'JAZZ FOR COWS'

The New Hot 5, American-based jazz band plays for a herd of cows in Autrans, France. The unedited footage is now uploaded on our channel in two parts. If you want to hear more, check out our other videos of concerts for humans.

Not bad. Not bad at all. The New Hot 5's sales pitch is altogether different from anything I've seen.

33 YEARS AGO - TODAY WE REMEMBER HARVEY MILK...

...not silenced, not forgotten. Harvey Milk's voice resonates today as though he was still with us...for he is still with us.

From teacherken at Daily Kos:

Harvey Milk had once said (h/t, Zinn Education Project), "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country."

There are still too many closets, and far too many still in them. There is still too much fear.

Yet Harvey Milk made a difference, in his living as well as his dying.

Picture from LGBTQNation

H/T to Paul the BB on Facebook.

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT

 

Collect for the First Sunday in Advent

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalm 147

Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the broken-hearted,
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
he casts the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre.
He covers the heavens with clouds,
prepares rain for the earth,
makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the animals their food,
and to the young ravens when they cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;*
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
He grants peace* within your borders;
he fills you with the finest of wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down hail like crumbs—
who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his ordinances.
Praise the Lord!

'ADVENT IN 2 MINUTES'

Thanks to Ann at What the Tide Brings In.

ABOUT THE ANGLICAN COVENANT...

Recently, I read three excellent posts on the Anglican Covenant, which I believe warrant wide coverage. As many of you know, I am a member of the No Anglican Covenant Coalition, and I make no effort to provide balanced coverage, since I hope very much that many churches in the Anglican Communion vote against adopting the covenant.

Canon Alan Perry of the Anglican Church of Canada says in his post titled 'Logs and Specks':

The proposed Covenant is about logs and specks. It's about being empowered, and possibly even obligated, to look for the specks in others' eyes, which will inevitably give rise to others pointing to logs in one's own eyes. The trouble, as Jesus suggests, is that it is often much more interesting to look for specks than to deal with one's own logs, and in fact it's human nature to be in denial about one's own logs.

I can see already the long procession of people claiming to see specks in the eyes of other churches in the communion. What are the rules for presenting claims against other churches (or your own church, for that matter!), and which bureaucracy will winnow the complaints and decide which warrant further investigation by the newly-endowed-with-great-powers Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion? Many questions; few answers.

Next up is a post by Paul Bagshaw, a priest in the Church of England, titled 'Seven constitutional questions on the Covenant'. Paul's post references constitutional questions that may arise in the Church of England if General Synod votes to adopt the covenant. Since a number of people from England read my blog, I link to Paul's post mainly for their benefit, but those of us from other churches should be mindful that the adoption of the covenant may pose constitutional questions for our own churches.

Paul says:

Now it may be that someone somewhere has drafted answers to all these questions and more. In which case it would be useful to have the proposals public so voters can see some of the ramifications of the options before they make their decision. But if no-one has addressed the constitutional implications then I'm even more worried.

Let's face it. The covenant is being rushed through General Synod of the Church of England in the hope of a vote in favor before too many people have an opportunity to take a close look at the document and consider the consequences for the church. It appears to me that those who are so very intent on pushing the covenant may not themselves have considered the consequences. If they have, then they're being very quiet about their deliberations.

At Lesley's Blog is the address by Perran Gay, Canon Precentor of Truro Cathedral, to the Diocese of Truro Synod titled 'The presentation against the Covenant in Truro'

Dreadful though all of this is, it might almost be worth putting up with it if there were any real indication that the covenant would work. But of course it won’t: although it is offered as a mechanism to achieve unity, its immediate effect is to create divisions. Churches that cannot or will not accept the Covenant automatically become second-class members of the Communion. The Orwellian implications of Section 4 will likely further distinguish between full and ‘less-than-full’ members of the Communion, making it harder to have the kind of discussions that family members ought to have together. And as we know, the more conservative Anglican churches who most want this kind of arrangement in place, who subscribe to a notion of a clear Anglican doctrinal identity that has never existed, have already started to boycott Anglican Communion affairs in any case, staying away from the Lambeth Conference, setting up a rival bishops’ meeting and working towards an alternative global fellowship. Even if adopted, the Covenant is set to fail.

I had a difficult time extracting a quote from Canon Perran Gay's address because of its excellence in its entirety. In the end, the Anglican Diocese of Truro voted against the adoption of the covenant.

Please, if you are at all interested or concerned about the Anglican Covenant, get a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, a glass of wine, or a good stiff drink, make yourself comfortable, and read the posts to which I've linked. C'mon. Just do it.

CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL ONLINE SHOP

Yesterday, Ann V. suggested that shopping at the Canterbury Cathedral Gift Shop (or should that be 'Shoppe'?) might be an alternative to the crowds and crush on Black Friday. Alas, Black Friday has come and gone, but those of us here in the US have until December 9 to assure delivery of purchases from the gift shop before Christmas.

As usual click on the images for the larger view.

 

The pendant and earrings are attractiuve, indeed, but I'm a bit doubtful about the cufflinks with pictures of the cathedral. I don't see many men wearing cufflinks today, but perhaps I travel in the wrong circles. Here's the link to the page to purchase the items.

 

Ho, ho, ho! It's St Nicolas! And Archbishop Rowan! The idea of having stuffed figures of Rowan hanging on Christmas trees throughout the world seems a bit strange, but what do I know? In truth, but for the length of the beards, St Nick and Rowan look very much alike. The ornamental figure of the Archbishop of York is available, too.

Shop away, my lovelies!

NEW ORLEANS' 610 STOMPERS WOW NYC AT MACY'S PARADE

From NOLA.com:

The shameless, choreographed manhood that is New Orleans' own 610 Stompers grabbed the Big Apple by the shiny nylon scruff Thursday, rendering "Today Show" hosts Matt Lauer and Al Roker nearly speechless during the group's minute-long feature performance in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Or maybe it was the tube socks.

The group of 60 dancers, donning their regulation pale-blue short-shorts, shiny red jackets and gold sneakers, boogied a two-mile stretch of parade route from the start along Central Park West down Seventh Avenue to Herald Square.

Wedged, somehow fittingly, between a TV promo for the 2012 Olympic Games in London and a pink four-story Energizer Bunny balloon, the Stompers busted out to Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For a Hero" from the 1984 movie "Footloose."

They thrust their hips. They pumped their fists. Some wore shades. All wore white terry headbands.

The moves, the outfits...awesomely cool in every way. Heh, heh.

Gwyn Andersen of Montana, who had camped out early on 71st Street and Central Park West for the parade, said her group of 11 agreed that the Stompers stood out as the favorite in a mostly traditional parade roster.

"We're like, wow. The thing that really catches your eye is they actually were quite polished. And unusual. Just that -- and their haircuts," Andersen said. "We all suddenly realized they actually worked at that. Some of the guys standing around us were saying, 'I could be part of that group.' "

On Wednesday morning, members of the group appeared on the "Today Show" with an appreciative Hoda Gotb, who once worked in New Orleans and knows a bit about the madness that characterizes the city.

But it was all prelude to the parade, where the Stompers showed off their "ordinary guys with extraordinary moves" bona fides in front of an estimated 50 million TV viewers.

"Finally a group that would take us," Lauer said.

"Tell Matt Lauer he still needs to audition," [Stompers leader Brett] Patron responded.

And it's only right.

PRAYERS PLEASE...

For Lesley at Lesley's Blog, who will celebrate her mum's life at her funeral this coming Tuesday.

For whiteycat over the next couple of weeks as she attempts to find a solution to the problems with her cat, Snowy.

Thank you.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfil now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

GEMS PURLOINED FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S BLOGS

From In a Godward Direction:

Thanksgiving and our Role

While preaching my extempore sermon for Thanksgiving Day, just prior to feeding the hungry in our parish hall, I realized I'd picked the Gospel for Year B insead of Year A (I'm already thinking next Sunday!) Perhaps this was a serendipity, though, for it struck me how well this Gospel about not worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear fits in with this past Sunday's Gospel of judgment upon those precisely who failed to provide food, drink and clothing to the least among the king's family. God provides most of us with so much. Yet others have nothing. Isn't it then, through us, that "God provides" them with food, drink and clothing?

It is a scandal that today — this very night — people will starve to death while others scrape wasted food from their plates that they are unable to eat for surfeit and satiation.

Lord, have mercy. Even in thanks, remember. And more than remember, act! (My emphasis)

Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG

And we all say, "Amen!"

I have taken Tobias' post in its entirety. I hope he doesn't mind.

From Kirkepiscotoid:

I always find it interesting that the most common barb thrown by the "unhappy atheists" is always along the lines of trying to distill Christianity or any religion down to "where you end up when you die," when I would tell you that is the part that is rarely on my mind. I'm far more interested in Christianity teaching me how to live. (My emphasis)

Do I hear another "Amen!"?

Kirke's longer reflection is inspired by her mother's years-long battle with emphysema, and I urge you to read the entire post for it is very good.

A THOUGHT FOR THANKSGIVING DAY

From The Reverend Canon F. Hugh Magee:

Here's a thought for Thanksgiving Day.

"I'm currently reading 'Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln". I recently came across a quotation that impressed me and it seems to me not unrelevant to our cause [Defeating the Anglican Covenant].

It comes, not from Lincoln, but from Frances Seward, the wife of William Seward, Lincoln's Secretary of State (who, incidentally, first proposed that the last Thursday of November be set aside as a Thanksgiving Day, to be nationally observed).

The background to this quotation, which belongs to the days leading up to the Civil War, is with reference to a proposal that a constitutional amendment be introduced that if adopted would uphold the Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 -- it was felt by some that the adoption of such a constitutional amendment would placate the South and help to avoid a Civil War. Here's what she said:

"Compromises based on the idea that the preservation of the Union is more important than the liberty of nearly 4,000,000 human beings cannot be right. The alteration of the Constitution to perpetuate slavery -- the enforcement of a law to recapture the poor, suffering fugitive ... these compromises cannot be approved by God or supported by good men ...."

I invite you to reflect on this quotation and apply it to our present situation with regard to the proposed Anglican Covenant, which to my mind amounts to a similar attempt to preserve unity at the cost of liberty.

In that spirit I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving Day.

HUGH

Unity at what cost? In this instance, I believe we must count the cost.

Hugh lives in Scotland and is a fellow member of the No Anglican Covenant Coalition. When I asked his permission to use his words as well as those of Frances Seward, I offered to say a Scotsman sent them to me if he did not want his name published. Hugh responded:

June --

By all means use the quotation and identify me as the source if you like.

Although I am indeed a Scotsman, I'm also English (I was born in London). As a matter of fact, I'm also a fifth generation Pittsburgher -- the Magees emigrated to Pittsburgh in the 18th century!

HUGH

There you have it. Hugh is Scottish, English, and a Pittsburgher.