During Lent, members of the clergy at St Mary’s are giving addresses at Choral Evensong on the theme “If I had just one more sermon to preach…”
Here’s mine:
In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
If I had just one more sermon to preach, I’d tell people that God loved them.
The truth is, (more…)
I always remember being told that the final “smoke” in the Stainer is meant to be the loudest note in Anglican choral music. I have no idea how that can possibly be qualified, and of course there are so many variables, but I still like to believe it’s true.
Thanks Duncan – http://www.kjv-only.com/unicorn.html has a list of them for those interested.
Cal – was thinking about you just the other day. I bet you’d know how to do deploy glitter canons for Corpus Christi.
I love the fact that the unicorn appears in the KJV bible about ten times. Who said scripture doesn’t contain mythic elements!
Fluttter ‘fetti has long been overlooked in the liturgy, I feel. I suspect you’d have to bribe your servers to sweep it up though – least favourite job.
The loudness of “smoke” probably depends on the choir singing it! I bet St Mary’s give it a good thump! 😉
On the subject of dragons…….we have some stylised ones hidden away in our Daniel Cottier stained glass at Pilrig St Paul’s in Edinburgh. I didn’t notice them for over three years despite having spent ages taking photographs of the windows. Cunningly hidden as I’m sure all dragons are!
The smoke was certainly wonderfully loud last night.
I see that Freda has new dragons, though they don’t seem particularly well hidden.
Cal – I hope very much that the skills that you are currently building up are at some time and in some place offered unto the Lord in the facilitation of the most holy, most glorious and most magnificent liturgy.
[Lesson learned from typing this comment – do not muddle up dragons and dragoons]
[May] the Holy and Blessed Trinity to protect us from religion that is dull or humorless.
AMEN!
Now Kelvin, you must have read my story of St Michael, and you know, perfectly well, that actually the great archangel is dragon-formed. THe horrid prodder with the lance is actually Lucifer.
Sounds fabulous. Impressed that you weren’t tempted to rename it EvenDrag!
What if your Dyson isn’t in D? Mine is probably more A below middle C.
I also like the idea of you all singing (a la The Clash) “I saw the Lord and the Lord won”.
@Cal – I heard that too, but got pooh-poohed when I remarked upon it. Glad to hear I’m not alone.
@Martin – St Mary’s choir do not thump. Lean upon, emphasise, give weight to, but never thump. Nor, for the psalmody aficionados out there, do they gabble.
This time next week, the “Cascade Conversations” will be taking place in Pitlochry. This is an attempt to allow discussion in the Scottish Episcopal Church about issues relating to homosexuality. I won’t be there because I’ve not been invited and I’m sorry about that as I would have liked to listen to what others were…
What a joy to be in this place today celebrating the resurrection. We began on a high last Sunday and have made our way though this Holy Week. People sometimes call that a journey, a waymarked path, a pilgrimage. But for me, that doesn’t begin to describe it. For me it is more like being…
In the middle of the busy days of Holy Week comes the news that Jim Cotter has died. Jim was a poet-priest – someone for whom words were as important as breathing. He wrote prayers in which unicorns danced. He was also I think the first out gay priest I ever met, coming to preach in…
Many thanks to all those who made Palm Sunday so special at St Mary’s. (I’ve been ill for a fortnight, so it wasn’t down to me!) Thanks to Stewart Macfarlane for capturing this pic. A reminder that Holy Week starts with joy.
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