Preparation and Peace

 

 

‘Peace is the love
Of a foe as a friend
Peace is the love you bring
To a child

 

Peace is a stream
From the heart of a man
Peace is a man, whose breath
Is the dawn

Peace is a dawn
On a day without end
Peace is the end, like death
Of the war’

 

For ‘Peace – An End’ by King Crimson, from the album ‘In the Wake of Poseidon’  (1970)

 

 

This will be the final post from me this Advent; the ‘Last Post’ if you like!

 

Usually, I try and carry on with my Advent reflections until Christmas Eve (sometimes I manage that, often I do not). But this year I am taking the sensible decision to end today.

 

For, you see, the day is coming ever nearer, the preparations are gearing up, and time is being squeezed.

 

This will be the first Christmas when all of our children, their spouses/partners, and our grandchildren will all be together. This is wonderful… exciting… so good…

 

…but they are coming here! Staying here! Living here for several days! And the southern contingent arrive tomorrow; son, daughter in law, and their twin toddlers.

 

There are rooms to be cleaned, beds to be made, food to be prepared. I will need to hit the shops tomorrow, and I will need to get some presents wrapped too. Oh, and I also have a couple of services to prepare for and conduct, not to mention a hospital appointment to attend.

 

So, there is a lot to be done and much preparation awaits.

 

Sometimes I find preparing great fun; I love the way that it builds that sense of anticipation and expectation. But, when time is short and there feels like too much to do, preparation can feel like a pressure, and it leads to anxiety… even panic.

 

There seems to me to be quite a lot of panic in the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus. It is often a bit understated, but it is there.

 

When the angel visits Mary, Mary is described as being ‘much perplexed’ (Luke 1: 29). Well, that seems to me like an understatement!

 

When Joseph learns of the pregnancy of his betrothed, he is told in a dream ‘Do not be afraid’ (Matthew 1: 20).

 

When the shepherds see an angel when they are watching their flocks, we are told that they were ‘terrified’ (Luke 2: 9).

 

In all of these cases, the words of the angels to the terrified, perplexed, anxious and panicked are the same ‘Do not be afraid’. And, today, to those of us who are becoming anxious and tense with all the preparations, perhaps that word is the same: ‘Do not be afraid’.

 

However, all of our (my!) pre-Christmas hassle and hurry, preparation and planning, work and worry is as nothing when compared to those who this Christmas time face the deeper anxiety and pain of bereavement, or poor health, or bad news, or insufficient money, or a cold house, or insufficient food. Or again those who this Christmas will be facing bombs, or starvation, or abuse, or exploitation and so on.

 

For me and for those of us who are simply a little stressed in the midst of our preparations, the assuring word of the angels may bring a degree of calm, and the message to the shepherds of ‘peace among those whom he favours’ (Luke 2: 14) is reassuring and comforting.

 

In the midst of our preparations, may we know that deep peace.

 

But for those facing some of the more extreme circumstances and challenges confronting so many at this time, these will seem like little more than empty words, unless and until God’s kingdom comes and God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

 

Until that coming day of peace, we who will welcome the coming of the Prince of Peace this Christmas, we who will worship at his manger, are called to pray and act and work for that peace for our world and among its peoples.

 

Instead of becoming preoccupied with our own petty worries, let us focus on being peacemakers and peace-bringers in the Name of Jesus and in the power of his Spirit.

 

And in all your preparations… and your preoccupations, and your panic, may peace be with you.

 

 

 

 

Christmas and Children

 

 

‘Children of light don't be afraid
Children of light haven't you heard
Gone are the days in black and white
Children of light don't be afraid’

 

For ‘Children of Light’ by Yes, from the album Keys to Ascension 2 (1997)

 

 

You know the saying, oft-related (in my opinion, too oft-repeated!) ‘Christmas is all about the children’ (or something similar).

 

Well, I don’t think I agree.

 

Christmas is for all of us. The fun and the festivities, the presents and the parties, the gifts and the greetings… these are not simply for children. These are for us all to enjoy. And I do!

 

And more than these external trappings of Christmas, the deep meaning of Christmas is not just for children, but for us all. While the way in which we have traditionally presented the accounts told in the Gospels tend towards the sweet and sentimental, and seem (or have been made) suited to youngsters, the real story in the Bible is tough and terrifying, sometimes gritty and certainly gruesome, when it comes to the slaughter of the innocents, leading to the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt as refugees.

 

This is not obviously kid’s stuff!

 

So, no, Christmas is not all about the children!

 

And yet…

 

… my anticipation of Christmas this year is very much heightened by the fact that our three grand-children will be with us on Christmas Day! So, could it be that it is in fact all about the children?

 

Well, perhaps…

 

…or maybe not so much.

 

What I mean is that of course there is a special joy of entering into the excitement of youngsters around us at this time of year. There is something special about experiencing it all through the eyes of a child.

 

No, it is not all about the children. But there is something special about Christmas Day in the company of children. Somehow celebrating Christmas in the company of children, brings colour to it all.

 

But we cannot really enter into that fun and excitement unless we can own and embrace our own inner child. We cannot see it all through the eyes of a child if we are blind to our own essential childlikeness.

 

Yes, it is about entering into childlikeness, of becoming children again. So, in fact, I suppose it is all about children, as long as we recognise that we are included in that description if we are able to ourselves become like little children.

 

And that is also essential to true faith as Jesus described it. He said, ‘Unless you become like a little child, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven’.

 

So, I suppose that, yes, it is all about children, because we are all called to childlikeness. And not just with regard to Christmas… the journey of faith is all about children; we who walk in Christ’s way, are all children of God, for we cannot walk in this way and enter God’s kingdom unless we become like children.

 

 

 

 

 

Keeper of the Keys

 

‘The keeper of the city keys
put shutters on the dreams…’

From ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ from the 1969 album ‘The Court of the Crimson King’ by  King Crimson.

 

 As with so many song words from the late 60s / early 70s (and not least in the ‘prog rock’ genre) Pete Sinfield’s lyrics for ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ are rather obscure (and somewhat flowery and overwrought for today’s tastes). However, the lyricist himself has suggested that the ‘Crimson King’ is a reference to the Devil. What is fairly evident in the whole of that album is that the various songs are depicting some kind of dystopia (past, present, or future? Who knows? Although perhaps all of these are envisaged). There is no care offered, people are abused, corrupt leaders exploit others; in other words, it is indeed as if people have become playthings of ‘the Devil’. And even the keeper of the keys has used his role to restrict and shut down the dreams of the people.

 

That image intrigues me. For I suspect that in many ways and in many situations, we each are ‘keepers of keys’ and may have the power to shut doors or open doors for others. We all have keys to open up possibilities for others or else to close them down.

 

What do we choose to do with this? Do we seek to limit and control, or do we offer liberation and possibilities? This is something we may wish to ponder in terms of our own close relationships or family settings, or else in our employment or voluntary associations, or in church (if we are part of it) and especially if we are church leaders, or again if we have a key leadership position in community or nation.

 

Do we open doors and unlock opportunities, or do we imprison, limit, deny, and shut off pathways for others?

 

In this Advent Season, there is another dimension to all of this. For we celebrate the One who has the Key of David and who opens the way to the coming Kingdom of God; Jesus Christ. If we are sometimes imprisoned and even imprison others, then he has opened the door!

 

As the Advent Antiphons have it (and you may recognise these from the version sung in the hymn ‘O Come, O come, Emmanuel’):

 

O Key of David,
opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!

 

This is why he came, and this is what will happen when he comes again.

 

He is the Key that opens the door!

 

 

 

Towards Tomorrow

 ‘Now the season now the question

Time to breathe a moments grace…
…are you hopeful are you haunted
By the ghost of Christmas past
Face the future undaunted
Step aside or take your chance

Run with the fox
Into the wind on to the dawn of tomorrow…
..and be prepared,

prepare for love comes and goes
Run with the fox

Forward on the road to glory
History records the chase

Across the bridge of many ways
Run with the fox’

 

From ‘Run with the Fox’ a 1981 Christmas single  by Chris Squire and Alan White of Yes with lyrics by Pete Sinfield formerly of King Crimson.

 

I think this may be one of my very favourite Christmas songs. It is well worth a listen 

As I was listening to it the other day I was struck by how the lyrics are very future focussed. And it is all about being ready to step out and take risks, unhindered  by the past.

 And, really, I have nothing much more to say on all of that. It just set me thinking, and perhaps it will set you thinking too.

 Have a listen!

(https://www.google.com/search?q=Run+wiht+the+fox&oq=Run+wiht+the+fox&aqs=chrome..69i57j46i13i512j0i13i512l3j0i22i30l4.6302j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f7948906,vid:IUkwXavUhm4)

 

Sometimes God Hides

 

‘Do I look on blindly and say I see the way?’

 

From ‘Close to the Edge’ by Yes (from the Album ‘Close to the Edge’)

 

 

As is well known to my friends, I am a great admirer or the rock band King Crimson and their guitarist (and only original and constant member) Robert Fripp. One of Fripp’s solo pieces is entitled ‘Sometimes God Hides’. When I first came across it, I was a bit unsure of the title. From my perspective as a Christian, I was thinking that surely God is in the business of revealing himself and not hiding himself.

 

But then, consider these words from Isaiah 45 vs 15; ‘Truly you are a God who hides himself’.

 

Hmm…

 

Sometimes when we are most desperate to see God, feel God, welcome God’s ‘intervention’, have God answer our prayers, God can indeed seem very hidden indeed. Distant, or even absent, and often silent.

 

Distant.

 

Absent.

 

Silent.

 

I have said before in sermons that there are so many incidents in Scripture in general and in the Gospels in particular where God is absent. This warrants further study! But that must wait for the moment.

 

Is God hiding?

 

Part of the reflections appropriate to this season of Advent involve us asking about our waiting for God to fulfil his promises, our longing for the light to fully come and dispel the darkness, our hope that our prayers might at last be answered, and so on.

 

Is this God hiding?

 

If so, why? What does it mean for us?

 

Or do we just not see him?

 

I have some thoughts and some ideas about that, but a blog post is probably not the place to get into all of this.

 

However, I suspect that many people of faith will have known times when at the very least it seemed that God was hiding.

 

And it occurs to me that even as God revealed himself in the birth of Jesus, it was extremely low key and somewhat incognito. Bethlehem? A stable (or perhaps a ‘spare room’)? A manger?

 

A hidden revelation?

 

And then the flight of the refugee family to Egypt… into ‘hiding’.

 

So, all worthy of some thought and some reflection, I reckon.

 

The hiding God.

 

And, when, at the Wedding at Cana of Galilee, Jesus told his mother ‘my time has not yet come’, does that perhaps give us another wee clue into this whole mystery of the God who sometimes hides?

The Music of Life

 

‘Life’s a long song,

But the tune ends too soon for us all’

 

From ‘Life’s a Long Song’ (1972) by Jethro Tull

 

In the popular view of Advent as a time for candles, calendars and chocolates, for present buying, parties and preparation, and so on, reflecting on life and death and one’s own mortality may seem rather strange. But I don’t think so.

 

As we look and long for the coming of God’s Kingdom, we are inevitably faced with the reality that  (however we understand this) we will one day each have to encounter the one who is justice and judge, life and love. And for each of us that day is inevitably getting closer.

 

‘How morbid’ some might protest!

 

But I do not find it morbid at all. I have no wish to hurry towards that day. I am enjoying life, relishing being a grandparent, and still have lots and lots of plans, and I hope to have lots and lots of years in which to enjoy fulfilling these plans.

 

However, the inevitable conclusion of this life does not fill me with dread or fear, and I can see no point in ignoring or denying that which is inevitable! I do not dwell upon it, and the thoughts do not constantly haunt me. But I do sometimes ponder it all, and recall my own mortality, and acknowledge that there are now many fewer years ahead than lie behind. I think about the life I have lived, and speak openly about what lies ahead.

 

I know that for many people all of this would be unthinkable; something to be avoided at all costs. I am not one of these. It seems to me to be perfectly natural and reasonable, and as someone of faith, while I relish life and look forward to the years ahead, I do not fear death.

 

Lately, I have been reflecting a bit more on all of this and looking back over my life thus far. It would be tempting to quote Frank Sinatra and tell you that ‘Regrets, I have a few, but then again too few to mention’. But, in truth, I have more regrets than just a few! (And, anyway, I do not really like that song very much.)

 

But, while I acknowledge my past mistakes and mis-steps, it is not my regrets on which I focus as I look back over the years, but the blessings, the experiences, the people, the places, the achievements, and so on.

 

Some of my recent reflection has been occasioned by my awareness of the illness or the passing of near contemporaries, some of them public figures, but also some of them friends and acquaintances and family members.

 

And so, I have been pondering.

 

And as part of that I have began to think of songs and pieces of music that seemed to me to resonate with my reflections. These are not necessarily my favourite pieces of music (indeed, my very favourite pieces of music and songs do not appear on the list). Rather, this is music that has moved me or which speaks to me of my life and some of its various moments and experiences. Most of the chosen music is reflective or poignant, or speaks of looking back on life, or even of death and hope. All of these pieces are very meaningful to me for all kinds of different reasons, and not a few move me to tears on every hearing.

 

The compilation of this playlist remains work in progress and, I must say, I am finding it utterly engrossing and revealing. As I have said, these are not all my favourite songs or pieces of music. Indeed, some of the choices may surprise those who know me and my musical tastes. And some of these pieces may seem rather obscure.

 

The making of this playlist is a wee project I embarked upon for my own benefit, but if anyone is interested this is the link to the playlist (which remains work in progress)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7bNZWCybpNuCWIjiLKRfn0?si=5dd86def43674882

 

Life’s a long song!

Waiting for the Light to Come

 

‘Soon, oh soon the light,
Pass within and soothe this endless night,
And wait here for you,
Our reason to be here’

 

From ‘The Gates of Delirium’ from the 1974 album ’Relayer’’ by Yes

 

Waiting and longing are a big part of this season of Advent.

 

Most of us will remember what it was like as a child to journey through the seemingly long days of December, waiting for Christmas and longing for the dawning of that day. Nowadays, it seems to me that December rushes past and Christmas is upon us before we have properly prepared!

 

But there is a still more significant Day for which we now long and wait. In Advent we are reminded that the long night will ultimately pass, and the light of God will dispel all darkness. We await the Day of Redemption.

 

Still we long and we wait….

 

…for justice to come and exploitation to end…

 

..for peace to come and war to end…

 

…for healing to come and illness to end…

 

…for comfort to come and sorrow to end…

 

…for life to come and death to end…

 

And so on.

 

Waiting and longing and hoping and praying.

 

Oh that this Day would come, and come quickly!

 

But, to turn to a more immediate matter; for many years now I have reflected on the plight of the church in Scotland and in the West in general. I know that the Christian faith is advancing in so many parts of the world and that while the tide seems to be ebbing in the West, it is in flood elsewhere. On the one hand, recent census statistics indicate that Christianity is a minority in the UK (although there are other perspectives on this) [1]. On the other hand, most analyses show that the church is growing globally, and in some cases very significantly and rapidly (especially in Africa, Asia and Latin America).[2]

 

But I still find myself wondering and (truth be told) worrying about the apparently relentless decline of the church in our land and culture.

 

When will the light of ‘revival’ come? When will the darkness of decline end.

 

(As an aside, the Church of Scotland’s relentless decline began in 1956 – the year in which I was born. Coincidence? I hope so!)

 

I mentioned revival, and I do not necessarily or simply mean that in the limited sense of the ‘awakenings’ and spiritual phenomena that have been historically recorded and described as ‘revivals’ (although not to exclude them either). I mean the more general turning of the tide of faith. And I certainly do not mean a return to ‘Christendom’ or the re-establishment (so to speak!) of the church’s historical role in society.

 

But for all of my Christian journey, people have affirmed that revival is coming, that they’ve had a vision, or a ‘word from the Lord’, to say that the tide is about to turn… in some cases they have insisted that this coming revival is but a season of prayer, fasting, and repentance away, and yet all the while the decline has continued and the drifting of our Western society from faith has not abated.

 

Am I despondent? Not really; just wondering.

 

Have I lost hope? No, I still have faith in the promises and plans of God.

 

But I am wondering and pondering just what God may be saying to us, and how we are to respond.

 

Of course, we need to be serious in asking ourselves what we might do better or how we might reflect on what church should look like and act like in our context. But I am getting very impatient with those who suggest that if only we did what we used to do then it would all be ok, or those who insist that folks today (usually, they mean ‘Ministers today’) are just not as (delete as appropriate) committed / prayerful / faithful / good at visiting / committed to the parish / biblical / etc etc. It is all so much nonsense in my view. It is simply shifting the blame and seeking an easy scapegoat.

 

But, then, neither am I much persuaded by those who think that if only we did everything in a new way, sang more modern praise, embraced technology, tried new worship forms, became more ‘contemporary’ or ‘trendy’, then all would be fine. (and, to be clear, I do think our ways of being and doing church need to be contextualised and always under review reformata et semper reformanda and all that!). But… but… but… while this may in some ways and to some extent be appropriate and right, it is not a magic answer.

 

And I am certainly not at all denying that we are still called to prayer, fasting, and repentance.

 

But we also need to consider what it means to wait, to long, to wrestle with the issues, to journey through the darkness, to continue on this road for as long as it takes before we turn the corner and see the light coming (and, I suspect that may well be beyond the lifetime of many of us).

 

I was reading Psalm 44 the other day. It is a psalm of lament and also a cry for help. The people recall that they have been told of how God did great things in times past, but now it is no longer like that. (Sound familiar?). Indeed, they have become a ‘laughing stock’ (vs 14). And, the psalmist is clear, it is not because God’s people have done anything wrong or abandoned God! (vs 17-18 & 20-21). So repentance is not going to be a quick fix for this problem.

 

Yes, they cry out to God (‘Rise up!... Rouse yourself!’ vs 23-26). But perhaps there will still be more waiting and longing…

 

Waiting and longing.

---

[1] This article by Giles Fraser is well worth a read:

https://unherd.com/2022/12/secularisation-is-leading-britain-astray/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups[0]=18743&tl_period_type=3&mc_cid=53effa1da8&mc_eid=a130ff9606

[2] See this for a balanced and thoughtful overview https://lausanne.org/content/lga/2021-03/is-christianity-shrinking-or-shifting

 

 ‘I have no thought of time,

for who knows where the time goes?

..I have no fear of time,

for who knows where the time goes?’

From ‘Who knows where the time goes? From the 1969 album ’Unhalfbricking’ by Fairport Convention 

This Season of Advent is intended to be a time to prepare. Of course, there are all the preparations that most people are undertaking over these weeks; preparations for presents and parties and dinners and get-togethers and cards and so on. 

But the intention of this Advent time is that we who look forward to the celebration of our Lord’s birth (and, indeed, to his coming again) prepare ourselves in spirit. While in more recent times, the emphasis of this season has shifted towards ‘hope’ (and I am pleased it has) the danger is that the other aspects of Advent get lost; prayer, fasting, self-examination etc. 

In past years in my blog posts, I have made much of the importance of this time of spiritual discipline, reflection and prayer for me. 

Except…

…it is far from easy!

‘Great is the darkness that covers the earth…’ but it is not easy to spend time reflecting on this in anticipation of the coming of the light, when already the Christmas lights have been twinkling for weeks.

It is not easy to consider any type of ‘fasting’ when parties and dinners begin so early.

It is not easy to enter into the pain, tension, and struggle of affirming God’s promises while these remain not yet finally or fully fulfilled, and join in the deep longing for the coming of God’s Kingdom, when we are already singing Christmas Carols.

It is not easy to spend time in prayer and self-examination when the many other preparations squeeze that time, and everything seems to get ever more hurried the nearer we get to Christmas. 

Ah time… there it is. We seem to have no time. Where does it go? Why does it seem to run away from us?

I was reflecting on some of this the other day in my prayers, or perhaps ‘despairing’ would be a better description! But the note I made in my journal ended on a more positive note… that it is worth maintaining the struggle to find the time.

For, of course, there is just as much time in each day and week of Advent as there is at any other time of the year. It is a question of how we use it, what we prioritise, and on what we focus.

And that whole theme of time is, in itself, a good thing on which to reflect in this Advent Season.

Thanksgiving

 

‘Now be thankful for good things below
Now be thankful to your maker
For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know’

From ‘Now be Thankful’ by Fairport Convention (a 1970 single release)

 

 

Advent began early this year. 27^th November is the very earliest Sunday on which it can occur. This can be confusing for those who are used to Advent Calendars and Candles marking the passing days, as most of these start on the 1^st December. And that confusion is all the more on those years when Advent Sunday is on Sunday 3^rd December (the latest date it can be).

 

It is just the way the calendar falls.

 

Our American friends had the same issue with ‘Thanksgiving’ which is celebrated on the last Thursday of November, and so – this year – was as early as it could be; Thursday 24^th November.

 

And given that any or all of these dates (Thanksgiving, Advent Sunday, 1^st December) in many people’s minds, mark the beginning of the Christmas preparation season, we tend to have a choice (or not, given that commercially these preparations begin in October!).

 

However, all these musings are really a bit of an aside. It is Thanksgiving which is on my mind today. Not the particular celebration of this in the United States, but the whole matter of giving thanks.

 

As I begin to look forward to Christmas I often find myself reflecting on the good things in my life, perhaps all the more so since becoming a grandparent.

 

And yet, the other day when I was out walking the dogs (for whom I am also thankful!) I found myself feeling a little irritated and disgruntled. I cannot now recall what it was that had got to me, but I was unsettled and a wee bit unhappy. As I pondered why, I found myself asking why I am not more consciously thankful for life’s blessings and why I did not more often specifically thank God for these blessings.

 

I further reasoned that my lack of thankfulness might well be one reason why I got irritated and impatient!

 

It was on that very same day that I read Psalm 50 where the Psalmist says ‘Offer to God a Sacrifice of thanksgiving’ (vs 14) and then quotes God ‘those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honour me’ (vs 23).

 

And so, in the light of all of this, I have decided to try and be more committed to giving thanks, and doing so specifically and regularly. And even if I am feeling irritated, impatient, or grumpy, to still give thanks.

 

As Paul said ‘Give thanks in all circumstances’ (1 Thessalonians 5: 18)

Seasons will pass you by

 

 

‘Seasons will pass you by
I get up, I get down

From ‘Close to the Edge’ by Yes (from the Album ‘Close to the Edge’)

 

 

There is little about my blogging that will surprise anyone who reads these posts.

 

•        I blog only very occasionally and haphazardly
•        Notwithstanding  that, I do tend to blog regularly in Advent
•      I love this season of Advent and wish that the church was better at allowing Advent to be Advent and not simply an excuse to prematurely celebrate Christmas
•       I use a lot of quotes from music (especially but not exclusively, rock music and particularly from that genre that is known as ‘progressive rock’)
•          I reflect a lot on the different changes and challenges of life as the years pass

 

 

So, you can expect all of these and more in this Season of Advent that began on Sunday past and which gives me the opportunity, challenge, incentive to post some musings on my blog.

 

On Sunday evening, Jane and I went to Glasgow Cathedral for the ‘Advent Procession’ led by the excellent Cathedral Choir. I like the idea of this service which seeks to reflect something of the journeying that is part of this season; the journey towards Christmas, the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and so on.

 

That, in turn, caused me to reflect a little on the journey of life (not a very original thought, I know!).

 

When I looked at what I had written in my first Advent blog post of last year, I noted that in that post I was also reflecting on the journey of life and speaking about my imminent retiral, and musing on the opening of a new chapter in my life.

 

I am actually surprised that I wrote that, for I have been saying to folks for over a year now that I do not consider retirement to be a new chapter so much as a new season in life. Each season brings something different with new opportunities and new experiences and new things to give. So it is with this new season of my life both as a grandparent and as a Minister (although not now in full-time parish ministry).

 

Those of us who are Ministers are notorious for finding it difficult to give up work once we retire! That, it seems to me, is no real surprise. While we may have retired from full-time work, we have not retired from being ordained.

 

To begin with I felt a little ‘dislocated’ in retirement; as if I was not quite sure what this new season was for. Then I got caught up into so much ‘church’ work I began to feel that I was doing retirement wrong! But things are now clarifying, and I realise that in this new season I can offer (and have been increasingly being given opportunities to give) support to others in ministry. I suppose some of it is something like mentoring, some of it is piratical support when folks in the parish are struggling in one way or another and need someone to step int to do some things, and again some of it is just being a supportive presence for those who may have been unwell or who may be wrestling with some specific problem in Ministry. It is not quite counselling, not quite coaching, not quite supervision… but it feel right and it feels fulfilling.  

 

And so it feels that this season of my life may be a very fruitful season.

 

I am hoping that this Advent Season will be fruitful too!

The Hound of Heaven?

Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, and God

By https://music.apple.com/nz/album/the-zealot-gene/1590404272, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=69898493

My last post referenced one aging rock star, his fading voice, but excellent recent album release (Paul McCartney and his latest album ‘McCartney III’).

So, here I go again!

I have long been a fan of the band Jethro Tull (since 1968 to be precise) and of their leader, front-man, composer, and singer Ian Anderson.

Now, unlike McCartney, Anderson’s voice was never one of the greatest, sweetest, or most powerful of rock voices. And, like McCartney’s, it has not got better over the years. I last saw Jethro Tull in 2006, and while it was a great concert (and we had wonderful seats!) it was clear that live even more than in recordings, Ian Anderson’s voice was even then struggling.

But, interestingly, in the most recent album by Jethro Tull, his voice sounds quite good. Is that down to studio manipulation, or good production techniques? Or is he just composing now within his diminishing range? I don’t know.

But I would say that this album ‘The Zealot Gene’ is a great album and I have been listening to it more often than I expected since it was released a few months ago. If you are not minded to give the whole thing a listen, then I would especially recommend the track ‘Mine is the Mountain’.

What intrigues me is the theme of the album. It is not a concept album in the traditional sense. Nonetheless, each track does have biblical allusions, and it is reported that Anderson began writing each song with a passage from the Bible in mind.

Interesting.

In several interviews over the years, Ian Anderson has expressed his views on religion, Christianity, and Jesus. He is not at ease with pomp and ceremony, and expresses a distaste towards some aspects of organised religion. But he also claims not to be hostile towards faith. He is clear that he is not a Christian, while being very positive about Jesus.

He is quoted as saying  ‘I’m a big supporter of Christianity and the physicality of the church, but I don’t call myself a Christian… they all hope that I’m going to come out of the closet one day and say ”That’s it yeah I really am a Christian after all!” but I’m not going to do that.’[i]

Hmmm… I wonder.

Like so many people, he cannot quite throw it off. It is always there. It is a constant theme in his work. And – as he acknowledges in his interviews – he often performs in churches, wants to support the physical presence of churches, and fundraises for them.

As I listen to his songs and as I read the interviews, it seems to me that he can’t let it go…

…or perhaps it can’t let him go.

And, to get away from Ian Anderson specifically, I would observe that this is the case with many folks. God (as I would say) or ‘it’ (however they would determine that) will not let them go.

I think this disturbs some people.

I think it makes some folks very angry (because they really want to be rid of ‘religion’, but just cannot shrug it off.)

I think it can present some deep contradictions in some people (take the high priest of atheism, Richard Dawkins, who seems unable to leave alone the religion he would seek to abominate, calls himself a ‘cultural Christian’,  and attends carol services at Christmas. As one commentator said ‘Even he, it seems, has been infected by some version of the God meme.’[ii])

Now, I am not wanting to make this personal about the views of either Ian Anderson or Richard Dawkins both of whom I greatly admire, even if I would not always agree with them, and each of whom I would be delighted to spend an evening with, chatting, discussing, exploring and arguing over a fine malt whisky or a glass of good red wine. I am more interested in the fact that so many folks who reject faith still cannot quite get beyond faith issues. Something still niggles, upsets, intrigues, angers, or all of these, and more. They seem not to ba able to ‘let go’… or…??

As someone of faith, I cannot help but wonder if it is not so much as they cannot let it go, as God will not let them go.

C. S. Lewis (most well-known for the Narnia novels) was one of the best known apologists for Christianity in the 20^th century. Yet, he had been an atheist who only very resistantly and reluctantly acknowledged the God who had (so it seemed to him) relentlessly pursued him. And so (as he records it) he embraced Christian faith ‘kicking, struggling, resentful’. He said he was ‘the most reluctant convert in all of England’.

And I suppose for me as someone who believes, I see in all this some indication of a God who will not easily or readily let us go. He is the ‘Hound of Heaven’ of Francis Thompson’s poem (which had a huge influence on J. R. R. Tolkien).

 

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Up vistaed hopes I sped;

And shot, precipitated,

Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,

From those strong Feet that followed, followed after…

 

 

…‘Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest,

I am He Whom thou seekest!’

 

And, as I conclude this post, I am happily listening to Jethro Tull’s ‘The Zealot Gene’. Thank you Ian Anderson!

 

---

[i] https://indeflagration.fr/in-english/ian-anderson-jethro-tull-interview/

[ii] https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2011/12/religion-christmas-dawkins

McCartney at 80 and Questions about Retirement

 

Sir Paul McCartney celebrated his 80^th birthday last weekend, and this coming weekend he will be appearing at Glastonbury; the oldest performer ever to do so.

Good for him…

… or is it?

Now, as most of my friends and blog readers will be well aware, I am a bit of a fan. Certainly, I am a big fan of the Beatles and there is no doubt that McCartney’s amazing musicality, creativity, experimentalism (often overlooked), and sheer energy played an enormous part in the Beatles’ success, output, and progress.

I have been watching Peter Jackson’s superb ‘Get Back’ film documenting the prolonged and protracted ‘Let it Be’ sessions, and I am finding it fascinating for the insight it gives into the relationships between the four Beatles (by this time sometimes strained, but equally also often fun and affectionate) and the insight into the ways in which their songs were created and developed.

While I might instinctively be more aligned with John Lennon’s music, I recognise McCartney for the genius he was and is, and the ‘Get Back’ film has reinforced that view.

John Lennon also recognised McCartney’s great ability. In spite of his well known criticisms of some of McCartney’s songs (such as ‘When I’m Sixty Four’ and ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ dismissed as ‘granny music’… and I tend to agree with Lennon on this) he also said ‘Paul was one of the most innovative bass players ever. And half the stuff that is going on now is directly ripped off from his Beatles period. He is an egomaniac about everything else about himself, but his bass playing he was always a bit coy about.’

Well, I find that interesting in all kinds of ways!

There are some lazy and inaccurate assessment’s made by people, such as the oft-stated idea that Lennon represented the rawer, rockier side of the Beatles while McCartney was more the soft, gentle balladeer. But that does not stand up to scrutiny when you consider the likes of McCartney’s ‘I saw her Standing There’, or ‘Why don’t we do it in the Road’ or ‘Helter Skelter’ and so on and on. (And not to mention the several ‘gentler’ and deeply sensitive Lennon compositions.)

Another popular misapprehension is that Paul was fine when he worked with Lennon in the Beatles, but since then he has descended into pop kitsch (or however the supposed critic would describe his post-Beatles’ output). And I will readily admit that he has produced some pretty mind-numbing nonsense whether as a solo artist or with Wings. But albums such as ‘Band on the Run’ or singles such as ‘Coming Up’ and ‘Live and Let Die’ are great (at least, in my opinion).

And then there is his most recent release ‘McCartney III’.

I confess, I did not begin listening to it with much positive expectation (I too seem to be infected with the prejudice). But it is absolutely great! I am not sure that I might not even suggest that it represents his best post-Beatles piece of work…

…except…

…his voice…

It has gone.

It has long gone, to be honest.

With my wife, my son, my daughter, and my brother, and many thousand others, I went to see the great man playing at Hampden Park some years ago. What a concert it was! It was the nearest I will ever get to attending a ‘Beatles’ Concert’. The music was great, the playing superb… although I could have done without his cheesy ‘showmanship’ and schmaltzy comments in between songs. However, it was his voice that struck me. It was not what it was… not by a long shot… and it is not getting better as the years pass.

Well, that’s no surprise. The man’s now 80!

So, why does he not just gracefully retire? Why did he not gracefully retire 20 years ago? He obviously does not need the money, or the recognition, or the sense of achievement.

And as I ponder that question, I am also asking the very same question of myself.

Did I not retire just a few weeks ago? Then why am I wondering about being a locum somewhere, or looking at possible roles in the wider life of the church, or checking out certain wee part-time jobs in the church??

I do not need the money (nice as it would be!) nor the recognition (I don’t think).

So, what is it?

Perhaps it is no more complicated than that it is difficult to give up those things that you enjoy, things that you find fulfilling, things that feed your soul, things that you have always done.

And what will you do if you stop doing these? Is it a question of role, or even identity?

Perhaps that is Paul McCartney’s problem.

Perhaps it is mine too.

Perhaps it is an issue for many people.

But perhaps too there is a time to recognise that we may no longer be able to do what we once did, and nor should we. Those days are past.

Is it time for Paul and me to celebrate the past and ‘Let it Be’, and to step out on a new part of the ‘Long and Winding Road’.

Time to recognise that whatever we contributed in the past, we may no longer have what it takes to do the same in the present or the future, accept that, and find what we can do and find fulfilling and meaningful?

I am just pondering… no decisions… yet.

‘Prog Rock’, Progressive Rock and the Tyranny of Terminology

 

 

The picture above – as prog rock aficionados will recognise – includes images from some of the most iconic ‘prog rock’ album covers… not that all the bands represented would necessarily thank you for the ‘prog’ label! Read on…

 

‘Progressive rock is anything that doesn’t sound like regular rock. Regular rock is everything that sounds like itself’ (Frank Zappa)

 

‘Whither progressive music? I would much prefer to let that old fashioned terminology fall back into the swamp of its indulgent insignificance’ (Peter Banks original guitarist of Yes)

 

‘[Prog is] a prison. If you walk on stage and you’re playing music, fine. But if you’re walking on stage and you’re playing progressive rock: death.’; (Robert Fripp King Crimson)

 

‘Trying to copy or ossify a particular musical style or vocabulary from … any … particular era is by definition not ‘progressive’ at all, but profoundly regressive…’ (Simon Barrow ‘Solid Mental Grace’)

 

 

Of all my posts on music, this (which may be – for the moment at least – my penultimate on this theme) will likely connect with the fewest people. It will almost certainly appeal – or even make sense to – only a very niche group.

 

But, in all honesty, I am blogging more for me than for anyone else!

 

Most folks who have any awareness of ‘prog rock’ at all (whether as fans or detractors) are well aware that it has a reputation for being self-indulgent, too clever for its own good, overblown, elitist, and well past its sell by date. And its fans are seen as predominantly men, usually of a certain age, stuck in a nostalgic longing for the 1970s.

 

The thing is, I think this is a fair criticism of some (possibly, many) aspects of what is generally termed progressive rock. And I think it is a fair criticism of some of us (and to some extent I include myself) who are or were fans of the genre. There is a tendency towards nostalgia, to be stuck in the past, and looking for our favourite bands to replicate the high points of the 1970s rather than be truly progressive.

 

Ah, the irony… the ‘regressiveness’ of progressive rock!

 

If you want to read more about this I would thoroughly recommend Simon Barrow’s book on listening to the music of Yes, the excellent ‘Solid Mental Grace’, and particularly the chapter ‘Yes after Progressive Rock’, in which he explores some of these matters.

 

Now, as I freely admit, I am not at all free from that tendency to prog rock nostalgia, and in wanting to locate, and even ‘fix’ some aspects of my musical experience back in the era when prog was in its pomp. But, much of that has to do with the stage of life I was going through back then, and the fresh musical discoveries I myself was making (to which I refer in other posts).

 

But, in mitigation, I would say that I have become (I hope) somewhat less snobbish about music in recent years and have come to appreciate the ‘pop’ music I had so readily dismissed when I discovered ‘rock’ and – more significantly – recently I have even heard Country music that I enjoyed, and I had long disparaged that genre! Moreover, I have delved much more into jazz and folk and classical too, although much of that is thanks to progressive rock, ironically!

 

I am a huge fan of Yes, and I do think that their 1970s output was genuinely progressive, no album more so than ‘Close to the Edge’. Their music then pushed the boundaries and explored new territory. Has their material since then (great as much of it is) done so to the same extent? I don’t really think so. Some it may be ‘prog’ (as in it belongs in that presumed genre) but it is not really ‘progressive’.

 

On the other hand, I think that there is more evidence of continual progress in the likes of King Crimson (and in much of Robert Fripp’s additional work) as also in Porcupine Tree; both bands that have sought to eschew the ‘prog rock’ categorisation.

 

But, in the end of the day, I think that the most genuinely progressive band of all time (and they largely preceded the emergence of that genre, and yet were part of its genesis) was the Beatles. In seven short years of recording, look at how they progressed as they absorbed and explored various musical genres.

 

But, enough of lazy categorisation! Here’s to musical progress whatever we call it, and here’s to good music generally.

 

Now, where’s my favourite Country and Western album…?

 

 

West Side Story and Progressive Rock

 

I promised a return to my music based posts on my blog, and here we go! Not that I may not return to this curious journey that is retirement, but I think I need to process and consider that a bit more (still trying to wrestle with being retired from work on the one hand, and yet remaining ‘called’ to Ministry and ordained to a ministry of Word and Sacrament… hmmm…).

 

Anyway, back to music as I say, and in particular this marvellous musical to which I have referred before.

 

As I think I may have said, I was no stranger to American musicals as a child. My parents both sang and acted in amateur musicals in Glasgow, and there were various records of musicals in our house. To this day I can (and sometimes do… to the irritation of my family) sing many songs from the great musicals; South Pacific, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls and so on.

 

But there was always something different, greater, unique about West Side Story. The story, the choreography, and – of course – the music.

 

A few evenings ago we watched the new film version on TV. This has been produced by Stephen Spielberg, and – while I admire his work very much – I was slightly uncertain, as the 1961 film is so much part of my life and I have seen it so very many times.

 

But I was hugely impressed! Loved it. I will certainly watch it again, and probably again.

 

However, my first reaction when it ended was to decide to go back to the 1961 film and watch that again.

 

Interesting!. There was something about that earlier version which had a passion and warmth that I am not sure is there in the 2021 version. But I’m not sure…

 

That said, having watched / listened to both versions, the music really struck me afresh.

 

There is no doubt that it sits firmly in the tradition and genre of the musical. And yet, it does so while drawing so very much on so many other traditions; jazz, Latin, symphonic, operatic, and comedy songs etc.

 

But it most certainly not jazz nor yet Latin nor yet opera. It is most certainly a musical, and sits in that genre. Yet so many different styles and genres are represented in it.

 

And that made me think about Progressive Rock at its best. No, not the overblown excesses with which part of the Prog Rock scene has been associated (which can be as far from genuinely ‘progressive;’ as could be). But the best examples (which, in embryonic form, can be found in the late 1960s pre-Prog work of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Traffic, early Pink Floyd, the Nice and so forth). Progressive Rock was unmistakably and undeniably ‘rock’ music. But it drew not simply on the rock and roll and blues roots that typified and gave birth to that genre, but also classical music, jazz, folk, vaudeville,  and so forth.

 

King Crimson’s albums ‘In the Court of the Crimson King’ or ‘Lark’s Tongues in Aspic’, Yes’s ‘Close to the Edge’ and so forth are good examples of this at its best.

 

No, there is not point or significance in all of this. Just a musing… and I may muse more on progressive rock another time!

 

But it is that sense of music being firmly within a certain genre while drawing so freely on other genres that intrigued me.

 

I doubt it will much interest anyone else!

 

Ah well, must re-watch West Side Story…now, which version???