Advent 1: Hope

 I don't know about you, but the coming of Christmas, for me, is about Hope! Hope that the darkness will end, hope that something better is on the way, hope that I will see my family soon, hope that I will make it to the end of the term with my voice and help intact.

The first Sunday of Advent has always been about Hope.  The hope of the prophets that salvation was on its way, hope that what and who they had been waiting for, the Messiah, was coming as was foretold, hope in their Lord and saviour.

In a time and a world which feels very dark, I cling to that hope and that promise!

I thought I'd share one of my  Pause for Advent posts from 2016 which I thought was quite helpful:

Sometimes, it feels like things go wrong in December.  Everyone is tired and moody and longing for a break. The days are dark, long and gloomy.  We shiver around radiators, we long for light and hope.
It seems when things aren't going merrily at Christmas, life seems even harder. It feels personal. It feels like everyone else is rejoicing, being merry.

I remember when I was 22 and my boyfriend of 2.5 years split up with me 2 weeks before Christmas. EVERYTHING felt really hard that year. All my household was happy. Everything felt hard and new.  I remember keeping a brave face for everyone but it was really difficult. And all that was, was a break up from my boyfriend, imagine that it was a divorce, death, redundancy, cancer diagnosis- the outlook would have been bleaker.

Or it might be that you are teacher, particularly one dealing with pastoral care, it seems that the pupils are doing their utmost to get in trouble, argue, be nasty to each other, finding the SAME old issues keep coming up and don't seem to be resolved, you doubt yourself, wonder if you can keep doing this job, feel helpless or like giving up.

For all it is the most wonderful time of the year, folks can be generally mean and nasty to each other.
Imagine the family member left at home whilst the rest of the family are out playing, having fun, one can feel forsaken. One can imagine horrors and things going on that aren't true. I feel that sometimes, if the devil can find a chink in our armour, finds our insecurities, he plays on those, exasperates those fears and doubts and blows these up in our mind.

Or the anxiety of knowing you want to provide a wonderful time for your family, but the sheer fact that the sums won't add up and there's no money to pay for it.

Facing a first Christmas without a loved one. I am going to the carol service at my old church tonight and automatically started thinking of dropping in on Norma on my way there and remembering she is no longer with us.

I had started to think about writing this, about Christmas sometimes being difficult and then I saw Ang's Pause for Advent and discovered she had written about something similar.

She shared this wonderful poem which sums it up so evocatively:

Let the bells jingle but make time for tears to fall.

Eat, drink and be merry but do not go hungry in that inner place.

Rest, reflect and remember, Be true to yourself.

Many of us can't play happy families at this time of year.

December is for a difficult diagnosis as well as dreaming of a white Christmas

December is for divorce as well as decorations.

December is for death and dying as well as discos and dancing.

December is for distances that separate us from people,

even those in the same room.

Disappointment in December is especially hard to bear.

Sometimes the light no longer shines in the darkness.

The desolation swallows us up and we die a little.

Yet a kindly word, a bird in flight, a tree alive with hoar and hips

can drown out despair and kindle determination to move on.

Dig down deeper than the tinsel to the place where hope is found.

Maybe, just maybe, the flickering flame will be fanned gentle into fire.

And then when all is lost, all we have is hope.  A friend who is still up when you phone to share your doubts; a fellow teacher who understands the difficulty; a hug or the reassurance that all is not lost.
For me, Christmas is about hope. Christ came to bring hope to the world and for me personally.  I know that if all felt lost, he would be there for me.

There is HOPE at Christmas. A light in the darkness.

Love, peace and hope to you this year, whatever you are dealing with..

xxx

Belated Advent 4- Sing a Song of Celebration (& bonus song)

 Greetings,

I missed writing my Sunday blog post for Advent, mainly because I was very unwell (more on that in another post) but also because I didn't have the correct software.

It's been a tradition on my blog since 2013, to share the song I have written for my children at school as one of my Advent posts. I've been writing my children at school a song each year since 2008 or 2009 as part of my Christmas preparations. It's one of my favourite traditions. Each year, I try to write a song about a different aspect of the Christmas story- there's been introduction songs, songs about Shepherds, songs about bells, songs about innkeepers, songs about wisemen (never shared on the blog), songs about Joy, songs about Hope, lullabies for the baby (not shared on the blog), songs about donkeys (not shared on the blog!)  and all sorts.

This year, I set out to write a song about the Star.  But it was just not happening. I couldn't get started on it and didn't feel inspired.

Instead, what I felt compelled to write was a song called Sing a Song of Celebration. To be honest with you, it's not my best song ever and I never quite finished it or finalised it mainly due to the fact that I don't have Sibelius music software working anymore. I used to have it on my laptop and then when my friend fixed and updated my laptop, he upgraded the software and I didn't have the disk anymore for Sibelius and CBC's laptop which I used to also use doesn't seem to work, so I never quite finished it and it's always remained a bit fluid, rough and ready. Plus, I couldn't find my music notation book when we performed it so I was kind of winging it on the piano part. Excuses, excuses but that's the way it was.

However, the kids seemed to sing it very lustily every time we sang it so I presumed I must be doing something right!

It's a Song of Joy, the lyrics written to sound a bit like a Psalm 150 but it also has in mind,the terrible events of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in its writing. I thought of the Christmas truce of 1914 and hoped and prayed.

Anyway,  I hope you enjoyed it.

Sing a song of celebration

Sing a song to welcome the son

Raise your voices in this carol

Christmas love has come again.

 

Ring the bells in lofty towers!

Play sweet flutes and sound strong horns!

Beat the drums and clash the cymbals!

Bow the violin, pluck the harps!

 

Sing a song of celebration...

Blaze you stars and glow you moon

Give your light oh glorious sun!

Light the candles, fire the lanterns

Raise your lights and show the way.

 

Sing a song of celebration...

Welcome friends and welcome family,

Share with people near and far,

Help the stranger, help the needy,

Share your warmth and love today.

Sing a song of celebration...

Calm the cannons, still the armies!

Halt your battles, stop your noise!

Now reflect on all our conflicts

Praise the peace that thinks again!

 Sing a song of celebration...

Now’s the time to make amends,

Now’s the time to show your grace,

Now’s the time to wish your foes,

Joy and peace at Christmas time.

 Sing a song of celebration...

 As a bonus, here's the song I wrote in 2011, never shared before here. I wanted a song about Caesar and his Census which led Mary and Joseph to travel to Bethlehem. This song, entitled Census Riffs was supposed to be a narrative of the details of the Census. The verses were deliberately written with difficult, fast word play to have fun but challenging way to say the lyrics. The Chorus- composed of 4 short repeated riffs which layer on top of each other which are supposed to give the impression of the chaos of a busy Bethlehem.  Each group shifts position each time the chorus is repeated so that you get to hear each group as a solo first each time.  The kids had to learn this from memory and then from handwritten pieces of paper which I had to frantically write when the Computer and projector packed down at school last minute - they did really well. As you might notice, there are two groups that are more confident than the others! I dare you to tell me which lines are the most confident!  They also rushed a bit in the performance!

It has an incredibly easy piano part- just one repeated chord! It is intended that a primary piano pupil could play it instead.

 Census, census, census, census x10

 You must go  back to your birth town x8

 People must be counted.  x6

Caesar has decided. Take your wife and children. x4

 

  Caesar Augustus, Roman Emp’ror he decreed:

“I want to know who’s in this mighty empire that I lead,”

All in the Roman Empire obeyed.

They had to return to the town from where they hailed

 

 You must go… x10

 People must be counted.  x8

Caesar has decided X6

 Census, census x4

 

 All had to go back, to be counted in the census

(Oh by the way, Syria’s governor was called was Quirinius)

Everyone was counted 1,2,3,4, well a lot!

You can bet those dusty travel routes were chockablock!

 

People must be.counted.  X10

Caesar has decided X8

Census, census x6

You must go… x4

 

Joseph’s place of birth was the town of Bethlehem

It sounds quite unimportant but it had a mighty claim.

The town from where came David, Jewish King of highest fame.

Who’d have thought great King’s birth would happen there again.

 

Caesar has decided X10

Census, census x8

You must go… x6

People must be.counted.  X4

ALL: You must go back to your home town! (1 CLAP)

As always, I am not looking for compliments (and I am very aware that these are very simple, not polished songs. But if there is anything you like in them, then that is great! 

If you want to hear some of my songs from a few previous years (and don't feel obliged!), you can click these links to the posts:

Joy

Hope this Christmas

Love is all you need

Mary 

Feel the Christmas beat

Join in our story

Ring out the bells

Shepherds Swing

The innkeepers rant

 

A pause for Advent 2: The Three Trees

 

I saw this lovely film and story about Advent which I thought would make a lovely Pause for Advent this year.

xxx

Advent 1 - doesn't have to look perfect or be the same.

 Advent is a time of preparation. A time for excitement to build, a time of anticipation.

But it doesn't have to conform or look like anyone else's.

Comparison is the thief of joy and doing your best and doing what is right in your financial, physical, mental and emotional situation is the most important thing. 

It's funny but although Christmas 2020 was a sad time in terms of not being able to spend Christmas with our family and do all the exciting things we would like to do, I actually liked being at home with just CBC (he maybe not so much!) , even though it was not a Christmas I am/was used to.

My Advent is a little different this year.

I am not singing/playing at my usual Carol service today (My old church is doing one later in the park!) but I am going to take part in my new church's carols on the green.

I don't have any of my usual performances this year, but I have said yes to a gig singing in a harmony group at a wine bar in town!

My usual school carol services are not at the usual church I have taken the children to for the past 16 years except for 2020, but I am going to get to go to my old church before I got married instead.

I haven't prepared or bought lots of presents already.

We don't have a tidy house or lots of lovely decorations.

But, the fundamentals of Advent will be there. Preparing for the coming of the Messiah and that is always exciting!

xx

A Pause for Advent: JOY!

For my Pause for Advent this year, it is a tradition now that I share a recording of my annually written Christmas song.  For me, this is a really important part of my preparation for Christmas as well as something I look forward to.  It's also important to show my pupils that teachers DO the things they ask their pupils to do. In this case, compose. It's also an offering to God for me too.

This year, I wasn't sure whether I would write one because I wasn't sure if the Christmas services at the church would be happening. I also only had limited rehearsal time and finally, the children hadn't had the chance to sing last year's Covid special- Hope this Christmas so I was planning for them to sing that.

However, the day we had the gas leak at school, I was sitting listening to John Rutter's Christmas vocal music as I was doing my work and suddenly I had the inspiration to write a song called Joy.  I'd been listening to Star Carol and an arrangement of Joy to the World, both of which are the most ebullient, uplifting Christmas carols. A couple of hours later, I had written this simple song and written it into Sibelius music software. It's very simple but the kids loved it (and learnt to sing it in 20mins).

Alas,on the recording,the piano is too loud- I had forgotten to switch off my radio microphone so it picked up the piano extra loud but hopefully you will still get the point of it:

A song expressing that excitement that it is Christmas time again and all the joy it brings.

Wishing you much love, peace and joy this Christmas.

 

Joy! I've got Joy! 

I've got Joy in my heart this Christmas time.

 Joy! I've got Joy! 

I've got Joy in my heart this Christmas time.

Let the Earth rejoice!

Angels raise your voice!

Welcome Wonderful Counsellor!

Christmas time is here once again!

Peace! I've got Peace! 

I've got Peace in my heart this Christmas time.

Peace! I've got Peace! 

I've got Peace in my heart this Christmas time.

Let the Earth bring peace.

Let all conflict cease,

Welcome Prince of Peace.

Christmas time is here once again!

Love! I've got Love! 

I've got Love in my heart this Christmas time.

Love! I've got Love! 

I've got Love in my heart this Christmas time.

Let the Earth give love,

Love sent from above.

Welcome Everlasting Father.

Christmas time is here once again.

Joy to the world and peace to all.

Joy to the world and peace to all.

Joy to the world and peace to all.

 Joy! I've got Joy! 

I've got Joy in my heart this Christmas time.

 Joy! I've got Joy! 

I've got Joy in my heart this Christmas time.

Let the Earth rejoice!

Angels raise your voice!

Welcome Wonderful Counsellor!

Christmas time is here once again!

Joy!

P.S. 

We also sang it at Church this morning (this time with guitar, bongos, drum kit... feel free to have a listen to version too- perhaps you can hear the words a bit better here?  There's a slight mistake on the timing at the start...given that we only tried it once before the service!)

Click here to hear the audiofile

A Pause for Advent- Advent Acrostic

 I was going to post something else for my Pause for Advent today but sadly, my memory stick is refusing to show up on my home computer and I'm at a bit of a loss.

I thought I'd look through my previous Pause for Advents and found an acrostic poem on Advent I wrote back in 2014.

One thing I love about this Pause for Advent is that all through the years since I've been joining in, how everyone's creativity manifests itself in different ways.  We are all writing about the same thing yet we all manage to find new and different, fresh ways of seeing Advent each time. It's not a competition but a mutual adding to something we find important or valuable for the benefit of others or ourselves.  And I think that's what is important and a thing to remember.  Is what we are doing benefitting someone positively? And if not, why are we doing it?

I hope all is well with you.x

Pause for Advent: Stillness and Silence

 Last week I talked about Listening in my pause for Advent.

Today somewhat links to that.  I didn't really know what I wanted to write about today but today I didn't wake up till late. Around 10.30am. It meant I missed out on going to church. I could and should have joined the church service in retrospect but somehow I didn't and then my Mum said she was coming round to see me and then by the time she'd gone I wanted to get out into the garden before it turned dark - someone needed to clear up CBC's prunings from last weekend from the tree above the shed and I really had to do something about the front garden wooden planter that was full of old Cosmos plants and to lift out my Dahlia tubers and plant the Daffodil bulbs I bought yesterday.  All of a sudden it was 5pm and I still hadn't joined in the church service.  And then we needed to get some bread and to hang some washing up and then it was dinner time and then it's late.

Ah, things to do!!! Too many things to do.  In my sleep-deprived state, just not having been sleeping particularly well or long after a week of a cold and weeks of just waking early, I'm going to forgive myself for sleeping in as it was the first time I managed to do that.  I can't help but notice that the one day of the week that I actually can seem to sleep longer is Sunday.  Coincidence you might say, but perhaps God is showing me that Sunday is a day of rest and reminding me that it is his day.  Yes, I am sure God would want me to be at church, but he's a God of kindness and compassion and who knows what we need so I am seeing it this way. Perhaps, however, I could have avoided all the other busyness today though though it was good to be outside in the cold and quiet with the plants. I hope to catch up on the service in the week.

But on that related subject, in this life of busyness and being on the go, Stillness and silence are very much in shortage.

Two of my favourite Bible  quotes are 

"Be still and know that I am Lord."

"Be still before the Lord."

There are carols and songs written about Silence and Stillness:

Still, Still, Still, 

Silent Night (I thought I'd go with a modern take on this one in contrast with the more traditional carol above)

Yes, I love all the Christmas carols and Christmas films and socialising and all that but when it comes to it, that beautiful stillness and silence that I experience at the Midnight service on Christmas eve is something really special. And I think we all need a bit of stillness and silence in our lives.  Not everything needs a soundtrack or a conversation about it.

I hope you can experience some stillness and silence this week.

x

A Pause for Advent 2021 #1 Listen

 This year, as Ang has lots going on, Kirsten is hosting- thank you Kirsten as it isn't Advent without this!

A Pause for Advent has always been a chance for us to sit back and prepare for Christmas amongst all the hustle and bustle of life preparing for Christmas which can often get really busy.

This week, I want to think about that...sitting back. I STILL have that wonderful anticipation and excitement for Christmas that I always have done since being a child- I love the build up to Christmas- the Advent service, the music, the concerts, the rehearsals, the special meals, the sending of Christmas cards, the excited chats about plans, the arrangement of meetings. I am so grateful that I have that.  That excitement and familiarity that comes from knowing that it Christmas is coming  and Christ is coming, as he has always come, will never fade and that singularly keeps me going and never getting tired of the traditions. I don't put up loads of decorations, nor buy loads of expensive presents for loads of people (although I do buy presents) and I don't actually go to that many Christmas dos, but I do enjoy listening to others and their excitement so in preparation for Advent this year, I want to listen to other people, take the time to hear their plans, hear their excitement or indeed, sorrows or worries, if that is where they are.  So for me, my first pause for Advent is to remind me to listen.

Listen to the messages of the season.

Listen to God and what he might be saying.

Listen to those who want to rejoice!

Listen to those who want to reminisce and share memories.

Listen to those who are worried.

Listen to the needs of the world and pray for them.

Listen to my body and don't push it when it is tired.

Listen to my friends.

and finally,

Listen to the myriad examples of beautiful music that so many people in so many people over the years have been inspired to write over their joy and rapture at this wonderful season.

Right now, I am enjoying the John Rutter Christmas album.

Christmas definitely isn't Christmas without Rutter!  

I hope you enjoy any opportunities you take to listen this week.

xx

Advent at Home-spending the rest of it at home.

 I've very much enjoyed watching the Salvation Army Carol Concert on Youtube tonight. It is really lovely and it was a good reminder to me to donate to their Christmas appeal as I had had a reminder through the post.  I recently discovered that my family tree actually links to the founders of the Salvation army, the Booth family (since it is a common surname, didn't think about it) and I have always had an affection for the Salvation Army since my much beloved flute teacher, from the age of 11-16, and his family was a member of the local corps and he one of the conductors of the Salvation Army Symphonic Wind Ensemble and I used to play with them for a couple of years, travelling around to various Salvation army halls to play concerts of windband music.  It was a happy time and I am forever grateful to him for that wonderful experience. I even discovered that Zoe from Splodz Blogz played with them too- so there's even a blogger link.

Well, this Advent IS going to be a bit more at home now as I am having to isolate at home as CBC started to feel a little unwell on Friday, not really anything to write home about but he had had a sore throat and an occasional need to cough to clear the tickle in his throat on Thursday night.  He generally felt fine though but as a precaution, he booked a test and it came through as positive this evening.  We've been keeping to separate bedrooms and bathrooms and been at least 3 metres away from each other since, mostly in different rooms, since he said he had a sore throat, just in case. So, that means no school for me this week.  I feel wistful about it because I was due to spend the week in year 3, taking all of their PPA cover and generally supporting and I was due to do my last choir and drumming club (have done these for 3 weeks for single year groups) - some of the children who were due to come to choir this week had had to isolate for 2 weeks and were looking forward to their one week of choir- I was also due to record my Christmas song with them.

To be honest, I am really quite surprised he tested positive- he really seemed more like he had a cold- I didn't expect it, especially as I am pretty certain we both had it in March- what with my complete loss of taste and smell and other mild symptoms.

However, I am at peace with the situation and I want to reflect on the positives in the situation:

1.  I am sorry that CBC is unwell but he feels generally ok,  so far, praise God, and I pray it continues and doesn't change.

2.  Although I am sad HE is ill, I am glad, in a sense that it was him that got it, not me, because he would be really, really grumpy with me right now if I was the reason he is stuck at home, so I am glad I can be sanguine about it for him.

3. I am glad that he was cautious enough to get a test, even though he didn't really have really obvious symptoms- means that I haven't potentially taken any germs into school, esp as I am itinerant.

4. I am glad we have the room to have separate bedrooms, bathrooms and even rooms with sofas to sit in- I am currently in the study sitting on the sofa in there, with my feet up on a stool, listening to the SA concert. So many people do not have this luxury. I am glad that our lounge was able to accommodate us at a 3m distance for when we ate dinner.

5. I am glad we have essentially kept our distance since Thursday night. Even though we were convinced he just had a sore throat from having to do Parents evening on Zoom for hours, I am glad I made the decision to sleep in the spare room.

6. I am glad I managed to go and stock up on shopping essentials before having to isolate.

7. I am glad that I WASN'T due to be covering all my usual lessons this week as we are off timetable from regular lessons to do fun activities with the children. I don't feel like I am missing out on my music lessons I should have been doing.

8. I am glad that the timing of this is so close to the end of term so our absence won't have a huge impact on timetabling of lessons

9. I am glad I bought home my recorders from school on Friday so I can practice the piece I wanted to.

10. I am glad I have done the majority of my Christmas shopping.

11.  Although our Christmas celebrations are very much dependent on if I actually developed any symptoms, and CBC getting better, and being cautious, I am glad that the timing may be ok for us possibly, God willing, if we were to celebrate with my Mother-in-Law (who will be alone otherwise)  we may have had an enforced natural quarantine to allow us to stay with her safely. I am still not sure about what we are doing though.

12.  I am glad that there are so many wonderful church services to watch and join in with on Youtube.

13.  I am glad for my kind work colleague who I have chatted to this weekend.

14. I am glad for not having to travel on the trains for a week!

15. I am glad that I walked for a few miles yesterday since I won't be able to for 10 days!

16. I am glad that I am able to pray to God and that I have the trust and belief in him- I know that my calmness and peace about this situation comes from him- I am usually a serial worrier.

Hoping all is well with you. If you are in the habit of praying, please pray that CBC's symptoms do not worsen, that I do not develop any symptoms and that we stay safe and well.  If you have anything you would like me to pray for, please let me know below. 

xx

Advent at home- Hope

 Hope is something you can always have more of. You don't have to restrict it. You can hope (and pray) for all sorts of things, big and small to happen or not happen- nothing is impossible with God.  Advent is a time of hope, the Jewish people had been hoping for years that the Messiah would come- their hope was based on God's promises and prophecies, even though many had been waiting their whole life times. You can hope for something your whole life long or for a day but you choose to keep on hoping and trusting that the thing may happen, no matter how long it takes.

I've always viewed advent as a time of hope- there is so much promise of what is to come! 

Even when times are hard, keep hoping.  Even if the thing you feared would happen, happens, then hope that there will be good in that situation. Sometimes, it is the only thing that keeps people going.  Even if the hopes are unrealistic.

Keep hoping.

Every Christmas I write a song for the children at school. I usually share the song on here but there seems to be a problem with uploading videos to Blogger at the moment so I don't know if it will save or not though I will try.   However, my song this year is called 'Hope This Christmas.'

I think we all need to keep hoping (and praying if you do) this Christmas.

xx

A pause for Advent 2019 #4

A pause for Advent is one of my favourite parts of preparing for Christmas, even though I stress a bit over what to write each time, hoping some inspiration will hit me.

Today, I am thinking of just the idea of a Pause.  Taking the time to sit back and count the blessings.  I am grateful for everything God does for me- I feel his presence with me and I know that I would be lost without his presence.  Jesus didn't stay a baby- he grew up and shared his wise teachings, helped countless people and then died so that those who came after him might also have the opportunity to live life in abundance- a life without fear, a life without being totally lost, a life where the awful things we do don't have to define us and to be our future. He came to save Me and You (if you choose to accept that) and every time I do something I regret- I know that it is not the end- I am not condemned for ever- I have hope and a chance to live the future with Hope and freedom. I hope you do too!

Things I am blessed by today:

1.  Beautiful sunshine,
2.  A warm house
3.  Peace and quiet
4.  Silence and Solitude.
5. The knowledge of good things to come.

God bless you this Christmas.

xx

A Pause for Advent 2019 #3

I've mentioned on numerous occasions that I created a tradition at my school of writing a song for Christmas for my KS2 Christmas performance. Over the last decade, I have created songs for the various parts of the nativity.  It's one of my absolute favourite Christmas traditions and I'm always really excited to do it.   It is an act of worship, writing a song for parts of this story which is so important to my faith, an act of giving and love to my children; to write a song especially for them and an act of creativity; to continue to use my skills as a composer and an act of fun- I love composing!  I would not say that these are great songs-they are very much aimed at my audience- the children and their parents but I hope that they are a different way of approaching each aspect of the Christmas story and you find something you enjoy in it or it speaks to you in some way. It's also become A Pause for Advent tradition that I share my song for one of the posts.  I'm not sharing it for praise (or indeed censure- though you are welcome to your opinions) but that the act of writing is a pause to think about a particular aspect of birth of Jesus and to use the gifts, skills or interests, whichever way you wish to look at it, to offer back.

This time last year, I heard a song called Mary did you know? which was used for the dancers for our Advent carol service at my old church.  This year we actually sang it for the carol service.  I remember thinking, "I like this song- I haven't written a song about Mary for my nativity, I will do that next year."  I even started writing some basic sketches for it in the Summer holidays this year, working out the first bit, the end and the basic accompaniment for the first bit. I recorded some of these improvisations and used these to begin typing up the notation for it into Sibelius, the music software I use.  But then I got stuck on the middle bit and abandoned it.

It came to October and I knew I had to get the song finished as I needed to be teaching it the first week back to my choir (this year, my song was a choir solo rather than the whole key stage.).
It was strange because I'd been stuck on the middle section but when I looked at the direct words from Luke's gospel, all of a sudden, I became unstuck and able to work it out.  Divine inspiration for sure!

My children learnt it really quickly and they really do sing out when singing it.
The last bit is sung as a solo by one child but alas, this recording was from when I hadn't chosen the soloist so it is all of them.
You can hear me singing it first and then you will hear my children singing it in the 2nd week of their learning it. They sing it much better now, 7 weeks on but I haven't had a chance to record them again.

Mary, you are chosen,

Mary, highly favoured,

Mary, you're the one.

Mary, be not afraid,

Mary, God with you,

Mary, chosen one.

You will be with child and give birth

To a son and name him Jesus

The son of the most high.

The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David.

And he will reign, his kingdom ever more.

Mary, the holy spirit will come upon you.

Nothing is impossible with God upon your side.

Oooh,

Oooh,

I am the Lord's servant, let it be to me as you have said.

(Words by chosen and adapted by me based on Luke's gospel. 

Melody and accompaniment by me.

Voices: Me and my children after.)

The words of this song are saying to me right now- Trust.  Trust that there is something better, that the bleakness of the past few days aren't the end, they can't be. That God is with us even at the hardest times and he calls our name and it's our choice whether we choose to hear or not. I trust, hope and pray for something better than this earthly existence.

This is my 3rd pause for Advent with Ang and co.

If you want to hear some of my songs from a few previous years (and don't feel obliged!), you can click these links to the posts:
The innkeepers rant
Feel the Christmas beat
Join in our story
Ring out the bells

Shepherds Swing

Love is all you need at Christmas time

A pause for Advent #2 Charlie Brown's Christmas- A children's story

Last Sunday, a week ago, I went to play my flute for the Advent Carol service at my old church.  Margaret Fowler, the minister there, gave a beautiful talk as part of the theme of the carol service: Once upon a time...  She has kindly let me share her ideas and words.

She began by saying that all good fairy tales begin with that familiar phrase and have done since 1400 and end with, 'They all lived happily ever after.'   Surely that is what all of us want in life- no one wants to hear that things end badly.

Charles Schulz was the creator, in the 1950's, of cartoons about Charlie Brown and his friends- they appeared in newspapers and were a huge success over the following decade.  The success was so much so that Schulz was asked by that famous old company, Coca Cola, if he would entertain the possibillity of producing a full length cartoon as a Christmas show- it would be sponsored by the company.

Schlulz agreed to this but said he wished to centre the plot around producing a Christmas play where Charlie wanted to tell the story.  He was insistent on the fact that the film had to reflect the TRUE meaning of Christmas.  Coca Cola agreed to this.

The story begins with Charlie Brown and the blanket-carrying-friend Linus talking- Charlie feels unhappy despite it being Christmas.  All the friends he tell this too don't seem to care and just share their glee about the exciting THINGS of Christmas they would be having and doing- food, decorations and presents rather than offering him support.

Charlie is given the role of Director for a Christmas play which all the aforementioned friends are in but they bicker and seem to miss the point of it all playing Christmas that is not really anything to do with Christmas- Fur Elise for the piano player for example.

Charlie still isn't happy and he and little Linus set off in search of a tree to use in the play thinking this will help.  All the others demand a fancy dress with all the best over-the-top decorations.  Amidst the bright pink fake and fluffy trees, Charlie finds and falls in love with a diminutive pine tree and takes it back in excitement.

Charlie's friends are scornful of its simplicity and the humble nature of the tree and mock him for messing up again- they desert him.  Linus alone remains.  Charlie, in despair asks plaintively, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

Linus simply replies, "Sure, Charlie Brown. I can tell you what Christmas is all about."

He stands there in the spotlight and begins:

 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night And lo,the angel of the lord came upon them and the glory of the lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, “Fear Not” for behold I bring you tidings of great joy  which shall be to all people for unto you has been born this day,  in the City of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly hosts praising God saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth Peace and goodwill towards all men."

He relinquishes that much loved security blanket from the words, "Fear not,"  And he says to Charlie Brown- "that is what Christmas is all about."

It is a beautiful, humble moment.

Despite Coca Cola's acquiescence to Schulz's request, just before the screening of the cartoon for the first time in December 1965, the executives of the production company, who had come to watch it, were quietly aghast.  "You can't quote from the Bible.  It will be the end of Charlie Brown." It was too late to adapt though.  It screened as per his wishes and despite the fears, it was a considerable success, much beloved by all and it won many acolades and awards.  And this humble, central moment of scripture is acclaimed as to why the film was such a success- this tiny, usually nervous boy sharing with confidence, the true Christmas story.

Right at the end of the cartoon, we see Linus, who reclaimed his blanket after the speech gives up his blanket to wrap around that humble, mocked tree with all the other children who give decorations to adorn the little tree.

And the point she was making with her sermon was that sometimes, we are like Linus- we hold desperately onto things and do not want to let them go- this could be material possessions, wanting to be the best, past anger, resentment and even our belief that this couldn't possibly all be true- how could Jesus possibly have been real and been who he said he was- a Saviour.  But he came to help us let go f all these.  The Christmas story isn't just a fairy tale- it is a true story with hope, power and joy- that the Son of God came to earth and will be with us, should we choose to accept him, and despite the difficulty and despair of this life, he will be with us always. And our happy ending is that we will live in Heaven with Jesus forever.

My soul was uplifted by this wonderful sermon and I wanted to share it with you.  I've included the full cartoon here from Youtube.  If you don't have time to hear it all,  listen from 20:06 and hear the message from Linus.

With thanks to Margaret for her wonderful sermon and thanks for letting me share it.

This is my Pause for Advent with Ang Almond and co.

A pause for Advent 2019 #1 Hope not fear

Advent is all about Hope.  Hoping for something new, hoping for the future, hoping and trusting that salvation and change is coming. That's what came before the birth of baby Jesus.  Hope after waiting.  Hope after years of worry, Hope for freedom from fear, hope for wisdom and goodness.

I have felt very negative for a while. Moaning, worrying about everything- worrying about the future, worrying about the environment, worrying about Brexit, worrying about corruption, worrying about my children at school and in the world in general, worrying about decisions I make, worrying about my actions, how I've acted, behaved or treated people, worrying about so many things.  And it's horrid and driven me crazy. I can completely and utterly attribute this to my lack of prayer, lack of regular church attendance, regular quiet time and seen where that has come from. 

But fear can be reversed by hope and trust.  Advent is a chance to see that Jesus's birth, coming again, remembering the gift of love, freely given and a chance to retrust in my God. Yes, lots of horrid things are still happening, but with God, I can be full of hope, not fear.
And I am hopeful- I am so excited for this Advent-tide!

This is Part 1 of my Pause for Advent with Ang!

A Pause for Advent 2018 #4 My annual song- Love is all you need.

It has been a tradition on this blog for the past few years to share, on this, the 4th Pause for Advent, the song I have composed for my children to sing at our Christmas service/performance at school each year.  For me, it has become a tradition to do this- the ultimate aim being to have a complete nativity with songs to accompany each part of the story.  It is an act of worship, writing a song for parts of this story which is so important to my faith, an act of giving and love to my children; to write a song especially for them and an act of creativity; to continue to use my skills as a composer and an act of fun- I love composing!  I would not say that these are great songs-they are very much aimed at my audience- the children and their parents but I hope that they are a different way of approaching each aspect of the Christmas story and you find something you enjoy in it or it speaks to you in some way.

Last year's song was a joyous song, Ring out the Bells.  This year, I wanted an alternative for the song, Christmas is a time to love, which we sing almost every year at the end of our performance.  I wanted a more reflective song which reminds us of the true message of Christmas which is love.  I also wanted to look ahead to Easter as Christmas and Easter are connected.  Plus, since it was 100 years since the end of WW1 this year, I wanted to make a link to the sacrifice of the lives of many people within the song/service too. We also sang Silent Night just before this in the performance and the reader who followed it talked about the Armistice at Christmas in his talk.

Love is all you need,
Is all you need at Christmas time.
Love is what it's all about.
It leads to peace and joy.

Love is what the baby brought,
Put aside your feuds and petty thoughts.
Kindness is what we need to share,
To show our love and also show we care.

Love is all you need,
Is all you need at Christmas time.
Love is what it's all about.
It leads to peace and joy.

No greater love had man that this.
That he lay aside his life for friends.
And love each other as he loved,
The love that's freely given, the love that never ends.

Love is all you need,
Is all you need at Christmas time.
Love is what it's all about.
It leads to peace and joy.

It leads to peace and joy.
It leads to peace and joy.

I hope you enjoy it and  if anyone would like a PDF of the music, just let me know, I would be happy to share it.  I want to wish you all a very blessed, peaceful and merry Christmas if I don't do so again.

If you want to hear some of my songs from a few previous years (and don't feel obliged!), you can click these links to the posts:
The innkeepers rant
Feel the Christmas beat
Join in our story
Ring out the bells
Shepherds Swing