No readings this week!1 When the choir went into shutdown in March 2020, the comment was made by our then Director of Music that “this might be a good time to resurrect the blog” which we’d had on tour2. This blog became a very small part of the choir’s attempts to nourish itself through the … More The blogger’s (sort of) farewell, Imposter Syndrome, and the importance of love
2 Kings 5.1-14: Naman has leprosy and is told by one of his slaves to go to the prophet in Samaria for healing. Naman is told to wash in the Jordan but refuses because he expects something more impressive; he is challenged by his servants, washes in the Jordan, and is restored. Galatians 6.7-18: Paul reflects … More A healing, a sending out, and reaping what we sow
2 Kings 2.1-2, 6-14: Elisha follows Elijah, knowing that Elijah will be taken from him, and then asks for and is given a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Galatians 5.1, 13-25: Paul reflects on the fruits of the Spirit and urges the Galatians to turn away from the destructive desires of flesh and ego.Luke 9:51-62: Jesus … More Calling down fire, fruits of the Spirit, and being holy people
1 Kings 19.1-15: Elijah is exhausted enough that he prays for death, but is fed by an angel and strengthened sufficiently that he can walk for forty days and nights to get to Horeb, the mount of God. He does not hear God’s voice in the earthquake, wind, or fire, but hears God in the … More Demons, the voice of God, and when we are fatigued
Proverbs 8.1-4, 22-31: Wisdom is calling in the streets, talking about her part in creation; she is daily God’s delight. Romans 5.1-5: We are justified by faith and so we have peace with God despite sufferings, in which we find a hope that does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through … More A difficult concept, listening to Wisdom, and what she might be saying to us
Genesis 11.1-9: the story of the Tower of Babel1.Acts 2.1-21: The coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost2.Romans 8.14-17: All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God, and we did not receive a spirit of slavery3 but of adoption, meaning that we are joint heirs with Christ. John 14.8-17: … More Pentecost, the giving of the Spirit, and maybe giving it a hand
Acts 16.16-34: Paul and Silas free the slave girl from a demon which allowed her to tell the future, costing her owners and triggering their arrest and punishment at the hands of the Roman authorities. They are freed from their imprisonment by an earthquake but do not escape for the sake of the jailer, who … More Ancient motifs, reaching out to God, and bonus readings
What does a choir say when its Director of Music moves on after fifteen years? Fifteen years of sharing light and darkness, times of triumph and fretting, times of wondering how we can possibly continue, times of trusting that we will. Fifteen years of jokes that the choir will never admit are actually quite funny, … More A bonus blog: a legacy, a farewell, and trust at the edge of the map
Acts 16.9-15: Paul is called to Macedonia, where he meets Lydia, a merchant who listens to his message and is baptised along with her household. Revelation 21.10-14, 22-22.51: John the Seer describes being carried to a high mountain, where he sees the new city of Jerusalem, a place of glory and no more night. John 14.23-29: Jesus … More A promise, a new Jerusalem, and following our hearts*
Acts 11.1-18: Peter goes to Jerusalem and is critiqued for eating with uncircumcised men; he responds by telling the people about a vision in which he realises that nothing is profane, and about witnessing the Spirit given to gentiles. Revelation 21.1-6: A new heaven and a new earth are given, a new Jerusalem coming down from … More A new commandment, loving each other, and the people we lock out
Christ Church Cathedral Choir 