Royal wedding - Technicolor Radio

I was appalled at the degree of hyperbole ridden tosh that emanated from my radio as I rushed around yesterday. From the Radio Four commentator who spoke of the event being a 'technicolor radio' event (we have colour radio?) to the dopey woman who informed us that 'the dress' was a classically futuristic creation that timelessly looks to the future (what?????) and culiminated in the most awful comment of all, "A royal wedding is all about a new future for the couple!

Every wedding is about a new future for the couple. Duh!

For me, marriage is about three things:

Leaving
The whole point of marriage is to form a new family unit. This means leaving one's family and friends (not abandoning them) and committing into that new relationship. It means that one listens to the advice of parents and friends, but living in the the knowledge that they neither rule, own or command anything regarding the new family unit.

Cleaving
Yee ha, the sex bit (I hear you cry)! Well yes it is, but it is more than just that, it's about being responsive to each other and warm, loving and intimate (which is more than the mere wham, bam, thank you ma'am that the world talks of).

Becoming One
For many new family units this is the greatest challenge, for it relates to having one name (which I do think is an important part) and one identity, one hope, one goal and one purpose together. It is about joint accounts, not individual identities and bank balances living together. Setting up home and having sex and playing happy families is great, but who are you as a couple? What do you want and what are you going to share and enjoy together? These are the important issues that often fail to be addressed and bring so many to my door telling me how they've fallen in love with someone else. Each of us is an individual and in marriage, the two people are joined together that they are an individual too!

So as the royals start their life together, my prayer is the same for them as the others I meet with:

May God draw you together, make one one in heart, body, mind and spirit and lead you into that place where the line that separates you slowly fades that you cant's see the join. May family and friends be there to support and advise but never to control and may no one, and nothing come between you and the focus of your love today. May you share visions, dreams and goals and may they become reality for you as you grow deeper together as one. Amen.

Doing the Stuff - Community!

Today we had a bit of a community bash.

The Guides were out in force with their tents which housed crafts and other attractions. The Tamworth Amateur Radio Society was there, working the world and demonstrating their hobby (meets in the church building every Thursday).

There were musicians, a juggler/stilt-walker, face-painting and Bibbledy Bob, the clown and children's entertainer.

Alongside them we had bouncy castles, the Fire brigade (steady ladies), St John's, the Ambulance service and first responders.

We had a parade and costumes were judged by Tamworth's exceptional Mayor, Lee Bates, whilst in the church building there was tea, coffee and cake, followed by a Tea Dance (which sadly is nothing like a mud fight!). and even more besides.

As for me, I stayed near the food. In fact one of the wardens and I cooked and served burgers, hot dogs and sausages for just over two hours (ably assisted by Betty and Brian, Davros and Marijan).

The queues never got any shorter and the surprise when they realised that there was no charge was a pleasure to see. The only irony in the whole proceedings was the fact that having cooked so many burgers, sausages and stuffed them into buns, neither I or my fellow chef got near actually eating one!

So the couple got married, but even better than that (and the event was a liturgical triumph!) the community that is Leyfields became a little more of a community.

Hallelujah and thank you to everyone who organised the event and did so much to make it such a success - now, when's the next one?

Pax

A Prayer and Anthem for the wedding

It appears that when the CofE released the prayer for the Royal wedding they missed out the final anthem. So here's the prayer (and a very good one it is indeed) and the ditty (to be sung to a familiar tune which like the original appears to be by that great writer and composer 'anon'):

The Prayer
God of all grace,
friend and companion,
look in favour on William and Catherine
and all who are made one in marriage.
In your love deepen their love
and strengthen their wills
to keep the promises they will make,
that they may continue
in life-long faithfulness to each other;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Song
God save our gracious Gran,
and of course Phil (her old man),
God save our Gran.
Please don't forget our Dad,
Even though he's kind of sad,
And whilst married to my Mum, was bad,
God save our Gran.

Please may we break the mould,
Shown to us by the old,
Long may we last.
May we live faithfully,
Not like the other three,
And save the family tree,
God help our Gran!

(Sounds a bit druidic to me ;) )

Happy and joyous Friday and end of term!

ps. Where's my invite??