Mild as January has been so far it would be tempting fate to start talking about spring and Lent is still a month away so February is left hanging with nothing very much, it seems, to recommend it except, as George Herbert put it, “February makes a bridge and March breaks it.”
We recovered from Christmas, we swept up, tidied up, ate up all the mince pies, put away the decorations, quite failing to do all those little repairs and sorting jobs we promised ourselves because they’d save time next Christmas, and generally heaved a sigh of relief. All over for another year.
At HPC in January we welcomed Lord Harries of Pentregarth (a former curate here) to talk about his book Images of Christ in Modern Art, and Paul Brough, RAM Professor of Music (and former assistant organist here) to talk to the Friends of the Music at their AGM; some members of the parish went to St Paul’s Cathedral for ‘Messy Church’ – I wonder if there’s now a fine covering of glitter all over their floor as there is ours? I like to think so.
There was an Events group meeting too, the result of which is a list of dates for 2014 – not complete but pretty exhaustive. Put them in your diary now and we’ll add to them as the year goes on, and tell you how you can help. Which reminds me that volunteering forms are always available at the back of church – if you want to offer time or talents do take one and fill it in.
February is apparently the month we’d most like to sleep through and the first Monday has been designated ‘National Sickie Day’ – honestly, it has, you can read more about it in a Parish Pump article further on in this issue. But we can’t spend a whole month just looking back to January or forward to March so what can we do with February this year?
Well, quite a lot as it happens: the usual Wednesday Lunchtime events on 5th and 19th (Stephen Clarke writes about his Literary Hour ‘Faraway Places’ further on in this issue, likewise John Willmer on The Food of Love, a collaborative event by the St Martin Singers and Hampstead Players on 15th; the Friends of the Music’s Schubertiad (or possibly Schubertiade, much confusion over the spelling and whether Schubertiade is the plural of Schubertiad – you see how we strive to get things just right?). However we spell it do come – a concert featuring Paul Robinson, James Sherlock and the Leonore Trio can’t fail to lift the February spirits (Friday 21st).
A musical innovation mainly aimed at the very young (but possibly quite fascinating to the not so young too) is Fingers and Feet on Sunday 9th after the Eucharist. A camera will be set up pointing at the organ console, the result projected onto a screen and David will explain what all the stops and pedals do – this promises to be quite an eye-opener for all ages.
The HCSC Reading Group is doing a five week season on “The Meaning of Jesus” by Marcus Borg and Tom Wright – details further on and the Wednesday Bible Study Group is moving to the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays so that participants can more easily attend the Lunchtime concerts and Literary hours.
Only just out of February Not So Private Passions is on Saturday 1st March when the vicar will talk about his taste in music within a format loosely based on the Radio 3 programme.
So inevitably I find myself looking forward to March and Lent and all that that entails for us in the church. We will be doing another series of Stations of the Cross and already have a good number of contributors so there’ll be a lot of new pictures this year. Illustrating any bible scene scares most of us, let alone the events of the Passion. Richard Harries in his aforementioned book quotes painter Roger Wagner as saying:
“The problem of how to avoid mere pastiche of what has gone before – how to bring freshness to subjects that have been treated so often that they feel used up – is not a new one.”
Comforting to those of us struggling with our chosen Stations!
Ash Wednesday falls on 5th March and will be celebrated with Holy Communion and Ashing at 10.15am (attended by the parochial school but everyone welcome to come) and again at 7.30pm (Choral Eucharist).
Swinburne described February as “Lit with hopes that light the year’s” so perhaps our February will be not only a bridge to lead us into March but also a light for the months ahead. Then again, the weather may turn really, properly, wintry, and we’ll just have to retire into our shells and wait for Spring!
February
Judy East