August 2010

Many of us have a favourite hymn, or even favourite hymns! It may be one that we learnt in childhood and has been important to us in the ups and downs of life, or it may be one that 'spoke' to us during a service or perhaps was on Songs of Praise or Sunday Half Hour and has become important to us. The ways we are introduced to hymns are many and varied, of course, as we are people, with different life experiences of joys and sorrows. Sometimes it is the tune that 'tickles our fancy' but we need too to heed the words, as sometimes they are words of commitment that we are not always at the place to make. So take care! We shall be having our Annual Songs of Praise service in the grounds of the church (hopefully) on Sunday August 29th 2010, and as is the custom with this particular service it will begin at 10.30a.m. If by any chance it is wet the service will be in the church. So if you enjoy singing hymns do come along, hopefully our praises will sound around the village!

There are two hymns that have been important to me personally. The first is an older traditional hymn that has been sung for many years in various languages and doubtless to various tunes The English translation begins Come Down O Love Divine take thou this soul of mine and kindle it with thine own ardour glowing. It was sung at my confirmation; many years ago now, and the words really spoke to me then and have done ever since. I sometimes use it as a prayer but it has remained important to me over the years. It is still printed even in the more recent hymnbooks, and it is sung at Confirmation services. It was written by a person called Bianco da Siena who died in 1434, and it was translated into English by Richard F. Littledale who lived between 1833 and 1890. It is usually sung to a tune called Down Ampney which was composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams. So it has quite a story. Look at the words in the hymn book when you have a moment.

The other hymn or worship song is much more recent, called There is a Redeemer Jesus God Own Son, and it was sung during our Ordination Retreat and at our Ordination Service, and we sang it too at my first celebration of Holy Communion. We sing it quite frequently at St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Osyth. This was written in 1982 by a lady called Melody Green who also wrote the tune. You may know it either from church, or from Songs of Praise. Again one can use it as a prayer of adoration to remind ourselves that God is close to us through the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You may well have a favourite hymn, that is very different from mine, as we are all different and that causes us to give thanks to God too. It would be very tame if we were all the same! Of course it has its drawbacks too when we think other people should think or understand as we do. But by being different we can help each other to see and understand more of the love and glory of God. Sometimes our God is too small, as one author said.

This month too the Church Army team lead by sister Penny Horseman will be at Hutley's Holiday Camp on 10th 11th and 12th August at 4p.m. for an hour of activities and stories, mainly for the children, but many adults enjoy it too.

Have a good month and if you are going on holiday, enjoy yourselves.
God bless you,
Heather (Connell)