Choir Sunday

Preached at St Alphege, Solihull on 18/11/07 – Second Sunday before Advent – Year C (Choir Sunday)
The sermon was preached at the 9.15 Eucharist with the boys choir interviewed and repeated at the 11am Eucharist with Girls Choir interviewed.

(Readings: Malachi 4:1-2a 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19)

Choirs Sunday gives us an opportunity for us to celebrate our different choirs and to give thanks for the contribution that they make to our worship.
And there is a lot to give thanks for here. Perhaps most obviously we can give thanks for Nigel, our Director of Music and for John, the assistant organist. We give thanks for the people who sing in the choirs themselves; the boys, the girls, the ladies and the men. Then there are the families who support the choir members. Most people who sing in the choirs can only do so because of the support and commitment of other family members. We can also give thanks for groups like the Friends of St Alphege Music and the Royal School of Church Music who in different ways support the ministry of our choirs. So there is lots to give thanks for.
But Choirs Sunday is also a good opportunity to reflect upon the role of music in our worship. Music enhances the worship. It adds breadth and depth helping us to enter into the liturgy in a more complete way. Music makes the liturgy more beautiful and more fulfilling. If we go home from church still humming the music, then this helps us to remain in the spirit of the liturgy as we set out on our week.
Now most of us appreciate music, but many of us are not great musicians. And this is where a good choir can really help us. The choir can help us by leading our singing. It can also enhance our liturgy with additional anthems and settings that are well beyond the musical ability of most people. And this is a wonderful thing, and we need to celebrate it.
But there is another aspect that we must not lose sight of. Worship is something that we do together. When we come together as a church community to celebrate the Eucharist, we come together as one body; the body of Christ (e.g. Romans 12:4-5,1 Cor12:17, Eph 1:23). When we share in the bread and wine of the Eucharist we are share together in the body of Christ; we are participating in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10:16-17). The body of Christ in the Eucharist strengthens, renews and enlivens the body of Christ which is the church. And so it is essential that this celebration of the Eucharist is something we do together.
Now saying that we must celebrate the Eucharist together, does not mean that we all do the same thing. Just as the many organs of a physical body have different roles, so we have different roles in the church, and different roles in the liturgy. But the key point is that all these different things must be done to help and support the worship of the whole congregation; they must be done on behalf of the whole community.
So if the choir sing for us the Sanctus, or a special anthem we don’t need to join in and sing with them, but we do need to own and participate in that part of the worship. And we do this by listening, by praying and by contemplating the heavenly mysteries through the singing.
Now someone might say, “I’d rather sing my own Sanctus: that way I am participating more in the service.” Well, that is a good starting point. But as we grow in the faith, and as we get better at worship, we need to move beyond an individualised worship which is all about I do and say. Each of us needs to develop an awareness of or own worship as part of the worship of the whole community. My worship is my contribution to the worship of the whole congregation; it’s my sharing in the worship of the whole congregation. And in most cases the worship of the whole congregation is going to be more beautiful, and bring us closer to God, if the Sanctus is sung by the choir.
And this places a huge responsibility on the choir. It is very easy for the choir to get caught up in the technicalities of singing, and keeping the music sheets in order, and to forget they are worshiping, that worship is the essential thing. The more than the congregation is aware of the choir worshiping, the easier the congregation will find it to entrust the signing to the choir. And our liturgy will be the more beautiful for it.
Now I would like to ask the boys choir to come forward. We have talked about sharing in worship together, and sharing becomes easier as we know each other better, so I thought we could end this sermon by taking the opportunity to get to know the boys choir a little better. So we can start off by getting a proper look at you!
[A brief interview follows]
Tell me, how often do you come to church?
How often to practice, and how often to a service?
And what are the best bits of the service? What are the bits you enjoy?
And what about the rest of the service? Do you manage to say the prayers and listen to the sermon?

Gaining our souls by endurance

Thought for Parish Pewslip – 18th November 2007 - Second Sunday before Advent - Year C

Readings: Malachi 4:1-2a 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19

In our New Testament reading Paul urges us to quietly get on with earning our living and not to grow weary of doing what is right.
This comforting advice for our everyday lives is in sharp contrast to our reading from Malachi which foretells of a terrifying day when the arrogant and evil doers perish, but those who revere the name of God shall see righteousness and healing.
Jesus echoes Malachi’s theme in our gospel reading. He talks of a time when the temple in Jerusalem will be completely destroyed. People ask him when this will be and he indicates that many wars, natural disasters, trials and betrayals must come first. Jesus’ main message is not to worry, but to continue to trust in him and by endurance to gain our souls. He says, “They will put some of you to death…but not a hair of your head will perish.” It is clear that Jesus is looking to a safety beyond death (c.f. Matt 10:28).
A few days after saying these words Jesus himself was killed. Then his resurrection revealed the hope that lies beyond death. Let us therefore carry on with our everyday lives, seeking always to do what is right. We know that traumas will come, and we know that one day we shall die, but let us continue to trust in Jesus and by endurance gain our souls.

Live Simply – Our Global Challenge

Article for Parish Magazine, published November 2007

God calls us to look hard at our lifestyles and to choose to live simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the poor.
In this way we can help create a world in which human dignity is respected and everyone can reach their full potential.
This would be true progress, worth more than economic growth alone.

This is how the Live Simply project introduces itself on its website at www.livesimply.org.uk. As time goes by I find more and more to admire in this way of thinking and living. It seems to me that seeking to live a simpler life can often be an authentic Christian response to many of the difficulties and problems that we face in western society today. I am thinking particularly of problems like consumerism, individualism, global warming and isolation of the poor. Here are some example of ways of “living simply”:
If I grow some of my own vegetables then I don’t have to buy my vegetables from the big supermarkets. My awareness of the earth, its soil and the weather grows. This helps to keep me “grounded” as a human being and increases my environmental awareness. The work involved gives me fresh air an exercise, making me less dependent on the gym. If I grow too many vegetables and chose to share some then a communitarian aspect of this project starts to develop. I am minimizing my carbon footprint because no transport is involved in the sourcing of my vegetables. I am showing solidarity with the poor by not using money to secure my vegetables.
If I buy a smaller, simpler car, rather than a big high status car, then the car has lower carbon emissions. I am less isolated from other people as I drive around and I undermine consumerism by saying “I am not dependent on a big car to feel good about myself”. I am less isolated from the poor than if I drive a high status car. Of course, all these effects are increased even further if I choose to go by bus or by bicycle rather than use a car.
If, in our family, we relax by playing a card game together rather than by watching TV or playing electronic games then we spend the evening in a more communal way. We build up the relationships among ourselves, we spend less money on electronic games, we use no electricity, we watch no adverts and we learn games which can be played by the poor.
Now, for me personally (and probably for many people in Solihull) this is very challenging! As a family we do grow some vegetables, but I personally do very little in the garden. I drive a biggish car and am very dependent on screen based entertainment! However I do see the point of “living simply”. I can also see that it is very counter cultural to our consumer society and all the marketing messages that we absorb consciously and unconsciously in our day to day lives.
On the evening of 16th November 2007, I shall be exploring this theme further by attending a lecture entitled “Live Simply – our global challenge” by Brazilian Sociologist Vera Araújo. The lecture is a major event; CAFOD's annual Paul VI Lecture in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster. If anyone else is interested in coming along then please let me know.

– Fr Gerard