If the Lord had not been on our side’, let Israel say, ‘then the raging waters would have swept us away’”… It’s an arresting start to one of the ‘Songs of Ascent’, sung by pilgrims as they made their way to the Holy City; and the imagery in Psalm 124 – of feeling attacked, swallowed alive, engulfed, trapped – continues to resonate nearly three millennia after the song was first written. Underlying the Hebrew here is the word ‘Emmanuel’, though couched in the negative: ‘if God had not been with us, then imagine what would have ensued!’. But God has been with them, is the message of the Psalm, so that real disaster has been averted. ‘And let’s celebrate that together’, adds the Psalmist, as he encourages all Israel to join the song. It’s an important message, not least with the gloom surrounding the announcement of an omicron variant of Covid-19 and all the ensuing challenges faced by our churches, schools and businesses. How many more letters in the Greek alphabet will become common parlance, we wonder, before this wretched pandemic is behind us? In response, there’s no promise of an easy life here, but the prospect of both hope and help in the midst of our struggles and difficulties. And where better place to start this Advent than in joining together in another song – the one that starts, ‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’? Every BlessingBishop Andrew
The Church of England is to release a Christmas single as part of a campaign to encourage more people to hear the real Christmas story through their local church.The single, a new carol version of In the Bleak Midwinter by one of the country’s top young composers, Rebecca Dale, will form the soundtrack to this year’s Church of England Christmas campaign.The single is released on all streaming platforms from Wednesday 1st December.'#AtTheHeartOfChristmas' is the Church of England’s theme for Advent and Christmas 2021.Local churches all over the country will be welcoming their communities – onsite and online – to celebrate and share the good news of Christ’s birth with special services and events, supported by a wide range of national resources.The new carol’s composer Rebecca Dale is one of the country’s most exciting young composers who has been hailed as “a household name in years to come”. Her 2015 debut self-release for choir and orchestra, <em>I’ll Sing</em>, reached No.1 in the iTunes Classical Single Charts and was Classic FM's Choral Classic of the Week. She made history as the first female composer to sign to Universal Music's Decca Classics label, with her debut album, Requiem For My Mother, going to No.1 in the specialist Classical charts. She has written works for numerous classic artists and ensembles and has contributed music for various well known TV programmes and Films. Born in 1985, she was composing from a very young age and has fond memories of singing in church choirs while at school.She said: “It’s so exciting to have been invited to write this new Carol for the Church of England’s Christmas theme #AtTheHeartOfChristmas. “Although In the Bleak Midwinter is a poem which was written nearly 150 years ago, it has a timeless mystery and is wonderfully evocative of a journey from the wintery landscape to the stable and the heart of the nativity story.“I have long wanted to set this text, and so when the Church of England asked me to be involved in this project, this was my very first thought. I hope people will enjoy the setting and that it helps connect them with the amazing story which is at the heart of Christmas.”The Carol has been recorded by St Martin’s Voices, under the direction of Andrew Earis, in the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.The Church of England has worked with the popular UK classical music station Classic FM to develop the piece. Alexander Armstrong, host of Classic FM’s flagship weekday morning programme, will give the new carol its radio premiere on his show later in December. Armstrong, one of the nation’s best-loved presenters and broadcasters, is also an Ambassador for the Cathedral Music Trust, and one of twelve contributors who offer special Christmas reflections as part of the campaign.“The light, colour and warmth of Christmas stand out starkly against the dark midwinter palette and make our enjoyment so much more focused, especially when it comes to Christmas music,” he writes in his reflection. “There is no other season whose music we devour so hungrily, nor any that carries so many happy associations for us from down the years. That is why it is so thrilling when we hear the first strain of Christmas music each year.”The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: “Singing carols is a beloved Christmas tradition for so many – so we’re delighted to be sharing this new carol as the national Church of England’s first ever Christmas single. “At Christmas, God becomes human. His heart beats. As a frail child in a cold manger, he takes his first breaths on this earth. We often dress this time of year up, adding all the trimmings. “These things are wonderful, but they are not the heart of Christmas. The only thing that makes Christmas perfect is Jesus, who sees, loves and welcomes all. The message of this carol is that the only thing we need to give him and each other is our hearts – our very own selves.“Wherever and whoever you are, you too are welcome and invited this Christmas, to worship the child, the God, whose heart beats for you.”All royalties from the digital streams and downloads of the track will be donated to charity, helping people experiencing homelessness in the <span style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">At the heart of Christmas is a deliberately simple and open theme – one that we hope can be used by local churches to invite their communities to share in celebrating the good news of Christmas in a whole variety of ways, whatever the prevailing circumstances.</span>The Church of England Christmas Advert, due for release in early December, will look at what is ‘at the heart of Christmas’ for different people, with tales of hardships overcome, generosity, faith, Christmas memories and hopes for the future from around the country. It will be shared across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.In 2020, the Church of England’s Christmas theme, Comfort and Joy, was seen more than 35 million times.The theme encourages viewers to visit achurchnearyou.com – a site which received 77 million page views last year – and find out about services and events near them. Find out more about the campaign at churchofengland.org/Christmas.
BISHOP OF Dover Rose Hudson-Wilkin, has thrown her support behind a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the one in three women world-wide who have experienced domestic and sexual violence.The Mothers’ Union launched its #nomore1in3 campaign which forms part of its Global Day of Action, which took place on Saturday.The campaign saw members of the organisation, a movement of 4 million Christians in 84 countries worldwide, come together at 1.03pm for three minutes of silence to highlight the work it says still needs to be done to tackle the issue.Data collected in several countries have shown an increase in calls to domestic violence helplines since the outbreak of COVID-19. And campaigners have highlighted concerns that government resources and funding given to organisations which support victims of abuse have been diverted to efforts to tackle the pandemic.In a statement to The Voice, Reverend Hudson-Wilkin said: “Abuse of any kind – be it physical, psychological or emotional – should not be tolerated in our communities and that’s why I believe it’s important to support the Mothers’ Union nomore1in3 campaign.” The Bishop of Dover’s support for #nomore1in3 follows her active stance on tackling domestic abuse. In 2016, she supported the launch of a resource pack called Ending Domestic Abuse – A Pack for Churches. Published by Christian charity Restored it was aimed at empowering churches and Christian organisations to take practical steps to tackle the issue and support victims of abuse.The #nomore1in3 campaign and The Global Day of Action is the Mothers’ Union response to the call for 16 days of global activism against gender based violence, a UN women’s committee initiative, launched in 1991. The Global 16 Day Campaign runs annually from November 25 (International Day Against Violence Against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day).The Bishop of Dover’s support was welcomed by Bev Jullien, the CEO of Mothers’ Union. Speaking about the campaign she said: “Our members will be meeting in venues across Britain and Ireland – from cathedrals to shopping centres and churches to their own living rooms, uniting to call for action on the abuse suffered by so many women and girls. “Lockdown and the recent media coverage around the shocking deaths of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, only serve to confirm why more must be done on this issue now.” Other senior Church of England figures have joined the Bishop of Dover in supporting the Mothers’ Union campaign.Bishop of Gloucester, Rachel Treweek, said: “So often abuse is hidden and so it’s fantastic that Mothers’ Union is bringing this to light by highlighting the dreadful statistic, that one in three women suffer abuse and violence. “Despite our best efforts, I, along with Mothers’ Union, were very disappointed by the outcomes of the Domestic Abuse Bill, now Act, because we didn’t manage to achieve what we wanted, particularly for migrant women.”She continued: “So, despite progress, more must be done and that will only happen if people are aware of statistics like this. Abuse is happening in churches, homes and communities and people simple are not aware – that is why this campaign is so important.” Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said: “The whole church needs to be involved in this campaign, and men and boys must step up and recognise the change that is needed to truly combat this issue.”
