Donkey Latin...not pig Latin

I wouldn't exactly call it a "request" from the front at chapel last night but a joke that Little Donkey was "translated from the Medieval Latin text" was just too much temptation for me. 

So here's a little Christmas treat:

Asinine, asinine
in itinere
pulverea
ambulanda
onerate

Diuturnus, asinine

hiberno nocte

perge te nunc, asinine

ecce Bethlehem

  
Sonate campanas
Bethlehem, Bethlehem
stella sequere
Bethlehem, Bethlehem
 
Asinine, asinine
die ardue
asinine

fer Mariam
via secura.

Merry Christmas One and All

As some of you know I was never very good at being organised enough to do Christmas cards and a few years back I decided to give up completely in preference for a special Christmas blog post.

So Merry Christmas everyone with love from me and Michael! I hope you've all managed to celebrate as you wished despite the weather. 

As traditional I've got a video for you. This one uses a song by the wonderful Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies who play at the Performance Cafe at Greenbelt, where I volunteer each year.

This year I also offer you a poem I wrote as part of a workshop at Queen's Theological College and which was featured as part of a performance of The Virgin Monologues in early December.

Handmade: 
Everything I ever had
was handmade; 
Everything I ever had 
except him. 

Handmade 
clothes; 
handmade
cups and bowls;
handmade
life 

Now I am Handmaid, 
mother, 
bearer. 

Handmaid 
of the One; 
Handmaid
of the begotten
not made. 

                       Sarah Brush November 2012

Christmas Card

As regular blog readers will know, I am never organised enough to do cards and gave in a few years ago. Instead I once again offer a video Greetings card to you all.

In this one, there are various images of the visit of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary as described in Luke 1.26-38.

It has made me think too of the great poem by Nicola Slee (available in The Book of Mary - recommended purchase!):

Fiat (Luke 1:38)

I uttered myself

I claimed my voice

I was not afraid to question

I held my ground

I made my yes

looking straight into the angel's eyes

(any slave girl could have been beaten or raped for less)

There was no mastery here

Nothing was taken from me

Everything was given

Here I am:

See me

                  Listen

Consider it, if you will as an invitation to listen out for God this Christmas and an encouragement to find your YES.

Merry Christmas!

A little Christmas gift to all

Christmas

Ok so the blog has been quiet - apologies for that.

I've also failed in the Christmas card department but there you go. So Merry Christmas to all!

I have however discovered a wondorous Christmas recipe in the form of Willie's Chocolate mince pies. Michael the true mince pie fan is less keen but I think they're delicious!

I had thought of givine you all the joy of the Muppets' Bohemian Rhapsody but instead, in honour of all the folks in snow in High Wycombe (and elsewhere) at the moment, my virtual Christmas card is courtesy of Simon's Cat. Enjoy!

Twelfth Night or what you will

So the Christmas decorations should all be down... really must do that!

Yet these words from Howard Thurman which I heard for the first time today encapsulates for me how that de-christmassy-ing should be done.

When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

Christmas Card in Video form

For those of you who don't receive one of the rare cards I've sent out (Yes I actually HAVE sent some this year - it's a "oh we've moved house" thing!) I've put together a little video using some of my paintings and doodlings and a track from a CD recorded at the fabulous church of St Mary and St George in High Wycombe where I guest non-starred with a friend of mine in the alto section for a choir from Stokenchurch. It's a setting of the words below which is, somewhat appropriately considering we're now next door in Worcestershire, the "Herefordshire Christmas Carol" preserved by the great Ralph Vaughan Williams (who's anniversary year it is!)

I love these words and won't be singing them this year for the first time in many years as I'm not in a choir at Christmas for the first time since ... er... well probably since I could string two words and a few notes together!

The words tell us what Christmas is all about. Not something that happened 2000 years ago but something which began so much earlier and continues today:

This is the truth sent from above
The truth of God, the God of love
Therefore don't turn me from your door
But hearken will both rich and poor

The first thing that I do relate
Is that God did man create
The next thing which to you I'll tell
Woman was made with man to dwell

Thus we were heirs to endless woes
Till God and Lord did interpose
And so a promise soon did run
That He would redeem us by His Son

And at that season of the year
Our blessed redeemer did appear
He here did live and here did preach
And many thousands he did teach

Thus He in love to us behaved
To show us how we must be saved
And if you want to know the way
Be pleased to hear what He did say.

If you're very clever you may pick up a few unspoken Scriptural references through the pictures - not just the ones with words!

Christmas blessings one and all...

Beard, madam?

I'm grinning to myself a bit today as I received a rather bizarre request yesterday. If they can't find anyone else and as I'm quite new would I dress up in a red coat and don the white beard for the sunday school party. "You'd have to speak in a deep voice, of course" said someone who was recently dressed up as a human sized Christingle (yes there does appear to be a recurring theme going on here!!).

It has all made me think about those very silly scenes from the Life of Brian now, by the wonders of modern science and the generosity of the Pythons themselves available on Youtube.



The Life of Brian really was misunderstood as being against Jesus. All the Pythons, in preparing to make the film, re-read the Gospels and came back decided that they couldn't knock this guy as he was honourable... the CHURCH however... totally open to ridicule for some of its curious practices and sometimes lemming like behaviour!

Jesus Christ is waiting in the streets

I loved this nativity scene by our local street pastel artist. I have a better view of the pastel drawing itself but I just like the way the artist is in this one and so is CHRIST. Despite the lovely "Christmassy" Victorian Market in Worcester today, I have to say this was the moment that most reminded me of Christmas. I just hope he wasn't sent on and the picture washed away as it so often is.

For every time there is a season

It's been a slightly different Christmas season this year as, alongside some lovely presents from my darling husband and time with our niece, our church has experienced the most sad loss of such a wonderfully generous and caring woman whom I've known for some 15 years. She was also the mother of young people whom I work with and so I'm concerned for them and feeling that uselessness we often feel when trying to find words in such situations.

Fortunately there are those out there with good words. Local to us is the Child Bereavement Trust with advice for professionals and also advice specifically for families, young people and even some stuff about dealing with Christmas.

These times can be those that test our faith, strengthen it, or break it. All I know is God's calling to presence, availability and flexibility for those I'm youth minister to. The words, "I'm here" may not seem much but I know, in my darkest times, those two words whispered in the silence by God or by someone else can be a light in the darkness.

Carrying the sky

This morning I carried the sky down to church and this afternoon I have been creating the stars. o I've not got ideas above my station! I've been getting ready for our scratch nativity. We've invited ALL the congregation to come along dressed up for the nativity if they want to (I know there are some who DO want to and equally those who REALLY don't!). I'm going to be a shepherd. I've got a sheep and everything! Wel actually I'm still working on my crook - having not plucked up the courage to ask the bishop if he had a spare one!!

The stars are for part of our intercessions. We're asking people to write their prayers on the back of a star and then we're going to hang them in front of the blue background as a sign of our faith, as St Paul describes it, "shining as stars in the darkness of this world."

I may manage a picture of it for you tomorrow!

If I don't get back on here though...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Christmas meaning...

Just had a great time with the children from our local CofE School at their end of term assembly in churhc. Lots of Angel Dance and looking at God as the Light of the World (guess which song we used!?) and the stillness of these energetic and lively children when we played the Tim Hughes track was awe inspiring.

We had great fun dancing about to bouncing songs too.

I think with Christmas it is always difficult to balance the MERRY with the MEANING and sometimes we might look rather like sourpuss grumpy face if we try and over do the Easter in amongst the Christmas. I find the words of this song particularly poignant. I think it can sometimes be a bit heavy for Christmas but it says it for me. You probably all use it a lot and have heard it all before but we tend to stick with traditional at this time of year rather than worship songs so it was a new one on me last year.

Since the day the angel came
It seemed that everything had changed
The only certain thing
Was the child that moved within
On the road that would not end
Winding down to Bethlehem
So far away from home

Just a blanket on the floor
Of a vacant cattle-stall
But there the child was born
She held him in her arms
And as she laid him down to sleep
She wondered - will it always be
So bitter and so sweet

And did she see there
In the straw by his head a thorn
And did she smell myrrh
In the air on that starry night
And did she hear angels sing
Not so far away
Till at last the sun rose blood-red
In the morning sky

Then the words of ancient seers
Tumbled down the centuries ...
A virgin shall conceive...
God with us... Prince of Peace
Man of Sorrows - strangest name
Oh Joseph there it comes again
So bitter yet so sweet

And as she watched him through the years
Her joy was mingled with her tears
And she'd feel it all again
The glory, and the shame
And when the miracles began
She wondered, who is this man
And where will this all end

'Til against a darkening sky
The son she loved was lifted high
And with his dying breath
She heard him say 'Father forgive'
And to the criminal beside
"Today-with me in Paradise"
So bitter yet so sweet.
Graham Kendrick

Christmas Spirit

Jolly Christmas elves band available here! Just in case you needed perking up into the Christmas mood. There might be an annoying pop up bu Firefox blocked it for me so I'm not certain!

ENJOY!