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Christmas stocking

This article is going to be a bit like a Christmas stocking - a few things chucked in, some of them boring but useful; some interesting but useless; or a combination of the above.

None of them, I'm afraid, will warrant the 'Ho Ho Ho' that accompanies the more traditional bag of goodies that Santa leaves above your fireplace.

Musicians

Spare a thought, if you would, for Christian musicians over the Christmas period. It can be a very lucrative time, but also a very lonely one. One of my friends spent the six weeks before Christmas singing 'Frosty the Snowman' to packed audiences every lunchtime and evening. He was miles from home, and had no Christian contact throughout that time. Even the real Christmas message became dulled in his own understanding as he was surrounded by so much kitsch. At the same time, he was surrounded by his colleagues who were only interested in their own gratification. If you have time, please pray for Christian professional musicians, that God would keep them faithful to himself, and that they wouldn't fall prey to temptation.

Christmas is a very demanding time for church musicians too. We need prayer that we would be faithful to the gospel, imaginative in its musical presentation, and humble. We also appreciate mince pies, turkey, crackers, Christmas pudding and presents. And what I'd especially like this year is a shaving brush that doesn't moult.

Any time

Do you ever feel it's a bit of a pity that you can only use the last verse of 'O come all ye faithful' on Christmas Day because of the 'born this happy morning' line? Well the original translation of that line (thanks to the research of the conductor Sir William Southgate) was: 'born of virgin mother', which means that we can sing it any time we like!

Following on from that, has anyone tried singing any of the big carols 'out of season'? I've often been tempted to put 'Hark the herald' down for a meeting in June, because Christ's incarnation - 'as he lays his glory by, born that man no more may die' - is something that we ought to be able to celebrate all year. Singing these words in a context other than Christmas might just help them have a fresh impact on us. Or is that too weird an idea? (I haven't been brave enough to do it yet!)

Transpose it!

Here's a plea to musicians as they arrange carols this year. Carols for Choirs, for some reason, has arranged 'Hark the herald' and 'Once in royal' in G major. If there's any way you can write them out (or practise transposing them) into F, it'll be a massive help to the congregation. Your descant singers will thank you too. Both carols are in F in Mission Praise and Praise!, but they don't include the David Willcocks descants.

And here's just a gratuitous story about Christmas to fill the stocking. In my first year running the music at church, we had the Ruth Gledhill 'OFSTED' for our Christmas carol service. Ruth used to go around various churches and give reports about them in The Times. Churches were awarded from one to five stars depending on the category in question. We were awarded five stars for after-service care, four for the music, but John Chapman, the Australian evangelist, only got three for his sermon. I was disappointed for Chappo because he'd done such a great job (though I was quietly chuffed that I'd pipped him by one star). He told me that he wasn't too bothered, because he'd gone and filled in his other two stars himself.

Finally, every blessing to everyone involved in rehearsals and services over the Christmas period. I'm very grateful to Andy Virr for his advice in last month's column, and I've already taken lessons to heart. What a great opportunity to proclaim the glory of the Lord Jesus to a world that has rejected him. Let's pray that the truths we sing in the next few weeks would open men and women's eyes to acknowledge their Saviour, and come from darkness to light.

Christmas stocking

Christmas stocking

Musicians

Any time

Transpose it!

Richard Simpkin

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