Glassumimass

An exhibition of stained glass at St John’s Church, Washingborough.

I was surprised at the length of durataion of the exhibition.

I queried this, and was told it was due to the fragility of the pieces and the reluctance to move them.

Good to find St John’s open.

11am until 1pm Thursday 17 April 2017, there will be a free stained glass workshop in the church.

Glassumimass a project of artsNK that has resulted in three glass lanterns inspired by local churches along Spires and Steeples Arts and Heritage Trail.

Exhibition until 23rd April 2017. It will then tour other churches on the trail.

The exhibition is open from 10am to 2pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and from 12.30pm to 4.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

• PHOTOS Glassumimass

Washingborough is a small village three miles east of the city of Lincoln on the lower slopes of the limestone escarpment known as the Lincoln Edge where the River Witham breaks through the Lincoln Edge at the Lincoln Gap.

They’ve lost God!

Two naughty boys went to Church every Sunday.

They were always badly behaved, they would run around, shout, up-skittle chairs and generally make a nuisance of themselves.

One day one of the boys was too ill to go to church so one of the naughty boys went on his own.

As he was on his own, he decided he would have to be twice as naughty to make up for the absence of his friend. He wrought havoc in the church that Sunday.

The Rector had had enough. He grabbed the boy by the scruff and roared at him: Where is God!?

He let go of him, then told him to go home and give serious thought to where was God. He said he expected answers the following Sunday.

The boy got home and called his friend: They’ve lost God and they are trying to pin it on us.

As told by the Rector of St John’s in Washingborough at Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

– Midnight Mass at St John’s

Midnight Mass at St John’s

Ecce Ancilla Domini! (The Annunciation) - Rossetti

Early hours of the morning, I have just returned from Midnight Mass at St John’s, the Parish Church in the Lincolnshire village of Washingborough. My last carols of the year.

– Nine Lessons and Carols at St Nicolas

During the service we were told the story of the two naughty boys.

– They’ve lost God!

After the service four candles lit: One for my lovely but sadly mad friend Sian, one for Paulo Coelho as thanks for writing Aleph, one for Canon Andrew White who is back from Iraq but will need all his diplomatic skills on return as Iraq descends into Hell, and one for his lovely assistant Lina and all the people of Iraq.

– Sorry Sir my dear Jesus , we came to you with, black gown
– Christmas message from Canon Andrew White

The early Christians did not celebrate Christmas or mark the birthday of Jesus. To celebrate the birth of a God was seen as a pagan custom.

The festival of Christ’s birth wasn’t invented until 312AD, and not by a peaceful disciple, but by a military leader, the Roman Emperor Constantine. He of course being the self-appointed head of the church, a position now occupied by the Pope.

– Constantine: The Man Who Invented Christmas
– The origins of Christmas

The nativity scene was invented by St Francis of Assisi in 1223. It does not come from the Gospels as many falsely assume, but there is a prophesy of animals present in the Old Testament.

In the Bleak Midwinter is a poem by Christina Rossetti set to music by Gustav Holst after her death.

As our eyes and hearts look East, we should not forget Bethlehem today, an open-air prison surrounded by a security wall, 2.000 years on and still under occupation.

– Fresh mood in Bethlehem, but little joy
– Christmas in the Middle East
– Israel blocks Christians going to Bethlehem at Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!

Midnight Mass at St John’s

nativity at Lincoln Cathedral

I had not been to Midnight Mass before nor a service at St John’s, not that is if I do not count two weddings, thus a first on both counts.

I was tempted by a Christingle Service in the afternoon, curious how it compared with Christingle at St Mark’s a couple of weeks ago, but I could not make the effort to attend, so Midnight Mass it was.

I walked there in the sub-zero temperature, crunching through the snow, slipping and sliding on the ice. The church bells were pealing and the church lit up against the dark sky. The moon was shining brightly, the stars too in the dark sky.

The church was fairly full. It seemed little warmer inside than outside, though the Vicar assured us it was. I thought it was a very nice touch to invite the minister from the local Methodist church at the bottom of Church Hill to share the service. A very moving solo performance of Silent Night in German.

I thought of St George’s in Iraq. An Anglican Church with no Anglicans other than the vicar Canon Andrew White, many denominations and Muslims too.

Why shepherds? In The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho it is a shepherd who has the courage to follow his dreams.

On leaving a brief conversation with the Rector of Bethlehem today. Two thousand years ago under Roman occupation, today under Israeli occupation. Encircled by the Apartheid Wall, Bethlehem is little more than an open air prison. Christians, and even priests, are prevented by the Israeli occupiers from celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem. [see Christmas in the Middle East]

St John’s is the village church of Washingborough, sadly never open outside of church services and church fêtes and other special occasions.

It was a pleasure to be able to see in Christmas at St John’s

I would have loved to have attended The Messiah by Handel in Lincoln Cathedral. Maybe one day.

For my lovely friend Sian who could not be there. For Diane and Den who would usually be there but were Down Under.

Also see

Christmas Carol Service at St Peter’s

Victorian Christmas Carol Concert St Mark’s

Christingle at St Mark’s

Handel – Messiah – For unto us a child is born