Michael Parrott gave the Christmas message at our Frugal Lunch and as he was also the report writer for today, he has forwarded his notes which is particularly poignant, during the week when we remembered the Grenville Towers Fire six months ago.
Written by Philipps Brooks in 1868 for his Sunday school when he was Episcopal rector in Philadelphia. Following a visit to Bethlehem in 1865. Tune written by Lewis Reeder the organist (not the tune we know which is Forrest Green)
It was never intended to become a classic carol sung by Bing Crosby, Elvis, Jim Reeves, Barbara Streisand. Johnny Cash and Nield Diamond
Should we sing it ?
1. Was it really a still a place of stillness and quiet 2,000 years ago? Very unlikely
2. Is it a place of stillness and quite today ? Most definitely not , a place of colossal tension , checkpoint, wall commuting………
What Phillips Brooks is doing is using picture language to try to convey what he believed God was doing at the first Christmas. It is about bringing light to dark streets, hope amidst the fears, and points the way for peace in the world.
We need imagination, picture language, stories, poetry and art to try to convey these eternal truths.
Is a less well known but an important carol
Written by Geofrey Ainger in 1960s
Minister at Notting Hill in London a deprived area in those days
Church culturally relevant
Youth Club Carol service has to be authentic, so the young people write it from their experience poverty, broken homes , unwanted pregnancies for girls, absent fathers, homeless violence etc. He wrote this carol for that occasion.
The carol is about loneliness being away from a supportive community, homelessness
It is about God being in the midst of that situation, walking the streets again, and so there is hope
Grenfell tower disaster in June 2017 the local church at Notting Hill where Geoffrey Ainger was the minister, is now used as a base, refuge, meeting place for people of the local community and tv programmes were broadcast from there
So whether you accept the Christian faith or not both these carols chime in with the basic tenets of the Rotary movement , which is about wanting to make a difference in peoples lives here and internationally. It is about bringing hope and help, light and love. The final toast we make is Rotary and peace the world over. Is echoed in these carols, which is why I will enjoy singing them and listening to them as we walk the streets again.