The Guardian reported this morning that:
The Church of England is to launch a poster campaign aimed at challenging the anti-migrant message of Tommy Robinson, whose “Unite the Kingdom” movement has urged its supporters to join a carols event next weekend to “put the Christ back into Christmas”.
Yaxley-Lennon (Robinson's real name) is apparently planning to promote “God, faith, family, homeland” through Christmas carol services.
I am most definitely not here to preach, and won't, but this is deeply depressing. If Jesus is Christ, then nothing about the story he told is about hate, and yet everything Yaxley-Lennon does is all about just that.
Jaqueline and I discussed this during a walk this morning, and talked about Christmas music, agreeing that as we are in Advent right now, this piece by John Rutter is the most sublime Advent carol:
We then began discussing Rutter, and his massively distinctive writing, and ended singing this to no one but ourselves by the River Ouse:
The lyrics are:
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ the light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ to you
The style does reflect Gaelic Christianity, its thinking and its liturgy.
It is as far removed from the politics of hate as you can get.
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I think Rutter will be in Ely cathedral on Christmas morning.
I have heard so…
I wonder if Yaxley-Lennon will remind his followers about the visitors from the east who brought gifts to the child Jesus, or the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt as refugees from Herod’s targeted local genocide, and even when they did repatriate later, when their country became “safe”, still had to relocate as displaced persons, too scared to live in their home town again?
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%202%3A13-23&version=CEV
Will he ask a woman to read them the Magnificat? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201%3A46-55&version=CEV
I suspect not.
The problem is, the English nationalist additions that Stephen Y-L tacks onto the story of Jesus, all but obcure the Christ he claims to want to put back into Christmas.
Does Yaxley-Lennon not realise that the violent nationalists who joined Jesus’ travelling band of disciples 2,000 yrs ago in Roman Occupied Palestine, found their brand of violent nationalist “we want our country back” rebellion, challenged by his message and example. Simon the Zealot (a violent political activist) was dramatically changed by the experience of being with Jesus, transformed by the man and his message, but Judas of the “Dagger Men” (the Sicaari), was so disillusioned by Jesus’ lack of violent hate even towards the brutally oppressive Roman occupier, that he betrayed Jesus, hoping his arrest would force him into Judas’s idea of what a good Messiah SHOULD be doing, restoring the kingdom to Israel, by supernatural violence.
Cultural Christianity, British values, national flags, crosses and racial purity wont save this Kingdom.
But loving God and loving our neighbour will, especially when we remember how Jesus showed us what neighbourly behaviour looked like, in his parable about how a Samaritan took care of an unknown stranger, who isnt even identified by an ethnic or religious label.
I don’t know what Y-L thinks about Jesus. But if he did meet him during his last criminal sentence, then I look forward to seeing a massive change, as he turns away from divisive violent rhetoric, and starts paying his own bills, and wiping the hate off his social media.
I wish him well, but not his nationalism, “Christianity-branded” or not.
Meanwhile, having overcome a new computer (transferred everything over with only minor sense of humour failures – not bad at 80!), I spent 3 hours this afternoon in St John’s Church Buxton, listening to a variety of music – the Church has an 1897 William Hill Organ (magnificent) and a tutor (Simon Mercer) from the RNCM played Bach’s Toccata and then Widor’s Toccata – wonderful and the acoustic in this church are excellent. Then the Junior Choir from Peak District Music Centres entertained us with some songs, ‘Take Two’ (a local duo of singer and keyboard) gave us further entertainment, the audience joined them in ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ and the final offering was from a local acoustic band (not young people!) – all was organised by Rotary Buxton and raised £2100 to be split equally between a local RDA (Riding for the Disabled) group, Blythe House Hospice, Connex Community Support and Zinc (High Peak Food Bank). I will now finish off the day in Buxton Opera House with “Christmas – The Candlelight Concert”. It has been deluging with rain (I have to walk down Water Street to get to the Opera House), but this all lifts the spirits! So ‘Advent’, ’Peace’ (and no hate) – cheered by your Rutter reflections and music – thank you.
Enjoy your music.
And I am pleased the computer is sorted – such things are always stressful.
Think of the Job Guarantee is a ‘proof of burn’ system. You have to give up permanently some of your finite lifespan and in return you will be issued with some currency so you have access to the output of somebody else’s finite lifespan.
It’s putting your own time out of use for yourself that is the key sacrifice required so others will accept that you have contributed as they have.
The Job Guarantee: it’s about time!