Weekly Record

22 November 2009

Do you remember the era of scriptural and gospel based musicals in the 70’s? The only one that seems to be still regularly performed is ‘Joseph’ but Godspel and Jesus Christ Superstar had a much weightier message to portray and each in their own way attempted to make use of contemporary drama and music to bring the Gospel to life. I think Godspel achieved this very successfully. I was a student for the priesthood at the time and quite a number of us were involved in writing and performing a musical entitled ‘Servant King’ just to be in vogue. It was a contemporary portrayal of the Suffering and Death of Jesus based on the suffering servant texts of Isaiah.   Believe it or not it was more entertaining than it sounds. The trial sequence with Pilate (based on todays Gospel) was particularly memorable.   As we celebrate our Cathedral Feast of Christ the King the image that todays readings portray is that of a Servant King who suffers out of love for his people and will continue to suffer through them until the fullness of His Kingdom of Justice, Truth and Peace are realised. A Happy Feastday.

Talking of Dramas and Musicals! Last year it was decided that the Cathedral would produce the Schools Advent Services to make a change from one of the schools taking responsibility for it. With Claire Hanlon as producer, writer and director (control freak perhaps!) it is going to be a musical and dramatic extravaganza involving staff and adult volunteers and children from St Nicholas Primary School. The Art Studio have been busy for some weeks making costumes and the script is now finalised and this has caused heated debates such as should the angels have wings or not?, can the Inn Keeper be a woman?, how to get the star to shine in the East and descend over the place of Christ’s birth and who is going to have what part. Who said adults were easier to organise than children. I have been promised the part of Joseph but I don’t think the shepherds are too happy about this and are claiming favouritism and bitterly contesting the decision.  Even in Our Lords time the shepherds were a troublesome bunch! Oh well I am too busy practising my partial faint for when I receive the news that Mary is with child. This is one not to miss on 8th and 9th December. For a change the adults will be acting and telling the story to the children and communicating its importance to us all.

Next Sunday we begin the season of Advent, the start of a new church year. As well as our schedule of Masses there is the Advent Sequence of music and readings at 5pm which replaces Choral Evening Prayer. We are grateful to St Edward’s College for taking part in the service with a contemporary mime.

Advent is dedicated to the last things, to death, judgement, heaven and hell, but above all to Jesus’ glorious coming to complete his Easter work. The church has gone so far as to set aside an entire liturgical season to the end of the world and the final coming of the Lord, so important a part of the faith does she consider these truths.

Canon Anthony O’Brien
Dean of the Cathedral