A Special Birthday
We had a great evening yesterday, enjoyed by all. We shared a meal together and while we were eating, watched the film, ‘Son of Man’ - the story of Jesus but set in contemporary Africa. It was extremely powerful. Then we followed with a very short Celtic Holy Communion. I offer you the first part, just to whet your appetite and so that you can see why I love Celtic worship.
Celtic Holy Communion
Call to Worship
Leader: Gather us in,
The lost and the lonely,
The broken and breaking,
The tired and the aching
Who long for the nourishment
Found at your feast
All: Gather us in
Leader: the done and the doubting,
The wishing and wondering,
The puzzled and pondering
Who long for the company
Found at your feast.
All: Gather us in
Leader: the proud and pretentious
The sure and superior
The never inferior,
Who long for the levelling
Found at your feast.
All: Gather us in
Leader: the bright and the bustling
The stirrers, the shakers,
The kind laughter makers
Who long for the deeper joys
Found at your feast.
All: Gather us in
Leader: from corner or limelight,
From mansion or campsite
From fears and obsession,
From tears and depression
From untold excesses
From treasured successes
To meet, to eat, to be given a seat,
to be joined to the vine,
To be offered new wine,
To become like the least
To be found at the feast.
All: Gather us in.
This is a long post because I’m away now for a week – return on Sunday, March 8th. Ed has one of those b-i-i-g birthdays on Monday, so the whole extended family is meeting for a week’s holiday in Cornwall, unbeknownst to Ed. At least, that was the way it started, at youngest daughter’s urging.
“Go on Mum! You can keep the secret. It’ll be brilliant, he’ll love it!”
Hmm.
As soon as I nonchalantly told him I’d booked a week away for the two of us he said,
“In February? Are you mad?”
“Er, well, it’s the first week in March, really. It’ll be great. We can do some walking and – ”
“Oh I get it! It’s my birthday. I do hope you aren’t arranging some great surprise party? You’re not, are you? Please tell me you’re not?”
Oh heck.
So of course, I had to tell him. Once he knew the family weren’t travelling all that way just for an evening, he got quite excited about it all.
How have we done it? Well, Ed and I have two summer weeks of a time share which we can take anywhere we like. We can also trade in the two summer weeks for four Spring weeks – which is what I’ve done, and we’re taking them concurrently. Since most of the family live down south, Cornwall was the nearest venue for them (although it’ll take us around seven hours to get there!) So there’ll be around 20 of us for the great bash on Monday evening, but plenty of comings and goings before and after that. I think 12 of us are staying the entire course. And the kids have booked a photographer for the Monday evening.
So think of us on Monday evening (no, I know you won’t!) and I’ll be back on Sunday week.
(To comment, click on title.)
October 4th, 2014 at 3:45 pm
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