Having not made it to a service at St Luke’s for quite a few weeks (three sundays in California, followed by nightshelter last night and a long lie-in today), I decided to go to the Soul Space service tonight – I often play at these services, and this was, bizarrely, the first one I’d ever been to where I wasn’t playing.
It was a beautiful service for Candlemass – the end of Christmas, and naturally, there were loads of candles in evidence. When it came time for the Eucharistic bit of the service, Dave-The-Vicar managed to position himself so the back of his cassock was right in the flames of a tea-light.
‘you’re going to catch fire!’, I stage whispered,
‘dave, you’re about to catch fire!!’ stage whisper, slightly louder.
A quick swing round followed by a healthy step forward averted our vicar from morphing into St Luke’s very own twisted firestarter.
My good deed done for the day.
And The Rev. G will be most disappointed to know that Messiah Marcolin’s band, Candlemass weren’t present… have you ever actually used Candlemass music for a candlemass service, G??? If anyone can…
As it happens, I have. Sort of. The opening lyrics and tune to their song “Well of Souls” from the album “Nightfall” (1988) begins
# I bind unto myself
# today the strong name of the Trinity
which is, of course, from St Patrick’s Breastplate. Hymn 159 in the New English Hymnal (NEH), which we used to sing from time to time at Evensong in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Inverness.
I also learned from my Church singing that one verse of an Iron Maiden song “Revelations” from “Piece of Mind” (1983) is also taken from a hymn in the NEH:
O God of earth and altar
Bow down and hear our cry
Our earthly rulers falter
Our peolple drift and die
The walls of gold entombe us
The swords of scorn divide
Take not thy thunder from us
But take away our pride
(G. K. Chesterton: English Hymnal)
I used to enjoy singing that too at Evensong.
See, Anglican Evensong is the most Real Metal� service around!