff too. Take tonight’s Evensong, for example. It was certainly less glitzy than the offering of worship that the choir helped us to bring last week. But was it any the less worthwhile for that? Not a bit of it.
This year, because of the popularity of the evening festival services that we had in June, we decided to carry on with musical services during the summer even during the choir’s well earned holidays.
Sung Evensong every week then. Different voices leading us in the responses. More time for reflective organ music. Hymns and psalms.
The stillness and the beauty of the building at rest, at end of the first day of the rest of our lives.
Parties
A visit to Junkyard Dog (on Great Westeern Road) or the Lansdowne (in Lansdowne Crescent) after Evensong is the first step to having parties over the summer.