This coming week marks the climax of our Advent Season of Pilgrimage. Sunday morning, the last one in Advent, centres on the Annunciation to Mary, Mother of Jesus. Later at 6pm, at our most popular carol service, our church choir joins forces with the Greenwich Concert Band to lead joyful festive congregational singing of carols. The shape of that Liturgy begins with Advent, but quickly flows into the Nativity story in full splendour. Now the climactic Christmas theme dominates as we enter Christmas Eve with the atmospheric Christingle children’s service of Light at 4pm, followed by the dignified traditional Midnight Mass at 11.30 pm. Christmas morning marks more celebration with a Festival Eucharist , and the Eucharist on the following Sunday concludes a fine week of family, ecclesiastical and social celebrations - before we start the New Year 25. A special carol anthem, ‘Iter Somni’, offers a profound music component to this coming festive week. To be performed at the carol service, amidst adjacent jubilant carols, this evocative thoughtful composition takes our Christmas thoughts and prayers into a deeper reflective side. The tones of a sweet lullaby, sung to a small vulnerable baby, are darkened by the realisation that out there could be harsh challenges of suffering, pain and hardship - but God’s loving care and protection will always prevail in the end. That message of Christian caring love, peace and goodwill marks an inner core of what this time of year Is really all abou,t when we remember the outcast, the lonely, the forgotten and those in pain and hardship. This piece of music is to be our dedicated Carol Anthem for this season of true goodwill: a prayer for all in need of God’s infinite Love and protection.The story of how this piece of music came to be written, based on a very poignant story, can be found in a new YouTube documentary entitledRestored Ukrainian Painting finds safe home The link is:https://youtube.com/watch?v=GIavNMukP9E&feature=shaA recording of the carol linked with the picture of the painting from which it took it’s inspiration can also be found hereThe title is 'Iter Somni'. Carol by Alan Wilson The link is:https://youtube.com/watch?v=MbSDJP2zPcE&feature=shared
We will be livecasting the Eucharist via Twitter @HTEltham at 10am every Sunday. Once the liturgy is finished we will publish a link to the video on our website and Parish Facebook Page.
