One of the great privileges of the work that I do is to have the
opportunity of listening to the 'stories' of a lot of very different
people. Many of these people are very different from me in culture,
class, ethnic origin, faith perspective, or political orientation.
In fact the work that I do to crucially focused on this opportunity
for people to tell such stories to each othcr and then to act on
them. Such stories are not private or confessional. They are public
stories. They are stories of faith in the working of God In history
- in our culture and society, in families and communities on
Murfleyslde,
Two things never fail to surprise me. Firstly, most people I work
with don't initially have any sense that they have a 'alory' to toll
at all. But secondly, when they do realise that, and start to toll
their story, you can almost visibly see them growing as they gain
confidence, and a .sense of identity as a person. In telling their
own story they discover who they arc.
This process has led me recently to a conclusion which may seem
blindingly obvious. The conclusion is this - that your story and my
story are sacred stories. They are as sacred and potentially
God-filled as the stories we hear in scripture and in the liturgy of
the church. Even, or perhaps especially, the parts of our stones
which are painful, or shameful, or sad, I'm not sure how many people
in church believe that about themselves and the things that have
happened, and continue to happen to them. It has certainly taken me
a long time to realise it. I think then1 is soim-iimr ,m unspoken
assumption in church circles (and more particularly t ,iih<>hc
cm Ics than evangelical ones) that God is only revealed in the
'official' stories of the tradition - church and bible.
The problem with ignoring our own stories is that we cut off the
most potent way of engaging with God that we have. The locus of
God's activity now is not the stories of the past but the stories of
the present. So if we want to meet and know God we'd better get used
to trusting our own experience and the experience of those around
us. Now this does not mean to say that each and every experience I
have is richly filled with unique experiences of God which I must
immediately share with all and sundry! Nor does it mean that in any
sense I have a hot line to the Almighty and that just because I feel
something strongly one day then it must be God speaking to me! What
I do mean is that if we spend time reflecting on what happens to us,
really digesting our experience in a prayerful way, then - often
with the help of trusted others - we can begin to discern some of
the ways in which God is moving in our lives. Not like a thunderbolt
probably, not necessarily directly, not obviously maybe or in ways
that we might expect, but much more subtly, quietly, in a letting-be
sort of way. A way which affirms us if we are faith-full. An
intimation of a presence. A silent wonder, A discovering of who we
are.
For this to happen two things need to be in place. One is a healthy
ego! A sense - hopefully confirmed by others - that you are worthy:
that you matter. You need to believe that God would spend time with
you. The other thing that needs to be in place is the flip side of
the first - you need to spend time with God! If God is more real and
present in the still small voice than in the storm then we are going
to need time spent quietly listening and being aware.
Last Advent on Saturday evenings I introduced a brief Service of
Light as a way of travelling towards Christmas together. Quite a few
people found the service useful, so it will be repeated this year.
The aim is to create some of that stillness, some of that wonder,
some of that belief that our own stories are intimately and
irretrievably caught up in the bigger story of God.
The services will begin on the eve of Advent, that is Saturday 27th
November. They will all start at 6.00 pm and be over by 6.30 pm.
They will include some words from the wonderful tradition of Advent,
some silence, some simple music, the lighting of candles, and the
reading of the gospel for the following day. It would be good to see
you there.
Father Mark
'Wachet
auf!'... the Choir Christmas
Stephanie
Dunning
At this time of the year the choir is at its busiest. Our lives seem
to revolve around the warmth, light and joy that is the build-up to
Christmas, and we share with all the fellowship of St Faith's the
exhilaration and excitement that is the real 'waking-up'. It's
tiring, but wonderful, and this year you will be hearing new music
as well as old favourites.
Somewhat of a traditionalist at heart, I am really looking forward
to contributing to the Hallelujah Chorus and to 'And the Glory of
the Lord' in the services leading up to Christmas, and of course to
the Mozart Coronation Mass at the Midnight service on Christmas Eve.
I'm sure none of you will want to miss the beautiful Advent service,
'From Darkness to Light', which always manages to be both
thought-provokingly solemn and full of hope and joy.
Then on December 12th we have the choir carol concert with the
Crosby Symphony Orchestra, so popular and successful last time that
we hope it becomes an institution - do support it as superbly as you
did a year ago.
The special service which always draws the crowds is the Christingle
(6 pm on Christmas Eve). It invariably moves me. Advent is all about
waiting and preparation, and since becoming a parent I have become
rather a cliche, seeing the promise of heaven and rebirth in the
expectant young faces, huge-eyed with wonder in the candlelight.
Perhaps God, as our parent, watches our faces with the same love.
It's a privilege to be part of it all.
Don't miss it. Don't forget - we have music and services three days
running over Christmas itself, and we really look forward to seeing
everybody there.
The Silent Word!
Little Wilmot
'In the beginning was the word' ... but all too often over the years
it must have fallen on deaf ears; quite literally in some cases,
despite sound systems and amplified preachers. It is easier for
those of us who have no problems hearing the word from the pulpit to
switch off our hearing aids (our ears!), especially if the word is
uninteresting, than it is for those who have hearing problems or no
hearing at all, to switch on - which might not always be a
disadvantage, one may add!
But seriously - how equipped are we at St Faith's to communicate
with our members who have a hearing loss or who have no hearing at
all? Although I do not have the answers to this question, perhaps
this article, based on a Deaf Awareness Training Programme I
recently attended (my employer too is seeking to redress this
issue), may help to stimulate some thoughts and actions amongst us.
As in all courses designed to raise awareness, we started off by
finding out how much we knew about the issue. In my attempt to
complete a questionnaire about deafness, it soon became apparent to
me that this was something I knew very little about and that I was
beginning to wander out of my 'comfort zone'.
How much do you know about
deafness?
True or False
• A hearing aid will help a deaf person to hear more
clearly.
• All born deaf people use Sign Language.
• You should shout to make a hard of hearing person hear
better
• Most deaf children have hearing parents.
• Most people in the deaf community marry each other.
• Loud noise is one of the causes of deafness.
• To get a deaf person's attention, you should wave to
them.
The programme, run by The Merseyside Society for Deaf People, proved
extremely informative, action-packed and fun. The practical
lip-reading and finger-spelling activities were very enjoyable and
the course certainly increased my awareness of deaf issues, at the
same time doing wonders for my learning curve.
One of the major issues I discovered is that there are three
categories of deaf persons: Deaf, Deafened and Hard of Hearing (HoH)
with degrees of deafness ranging from mild, through moderate and
severe, to profound hearing loss; each category requiring different
social and communication needs. Hearing loss may be caused through
infections; loud noises; accidents/trauma; inheritance (only 10% of
deaf children have at least one deaf parent - the other 90% are born
to hearing parents); physical defects; ageing - the latter being the
most common.
If we are seeking to improve methods of communication at St Faith's
for members with hearing losses, it is important to understand the
differences that exist between Deaf, Deafened and HoH persons in
terms of language: communication skills; communication aid
requirements (technical and human), and culture.
Deaf people are born deaf, or become deaf in early childhood before
language is acquired. Oral language and speech may be limited. They
may use British Sign Language (BSL) as their first or preferred
language and therefore may have difficulty in reading and writing
and accessing audio and written information. BSL is visual, gestural
and spatial, conveying information in a way quite different from the
spoken language. Human Aid Communicators (HACs) may be required,
such as a BSL interpreter or Note Taker to provide the communication
link with the hearing community. Examples of Technical Aid
Communicators (TACs) are a videophone which will enable the deaf
person to use Sign Language to communicate with another deaf person
in a different place and flashing lights and vibrating pager systems
to attract attention or warn of danger.
Deaf people are part of the deaf community, even though they
live in a hearing one. They share a deaf culture and common language
(English is not their first language), and 85%-90% tend to marry
each other. They may not see themselves as being disabled but
perhaps as part of a linguistic minority. They are the most
discriminated-against group in employment.
Deafened people are those who have become profoundly deaf after
acquiring spoken and written language. They may have good
spoken/written language and may benefit from a hearing aid. A
hearing aid, however, does not cure deafness, it will only amplify
what a person already hears; a quiet distorted sound will become a
loud distorted sound. Deafened people will rely heavily on
lip-reading and may have to learn how to lip-read. Their HAC may be
a Note Taker or Lip-Speaker who will relay information to
lip-readers using clear Up patterns and no voice, Deafened people
are unlikely to use Sign Language and mainly identify with a hearing
culture. They may be unable to continue with previous employment.
Hard of Hearing (HoH) people - 8.7m people in the UK (circa 1 in 7
or 14% of the UK population) tend to become HoH with age and this
number will increase in coming years. They have difficulty following
speech and will benefit from using a hearing aid. They need a good
acoustic environment with minimum background noise and rely heavily
on lip-reading. There is a tendency to think older people are
confused if they are slow to respond. Like the Deafened person the
HoH will identify with a hearing culture, share the same language
and may experience mainstream education. They may share some life
experiences with the deaf, but this alone is not enough for them to
be truly part of the Deaf community.
Although this article barely scratches the surface of deafness, I
hope it stimulates thought and action at St Faith's so the word will
penetrate if it falls on deaf ears.
Church
Notice Board
• Toy Service -
Sunday 5th December
As you will have read in last month's 'Newslink, on Sunday 5th
December we shall ask people to bring along a toy (unwrapped please)
which could be used as a Christmas present for a child of any age.
The toys collected will be distributed through Social Services and
other organisations in the Deanery. Also, if anyone can help to sort
out and wrap the toys on the mornings of 16th and 17th December,
please telephone Val Davies or Judith Ash on 922 3760 to offer help.
The wrapping takes place in the Church Hall at St. Nicholas's
Blundellsands. There are many families and children who greatly
appreciate the help and assistance that is offered. Please respond
generously.
• Sunday 19th
December
10.30am Sung Eucharist with Nativity Presentation by our young
people and choir. (This will replace the sermon)
• Christmas Eve;
Blessing of the Crib & Christingle Service
Many hands make light work! We need some Christingle-makers: Over
300 Christingles need to be made and, yes I know it's a busy time
for everybody, but if you can come along to the Church Hall on
Wednesday 22nd December at 8pm and lend a hand (or two) we would be
enormously grateful. We will ask for helpers again nearer the time
but please - don't let that announcement take you by surprise:
please put the date in your diary now!
• Sunday School
Leaflet
Now that we have a good number of people offering to assist with
Sunday School we have produced a leaflet advertising the Sunday
School. It is very attractive and includes coloured photographs of
the children's activities. It is hoped to give the leaflet to
Baptism families and other contacts. There are a number available at
the back of Church. Please take one to pass on to any families who
may be interested in Sunday School. Many thanks to Denis Griffiths
who fed each of the 300 leaflets into his printer by hand (a very
thankless task) and to the person who kindly met the cost of
producing them.
• Stewardship Campaign and Gift Day
1999
It is good to report the fact that people have responded so
generously and enthusiastically to this year's Stewardship Campaign.
The support, dedication and commitment to St. Faith's has been
second to none for many years and it is good to report that there is
a significant number of new people joining the Parish Purse and
Banker's Order Scheme, as well as those who wish to increase their
regular giving or perhaps take out a covenant for the first time.
This excellent response is such a healthy indication both of the
future of St. Faith's and the commitment of so many people. This
will certainly enable us to continue the good worship and work that
has formed part of the tradition of the last hundred years. We
haven't got there yet! We do need to give some thought to some
significant fund-raising events in the year 2000. If you have any
ideas about fund-raising activities, small or large, please speak to
me or to any member of the FCC. As I have said before, when we are
on a firmer financial footing, we can begin to think again about
plans to redevelop the Church Hall, among other important projects.
Thank you also to everyone who responded to the Gift Day. At the
time of writing a total of almost £7,000 has already been
received in financial gifts; people have expressed an interest in
helping with Sunday School (making the grand total of eight Sunday
School teachers!) and among other things some very welcome offers to
help with Church and Hall cleaning have been made. All in all it has
been an overwhelmingly good response.
Thank you so much.
What
we do in Church - and Why
As the dedication above the choir stalls reminds us, St. Faith's
came into being in 1900 as part of the catholic revival within the
life of the Church of England. This is the first in a series of
articles seeking to explain some of the practices which form part of
that tradition of which St. Faith's, for almost one hundred years,
has proudly been a part. Future articles to be published wit!
include; lighting a candle, vestments, making the sign of the cross,
the role of altar servers, processions, reservation of the Blessed
Sacrament, use of silence, Holy Oils, music in the liturgy, Stations
of the Cross, Holy Water, the Saints, use of incense, pilgrimages,
the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession and Absolution), bells,
Benediction and genuflecting. There may well be something you have
wondered about for years but were afraid to ask!
VOTIVE MASSES
'Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the
death of the Lord, until he comes'. (1 Corinthians 11:26)
A votive mass is a Eucharist celebrated to commemorate a particular
saint, devotion or event. For example, before a FCC meeting a votive
mass of the Holy Spirit may be celebrated, asking the Holy Spirit's
guidance on the meeting. Before the introduction of a daily
eucharistic lectionary (a 'lectionary' is a system of reading Holy
Scripture) some churches with a daily eucharist celebrated votive
masses on the different days of the week. This was a preferable
option to repeating the collect, epistle and gospel for the previous
Sunday on each week-day. Traditionally the pattern was:
Monday The Holy Spirit
Tuesday The Holy Angels
Wednesday St. Joseph
Thursday The Blessed Sacrament
Christian Unity
Friday The
Holy Cross/Passion of Christ
Saturday The Blessed Virgin Mary
The only practice these days which can still be found in some
churches is a Eucharist of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturdays
which have no particular celebration. Votive masses may be said in
honour of the Patron Saint (ASB 871), for more vocations to the
sacred ministry (ASB 878), for the Harvest (ASB 890), for World
Peace (ASB 912), to celebrate a particular wedding anniversary (ASB
923), for the sick and dying (ASB 928) and for the departed,
particularly on the anniversary of a death (ASB 936). The clergy are
always happy to celebrate a votive mass for any pastoral reason or
special occasion. Please do not hesitate to speak to Fr. Neil if you
require this.
Lord of heaven in the eucharist you bring us near to an innumerable company of
angels and to the spirits of the saints
made perfect: as in this food of our earthly
pilgrimage we have shared their fellowship, so may we come to share their joy
in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Fr Neil
Thank
You
Audrey, Chris and Richard Dawson would like to thank their friends
at St Faith's for their prayers, flowers and messages of sympathy,
following the sudden death of Richard's dear wife Rachael. Your
support has been a great comfort for the whole family.
The Old Countrywoman
Each year, I act as an adjudicator in tne Ouse Valley National
Poetry Competition - this year assisting Andrew Motion, the new Poet
Laureate, sifting through hundreds of amateur and hitherto
unpublished poems to select the eventual prize winners. Relatively
few are even vaguely 'religious': this one, printed with the
author's permission, is not only a worthy exception but also an
entertaining poem in its own right.
I've been coming here on Sundays for seventy year or so.
'Twas here that I was christened and it's here I'll want to go.
Now I know you all gets vexed about the changes in belief -
Well, frills on top don't matter if you're comfy underneath.
I never lets it bother me if I'm High or Low or what,
While I've got me ten commandments I shan't go wrong a lot.
Now, I likes the old fashioned prayer book, and they like A.S.B.
And they can have what pleases them, and I'll read what suits me.
And half the hymns we sing these days I never heard before,
But I can stand and listen, and perhaps I'll learn some more.
All these guitars and instruments - it's no more than they had
Afore they put the organ in, when my Grandad were a lad,
And I don't suppose God'll worry - he wouldn't make a fuss,
As long as ail the singing's meant for him and not for us.
We've had clergy coming straight from college, full of summat new,
From incense on the aitar to posters in the pew,
And I lets 'em ail get on with it, 'cos all these fashions pass,
And you'll still do the flowers, me dears, and I'll still clean the
brass.
I got this seat I always have, no draughts and nice and near,
So I can hear the organ and see the vicar clear,
And I tells God what's been happening, and what a week I've had,
And I thanks him for the good times, and he helps me through the
bad,
'Cos all that really matters, as far as I can see
Is that I, down here, remembers Him, and He remembers me.
Small
is Beautiful
Some lines inspired by a Christmas card depicting a donkey and a
robin inspecting each other; supplied (but not written!) by Fr
Dennis.
Said the donkey to the robin
'What are you doing here?'
Said the robin to the donkey
'I'll soon make that quite clear.
You mark I'm looking upwards,
Your eyes are downward cast.
There's something you are missing.'
A vision which must last.
I know I'm small, of little worth,
And you are big and strong,
But I've a secret in my breast,
I'll give it you in song.
But promise first you'll pass it on
To human donkeys too,
Who keep their eyes glued to the ground
And miss the heavenly view,'
TILpromise/ neighed the donkey
In best vernacular.
'Then here it is,' die red-breast said:
'The Message of the Star.
Look up, not down. Lift up your heart!
There's Light, there's Joy, there's Hope;
And mortal men need not despair,
As through the world they grope.
Look up! for God has broken through
This sordid earthly scene.
And through its common fabric, weaves
A golden arrasene.
Look up! Look up! though dark the day,
The Christmas Light breaks through,
And human hearts uplifted are,
Where Christ is born anew.'
We're on the List
In order to avoid paying VAT on the Centenary Window, we had to
prove that we were exempt by reason of St Faith's being a listed
building. Margaret Sadler extracted from the Heritage people the
details below, which constitute the official description of the
church - something else for the archives!
SJ39NW Crosby Road North
77888-1/3/29 (East side)
26/3/73 Church of St Faith
II (This is the bit that means we
are Grade II Listed, Ed.)
Parish church. 1900, by Grayson and Ould; built at the expense of
Douglas Horsfall (Stockbroker). Red brick with pink sandstone
dressings, green slate roofs.
STYLE: Free Gothic.
PLAN: large nave with low north and south aisles, north and south
porches, large north and south transepts, the latter with a slender
octagonal south-east belfry tower, and a full-height chancel.
EXTERIOR: sandstone bands and string courses carried round. The west
end of the nave has emphatic angle-buttresses and a large 2-centred
arched west window with deep moulded reveal and elaborate tracery.
Its 6-bay side walls are distinguished by flying buttresses spanning
the aisles: the aisles have two small 1-light windows in each bay
except the first, which have prominent square cross-gabled porches
with diagonal buttresses, large moulded arches in two sides and
gables enriched with bands and raised strips; and the nave has large
2-centred arched clerestory windows (2 lights in the 1st bay and 3
lights in the others), with differing tracery and run-out
hoodmoulds. The gables of the transepts have angle-buttresses and
large traceried 4-light windows. The tower has a base storey with
weathered coping, small square-headed staircase windows on 3 levels
above, and a tall belfry stage of sandstone with traceried 1-light
windows, a banded brick parapet and a copper-clad spirelet. The
chancel has a very large 5-light east window with elaborate tracery.
INTERIOR: brick, with pale pink sandstone dressings; wide 6-bay nave
with arch-braced hammerbeam roof, narrow passage-aisles, sandstone
arcades; very large chancel arch, Perpendicular blind arcading; good
Perpendicular-style screen (1920s memorial to Horsfall's son, killed
in Great War).
Envoi
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am the thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on snow;
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am gentle autumnal rain.
When you waken in the morning hush
I am the soft uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight;
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there. I did not die.
De
Profundis
(Out of the depth...)
Ian Dunning
The first of a series of four articles (tenor, alto and soprano to
come!) reflecting, not always wholly seriously, on the joys of
choral singing.
You probably know that the Choir is currently trying to recruit new
members. The welcome acquisition of two accomplished bass singers to
join this already thriving section of the choir means that this is
possibly a good time to reflect on the bass voice and its niche in
our choral heritage.
In our choir, the basses outnumber the tenors by 2.5 to 1. If all
the adult male population of England were made to sing, the ratio
would be more like 8 to 1, so when we complain of the national
shortage of tenors, we are not quite so badly off as we might have
been. However, our very numerical superiority often works against
us.
In choral music, the entire harmonic structure of a piece rests on
the shoulders of the basses. Therefore, whenever anything goes
wrong, the other sections can easily blame us. (This is
traditional.) Whenever the mistake is our fault, there is nowhere to
hide - everyone notices. (This is part and parcel of the Bass
Experience, but what is less widely known is that tradition demand
that we carry back the can for mistakes made even when we are in the
middle of a 32 bar rest!)
We basses are seen as creatures of extremes, not surprisingly, since
within the space of a few moments we may be sent down to find the B
below the bass clef stave, then to reach for the E in the tenor
range. (For verification, see the end of Tchaikovsky's 'Crown of
Roses' then add on a unison verse of about any Communion hymn you
care to name.) We respond to our music in extreme ways, according to
popular belief. We are often accused of being 'Too Loud', 'Too Slow'
or 'Too Fast'.
Never, curiously enough, are we called 'Too Quiet' or 'Too Good!' We
often perceive unison music as 'Too High', but most non-basses seem
deaf to this plea.
Traditionally, the bass lines of most hymns end with a sequence of
notes quoted directly from the old English song 'Hot Cross Buns'.
For once, tradition works in our favour - if, for some reason we are
deprived of the 'dots' to read, then we can still usually 'busk' an
acceptable harmony as long as we stick to the aforementioned nursery
rhyme.
As basses, our fortunes are affected by the other sections of the
choir. The tenors, for example, are generally acknowledged as the
Elite Corps of vocal 'shock troops', with the power to bring a tear
to the frostiest of eyes. If you can sing tenor, respect and status
are yours for life. If however, you can barely carry a tune in a
bucket, go and sit with the basses, where nobody will notice, let
alone mind.
Any young bass who cannot handle the prospect of spending the next
40 or 50 years as the butt of all the scorn and prejudices of the
choral world, might be tempted to defy his fate. For instance, he
may work on his falsetto range and join the altos. This solution,
however, is only temporary, as he soon discovers what every alto
knows. This is that one spends one's life singing just three or four
notes from one's lower middle register over and over again. On the
rare occasions that the altos are given more scope, the music is
either Baroque (ie laced with impossible runs, trills and ornaments)
or Atonal (ie full of clashes and improbable intervals).
So, short of turning alto, how can a bass attain a state of grace
and respectability?
You should:
1 Specialise in the low notes that -
a) Nobody else can sing, and b) are so low that nobody can tell
whether they are the right notes anyway.
2 Call yourself a 'baritone' (or even 'bass-baritone'). This gives
the impression that you know what you are doing. Also, the operatic
connotations of this technical term come in handy sometimes.
3 Marry a soprano (If any breed of singer knows better than the
basses how hard is the battle for musical credibility, they do).
Sympathy just might be forthcoming from this direction.
4 Buy a pair of extremely tight trousers and sit with the tenors.
(If sitting is almost impossible, the trousers are probably about
right.)
How do we survive, thrive and even expand against all these odds?
Why do we keep going, knowing how maligned, taken for granted and
oppressed we are? Because in spite of all it brings with it, singing
bass is a very experience. Singing bass in St Faith's Choir is even
more so. Much more!{though now we would warmly welcome new members
joining the other three sections too, to give us a run for our
money!) Despite being .so meek, we'll never inherit the musical
earth, so let's hear it for the 'engine room' of every choir... THE BASSES.
Bargain
Corner
Chris Price
Some years ago, using a steam-age cassette recorder, I recorded the
church choir singing an hour of Advent and Christmas anthems and
hymns. The resulting cassette: 'What Sweeter Music' sold well and
was well received.
Now, using the miracles of modern home-grown technology (minidisc,
graphic equaliser, CD-maker and computer inlay-printing program),
the contents have been transferred to a smart-looking CD which those
who have heard it testify to being up to professional standard. At
£6 it represents a bargain, makes a fitting Christmas gift and
swells church funds.
Other church 'goodies' remain on offer. Publications include
'Furnishings of Faith' (articles about the fixtures and fittings of
St Faith's: now in a second updated printing) and 'Poems from The
Back Pew' (my poems about St Faith's). Both of these cost (only!)
£2.50. There are also copies of the Centenary Cookbook, sets
of St Faith's notelets and the fine Centenary mug.
See, sample and buy these items at the back of church, or by post
from the Editor.
A
Christmas Reflection
Fr Dennis
One of the attractions of Christmas is that it assures us of a God
who shares our earthly life. He is born of a woman in an ordinary
earthly family: 'And he feeleth for our sadness and he shareth in
our gladness/ This is a deeply pastoral truth which helps us to make
sense of the inequalities and sufferings of life. Ours is a God who
does not remain aloof from his creation but has entered it in order
to redeem it.
But there is another side of that truth which has been emphasised
more in the East than in the West. That is, as St Irenaeus and other
Christian Fathers have said, 'God made himself man, that man might
become God', or as we pray in the collect, 'Grant that, as he came
to share in our humanity, so we may share the life of his divinity/
This prayer reflects the mysterious words from the Gospel, Trom his
fullness have we all received grace upon grace' (John 1:16), or as
we read in the Second Epistle of Peter, 'He has given us the very
great and precious gifts he promised, so that... you ... may come to
share the divine nature/ (2 Peter 1:4)
This could all sound overweening and pretentious. Any talk of man
becoming like God seems to smack of the optimism of the nineteenth
century, when man was tempted to believe that the increase of
knowledge gave him a command over nature which was God-like. Nothing
could be further from the mind of the fourth evangelist or the early
Fathers. They were bowled over by the wonder of. God becoming man,
and although they perceived that this truth did throw light on the
human condition, for them it was much more important for what it
told them about God: 'the only Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father has made him known/ (John 1:18) Far from encouraging humanity
to be too big for its boots they are trying to bring it back to a
sense of awe and responsibility, simply because, by the incarnation,
it has been drawn into an intimate relationship with God.
A hint of how this is to be understood is found in the passage from
Galatians 4:1-7, where the fact mat God sent his own son born of a
woman is said to mean that we have passed from being slaves to
having the status of sons.
A child growing up has a vision of the world of his parents. He sees
that they have wisdom and freedoms that he does not have and he
looks forward to the day when, as a result of their training, he
will have them too. It may be only a vision limited to the power to
come in as late as he likes, or the freedom to leave his room
untidy. But through such limited perceptions he is drawn into a life
of greater reality and maturity. We, who have been told that unless
we become as little children we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven,
also have terribly limited perceptions, but because of the
incarnation and all that follows from it, we are being drawn (unless
we stubbornly resist) into a life of greater reality, God,himself.
From the Registers
Holy Matrimony
23 October Christopher
Whithorn and June Edwards
Baptism
25 October Michael Raymond
Makin, son of Kevin and Sandra
Words
from the Web
The growing St Faith's Church website continues to bring visitors
and surprises from around Britain and the world. With nearly 10,000
'visits' now registered, we have lots of pleasing comments from
visitors, and have picked up fascinating bits of information. We now
know of a St Faith's Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, another
shared with the Methodists in Woolgrove Road, Hitchin - and a St
Faith's House 'for willfull and fallen women' founded in 1898 and
situated in New York! Queries to our site {mostly by e-mail to the
editor) have included requests for information about the writers
Leonard Clarke and M.L.Haskins and for the words of 'If Jesus came
to your house' (by the way, can anybody help with any of these.,.?).
Below we reproduce an email from Ian and Vivien Liston (actually our
first published 'E-mails to the editor'!) which speaks for itself.
Internet addresses are often 'way out', and theirs is
www.hissboo.co.uk (Ian is a theatrical impresario!).
'What a truly remarkable site!
It brought back so many memories. With my father John and mother
Marion ( a staunch parishioner until her death in 1997) I lived at
82 Milton Road until I went to London to study in 1966.1 sang in the
choir from about 1955-1960 and was confirmed at the (then) very
early age of 9 in 1957.1 seem to remember Fr Richard telling me that
mine was one of the very first names in the new confirmation
register. I was in the cubs and scouts - Derek Clawson was our
Akela. I never thought I'd hear the voice of Fr Hassall again! The
choir sounds better than ever. (You
can use the web to download and play sounds: our site has the
voices of various clergy, old and new, this writer reading his
poetry and the choir in full voice! Ed.) My elderly mother
was too infirm to come to my wedding to Vivien in Surrey in 19995
and it was a great privilege for us when Fr. Richard held a special
service of blessing for us in St Faith's. It was a very special day
in a very special place.
We send you all at St Faith's our love and good wishes for the
Centenary and hope that we may be able to visit you during the year.