Sunday, December 17, 2017

The Innkeeper's Story


At Children's services I sometimes like to present my sermon in story form, from one of the characters at the birth of Jesus. This  year it is the turn of the inkeeper.  Although the story itself is made up, it is based on research about what it was really like to live in bible times in that place (now in the West Bank) that we call Bethlehem. It’s a real place that you might like to visit yourself one day. So here is the innkeepers tale...

Some of you may call me one of the bad characters of the Christmas story, not as bad as our awful king Herod though.
I am the person some people call the innkeeper. Miriam by name, and Joseph the carpenter’s second cousin. But actually calling me an innkeeper is a bit of an exaggeration. I didn’t own a hotel, or even a Travelodge, it was a bit more like your Air B and B. I have a simple house with one guestroom, and in my basement I have a little cave where I bring the animals to be safe after dark. Jeremiah the donkey, Jezebel the goat, and my little brown ox with a white spot on his back who I called Noah because he doesn’t like the rain.  Everyone around here has a little guestroom in their house and somewhere downstairs to keep the animals. Bethlehem is a village on a hillside riddled with caves. The caves are safe and warm and really quite a nice, private place to be. 

And so you can probably guess what happened next. Joseph and Mary turned up on my doorstep because they had to take part in this horrible people-count which sent them back to Bethlehem because that is where King David, our great great great great great (X24) grandfather once lived. My brother Jacob and his wife Ruth had already turned up with their brothers and sisters and they had all piled into the guestroom filling it up to bursting. 

Poor Mary looked so cold and shivery after her long journey - as it can get very cold up here in Bethlehem. It’s cold because it is built on top of a really really tall hill, so tall that the weather is different from toasty hot Jericho which is only down the road.  It really looked like Mary needed somewhere private because she was about to have her baby. But where could I put her? 

Our grandfather old Levi was sleeping in the corner of our family room,  Zeb and John were playing bat and ball and making a right racket, my own little girl was crying VERY LOUDLY because she had lost her dolly  - and everything was getting very cramped. Maybe your Christmases get to be a bit of a squash too if you have lots of people staying. Mary needed some privacy, and, as I mentioned,  the “Kataluma” which is what we call our guest room, was full. 

So then I thought for a bit, and then I prayed for a bit, and then I had a really good idea.  I took Mary downstairs to the stable area where the animals lived and made her and Joseph a little bed down there. It was warm, it was quiet apart from the snuffling of the animals, but if she needed some help, or some food, or some water we were really close by and she only had to call. 

That night Mary had her baby, and I got to help her, washing his little tiny body to make it all clean and shiny and wrapping him up in little bandages to keep him warm.  She called him Jesus, because it meant “Someone from God who rescues you when you are in trouble” and she said that was what Jesus was going to do for us, because most people were sad and a-bit-mean-to-each -other, and he was going to help us to be happy and good. 

But then something really strange happened. Some shepherds knocked on the door. They were the most excited shepherds I’d ever seen in my whole life. They said they’d seen an angel and they were looking for a baby. They said that they’d know which baby it was because it would be lying in a manger, an animal feeding trough. I was amazed because the manger was where I put baby Jesus after I’d wrapped him all up. How did they know that? They also said the little baby was going to be a saviour: someone who could rescue us when we were in trouble, and I was amazed becauseSomeone from God who rescues you when you are in trouble” was the name Mary had called him. 


So you see, I wasn’t really a baddie after all. But if you ever get stuck for an idea; if you want to help someone but you aren’t sure what to do, pray a prayer, tell God about the problem in your own words; then wait and see what happens and maybe God will put a good idea into your head too. 

Saturday, October 28, 2017

A short "celtic" style Benedictus

I've just written a short Benedictus suitable for use with modern Celtic style liturgies. Feel free to use/remix/recycle if you suddenly have a need for a little canticle. 

Blessed be God who grants us liberation 
who has sent us a Saviour born of David’s line. 
Through the prophets he promised  
salvation from our enemies, 
from hearts filled with hatred.
A merciful sign

This was the promise the Lord made to Abraham;
to free us from our enemies and life full of fear, 
and child, you will clear his way and promise God’s forgiveness.
Heaven’s dawn will clear the night of death 
and guide our feet to ways of peace.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

A Hymn by Jane Austen

This is the text of the hymn which had it's premiere yesterday afternoon at Evensong. The text is adapted from one of Jane Austen's evening prayers. The recommended tune is Westminster Abbey (Christ is Made the Sure Foundation). Please feel free to use this in a worship context and adapt as necessary. A credit would be nice.

Give us grace almighty Father,
so to pray as to be heard,
to address thee with our hearts as
-
with our lips, as thou deserves.
 Thou art everywhere here present
 and no secret can be hid.

May we now and on each evening
 well consider our use of time,
our prevailing words and actions,

 thoughts irreverent in the mind 
have we disobeyed commandments,
 or neglected tasks of thine?

Turn our hearts to ask these questions, 
save from pride and vanity,
to acquit ourselves of evil
never thinking irreverently.

Give a sense of all thy blessings, 
that we might live thankfully.


Hear us Lord. Thou hast redeemed us,
 thus thou taught us how to pray,
thou hast given us many blessings 

and the comforts of this day,
that we might not risk to lose them 
by indifference to thy way.

Words: from an Evening Prayer of Jane Austen adapted by Canon Sue Wallace
Tune: Westminster Abbey 205 NEH Music: Henry Purcell 

Thursday, May 18, 2017

A prayer for musicians

I wrote this prayer when the Friends of Cathedral Music were visiting Evensong
 but you can use it for any musical group. 
Please feel free to use if you find it useful in any way. 

O God who gave the universe its melody,
and placed rhythm into our heartbeat,
Bless N
and all who work to give a glimpse of the harmonies
of heaven to the people of our world. 
May our ears be ever open to the prompting of your Spirit;
may our eyes be ever open to the beauty of your world;
may our voices dress your church with the songs of light and life
that we might partner with the angels in their never-ending hymn of praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.