Thought for the day
T.S. Eliot's, The Journey of the Magi, read by Richard Wallace
The Journey Of The Magi
T.S Eliot
A cold coming we had of it,
Just the worst time of the year
For a journey, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.'
And the camels galled, sorefooted, refractory,
Lying down in the melting snow.
There were times we regretted
The summer palaces on slopes, the terraces,
And the silken girls bringing sherbet.
Then the camel men cursing and grumbling
and running away, and wanting their liquor and women,
And the night-fires going out, and the lack of shelters,
And the cities hostile and the towns unfriendly
And the villages dirty and charging high prices:
A hard time we had of it.
At the end we preferred to travel all night,
Sleeping in snatches,
With the voices singing in our ears, saying
That this was all folly.
Then at dawn we came down to a temperate valley,
Wet, below the snow line, smelling of vegetation;
With a running stream and a water-mill beating the darkness,
And three trees on the low sky,
And an old white horse galloped away in the meadow.
Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,
Six hands at an open door dicing for pieces of silver,
And feet kicking the empty wine-skins.
But there was no information, and so we continued
And arriving at evening, not a moment too soon
Finding the place; it was (you might say) satisfactory.
All this was a long time ago, I remember,
And I would do it again, but set down
This set down
This: were we led all that way for
Birth or Death? There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.
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Preached by Canon Dr Stephen Spencer
Preached by Canon Dr Stephen Spencer
Last Sunday marked the end of another choir term—and what a term it has been! We've welcomed new choristers, learnt plenty of exciting music, sung for some wonderful liturgies, and eaten what can only be described as a significant amount of biscuits. The day began with a very special visit from Sing Start! , who joined us for the Eucharist. Together we sang Litany of the Holy Spirit and Joanna Forbes L'Estrange's St Helen's Mass. A huge thank you to Helena from Children's Church for organising ice creams afterwards—a thoroughly appreciated post-service treat! We're also delighted that a large number of Sing Start! children will be joining our regular treble lines from September. This is tremendously exciting, not only for the choir's future growth but also for the long-term strength and sustainability of our music-making at SMR. In the evening, we gathered for a special service celebrating the composer Charles Wood, marking 100 years since his death. It was a fitting tribute to one of the great figures of Anglican church music—but the occasion was also notable for another reason. Several of our own choir members stepped into new musical roles and showcased talents beyond their usual singing duties. Our Head Chorister conducted the introit, one of the back-row singers composed the psalm chant, and our Corner Chorister wrote the organ voluntary. It's wonderful to see so much creativity and musicianship flourishing within the choir. The final service of the year was followed by the all-important choir party: pizza and a screening of Sister Act. Judging by the enthusiastic reaction afterwards, there is now considerable demand for I Will Follow Him to appear in a future service. We make no promises—but do keep an eye on next year's music lists... The choir is now taking a well-earned summer break, but music certainly won't stop at SMR. Sunday morning Masses will continue with a cantor leading the music, and we're looking forward to welcoming several excellent visiting choirs over the coming weeks, including St Andrew's Backwell, St Mary's Ross-on-Wye, and the Handful Chamber Choir. Our regular choir returns on Sunday 13 September, refreshed, recharged, and ready for another exciting year of music. Have a wonderful summer, and thank you to all our choristers, families, volunteers, and supporters for another fantastic year.
Preached by Canon Dr Stephen Spencer
Preached by the Revd Dr Brutus Green
Preached by the Revd Dr Brutus Green
