Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Suspend Your Belief?

It matters what we sing, right? Especially in public worship? Words that we sing are likely to stick in our heads and affect our thinking.

How much do we care about the words of our carols? Should we avoid singing ones that might be untrue or unhelpful? Should they come with a health-warning from the front? Or does everyone take them with a pinch of salt anyway, and is that okay?!

What's all this talk about snow ("In the bleak mid-winter" etc.)? Was it (likely) to have been snowy in Bethlehem when Jesus was born? Does it matter? Am I being too literal minded there?

Surely the little Lord Jesus did make some crying Away In that Manger, didn't he? Does it not undermine the reality of the incarnation to think that Jesus didn't cry?

What if there were not 3 kings of Orient and they weren't kings?

Is Good King Wensuslas bad?

1 comment:

Paul said...

We should change them. here's my contribution (v2 of Away in a Manger)

The cattle are lowing
The baby awakes
He screams and he wriggles
The stable's roof shakes

They're in the public domain after all.

Another joke for the Christmas sermon: How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizza?

Deep and crisp and even.