Phil's Treehouse

Ditching the Redeemer

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Yesterday I attended the Consecration of John Wraw as Bishop of Bradwell and Tim Dakin as Bishop of Winchester at St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was a great service with a powerful and challenging sermon from Stephen Cottrell the Bishop of Chelmsford. The hymns were traditional and predictable but I didn’t have a problem until it came to the offertory hymn Crown Him With Many Crowns. As we sang the last verse things didn’t seem quite right and my mate Graham Tomlin standing next to me identified the problem; the words of the last verse had been changed. Here’s the original:

Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.

And here is what replaced it in the service:

Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime.
Glassed in a sea of light, Where everlasting waves
Reflect his throne – the Infinite! Who lives – and loves – and saves.

So why have we ditched the Redeemer? I can only assume its because the original words smack of an atonement theology the cathedral authorities or whoever drew up the service feel uncomfortable with. If that’s the case then why did we keep the opening verse?

Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

I’m getting a bit fed up of all the tinkering going on with hymns at various services I attend. Our own cathedral in Chelmsford changes the lines of In Christ Alone because of the unease with the ‘Wrath of God’ in the original. Apart from it probably being a copyright infringement I can’t help wondering why we sing it if people are uncomfortable with the lyrics.

Looking at the new ending for Crown Him I'm really not sure what it means. The original speaks of Christ being praised for eternity because of all that he has done for us. The new version sounds like a discarded Beatles song from their LSD phase.

Anyway, I’m praying for our new bishop John Wraw and for Tim Dakin as he takes up his ministry in Winchester and I’ll carry on praising the Redeemer and leave others to wallow in the everlasting waves.

Update: I am grateful to the Archdruid for doing some research for me (see comments). It turns out that the last verse we sang is the original version of that verse which has since been amended over the years. The song has a long history, coloured by a bit of catholic / protestant rivalry and there is a brief summary posted here. I still think this version is bordering on the nonsensical and don't know why it was chosen over the much more familiar and I would suggest theologically accessible 'redeemer' version.

It’s Wikid

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:43:00 +0000

Unfortunately this morning’s blog post is cancelled due to discovering the following when I fired up the PC:

For the full story check out The Beaker Folk article Rest for the Wiki. At least there is one reliable source still available for information about the real world.

speed dial

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:30:00 +0000

A BBC producer has left their mobile phone on the train and inspection of the speed dial has revealed the following settings:

Andrew Green & Migration Watch – anything to do with ‘foreigners’.
Stephen Green & Christian Voice – religion and sex.
Antony Worrall Thompson – food (now deleted).
Jeremy Clarkson – cars and slow news days.
Brian Cox – anything amazing about science.
Kirsty Allsopp – housing and homes.
Robbie Savage – football and dancing.
Trevor Kavanagh – press and politics.
empty – showbiz (Simon Cowell has long since stopped returning calls).

M L K

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Can’t find my way home

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Still a stunning melody from a consummate musician.

The tone of Winwood’s guitar is so rich and the fire cracking in the background is perfect. The smile at the end says it all.

the return

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:05:00 +0000

The injury ravaged club is experiencing a crisis as their depleted squad enters the most important part of the season. And so, in the spirit of selfless service and following the example of Paul (he scores goals) Scholes and Thierry (why use your foot when you can use your hand) Henry, I am delighted to announce that I am coming out of retirement. I will be offering my services to my old club Highwood Badgers and though my legs have gone and I can’t see without glasses I expect to play a holding (the opponent) midfield role. My range of Sat Nav passes remains undiminished as I spread the ball around the back garden and unerringly hit every mound of dog mess; my finishing remains deadly from two inches out with the goal keeper unconscious and I can just about squeeze into an extra large old nylon replica shirt.

On second thoughts, why settle for second best? I think I’ll stand for the office of Prime Minister and follow in the high kicking footsteps of the legend that is Eric (Le Roi) Cantona.

nothing to add

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:14:00 +0000

Epiphany

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:14:00 +0000

It might have been just someone else’s story,
Some chosen people get a special king.
We leave them to their own peculiar glory,
We don’t belong, it doesn’t mean a thing.
But when these three arrive they bring us with them,
Gentiles like us, their wisdom might be ours;
A steady step that finds an inner rhythm,
A pilgrim’s eye that sees beyond the stars.
They did not know his name but still they sought him,
They came from otherwhere but still they found;
In temples they found those who sold and bought him,
But in the filthy stable, hallowed ground.
Their courage gives our questing hearts a voice
To seek, to find, to worship, to rejoice.

Malcolm Guite’s first sonnet for Epiphany. Malcolm explains the background to the composition of the sonnet on his blog.

3V: rip off Britain alive and well

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:15:00 +0000

When I left my last job in April I received some very generous gifts including a 3V Visa internet shopping gift card. I didn’t get round to using the card until before Christmas when I went on line to activate it. Today I went to my 3V account to check the balance in preparation for using the card for a couple of on line purchases. I was staggered to discover that £4 had been deducted as an ‘account maintenance fee’ by 3V. On checking the terms and conditions of the card I discovered this little gem:

A fee of £2 per month will be deducted from the
Available Balance in each of the 3 calendar months
after the 9th month of purchase of the 3V Visa
Internet Shopping Gift Card and prior to expiry.

I wonder if the person who purchased the card was aware that the company would be deducting these amounts until the balance was used up or the card expired? I suspect not. What justification can the company have for these charges, after all they are getting the interest from the funds on the card until it is used? The blurb on their site boasts that they don’t have interest charges.

I’ve made some purchases and cleared out the balance before they get their grubby mitts on another £2. 3V Visa numbers are issued by Raphaels Bank and why was I not surprised to learn that their founder made his dosh during the Napoleonic wars?

My advice is don’t go near these cards; they are one more example of the way in which certain financial institutions are ripping off the unwary public.

graceful harmonics

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:29:00 +0000

Enjoy the awesome harmonics in this brilliant version of Amazing Grace by bass virtuoso Victor Wooten.

dying trees

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:13:00 +0000

I read a couple of comments on Twitter this morning about dying Christmas trees. Graham Tomlin commented:

4 days left of Christmas. Tree looking a bit droopy. Not sure it will make it. May need to be put out of its misery.

Michael Owen also tweeted with accompanying picture:

It has served us well but it's old and saggy now and ready to go! (cue the comparison jokes!!!)

This got me thinking about our own tree which is beginning to droop but should make it through until Twelfth Night. I’m a big fan of having a real tree as a Christmas tree and never liked those fake plastic jobs that my family used to have. I enjoy the ritual of choosing the tree and this year we went for something smaller as we’ve moved and don’t have as much room. I also like the way that no two trees are the same and that although they give a first appearance of symmetry they have awkward branches that keep springing out of shape.

I think Jane Williams was on to something when she observed:

Part of the charm of the Christmas tree is exactly that power to evoke the strange and wonderful. Simply by being a tree, yet indoors, it speaks of the fact that ordinary rules do not apply during Christmas. The outside world is brought inside, or perhaps the inside world is shared with the outside – who knows which is the right description? Either way, as we deck the tree, we are celebrating a time when barriers are dissolved, when we can see magic in the ordinary…

I do wonder whether part of the reason that our trees are struggling to make it through to the end of Christmas, which Graham rightly reminds us still has a few days left, is that we are tempted to put them up too early. Perhaps if we started celebrating Christmas after Advent rather than half way through it our decorations may not look so stale.

However, there is something theologically important about Christmas decorations deteriorating and dying. The drooping tree, browning holly and wilting mistletoe remind us that Christmas engages with a real world which includes decay and death. I read about a chap who so enjoys Christmas that he celebrates it every day: decorations; full Christmas dinner; presents and all the other trimmings. Sadly, he’s missed the point, which is not to stand still preserving a moment in time but to live life in the light of the Christmas story and all that it signifies.

Perhaps the dying decorations also remind us that we have to allow the Christ child to grow up and eventually to set his face towards Jerusalem; the place of suffering and death on an Easter tree.

Cry of a tiny babe

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:50:00 +0000

'Redemption rips through the surface of time...'

Bruce Cockburn’s beautiful telling of the birth of the Christ accompanied by Lou Reed and Roseanne Cash.

h/t Andrew Crory

He pitched his tent among us

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

In the contradiction of the gods of Mammon and the lords of Misrule
In the pavement legalities of occupation and assertion, injunction and counterclaim
At the interface of tourist and worshipper, occupier and passer-by
He pitched his tent among us.

In another place and time, where the Eagle standard spreads its wings
In the tyrant rule of Herod, toying with Magi and butchering children
At the Royal City – subject today to another occupation
He pitched his tent among us.

In a culture where “reality” is pathos and everything has a price
In the lives of poor and privileged, Pharisee and refugee
At the cusp of history, at this time and at all times
He pitched his tent among us.

Come, transforming Christ, manger born and Spirit led
Take hold of what is tawdry and bring your kingdom’s joy
Take lives which ache for vision and instil eternal hope
And pitch your tent among us.

Wonderful poem reflecting on John 1:14 from Pete Broadbent the Bishop of Willesden.

My player right or wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:33:00 +0000

Yesterday I determined not to comment on the Football Association punishment handed out to Liverpool footballer Louis Suarez. An FA statement set out the terms of the player’s charge and punishment:

"An independent regulatory commission has found a charge of misconduct against Luis Suárez proven, and have issued a suspension for a period of eight matches as well as fining him £40,000, pending appeal. The decision is as follows:
• Mr Suárez used insulting words towards Mr Evra during the match contrary to FA Rule E3(1);
• The insulting words used by Mr Suárez included a reference to Mr Evra's colour;
• Mr Suárez shall be warned as to his future conduct, be suspended for eight matches covering all first-team competitive matches and fined the sum of £40,000;”

The full written adjudication is still to be released and so I felt it would be inappropriate to comment until I had read the reasons for the decision.

Later in the day another footballer, Chelsea and England captain John Terry, was informed that he has been charged with the following by the Crown Prosecution Service:

"threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress which was racially aggravated in accordance with section 28 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998".

Again, I do not know the evidence that has led to this decision and until the trial takes place will not know the full facts about the case.

What I will comment on is the reaction of the football clubs in both cases. Liverpool FC issued a statement which defended Suarez and challenged the findings of the commission. The statement can be read here but this section sums up their response:

It seems incredible to us that a player of mixed heritage should be accused and found guilty in the way he has based on the evidence presented. We do not recognise the way in which Luis Suárez has been characterised. Nothing we have heard in the hearing has changed our view that Luis Suárez is innocent and we will provide Luis with whatever support he now needs to clear his name.

The Liverpool manager has also issued statements about the verdict including the following on Twitter:

"Very disappointed with today's verdict. This is the time when [Luis Suarez] needs our full support. Let's not let him walk alone. KD,"

Then yesterday evening before their match the Liverpool team warmed up wearing T-shirts with a picture of Suarez on them, including Suarez himself, and throughout the match the supporters chanted his name.

The reaction of Chelsea FC to the charge against John Terry was more immediate than that of Liverpool, who at least had the grace to wait a couple of hours before issuing their statement. Chelsea responded with the following:

"John has made it clear he denies the charge and is determined to do all he can to prove his innocence. Chelsea FC has always been fully supportive of John in this matter and will continue to be so.”

The Chelsea manager offered his views on the matter:

"For a player with John's experience, it won't be a problem. The only thing I know is that I will be fully supportive of John Terry, whatever the outcome of the situation."

What I find so disappointing in both these cases is that the respective clubs seem determined to support their players whatever the outcome of the cases. This attitude is mirrored in the reactions of the supporters. The airwaves and internet have been awash with attempts to deny, explain, justify and excuse the behaviour of the two footballers. Guilty or innocent their players will be defended by every means at the disposal of the clubs with the full support of their fans.

To be fair Chelsea and Liverpool are not alone in this. Most clubs see their players as extremely valuable assets and will seek to protect their investments at almost any cost and by turning a blind eye to behaviour that would be deemed unacceptable in wider society. Football fans are tribal animals, fed a strong diet of ‘our club against the world’ propaganda by managers and fanzines alike and so are willing to excuse almost anything one of their players indulges in.

The football authorities also carry a burden of responsibility for these attitudes. The English FA appealed against Wayne Rooney’s three match international ban for violent conduct in order to secure his services at Euro 2012 and successfully had the ban reduced. Thus, they sent out a message to the clubs they seek to govern, encouraging them to use whatever means to enable their players to take to the pitch. (I write this as a supporter of Manchester United and Wayne Rooney.)

And don’t look to FIFA, football’s governing body world wide, for leadership on this or any other issue. I have written about the failure of leadership on racism and other matters offered by FIFA in the past and nothing seems to have changed.

Whatever the final outcome in both these cases the message is clear from clubs and fans alike: We support our players right or wrong. Moral relativism eats at the soul of football, fuelled by money and an unthinking devotion to the gods of the beautiful game. I would say it will all end in tears but it already has on too many occasions as Liverpool FC know only too well.

Roll on December 2012!

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:37:00 +0000

Can’t wait.

h/t Dave Meldrum.

Heart melting

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:30:00 +0000

The wonderful Alison Krauss and Yo-Yo Ma perform The Wexford Carol.

h/t Maggi Dawn for reminding me of this gem.

Clearing up the dung

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:48:00 +0000

I took this photograph during yesterday morning’s presentation of The Journey in Great Baddow. The production told the story of the Nativity and began in our local shopping centre, before we journeyed to the graveyard for the shepherds and wise men and then entered church for the final part at the stable.

At first I was disappointed that the picture included the young man carrying the brush and shovel to clean up the donkey’s dung; it spoiled the shot. No problem, it wouldn’t have been difficult to crop him out of the picture. Then I decided to leave him in because there is something about clearing up the mess that gets to the heart of the story. How easily we are tempted to Photoshop Christmas.

The Screwtape email

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:12:00 +0000

Wormwood,

What on earth is going on? How could you be so stupid? Did I not tell you that the best way to defeat the enemy is to stop talking about him and avoid drawing attention to him? Apathy and ignorance are far better weapons than any overt assault.

For a while the enemy’s agents were doing our work for us. Don’t you remember the successes of the last century? We didn’t need to do a thing, just sit back and watch as his supporters did their best to undermine his work. They were tripping over themselves to get into the media to debunk every aspect of belief.

But now, thanks to your incompetence, he’s back in the game. People can’t stop talking about him, even Prime Ministers are saying what a good thing he is. What possessed you? (O.K. I know what possesses you but that’s not the point). Thanks to your recruitment policy there are a few very vociferous people, destroying all our good work. Every time one of your agents opens his/her mouth, or puts fingers to keyboard, a whole new round of discussion and debate opens up. These ‘new atheists’ as they’ve become known, simply do the enemy’s work for him and I seriously suspect they are double agents so effective have they been in raising the enemy’s profile.

The enemy’s supporters have never been so motivated and engaged in the battle: demanding public debates; churning out books putting forward the argument for belief; speaking his name at every opportunity and never out of the media. There are intense discussions going on all over the place and that is not helpful to our ambitions. It’s true some of them overreact and a few make fools of themselves by their aggressive responses and I’d encourage you to play that for all it’s worth. Nevertheless, serious damage to our cause has been done.

As for that bus campaign! What made you think having his name on the side of the Number 23 to Tooting was a publicity coup for our side?

And encouraging our supporters to go to Carol Services to enjoy the singing but ignore the religious stuff, how was that ever going to work? Haven’t you read what’s in those carols? The only saving grace is that the enemy’s supporters are often too stupid to read and act on the words themselves.

I want the whole operation closed down before you wreck our mission for good.

Your seriously hacked off uncle,

Screwtape.

He never said

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 09:05:00 +0000

On a day when there is much debate about the Bible and the values that underpin our society, I’m grateful to Ged Robinson for reminding me about this great song from Martyn Jospeh: He Never Said.

killing me not so softly with her song

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:22:00 +0000

My first Christmas back in parish ministry and I’ve made it through the various school and playschool carol services and nativities. We have two crib services on Christmas Eve when the church will be packed with families and many of the children will come dressed as nativity characters. I’m just wondering if things are going to turn out anything like this?

h/t Revd Richard Coles

Herod – an exclusive

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 07:30:00 +0000

Herod

With Wikileaks in the headlines
you could say
the timing was perfect.

Three Iraqi profs in clown-suits
claimed they had intel
on a need-to-know-basis.

No one used the word coup
but it was clear what they meant.

Said they’d scoured satellites
to find me. Someone’s head
will roll for that, I laughed.
Not even a flicker.

I cut them a deal:
new Jeeps, immunity,
a map of the minefields
in return for his name.

We shook, nothing in writing,
everything clean.

How they twigged I honestly
can’t say. They didn’t look
like hackers, then who does?

Special forces, probably.
They were good, not a trace.

If they ever do go public
I will be waiting.

One thing I’ve learned,
if you can’t give the order
it’s time to get out.

Another powerful monologue from Anthony Wilson for Christmas.

Dwell in Possibility

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:30:00 +0000

I was struck by the phrase ‘I dwell in Possibility’ from a poem by Emily Dickenson as a reflection on the Gospel reading for Sunday from Luke 1:26-38 The Annunciation. I’ll let Pastor Keith explain.

I dwell in Possibility –
A fairer House than Prose –
More numerous of Windows –
Superior – for Doors –

Of Chambers as the Cedars –
Impregnable of eye –
And for an everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky –

Of Visitors – the fairest –
For Occupation – This –
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise –

h/t Elizabeth Drescher

Christmas is not uncomplicated.

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0000

I came across an interesting comment piece on Christmas from Simon Jenkins in The Guardian titled Christmas is a shot of uncomplicated joy. Jenkins makes the following statement about Christmas:

My Christmas favourite is Christmas itself, its lit streets and decorated homes; its food, songs and music. For me it holds no religious import, but only the most hardened cynics could turn their back on this annual celebration of happiness. Christmas is the world's one moment of licensed pleasure, when custom requires us to behave, however briefly, as sociable human beings. A shot of uncomplicated joy is surely a social boon.

Jenkins continues:

Christmas carries little of the theological (or pagan) baggage of Easter. The myth of supernatural birth, common to many religions, focuses attention on children as gifted with unsullied virtue. It honours the sovereignty of childhood, yet of childhood in general, free of the pressures and strains that can come with the intimate rituals of family life, such as births, marriages and deaths.

What Christmas story has Jenkins been reading? The Gospel according to Charles Dickens as he explains:

Most Christmas ritual relies, to an extraordinary extent, on Charles Dickens. To him the event mattered not for its biblical significance but for how society treated it, indeed, seemed to crave it. His novella A Christmas Carol depicted a Manichean triumph of good over evil, warmth over coldness, generosity of spirit over meanness.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like A Christmas Carol. My son played Scrooge in his school’s production last week and great fun it was. However, Jenkins has completely missed the point and this is summed up by his conclusion:

Christmas breaks the harsh rhythm of life, offering an interlude when contact is re-established with neighbours, home and hearth. Hence the curious iconography of a "white Christmas", when reality is blotted out with snow and people are driven indoors to find warmth and reassurance round the fireside. I wouldn't be without it.

‘Reality is blotted out’ says Jenkins. If we go back not to Dickens but to the Gospels this claim couldn’t be further from the truth about Christmas. God is not offering an escape route from reality, he is demanding full engagement with reality. The Word became Flesh is the great acclamation of the Church at this time of year. God in the person of his Son entered our world as a flesh and blood human being. He engaged with a world of teenage pregnancy, occupation, oppression, persecution, homelessness, asylum seeking and mass murder. We might want to skip over these bits of Christmas because they don’t fit with the sanitised version of the story which features in so many of our school and church nativity plays. Christmas IS about ‘the harsh rhythm of life’ not an ‘interlude’ from it.

I know which I prefer. We don’t need a few days to anaesthetise ourselves to the realities of everyday life, usually at the price of getting further into debt and a stinking hangover. And for how many is Christmas an ‘annual celebration of happiness’ anyway?

We need to hear and receive the Good News that God invites us to share with him in transforming this world; experiencing abundant life in the midst of the dung and straw of this beautiful yet deeply scarred creation. This is the message that enables me to echo Jenkins’ final words about Christmas:

‘I wouldn’t be without it.’

Update: Check out this report from Theos on The politics of Christmas. h/t Sam Tomlin

Handel’s Messiah fail

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:07:00 +0000

Not quite what Handel intended for a performance of The Messiah.

Joseph – a nativity poem

noreply@blogger.com (Philip Ritchie) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:40:00 +0000

They say there are signs.
Not with her.

I’m no professor
but neither am I stupid.

I asked her who she’d been seeing.
She sat there murmuring ‘Angel’.

She went north a few days
- change’ll do you good.

The solicitors said to forget it.
‘Without proof…’ they smiled.

If anything she started to brighten:
‘They’ll be cousins, same age!’

(I can’t be sure,
but I think I saw him, too.)

We left it too late, of course.
The traffic was solid,

some pop idol on the hire car radio
massacring ‘Hallelujah’.

We stopped at a Little Chef
on a B-road somewhere in the hills.

Crystal midnight it was,
good as daylight.

Then she grew wild-eyed.
Her bawling, a blunt saw,

cut through me.
It wasn’t like in the songs.

Wonderful poem by Anthony Wilson. This is part of a series of poems written for a nativity carol service.