Being an Agent of Liberation - A Belated St.Peter's Day sermon for St Peter's Bournemouth.

It is wonderful to be here in this place and on such a special occasion, as, finally, once more, we are able to meet for worship. I am reminded of what Jacob exclaimed when he dreamed the angels of God ascending and descending upon a ladder “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” 

I wonder when it was that you were last able to worship in a church building and was it here? 

Or somewhere else?

 It seems so long ago for me that I had to think rather carefully. I thought it would be Romsey Abbey where I usually worship, but then I realised that I avoided church the Sunday just before lockdown because I’d been to the Holy Land and I didn’t want to spread any germs in case I’d picked up a virus at the airport. We thought the trip would be cancelled, but it wasn’t, and we last worshipped in a church building on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. It was a service of sung Vespers with the music chanted by the monks of Dormition Abbey. Of course we can worship anywhere and God can draw close to us within our locked homes as he drew close to Jacob as he slept with a stone for a pillow, but humans need sacred space, places which are infused with prayer over the years, places where we too can feel like we are entering the gates of heaven for a brief while. 

It wasn’t very far away from that spot on mount Zion that the action in the first reading today happened. Peter is arrested, chained twice over, and imprisoned between two guards with more lurking outside the door. In terms of security it was completely over the top!  The Judean religious leaders really do not want him to escape. And yet he does escape, because the angel of the Lord releases him. Peter ends up wandering the streets, banging on the door of John Mark’s house, wanting to be let in, but, comically, Rhoda leaves him standing on the doorstep in her amazement. The Syrian church of John Mark’s house is also on mount Zion, a stones throw from where I was worshipping those long months ago.

And so it is that in these two readings we have chains, many many chains, and we have keys. We have agents of incarceration and an agent of liberation. Peter is gifted the keys to the Kingdom of heaven, and promised.  “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Peter is given the power of setting people free. And yet he also experiences incarceration as part of the terrible persecutions unleashed upon Christians in the book of the Acts of the Apostles. 

Like us, St Peter has experienced lockdown, a different kind of lockdown to the one we have had, but the feelings of shattered plans and dreams, sadness, and mourning for lost friendships were, I’m sure, very similar to some of those feelings we have experienced.
Peter has just lost James the brother of John, a dear friend who walked the dusty roads with him and Jesus, and Peter’s plans for a new loving community of believers are in tatters.

At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles the early moments in the history of the church were really exciting. The group of believers were growing exponentially, and they had set up a community where no-one was in need, because everyone shared their goods with the poor and cared for one another. It seems to me to be like a tiny prefiguring of the welfare state, or the NHS which was born 72 years ago today. 

But then the hard hand of persecution swoops down and brings pain and destruction. Many of Peter’s friends flee for their lives to neighbouring countries and the church is scattered far far away. It looks like a disaster. These were uncertain and troubled times, no-one knew who would die next, nowhere was really safe. Who could they trust? Again, that anxiety is something we must all have experienced  in recent times, fear of strangers and even friends as we battle an unseen enemy and refrain from touching one another. 

If we go to our gospel reading this day we are reminded that Peter wasn’t always called Peter. He was originally a fisherman called Simon who makes an extraordinary, almost blasphemous sounding declaration to Jewish ears.  Peter does not only call Jesus the Messiah, but also the Son of God.

When we hear that word “Messiah” many of our minds are coloured by the Christian worldview of Jesus. We use the Greek translation of that word, Christ, almost as a surname. But the Jewish world thought differently. For them the Messiah was the anointed one, a king anointed with oil to liberate an oppressed nation.  King Cyrus of Persia is referred to as a Messiah in the Hebrew book of Isaiah because through him the Jews were liberated from Babylon. 

Thus it is that Peter proclaims Jesus as the King of Liberation, and not only King of Liberation, but Son of God Almighty. 

What are the first actions of this new unmasked liberator?

They are re-naming, and gifting. Simon is renamed Peter/ the Rock.  And the liberators next action is particularly interesting. He gives Peter a virtual set of keys. It is almost as if Jesus was saying “You call me liberator. Now you go and liberate some people for me.” 

Jesus wants Peter to participate in the very act of liberation launched by God himself , and I believe that those keys were not meant for his hands alone. The Messiah-Liberator, and Peter the Rock want to share those keys with the church, that is, us. We too are called to be agents of liberation. Jesus will build his church within us, within you and me, and also within those who cannot be with us because they are locked down: and the gates of Sheol - death, and the fear of death, and disease, plague and pestilence,  will not, will never, prevail against us!

If we go back to those turbulent times in the Acts of the Apostles, in the early church the very disaster brought about by their persecution was the very thing which spread the good news of Jesus far and wide. As the believers fled they brought their stories of Jesus, his life, his works, his death and his resurrection with them. They brought hope to those who had no hope, and a life of loving service to those wrapped up in the chains of their own selfishness. 

And the same seems to be happening on lockdown too. As Christians have met virtually, on You Tube, on Facebook, in zoom rooms, in prayers shared over the radio or television, over the telephone, prayer cards posted through doors, in the loving service of food parcels or those running errands for others, the church has grown and spread.

There have never been so many people in England publicly sharing daily prayer together in so many different ways. And I loved it when I heard a few weeks ago that so many Christians were sharing coffee or worship together over Zoom that they broke the internet! Or rather they broke Zoom. 

But in order to continue to be agents of liberation we need one thing. We need to hold onto the rock of faith. The level of need and sorrow and anxiety and pain in our world can be utterly overwhelming which is why we need to keep grasping onto that rock of faith so strongly held by Simon Peter that he was named Rock, and we need to stubbornly keep being agents of liberation whenever we see oppression of any kind. 

But we also need to be agents of incarceration, of binding as well as loosing, stamping down on prejudice, locking up hate, chaining down cruelty and selfishness wherever we see it, including stamping down on the selfishness within our own hearts when we discover it there. We cannot do it alone, but together, in the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ: through a well timed phone call, through a kindly greeting across a garden fence, through a letter, an email or in a million other ways, we can bring people to experience a spiritual freedom that reaches beyond the locked doors, and brings hope. 

Now to the Messiah, the Liberator who is able to keep us from falling be all might, majesty, power and authority, before all ages, now and for evermore! Amen.

Instrumental Music and Liturgy

Now that we seem to have been given the go-ahead to open our building for worship I imagine a number of ministers are scratching their heads as to the way forward with the use of music in church. We are not allowed to sing or use wind instruments which involve humans blowing into them, but music has always been an important part of our worship. With all these problems in mind, and because I have used instrumental music behind liturgy many many times, I thought I would give some pointers and options for using instrumental music in worship, whatever your church tradition or preferred musical style. Here I have given pointers for those churches which have no musical resources; those which have an organist; and those which have percussionists, a band at their disposal, or some classically trained string players. 

Please do bear in mind whatever local guidelines you have been given and the most up-to-date advice from the government. I note that current guidelines (I am writing this on the 29th June 2020) say that  'all services should be completed in the “shortest reasonable time”', but would argue that this does not rule out the use of music entirely. However, some of the ideas I have written about here may have to await a future easing of restrictions. 

Churches with no musical resources

Firstly, perhaps you have no musical resources at your disposal apart from a decent stereo. If this is the case then I do strongly encourage you to have a go at adding instrumental pieces behind your liturgy. Firstly you will need someone to operate the stereo. Do not try doing everything yourself! Be encouraged and reassured that, unlike streaming, for live worship you need no special licenses to use any commercial instrumental track (sacred or secular) in an act of worship, because Divine Office is exempt from PRS fees. (Projecting words to songs is a different matter, but as we are not allowed to sing anyway, this is irrelevant).  If your church PA is only designed for the spoken word bring in a decent household stereo system and hide it somewhere discrete. Place the speakers so that they are pointing towards the congregation but make sure that no-one sits too close to them (or they will complain that the music is too loud, whilst those further away cannot hear properly).

So where might be good places in the liturgy to add pre-recorded music for those who have not done this before?

1- Just before beginning an act of worship (an "introit").

2 -During spoken intercessions.

3 - During the Eucharistic Prayer. 

4 - During the distribution of communion. 

5 - At the end of an act of worship (a "voluntary").

Let's begin by thinking about beginnings and endings. It is good to have a rousing and inspiring piece to end and act of worship. I actually think it is harder to choose a piece to begin an act of worship as some pieces that would work very well in some contexts would not work at all in others. A good guide is to have a look at the upcoming readings. I am writing this post on the 29th June, and so the upcoming gospel contains these words "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Perhaps a version of "O rest in the Lord" from Mendelssohn's Elijah may therefore fit the theme and set the scene. I believe that in our current context we should be very wary of playing hymns because the congregation will be tempted to sing along. The RSCM publication "Sunday by Sunday" (which a member of your church, a neighbouring organist/director of music or your diocesan worship advisor may already subscribe to) has other suggestions of anthems that may be appropriate for the day. I do encourage you to join the RSCM if you are not a member though as the work they do to support musicians in church is more important than ever in these troubled times and if you join you will get "Sunday by Sunday" posted to you for free.  Do beware of using "showstoppers" at the start of your service - save these for the end. (By "showstoppers" I mean rousing pieces which it is very hard to follow without a sense of anticlimax). Test a piece of music at home by playing it, and then following it with the opening responses of your act of worship to see whether it fits well. One thing to beware of is the start and finish of any piece of music, including one played from the stereo system. Never simply stop a piece of music midway without fading it gently away. Never simply switch off a PA without turning down the volume. You do not want to disturb or distract others and an annoying "Clunk" will do this.You may also need to do some volume adjustment at the beginning of a piece if it starts really quietly, and then, gently and subtly, turn it down midway if it gets too loud.  If there is more than one track lined up on your CD or electronic device then beware letting it drift on to the start of the next track. Check your volumes in the building itself before the congregation arrives so that the volume does not cause feedback or distortion at the loudest part of the track. (Many classical pieces have large contrasts in volume so do be aware of this). 

Choosing a piece for the distribution of communion is a comparatively easy task. Although it is tempting to play a hymn, once again I would discourage this, as it will be very difficult to stop a congregation singing along. A choral piece, an instrumental piece, or a song that is not well-known may be more appropriate. Have a look at some of the works by modern (20th and 21st century composers) such as John Tavener, Jonathan Dove, James MacMillan or Kerry Andrew who write inspiring and mystical pieces.

If you wish to use music behind the spoken word, this can be really effective but it needs a little careful thought. As I have mentioned before many classical pieces have strong contrasts in volume, these are unsuitable for playing behind the spoken word as it generally drowns it out. Also most pieces with lyrics distract from the words being prayed (although if the song is in another language such as Latin this can sometimes work). Again, try out the piece in advance, speak over a track and see if the volume works and do a soundcheck in the building. Think about the "mood" of the piece. Does that suit the mood at that point in the liturgy, does it enhance the words or add a sense of mystery and Transcendence?  When I used to run the Transcendence services in York Minster we used instrumental music almost constantly to undergird the liturgy so it can work almost anywhere if the correct piece is chosen, but for those unused to blending music and the spoken word I would suggest being sparing and beginning with the intercessions and the Eucharistic Prayer. You will discover that having music behind words means that periods of "silence" (or rather periods of reflection) are more available to you without it seeming awkward. A pause may be made after the consecration, or after a bidding in the intercessions and time can be given for private prayer and reflection whilst the music undergirds the holiness of the moment. 

Churches with an organist (or pianist)

Once again I suggest a breakdown of places where organ or piano music would work well (which is similar to that of pre-recorded music, with one addition). 

1- Just before beginning an act of worship (an "introit").

2 - A "responsorial" psalm. 

3 - During the intercessions.

4 - During the Eucharistic Prayer. 

5 - During the distribution of communion. 

6 - At the end of an act of worship (a "voluntary").

Organists are familiar with playing introits and voluntaries, and most have a large collection of them. They may also have anthems in their repertoire which can be played during the distribution of communion. They may also be able to play variations upon hymns in such a way that the congregation is discouraged from joining in, but they still recognise the tune coming through at various points in the liturgy. 

Many organists will be less familiar with playing underneath the liturgy although there is a tradition known as the French Organ Mass which was popular in the Baroque period. In some of these Masses the organ played throughout the whole of the liturgy and in others it only played for some sections. However it is good to be aware of two things with respect to Organ masses. One is that in the times when these were popular the mass itself was in Latin and virtually inaudible, and secondly that the practice itself was banned by the church as being distracting to the liturgy. Personally I think this was rather a shame, but it is good to be aware that the organ music should be there to enhance the liturgy not to compete with it, and that the words themselves need to be audible. With this in mind, voicing needs to be thought about very carefully and only the quieter stops should be used. There are many pieces which can be played throughout the Eucharistic Prayer, and in this position it is actually possible to play a version of a hymn tune or song as the congregation will be less tempted to sing along because liturgical words are being spoken. This is also true of the intercessions, and short hymns, worship songs, or Taize chants could be used during the spoken biddings of a set of intercessions with the congregation responding with a spoken response (perhaps based upon the words of the chant or song used). 

This brings me to the subject of the responsorial psalm. These have been used in the Roman Catholic tradition for a number of years, and many Anglican parishes have also found them useful. A number of them can be found in hymns books and there is a section at the back of the New English Hymnal. Common Worship Daily Prayer also has a "refrain" printed at the top of each psalm so that they can be used in responsorial form, although no music is printed in this book.  In their more usual form a choir or cantor sings the verses of the psalm and the congregation responds which a short sung refrain which is easy to learn. This form of psalm singing has the advantage of being biblical but also visitor-friendly, as the sung response is short enough for a visitor to learn. In our current situation (July 2020) where we are allowed public worship but not allowed to sing a responsorial psalm can be led by an organist (or instrumentalist) and a reader. The reader can read the spoken response, inviting the congregation to repeat this each time (the printed text is therefore not needed). The reader can then read the verses of the psalm slowly and prayerfully with an organist playing quietly underneath them. When the verse has finished the organist stops and the reader and congregation read and repeat the response before continuing the music and speech for another verse. These psalms can be broken up in a number of different ways, but I would suggest that the longer texts in Common Worship may work better than short texts, and that fewer spoken responses and longer verses would also work more effectively in this context. 

Churches with a band (or string players).

At the present time (July 2020) some of the band will able able to lead music in worship, but not singers, and the instruments will need to be socially distanced. In this context it may be better simply to have a piano, guitar, or harp leading and please bear in mind, that, once again the sound balance of the music against the spoken word is important. Some of these suggestions will also be relevant for those churches with a choral or classical music tradition who have access to string players. As with my other suggestions instruments can undergird and enhance the liturgy at several points in the service, and they may indeed wish to play sensitively throughout (except perhaps during the sermon). For the beginning and end of a service perhaps an unfamiliar worship song from a different tradition or secular song with spiritual lyrics could be played on the PA to lead into the worship event. Places to look at for these may be Resound Worship, CJM music or Poor Clare/Lacey Brown. Classical pieces may also be used which invite prayer and contemplation, and some of these pieces may already be in the repertoire of band members. Once again I would suggest that band members avoid using the tunes to worship songs except at moments where liturgy is already being spoken to avoid the temptation for congregation members to sing along. Fragments and variations of tunes can be used and they can be taken both from the worship song repertoire, but also from appropriate rock and pop tunes and old hymns  Do bear in mind, that, even though the words are not being sung, congregation members will probably know them and start singing them in their minds. The words to "Bridge over troubled water" would bring to mind lyrics of sacrifice and help in a time of trouble, but (to use a silly example) "Bootylicious" by Beyoncé may not invite the right kind of prayer and contemplation. When we were doing a Fresh Expression in York a few years ago we often found the music of Coldplay to work very well as backing to liturgy, and their lyrics often have spiritual content. 

I would also encourage band members to consider leading a responsorial psalm, and Isaac Everett has an excellent setting of the psalter (the Emergent Psalter) which gives some suggestions and keys in which to improvise for those unfamiliar with this method. 

There are many worship songs written on the theme of Jesus' sacrifice upon the cross, and these would make an excellent backing track to the Eucharistic prayer. 

Use of Percussion 

Using percussion may be a possible way forward in introducing creativity within worship in those churches which are used to having lively and noisy sung worship. A song could be played upon the PA system and congregations (after being warned not to sing-along) could be encouraged to play along with drums and shakers. The volume of the song would need to be high enough to cover the use of percussion whilst not damaging hearing.  

Drums can also be used as musical responses to intercessions. For example a simple rhythm such as "Lord Jesus hear all our cries" and "Jesus hear us" (using the latter for shakers and the former for drums) can be used and improvised upon for intercessions. The leader raises their hands as a signal for the drumming to stop, and then guidelines of intercessions can be added before a further period of drumming and prayer. 

To avoid having to disinfect the instruments after use, the congregation could be encouraged to bring along their own drums (buckets, tubs, wooden spoons, placemats and plastic tubs of rice also work well). The congregation should also be warned not to swap instruments between family groups, but plastic shakers could be deposited in a bucket at the exit and easily cleaned with disinfectant. Do not damage drums which use real goatskin (such as djembes) by using disinfectant upon them if they do get contaminated in some way. Instead, wearing gloves, put them away for a few days until they are safe to touch once more. Plastic drum skins should be OK to use disinfectant or soap upon, but always check manufacturers instructions.

Rumours Of Hope

Last week I helped cut a video meditation for the Rumours of Hope Easter Vigil. It was a privilege to be part of such a historic event. It was also wonderful to have representatives of different parts of my life within the same vigil; cathedral Precentors and musicians, but also new monastic communities and those who have worked with the Fresh Expressions movement. To make life easier from a copyright point of view I thought I'd use a piece of my own music as backing, and then remembered "Vigils", which seemed rather aptly titled. It had originally been part of a planned seven piece ambient album; one piece for each of the ancient monastic offices, with the music reflecting the time of day. However, I ran out of inspiration and only Vespers and Vigils were ever written. Maybe one day I will go back and write Lauds and Terce and all the others!

The video itself contained many pieces of footage that I collected when I was still working for the Visions community in York, including footage of tourists leaving the South door of York minster which was taken from the offices of St Michael-Le-Belfrey opposite. It also contains images taken in Northern Ireland, Istanbul, Jordan, and the Holy Land. Visions began in 1989, and is one of the longest running Alternative Worship communities. They used to be connected to St Michaels (some members still are!), meeting weekly to hold worship in the ancient church of St Cuthbert in York, and working as a "small missional community", reaching out to the club goers of York in the 1990s, and later to the arts communities. In (2013?) Visions were asked to move out of St Cuthbert's to make way for a "house of prayer" but they do services in All Saints North Street in York from time to time... Now, after this virus, (like everyone else!) they meet virtually via Zoom, but they have, since 1989, also met midweek in each others houses, and it was their pooling of time, money and resources that enabled me to be employed by them in the first place, 

Anyway if you want to find your way to other pieces of music by me they are all on my Abbess site on Soundclick, although I haven't written any electronica recently. If you like any of the pieces they are free to use in worship (including your church online broadcasts). I may go back to writing at some point, but I am prevented from doing so at the moment because the computer I used to use with the synthesiser software on it needs fixing! In recent years, I have been working with choirs (helping to found the Winchester Cathedral Junior Choir) as I believe that singing is a great (and very natural way) to reach out in mission and help young people learn music. I've also been doing some work with percussion, and, had this virus not hit, I would have been planning launch events for my new Rhythmic Psalter. As things stand instead I have been editing videos and some of these will appear on my YouTube channel. The Transcendence trust website is also a useful portal for resources and events. I work part-time for the trust, but I am also on the lookout for a church job that would slot in alongside this...In the meantime, like everyone else, I am in lockdown, but I am grateful to have the time to explore lots of previously unreleased music and video footage.

This blog is normally used for my more traditional liturgy postings and my other blog (Canon Sue's Creative Liturgy Blog) is the one to go to for the creative stuff. 

Being an Abbess - A sermon for the Ethelfleda Festival

Texts: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Gospel: Matthew 13.44-52

I used to think that St Ethelfleada was a local saint whose fame had not spread very far from Hampshire, but recently I changed my mind! One of the tasks I have in my new job is to attend national gatherings of Fresh Expressions Associates at Swanwick conference centre in Derbyshire three times a year. At one of these gatherings I was queueing up for the bar (as you do!) and  overheard a couple of snatches of conversation from the person in front of me. “Ethelfleada...Romsey”. And so I asked. “I hope you don’t mind me butting in. But I’m fascinated to hear that you just mentioned Ethelflaeda. I’m preaching at the Saint Ethelflaeda festival this year in Romsey.”

To make this incident all the more interesting the lady concerned was actually from Wales (even further from Hampshire) and was a Quaker. “Oh yes, she said. “I enjoy wild swimming, and I was just saying that because Saint Ethelflaeda used to immerse herself in ponds and sing psalms at night, she should be the patron saint of wild swimming!”

It seems to me to be entirely understandable that history would focus upon the more spectacular tales of Saint Ethelflaeda; the light streaming from her fingers after her candle was extinguished at Matins, the Queen discovering her praying in the fountain at night ....yet it seems to me that the message most pertinent for our times here in Romsey Abbey, is the fact that Saint Ethelflaeda was an Abbess and a good abbess, who built up and cared for those within her community and those in need outside it - an inspiration to us all to care for others. 

When this Abbey was founded in Saxon times it was placed under the rule of Saint Benedict and this is what the rule says about the election of an Abbess. 

“In choosing an Abbess the guiding principle should always be that the woman placed in office be the one selected by the whole community acting unanimously in the fear of God, or by some smaller part of the community....Goodness of life and wisdom in teaching must be the criteria for the one to be made Abbess, even if she is the last in community rank.”

"Goodness of life" and "Wisdom in teaching". A wise teacher would be sufficiently knowledgeable that they could make sensible decisions about the future direction of a community, and one who led a good life would be resistant to the temptation of corruption that power can sometimes present, and who would also be generous to those in need. What gleanings we get from the historical records testify that Ethelfleada was both these things. 

On this occasion, and at this particular point in the life of Romsey Abbey, it seems to me that it would be good to consider the subject of community further and what makes good and healthy community. We are at the point in time where new communities are about to be birthed, and yet older, more established communities need to be nurtured and cared for too, “Like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old,” as the gospel reading for today's feast reminds us. 

At times we are all called to be community leaders, like abbots or abbesses of our own communities - in small ways or larger ones, temporarily or for a long period of time, for one project or event, or for something more longstanding. 

For eighteen years I functioned as an Abbess of sorts, to what would now be called a new monastic or small missional community called Visions in York, although I was originally employed as a musician before I trained for ordination. We met for worship in another Saxon building, St Cuthbert’s in York, and started a number of new services and events, including Transcendence, a multimedia High Mass which took place in York Minster. Visions taught me a great deal about living and working in very close proximity with people. We didn’t all live in the same house, but we did pool some of our resources. Visions also taught me about the power of creating something together, and the power of “we” rather than me. I learned about healthy community relationships and what healthy disagreement might look like too. Sadly in the mid 1990s I also saw was bad community looked like. Friends of ours in Sheffield were part of a community called NOS which went bad, where power and people were manipulated by one arrogant authoritarian leader, and a number of close friends lost their faith because they were so badly wounded by the experience of having their self-worth shredded. We were so worried by witnessing this that we brought in a church colleague who was a spiritual director and group dynamics counsellor to work with us to check that our community relationships were healthy. She reassured us that we were in no danger of going in a similar direction, but also taught us how to become even healthier. She taught us that it was easy for loud voices to monopolize any conversation, but it was important to create ways for the quieter voices of the deep thinkers to be heard; through creating opportunities for written feedback, but also by the simple process of noticing when someone is sitting quietly in a meeting and inviting them to speak. 

Whatever we lead and whoever we lead, one of our greatest inspirations should be the text of our epistle this morning from St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and I am certain that it has inspired many abbesses over the years, including St Ethelflaeda. 

“For in the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body”.  

We all belong.    

We all have a part to play. 

Some of us are ears - the listeners, those who offer pastoral care.

Some of us are eyes, the artists the visionaries, the dreamers. 

Some of us are the practical hands, those who arrange the chairs and make the coffee, those who clean and clear up. 

Some of us are like sweat glands. We may not feel visible but that does not mean that we aren’t included. Maybe, like sweat glands, we stop everything from overheating and turning into a terrible argument.

Some of us are the knees, quietly praying for those in pain, essential, supporting and undergirding everything else, for as the psalm says “unless the Lord builds the house the builders labour in vain”. 

In fact Paul assures us that some of us who feel they are unimportant or invisible are in fact indispensable. We simply couldn’t manage without them. A good and wise Abbess, like Ethelfleada would understand how to empower and release those unseen and invisible ones into their giftings, knowing that they need to learn before their gifts will be fully realised, but they will learn in a supportive and loving community environment. The Abbey’s work in more recent times with young choristers is a marvellous example of this but I also look forward to seeing some of the new ways that this will happen in the new services and communities of the future. 

So finally, let us all be inspired today by the stories of Saint Ethelflaeda, but rather than letting it rest there and letting her light fade, let us use her example to be abbesses and abbots in our lives too, spotting and nurturing the talents of those we know, building community amongst our friends and neighbours and enjoying the diversity of the wide net that is the Kingdom of God where there is a welcome and a place for everyone.  Amen. 

Staying well and avoiding those pesky colds

UPDATE: This post was written before the Coronovirus situation: please just follow current government advice with a virus this deadly.

I'm posting this because I'm a singer and also a priest, and therefore, over time I've found some ways to avoid a lot of the colds going around over Autumn and Winter, but before sharing some hints and tips please be aware that I am not a doctor. Please, therefore check with a proper doctor before using, especially if you are in a vulnerable group.

When I was a cathedral Precentor I was expected to sing Evensong on a daily basis, sometimes to very large crowds (up to 1500 on special occasions), but, as a priest, I also met a lot of people, some of whom inevitably had germs. especially at Christmas. Over time I learnt some ways to avoid at least some of these germs, but I didn't escape entirely.  I would still  have one or two colds in six months . But this was a great improvement on when I was younger when I had a cold every few weeks. So here is what I did, As I'm not a doctor I can't promise on the efficacy of all the techniques, but if you avoid at least one cold this winter, then maybe I've made the world a slightly better place!

1- Vitamin intake. The merits of vitamin C have been widely publicised, but many adults are also lacking in vitamin D, particularly in the winter. There have been recent studies on this. (Google vitamin D and immune system to find some research). Taking Echinacea Purpurea may also be useful as a preventative measure. Studies seem to suggest this is a good idea. But there may be a downside I don't know about. (see above - check with your doctor!) . I take all 3 of these, plus I aim to have a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables.

2- Water. We don't drink nearly enough of the stuff, and studies say that keeping well hydrated does help. (Again, look up the studies for yourself).

3 - Sleep.  Get sufficient for your needs. It varies with each person.

4 - Exercise. Even when you're feeling tired do some moderate exercise. I found I was too busy to get out to a gym so did some mild aerobics every day for ten minutes or so at home.

5- Try to stay some distance away from someone with a cold, and also please have the courtesy to do the same with other people if you know you have a cold. Tell them! They may be vulnerable or work with someone who is immune compromised.



Now I have saved my top five methods for last.

1 - Get the flu jab. It doesn't cost very much these days and will rule out a number of very nasty infections.

2- Use hand gel. Particularly before and after shaking someone's hand (as we do during the peace in communion services). You do not want to share your germs with someone else and I'm sure they don't want to give you theirs.

3 - Do not touch your nose mouth or eyes or eat unless you have washed your hands or gelled your hands.

4- Saline spray. I now use Sterimar (other sprays are available). It is brilliant! It is simply salt water (so you can make your own solution if Sterimar is too dear). I use it as a preventative when I've been around germy people. I also use it when I'm coming down with a cold. Even when I have a heavy cold it makes blowing my nose more pleasant and unblocks my nose. I use it when I've been near a plant I am allergic too (I have mild hay fever sometimes).  It's just awesome! (no they haven't paid me to say this). I used to get colds every time I flew in an aeroplane but after using this I can fly out on holiday and actually enjoy myself without getting ill. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I also gargle with salt water if I have been near someone with a sore throat

5 - I used to wish that there was something like saline spray but for the chest and throat colds that also go around. There were a few winters where I didn't get a single head cold (due to the Sterimar use) but did get sore throats and chest infections. Then I found the salt pipe! Again there are several brands around. I use the Cisca one. (No, they don't pay me to say this!) It is just salt in a plastic container shaped like an inhaler. You simply breathe through it. It is meant to imitate those salt caves that people use as therapy in some places. I don't know if any studies have been done on it, but it seems to work for me. The instructions say use it for five minutes at a time. I don't usually. I just do 30 seconds or so as a preventative or if I felt that something was coming on, and it cut the number of chest and throat infections I had dramatically. (Of course this may be coincidence but I don't think it is). I can't see a downside as it's just salt, but it's always a good idea to check with a doctor if you're not sure.

Anyway there are all the things I do. Perhaps they might help you too. Perhaps some of it might seem like overkill to you, but I used to work with professional singers. If they had a bad cold they couldn't work. But actually for those of us who work with vulnerable people like the elderly or those undergoing chemotherapy a virus may have very nasty consequences for them. So I see it as part of my way of showing love to others, to try and not share my germs with them.

Smoke - Part 2

In my last post I talked about the "theory" behind incense, giving some historical background and biblical texts. Now I'm going to get onto the practical side of things. I will assume that you are total novices when it comes to using incense and hopefully there will be something to help most people. 

Firstly, before using incense in church at all, you have to think about the building itself. How large is it, and most importantly, where are the fire alarms? Can you isolate any of the smoke detectors? Or are they going to start screeching the minute you fire up the incense? If you do have to switch them off, make sure you have some alternative arrangements in place for fire detection and evacuation. Stay safe!

Next you will need something to burn your incense in. I know of four choices here...

1 - You may have access to a church thurible (incense burner). Alternatively you may not possess one, but would like to make one.

2 -  A simple thurible can be made using an old sweetcorn or fruit tin, punching some holes in it, and adding chain from a hardware store. You can generally do this for less than five pounds. Make sure you punch holes near the bottom of the tin for better air circulation. 

3 - You can use a bowl or tin filled with sand, which can be stood on a pedestal of some kind, preferably somewhere where it cannot be knocked over, for example in a church sanctuary area. 

4 - You may have a small domestic incense burner or Orthodox hand censer. These may be a little small for church use so I would recommend solutions 1-3. 

Thirdly you will need something to burn; charcoal and incense. 

Charcoal can be purchased from a church supplies shop. I don't recommend barbecue charcoal because the grains of incense will fall off, but some types of shisha charcoal can be used. Basically you need charcoal with dent in the top so you have somewhere to place the incense. 

Some of these charcoal discs are swift-lighting which can be helpful, but it isn't all that important to get swift lighting as long as you have access to a small cook's blowtorch. (More about that later!)

When it comes to choosing the incense you have an awful lot of choice. I used to use Prinknash incense. Basilica is a popular flavour used in many churches, which smells like hot cross buns. However it can be harder to get the mix right and prevent the smoke going acrid over the duration of the service. Other people swear by the strong floral aroma of Rosa Mystica, made by the monks of Alton Abbey.  I am particularly fond of Orthodox incense blends these days which generally use slightly larger grains and which come in many floral scents and also some more spicey scents. A few years ago I had a lovely one called "Holy night"; Nard incense is symbolic and wonderful for Holy Week, Amber and Mount Athos incenses are fabulous, and I often use Myrrh incense on Holy Saturday.

Incense in a bowl

First I will talk about using incense in a bowl. The same principles can be used for domestic incense burners. Firstly, do make sure that your bowl is filled with sand. The charcoal discs can get much hotter than you realise, especially as they can still look black whilst being hot enough to burn. Beware! To be extra-safe place your bowl upon a non-burning surface such as a tile. It is possible to make a burn mark on a table with a hot incense bowl. Sometimes a charcoal disc will look like it hasn't caught light but it is quietly burning away inside. DO NOT TOUCH the lit charcoal with bare hands. Instead use a small pair of tongs (like sugar tongs) or tweezers or a pair of teaspoons. Place two or three discs on the sand in the bowl, well spaced apart.(Remember that the more charcoal you use the more charcoal smoke there will be . Charcoal smoke is  unpleasant and unhealthy and you will want to maximize the nice scent of the incense and minimize the charcoal smell.) Light the charcoal. You will then need to wait for the charcoal to glow red. It is possible to blow on the charcoal to help it glow quicker, but beware of sparks which may fly out and burn you. It is much safer to use a small battery operated fan or even better a cooks blowtorch which can make the incense glow red very quickly indeed.

When the charcoal is red you can add the incense. Remember that only the incense which is in contact with the charcoal will actually melt and release perfume. Do not smother the charcoal by adding too much incense or it will go out. Spoon the incense carefully onto the charcoal and, if it is your tradition, ask a priest to bless it. From time to time, scrape away the "spent" incense and add new stuff. Spent incense can be acrid if left on the charcoal. 

A top tip for a quick cloud of smoke to appear is to grind some of the incense in a pestle and mortar (just like a cooks pestle and mortar). This is pretty much always necessary with Orthodox incense which has larger grains.  The smaller the grains, the more quickly it will melt and you will get a wonderful cloud of smoke, but it will also disappear quickly. 

When you are finished be very careful where you dispose of the spent charcoal. It is best dealt with outside. Do not ever place in a bin inside the building. 

Incense in a thurible (censer).

Thuribles come in a number of shapes and sizes. They are often made of brass or silver. Orthodox thuribles have twelve bells on them which represent the voices of the twelve apostles. 

here is a lovely image of a thurible and incense boat from the ceiling of a church in Rome

When dealing with thuribles please be aware that the chains can very easily become entangled, and, like a ball of string they can be tricky to untangle again! I tend to store mine by tying the chains together at 3 or 4 points along their length with large twist ties to keep them from tangling. A thurible stand is a very useful thing to hang the thurible from when in church. If you do not have one, a microphone stand can make a good temporary substitute. 

Do keep you thurible clean. The lid can often become filled with a tar like substance that can give off nasty smelling smoke when it gets hot. Don't allow it to get dirty and give it a good scrub with cleaner after use (once it has cooled down). To make the task of cleaning the inside of a thurible easier I always use a small metal pie tin inside the bowl of the censer. This can then be scrunched up and thrown away in an outside bin after use, making cleaning much easier. 

Unlike the incense bowl you do not need sand in a thurible. If you did use sand if would very quickly spill everywhere. Thuribles are meant to be swung  and used in processions or swung and aimed at an altar, a gospel book, or your congregation. Because of this do check your chains and make sure they are firmly attached before use. A pair of snipe nosed pliers can easily fix any loose connections. 

When you come to light the charcoal, you can light it using tongs from a small candle (the traditional way) or simply blast it with a cooks blowtorch. The quick way! (An added plus point is that you can use the blowtorch to make creme brulee when you're not using it for incense). Giving the thurible good strong swings can get the charcoal to glow more quickly. When the charcoal is glowing red you are ready for the incense to be added. In a liturgical situation you would normally offer the incense boat to a priest who would add three spoonfuls (sometimes making a lovely little cross with the spoon) and pray a prayer of blessing either silently by making a cross over the incense or aloud eg. "Be blessed by Him in whose honour thou shalt be burnt in the name of God, Father Son and Holy Spirit. Amen."   As with the incense in a bowl it is important to make sure the charcoals are placed so that their dent is facing upwards, and that the incense is placed on top of that bowl. Any incense not in contact with the charcoal will not melt and is simply wasted. Do not put too much charcoal in the thurible at any one time or you will simply get the smell of the charcoal smoke. More can easily be added later. Getting the balance right will result in better perfume and less acrid smoke. Another tip for keeping the smoke smelling sweet is to regularly clear away the spent incense, but do not simply scrape it to one side with a spoon, scrape it out of the thurible altogether and place in a small metal dish. That way the smoke will keep smelling lovely and sweet.  Please also be aware that after a while the thurible itself can get hot, especially the lid, as heat rises. Take care not to burn your fingers on the lid. 

If your church does not use incense liturgically there may be times when it may be appropriate to cense the space before an act of worship. This can create an atmosphere of prayer, but is also easier on those occasions when the smoke bothers people. It has been noted in some churches which have a large number of tourists, that the atmosphere is quieter and more prayerful when the building smells of incense. It also seems to discourage birds such as pigeons from entering church buildings. 

There are many wonderful videos for clergy on youtube showing you how to cense an altar or a gospel book. Here are some links to some of them. 

Censing the altar, also serving at a free standing altar

Censing an altar fixed to a wall

A tutorial for servers

Another tutorial on censing a fixed altar

There are a number of ways of doing this so do not feel that any one is "correct" although some churches do have a "house style" which it would be polite to follow.

Please note that if the altar is free-standing the priest should walk around and cense the altar in an anticlockwise direction. 

This is the same for coffins if you need to cense a coffin at a funeral. With other items, or if you wish to use a more simple technique then two swings to the middle of the item (eg. a gospel book) two to the left and two to the right can be a default for most situations. 

I do hope that this short tutorial helps and enables you and others to enjoy the use of incense in worship and reassures you that it can be used without the congregation being choked by clouds of charcoal smoke. 

Smoke - Part 1

In this Pentecostal time of year it seemed a really good time to talk about incense, which seems to me to be a bit like the Marmite (you either love it or you hate it!) of the liturgical world! Some churches and Christians love it, and want to use it whenever possible. (I admit I'm probably in that bracket - but only if the smoke is sweet!) and some hate it and would be very happy if they never encountered it again. 

Some of this is due to mis-placed ideas about incense, and some of it is because the smoke catches in their throats and makes them cough. Sadly the latter problem is easily avoided and I will tackle the practicalities of using incence in "Smoke part 2" when I will tell you the secret of getting a really good incense mix, and avoiding that acrid barbecue-smoke effect which makes everyone cough when the thurifer passes by. 

Incense in the Bible

When I was a teenager I used to attend an Evangelical church and many worshippers there were vehemently against the use of incense. The strength of their reaction was puzzling to me. Looking back I think it was just prejudice, or lack of teaching on the subject. For the first thing to remember is that incense is quite clearly biblical. There are several key passages regarding incense, in both Old and New Testaments. 

In Exodus chapter 30 God commands the Israelites to offer incense in worship and writes in instructions to the Israelites as to how it should be offered. 

“You shall make an altar on which to offer incense; you shall make it of acacia wood.  It shall be one cubit long, and one cubit wide; it shall be square, and shall be two cubits high; its horns shall be of one piece with it... Aaron shall offer fragrant incense on it; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall offer it, and when Aaron sets up the lamps in the evening he shall offer it, a regular incense-offering before the Lord throughout your generations." 

Exodus chapter 30 even has a recipe for holy incense which came with a command that it not be used to secular purposes. This tells us that other blends of incense were probably used for domestic air freshening as they are today in parts of the Middle East. 

"The Lord said to Moses: Take sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, sweet spices with pure frankincense (an equal part of each), and make an incense blended as by the perfumer, seasoned with salt, pure and holy;  and you shall beat some of it into powder, and put part of it before the covenant in the tent of meeting where I shall meet you; it shall be for you most holy.  When you make incense according to this composition, you shall not make it for yourselves; it shall be regarded by you as holy to the Lord.  Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from the people."

There are a number of other references to incense being offered in worship, daily in the temple, including Exodus 25, Leviticus 2, 2 Chronicles 29 and a rather disturbing passage in Numbers 16 describing a mutiny and a terrible fire of judgement devouring 250 men who offered incense and themselves before the Lord as alternative leaders. (This seems also to mark out the fact that the Hebrews must have used incense for their domestic purposes, because they actually possessed 250 censers).

Incense is also mentioned in the book of psalms
"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
    and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." (Psalm 141:2)

Throughout the bible it is symbolic of prayer and worship and we can see from a number of these passages that Incense was used regularly in temple-worship, being offered both morning and evening. 

There are fewer references to incense within the New Testament, and yet it is still there, being mentioned in the gospel of Luke. (Frankincense was one of the gifts of the magi), the letter to the Hebrews where the worship of the Earthly tabernacle is compared with the perfect offering of Christ the Great High Priest and in the book of Revelation:

"Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake." (Revelation 8:3-5) 

In this famous passage from Revelation the prayers of the saints are offered to God as incense, and God acts in response to those prayers in a dramatic and spectacular manner. 

Incense in History

It might be worth mentioning at this point, that in ancient times hardly anyone (apart from a few rich Romans, had access to running water. Nor was there an adequate draining system. Animals were used for transport (and animals tend to leave "presents" behind them), so basically the streets stank and most people stank too! As Paul Bradshaw (I believe - sorry I have lent the book to someone) once said "The importance of incense is not that it symbolises the ascending smoke of sacrifice, but it is a means of making tolerable the smells of unwashed humanity.” (Foundations in Ritual Studies p45, Bradshaw and Melloh)

Therefore those who were rich appointed a servant to walk the streets before them, fumigating the smell away with perfumed incense. 

It might be worth mentioning at this point that the Latin word for incense is thus and this is the root word for the two terms usually used in liturgical churches; a thurible for the incense burner, and a thurifer for the person who carries the censer. 

The fact that the incense normally paved the way for a VIP is the reason why the incense comes first in liturgical processions, followed by the cross, representing Jesus, the King of Kings, accompanied by candles. Sometimes an extra server accompanies the thurifer, a boat-boy or boat-girl, carrying the container for the incense. This container is often shaped like a boat, hence the term boat-boy. When a new member of the serving team is trained they often begin as boat boy before moving onto the more complex tasks of bearing candles, the cross or becoming a thurifer. 

Incense was also used in Pagan worship and a number of martyrs in Roman times were killed for refusing to offer a pinch of incense in worship before a statue of the emperor. 

We are not sure when ceremonial incense began to be used within Christian churches, but Egeria, the fourth century pilgrim mentions it in her travels to the Holy Land and its use is expected in the ancient liturgies of St James and St Mark. 

By the Middle Ages incense was used regularly in churches and monasteries in processions, at funerals, at services on saints days when the altar and people were censed (taking inspiration from the worship in the temple) and at Mass when the gospel, the altar, the people and the gifts were censed. Five grains of incense were also placed within the Paschal (Easter) candle, symbolising the five precious wounds of Jesus upon the cross. 

Of course at the Reformation everything changed and the churches were stripped of ceremonial. Many consider the use of incense to have died out at this point in time, but actually this simply isn't true. The reason, I'm sure, was that people still smelt! It was not until Victorian times that we had access to decent plumbing. There are a number of historical references to the purchase of incense in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the accounts of some churches and cathedrals including Ely, Canterbury and Barnstaple, but the incense was not used ceremonially. Instead it was burnt in a perfuming pan or brazier and generally a church was fumigated by a verger before Divine Worship began. 

The ritual use of incense returned to the church in Victorian times after the rise of the Oxford Movement. Nowadays there are a number of variations in practice. Some Anglo-Catholic churches use incense every Sunday. Many cathedrals and greater churches use it only on special occasions such as major feasts of the church. (The definition of a major feast varies from church to church, but would normally include Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Trinity and Ascension). In addition to this many cathedrals and greater churches would also use incense on "red letter" festival saints days, such as the apostles and the Blessed Virgin Mary. If a church has evensong on one of these saints days the old monastic tradition of censing the altar during the gospel canticle has been reintroduced (normally the Magnificat, as this is the canticle that was sung at Vespers in the monastery). Some churches such as Ripon cathedral have a small brazier in front of the altar and place incense upon this during the canticle. In other churches and cathedrals, such as York Minster, a canon will cense the altar ceremonially during the Magnificat and then give the thurible to a server who will cense the people as a sign of their holiness before God and the holiness of the saints. Even some Evangelical churches will occasionally use incense,but not ceremonially, perhaps as part of a prayer station, perhaps at Epiphany, remembering the gifts of the magi; gold, frankincense and myrrh. Nowadays there is comparative freedom on the use of incense, but there is also some resistance to its use. If you are able to use incense I do encourage you to try it though. It does seem to have the affect of demarcating a space as being holy and it creates an atmosphere of prayer and worship.  Personally I believe most of this resistance to the use of incense is due to it being used badly and the congregation being inflicted to a large amount of acrid charcoal smoke. In my next article I will tell you a little bit more about how to mix it and use it well, the types of incense currently available and ways in which you might use it in prayer and worship, either ceremonially or informally.