Virtual Methodist

In the reformed tradition we generally use terms like Holy Communion, or the Lord's Supper, to describe the sacrament instituted by Jesus on the night before he died, calling on us to remember. Other traditions use the term "Eucharist" from the Greek word meaning "Thanksgiving." Today in Belfast South, as we do on the first Sunday in every month, we will be sharing in this act of Thanksgiving at 11am instead of at our usual time of 9.30am... You are very welcome to join us. In our continuing series looking at the Gospel according to Luke and our President's theme of "A People Invited to Follow" we are looking at Jesus telling his disciples about his impending death and inviting them to take up their crosses and follow him (Luke 9: 18-27). In the light of that, the following hymn by my friend Kristyn and Keith Getty and their longtime collaborator Stuart Townend seems appropriate, especially where it says: And so with thankfulness and faith we...

No Saturday Supplement this morning, largely because there wasn't a whole lot that caught my eye on t'internet this week... But also because this is St. Patrick's Day... and I couldn't let it go without dipping my toe in the emerald-tinted water... I could have gone down the Celtic spirituality route... but one item that I did come across yesterday on the net thanks to my colleague Robin, was this wonderful rendition of "Danny Boy..." That's certainly my favourite version of the song... as it treats it with the lack of respect it deserves... It's a dreadful piece of sentimental oirishness origninally written by an English lawyer... The tune at least is authentically Irish, supposedly being one of many folk tunes collected by Jane Ross from Limavady in County Londonderry in the mid 19th century, although she never recorded the title leading to its ascription as A Londonderry or Derry Air - only in Northern Ireland could the name ...

Its our church anniversary service this coming Sunday and our opening hymn is going to be this one, another of the collaborations between my friends Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend. There won't be as many in the choir or the congregation, indeed there probably won't be as many in the congregation as in the choir in this video... and our choir won't have natty blue gowns, but we'll give it a go all the same. But as I listened to this, a new one to me, even though its a whole 3 years old now, I once again gave thanks for the talents of Keith and Kristyn... God given and God devoted. I've given Keith a fair amount of stick over the years (and will continue to do so) and I don't agree with him (and Stuart) on some of the theology in their hymns (especially when it comes to the atonement), but they are a real blessing on the church in this age. I minister within a church tradition that claims to have been "born in song" indeed the theology of ...