What is November? We’ve said goodbye to summer, almost said goodbye to autumn too, yet it’s not quite winter. We can’t avoid the fact, these days, that Christmas isn’t that far away – but it’s not really near yet. Trinity ended on 24th October, Advent doesn’t begin till the final Sunday of the month so we’re counting down – 4th Sunday before Advent, 3rd Sunday before Advent and so on, disguising them as All Saints, Remembrance, Christ the King, trying to give some shape to a shapeless time of year. In the Book of Common Prayer Trinity went on until Advent and we didn’t have this liturgical hiatus which, I suspect, in order to make it meaningful, has been given the title ‘Kingdom Season’ because somehow the Church of England has always eschewed Ordinary Time, a sound Roman Catholic way of counting the weeks that aren’t anything else. I like ordinary time, it sounds reassuringly, well, ordinary. But it does concentrate our minds and keep us in the present, rather than letting them drift too quickly forward. [Did you know the Liturgical Commission have their own website www.Transformingworship.org.uk where you can look up what they do and why and see who they are. Did you know, for instance, that author Salley Vickers, is one of their Consultants?]
Not only is every Sunday given some special title but every week seems to have some special event this month. On 4th November there’s an evening in memory of David Lund at University College School, South Hampstead High School and University College School join forces to give us Monteverdi Vespers on 10th, we have the Rutter ‘Scratch’ Requiem on 13th, Remembrance Sunday on 14th, the Christmas Market on 20th and St Cecilia Evensong on 21st. The Hampstead Players are performing Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband from 25th – 27th and we round off the month with Confirmation at 10.30 and Advent Carol Service at 4.30 on 28th. Not really ‘ordinary’ at all.
You may want to attend all these events, or pick and choose, you may not think you fancy any of them but please note the date of the Christmas Market because it’s not only great fun but a fund-raiser for a number of charities – Save the Children, Christian Aid, Traidcraft, North Argyll Carers Centre, and others, as well as the Junior choir, the Friends of the Music and the Fabric Fund. We welcome cakes, puddings, mincemeat, jam – any sort of baked goods – as well as unwanted gifts for the Gift Stall. And do come. We open at 11am and there’ll be fresh coffee with homemade cakes and biscuits and at lunchtime, soup and rolls.
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A few Sundays ago I noticed in church a man known to me for being found going through bags and coats in the church and crypt whenever he had the chance. He was in a pew near me and when he saw me he moved. I watched him wandering about and finally, seeing I was watching him and that I then went and spoke to the sidesmen, he left. Result. In a way. Maybe not. He has been a thief, there’s no doubt of that, and my concern was for unwary people who leave their belongings in the pews – as he knows they do. But suppose for a moment that that’s not why he came into church that Sunday. Suppose he came for God, or for companionship, or for warmth, or just to see what it’s all about. Suppose he suddenly wondered, that Sunday, what it is that draws so many people to that building week by week. It’s what we want people to wonder, isn’t it? And suppose also, that in our church, people don’t leave temptation lying around for thieves, that they take their bags up to communion with them. Then we wouldn’t have had to watch him. Then he might have stayed for the service. Then he might have been touched by God’s presence. Just suppose.