Month: April 2024

Love came down (Christina Rossetti)

*Lambs discovering the joy of sunbathing! Photo from the Lake District from my friend Gill Henwood*

The Church of England commemorates Christina Rossetti today.
She is known particularly as a poet and probably more popularly as the author of the Christmas carol, In the bleak Mid-winter. Tunes by Gustav Holst and Harold Darke have helped to build its reputation. No Christmas carol service would be complete without it though it has a somewhat fanciful beginning. In the bleak-midwinter, frosty winds made moan, earth was hard as iron, water like a stone and then follows a reference to snow falling on snow.
That doesn’t quite fit in with the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem in the warmer climes of the Middle East but the carol was written for people who live in the Northern Hemisphere. In these parts the idea of a cold winter is not difficult to imagine though the hope for snow may remain just that!
The carol raises other questions but it is probably the final verse which has the greatest appeal, for both children and adults.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am? —
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part, —
Yet what I can I give Him, —
Give my heart.

The idea of giving oneself to God at Christmas, who gave Himself to us in the Incarnation, is, after all, a response to an amazing action of God to bring salvation to His world.
Christina recognizes this action of God as an act of pure Love.
In another Christmas Carol, Love came down at Christmas, she ponders on this theme of Love in a deeper, spiritual way.

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, love divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.

It is not as well-known as In the bleak midwinter, though the poem was set as the text for the BBC Radio 3 Carol Competition in 2022 and so got a lot of air time on the Radio. The winning tune was, to my mind, both memorable and beautiful. I think Christina, with a life steeped in a loving experience of God expressed in poetry, might have approved.

She was born in 1830 and died at the age of 64. Her brother was the Pre-Raphaelite painter, Dante Gabriel Rosetti and she became steeped in the theological movement which was associated with this – the Anglo-Catholic expression of worship and prayer. This had led her on a journey from Evangelicalism. Her elder sister took this a bit further by becoming an Anglican nun!
Many of her poems were mainly religious though some were born out of sadness of love that was never quite fulfilled in human terms. She did, however, compose poems for children, including a very popular one, Goblin Market, about two sisters who were tempted by forbidden fruit sold by Goblin merchants and what follows as a result! Christina denied this was a poem for children and, indeed, many modern commentators point out adult themes to which it alludes. She did, however, write genuine poems for children.
She also wrote a book, Called to be Saints, which she subtitled ‘the Minor Festivals Devotionally Studied, which explored those saints in the Anglican calendar which were overlooked at the time. She provided a devotional reflection on each one in a poetic way which reflected the depth of her faith.

Today she has her own place in the Anglican Calendar and a greater recognition of someone who in her lifetime dealt with unrequited love and quite debilitating illness and yet with faith. She gave us poetic reflections for our own life’s journey which also reflect a love of God that produced a rich harvest.

Some of her poetry celebrated the world around her and the photo by Gill Henwood of lambs taking their ease in the Lake District, which heads this article, drew me to a verse in one of Christina’s poems, The Milking Maid …

The year stood at its equinox,
  And bluff the North was blowing.
A bleat of lambs came from the flocks,
  Green hardy things were growing.
I met a maid with shining locks,
  Where milky kine were lowing.

[MrG 27th April 2024]

Good Lord, I ask much of Thee,
But most I ask to love Thee;
Kind Lord, be mindful of me,
Love me, and make me love Thee.

(Christina Rossetti from Jesus,do I love thee?)

The Greening of the earth

*Photo by Gill Henwood : fresh soft beech leaves in sheltered vales. Little Langdale, towards Fairsnape in the Lake District.*

Earth Day is kept each year on 22^nd April. This is a month after Spring officially begins.In the Church Calendar it often comes somewhere between Easter Day and the Festival of Rogation.
Rogation is a time set apart for prayer for the farming community and in thanksgiving for the crops, animals and all the gifts of Creation. Away from the countryside it isn’t regarded as so important in urban areas though giving thanks for all that sustains our life on earth and praying for those who work the land ought to be the business of us all.

In this season the lambs are born and this is a symbol of the new life we associate with Easter. Other signs of New life are all around us right now as, in the Northern Hemisphere, we celebrate Spring. My garden was all but dead and unkempt a month ago but now it is teeming with new life and is a source of great joy. Trees are coming alive with the fresh green of new growth as buds unfurl in a dusting of leaves. This is beautifully expressed in my friend Gill’s photo above. I call this the Greening of the earth again after the dormant days of Winter.
I’m convinced that God’s favourite colour is Green! It’s splashed liberally across the earth from the Divine palette!
Green is a particular colour of new growth.

Nature follows a cycle of creation and re-creation which is mirrored too in our human lives. On one level we move from birth to death—from Spring to Winter but on another level we are constantly being re-created and made new. This second level is, of course, the spiritual level and for us Christians, Easter is the crown of that renewed creation and creativity in our lives. One of the Easter Carols we sing celebrates this. It begins:

Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain.

The carol makes the connection between the new birth of Spring and the Resurrection of Jesus. Wheat that has lain in the dark earth suddenly bursts forth and is alive again. Jesus, laid in the grave comes forth at Easter.
Love that was thought to be slain lives again as the refrain to each verse reminds us:

Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

Love is come again– such beautiful words to describe the Resurrection and for Christians, it is a reminder of the essence of Resurrection. Love cannot be defeated. The love of God can never be killed off. Jesus embodies that Love on earth and as our Christ he is its dispenser eternally. Love triumphs. Jesus Christ conquers all that is not love—in the world; in us. For us it is a reminder—as Spring is a reminder—that God makes and re-makes all things –makes them new again—Re-news. Easter faith is renewed faith with a real spring in its step.

But maybe you don’t feel like that. For so many at the moment Joy is the last thing they feel.
In a world filled with turmoil we can’t just manufacture Joy. There is nothing worse than being at a party when everyone is enjoying themselves and you’re feeling miserable. So here’s the final verse of the Carol:

When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Thy touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of hearts, that dead and bare have been—Love is come again…

Jesus went to the depths of the tomb and he knows the dark places of our lives and our world. He is the Love who comes to us there and his touch can help us—if we let Him.

That love in our hearts should also help us to love the Planet where we live.
This Earth day we have a responsibility to cherish our Planet and not pollute it. We are being asked this year to stop choking it with plastic and take responsibility for actions that we can change to stop the over use and disposal of plastic.
We can celebrate the joys of Spring and enjoy all that it offers us in renewal of our lives and hopes but a deeper celebration can be found in something so simple as carrying a canvas bag to the shops and, where possible, being careful about the packaging of goods! It really is as simple as that. It is something we can all do.

[Mr G]
with thanks to Gill for her photograph.

PS. one way to make a comment is by email – geoffrey_connor@priest.com

Hospitium

*St Thomas’ hospital, London with Statue of Mary Seacole by sculptor Martin Jennings in the ground of St. Thomas’s. Mary Seacole was a pioneer* *of Nursing care*. Photos by Mr G.

I wrote this poem whilst sitting in the reception area of St. Thomas’s Hospital, London, after receiving some treatment. The word ‘Hospital’ has its roots in both hospitality and the monastic word, ‘Hospitium’ the ‘guest house’ where all are treated kindly’ and with concern for their well-being. Each visitor is held and welcomed. St Benedict says that all should be greeted and cared for as if they were Jesus Christ. In different forms, this is not unlike a hospital today.

Hospitium
thoughts in a hospital reception area.

People walking with purpose,
others more hesitantly,
faces clear or blank
or etched with anxiety.
Some in uniform
wearing lanyards of authority.

Squirming children in prams
pass quiet ones, carefully steered on beds;
some in pain,
others relieved – on the way to recovery.
Elderly folk, clutching arms
or balanced on sticks,
shuffle along uncertainly.

Visitors smile and greet,
lives intertwine.
Some, sad or worried,
seek news-givers
yet fear their words.

Hustle, bustle of humanity,
hand-holding, reassuring, realistic,
caring energy – often drained in service.

All humanity is present,
represented –
ethnic beauty,
language burble,
generations and races
sharing this space of hope.

All life is gathered where people seek healing,
are held, guided, directed, hugged
by walking crosses of dedication.
All, from cleaners to consultants,
playing their part
in being Christ-bearers to others.

The gentle receptionist looks kindly on.

{Mr.G. 16th April 2024}

Listen, said the Sparrow

Words from the Sparrow

I gather that I have become very important!
A recent survey by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – known as the Big Garden Birdwatch Chart –came up with some important news. Amongst all the birds watched in the United Kingdom, I topped the Chart for the 21^st consecutive time! Isn’t that marvellous. Let the Blue Tits, Starlings, Wood Pigeons and Blackbirds chirp away to their hearts content. They won’t beat the House Sparrow.
I was not, however, quite so pleased to read that my own chirp was not as melodious as some. One of the reviewers actually referred to it as slightly tuneless.
Of course, I may be driven to take singing lessons. I think it will be with a Nightingale. They have such lovely, spell-binding voices.
Not everything about we birds is good news. I was especially sorry to hear that the lovely Starling is now on the UK Red List, joining others in the most threatened breeding birds category.

It reminds me of the importance of providing garden habitats for we birds. By keeping open invitation to birds, including providing the right kind of sustenance, such as seeds. Insects, fruit and berries, peanuts and regular well-stocked drinking areas, you can make all the difference to solving the ongoing nature crisis.
Gardens, green spaces are crucial lifelines for birds like me who are struggling. It’s a bit like providing an oasis in the desert, a sign of life where nature can grow.

One other thing;
DID YOU KNOW? that we sparrows get a little mention in the Bible New Testament. I had to ask a human to point this out to me.
It seems that in Matthew 10, Jesus tells the people not to be afraid of the evil folk who would turn them away from God. He said that if we are afraid we should remember: are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unseen by your heavenly Father. Even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are more value than many sparrows… (see also St Luke 12:6-7).
Of course, let the reader understand that Jesus is not disparaging sparrows. He loves us very much and there were lots of us in the Holy Land when Jesus was there. What he is saying , I think, is that human beings who try to live close to Jesus are loved even more. I think, when he said this, some of my fellow sparrows saw him give a little wink towards us!

So, there we are – be nice to sparrows and all birds and you will be filled with joy and be rewarded because we shall dance and sing for you and soar around your garden or local park or fields and maybe drop some surprise seeds for you.I expect you know this little poem, but in case you need reminding, take note of it in view of what Jesus said. It’s by Elizabeth Cheney and I’m sure she would be delighted if you take it to heart. As you look at the birds around you, I hope you might let them remind you how much your heavenly Father cares for you and will provide for you. Do the same for the birds.

Said the robin to the sparrow,
‘I should really like to know,
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.’

Said the sparrow to the robin,
‘Friend I think that it must be,
That they have no Heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me.

[The photo poster heading this article is by my friend Joyce Smith, who lives now close to God and to redeemed creation in heaven,]
[Mr G]