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Today’s Readings: 1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38.
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Let us pray.
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your image:
teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever.
Amen.
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A Reflection
So many commentators on this passage, from the Gospel according to Luke, begin by saying how difficult it is, how impossible it is; and yet, I have to confess that I don’t really find it very difficult at all. Am I missing something? Or is that ‘the truth is not in me, and I deceive myself?’ Certainly, I know that I do not love as fully as I might but is it so difficult to ‘love your enemies, and do good and lend without any hope of return?’ Is it so difficult to ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate,’ not to judge, not to condemn, grant pardon and give? I hope that I am not sounding as smug as this reads; I certainly do not feel it and know that I fall short.
Perhaps, I have just been blessed in this life not to have known anyone who I counted as an ‘enemy.’ Perhaps, I have been lucky enough not to have been tested in these matters!
I shall spare the blushes of the parishioner who was described this week, by another, as ‘the most accepting person I know!’ And I recalled the Chaplain of Jesus College, Cambridge many years ago who remains the most accepting, non-judgemental, non-critical person I ever met, and I have always held her example close to my heart.
The Church continuously holds up Christ’s example of love: self-giving, self-sacrificing, unconditional and over-whelming, as I have often reminded people in confession, along with the call to see others as Christ sees them, as children of God, as we are ourselves, loved, forgiven and called. If we can hold onto these two things then it is hard to see another ‘child of God’ as an ‘enemy,’ it is hard not to be compassionate to them, hard to judge, condemn, not pardon and not to give.
If we can think more of the other than we think of ourselves, it really isn’t so difficult…I hope!
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Organ Voluntary
A slightly unusual Voluntary and one which some of you will recognise from another context. If you can’t quite place it the answer is at the end of the mailing:
Funeral March of a Marionette – Charles Gounod:
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Today’s hymn
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation:
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Music from Matthew
At the Offertory this morning we will hear the song ‘Bist du bei mir, geh ich mit Freuden’ (If you are with me, I go with joy), often attributed to J.S. Bach, but actually an aria from Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel’s opera Diomedes, which was first staged in 1718. The aria is best known in this version, arranged by Bach, for voice and continuo found as no.25 in the 1725 Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach.
Be thou with me and I’ll go gladly to death and on to my repose. Ah, how my end would bring contentment, if, pressing with thy hands so lovely, thou wouldst my faithful eyes then close.
Bist du bei mir BWV 508 by J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Charles Daniels (tenor), Menno van Delft (organ), Fred Jacobs (theorbo)
https://youtu.be/i6dTpDTozmc
During communion, a lyrical setting of the Ave Maria by French composer César Franck, whose 200th anniversary of birth we celebrate this year. The text is familiar to us in its English translation, Hail Mary:
‘Ave Maria’ by Cesar Franck (1822-90)
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death.
Lyda van Tol (mezzo soprano), Kees de Wijs (organ)
https://youtu.be/69_kCozzI-o
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The Archbishop Interviews
A new series starts today, Sunday 20th February, at 1.30pm on Radio 4 in which the Archbishop of Canterbury talks with various public figures about faith and spirituality. He begins with the Turkish novelist, Elif Shafak. Might be good!
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Clarissa Dickson-Wright
A rather moving and very honest interview with Clarissa Dickson-Wright, from ‘The Two Fat Ladies,’ in which she speaks about her life, her struggle with alcoholism and her faith:
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I posted this painting of ‘Crucifixion’ by Tristram Paul Hillier in the Parish Whatsapp Group recently and it seemed to provoke some interest. Here’s an article in which you can see the painting more clearly and which explains some of the background to it, although little about the painting itself. The writer suggests that in the background is London. My only observation is that if it is London then the large church must be St. Paul’s Cathedral before the Great Fire of London, which only adds to the interest of the painting!
https://artuk.org/discover/stories/tristram-hillier-blurring-the-line-between-abstraction-and-surrealism
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Gert van Hoef Live-stream
First broadcast on Thursday 17th February 2022:
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For your prayers
Please pray for Costa Dinos Limbouris and his family.
Also, for Donald Dille and Chloe Rolfes.
Also, for the repose of the soul of Adam Clayton.
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Today’s Organ Voluntary
And did you recognise the theme from ‘Alfred Hitchcock presents?’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9A4W7RLXak
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A moment of self-indulgence!!
I couldn’t resist including this, as it is my favourite piste to ski at the end of the day as it brings you back down to Champery village; and the second half, through the trees, can be so beautiful and gentle. The sound is irritating, so turn it down a little! There’s a dreadful corner which he handled very well but was amused that he had to walk at one point because he didn’t have enough speed…we all know that bit!!
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