Holy Trinity Church Theale
January 2012
In Quires and places where they sing...
Our deadline for magazine articles this month is a little earlier than usual, because we hope that this will be with you before 25th December. So let me start by wishing all our readers a very peaceful and blessed Christmas from the Choir. And if you don’t have time to read this until after the turkey has settled – well, a very Happy New Year! We hope your New Year resolution for 2012 will be to do more singing, and if this is the case you will find a warm welcome in the Church at Choir Practice on Thursday 5th January and (almost) every Thursday throughout the year. We need all voices, so do come and share your talents, even if you can’t be with us every Thursday and every Sunday – part time commitment is also welcome. Note to Choir members: there will be no rehearsal on Thursday 29th December 2011; I think we will all be in need of a rest after our exertions at this time of year!
Speaking of which, as I write we are in the midst of carol singing and community events. Sometimes people commiserate with me about how busy we are, and it’s true that we all get tired: choristers have as many family, and often work commitments as other people of course. But it’s important to remember that we do this for love, and it brings us a great deal of joy. When we are in Church we are singing to the glory of God, and while we fervently hope that we’re enhancing the worship of the congregation, there is no doubt that opening our lungs and singing lustily – or gently, as during our spiritual preparation for Christmas – enhances our own worship and refreshes body, mind and spirit. When we are out and about in the community we get another kind of buzz: seeing happy faces and encouraging people to share with us the joy of singing together as people have done for so many generations. This year our community events include the Theale Lights Event (Nativity and community carols), Elizabeth Court Christmas Party and the WI Christmas meeting.
One event that is really special to us, is the half hour of carols starting at 11pm we sing around the tree in the Parish Church as people are coming in for Midnight Communion on Christmas Eve. Spiritually and musically we have been preparing for this moment throughout Advent; singing these carols is our final act of preparation and is followed by the joyful service when more carols are sung and we finally welcome the birth of Christ in prayer and song and by taking communion together. Do bring your family and join in if you can. My children came to Midnight Communion from the age of seven and although it
was hard to get them to sleep afterwards (!) they loved the excitement of staying up late and it made the Christmas story more real to them than anything they heard elsewhere. We also got an extra few minutes’ sleep in the morning ....
I usually include a little review of what we’ve sung since I last wrote. Our main effort in November was the Advent Carol Service on 27th, when we sang Hail Gladdening Light as the candles were lit – with solos by Alice and James; O Thou the Central Orb, a stirring anthem by Wood; and the African-American spiritual My Lord! What a morning!, with solo by Laura Szomsor. The Choir sang beautifully, receiving several compliments from the congregation, and I was, as always, very proud of their focus and musicality.
