Poem for the opening of Christ the King Cathedral, Liverpool (a.k.a. Paddy's Wigwam)

Driving along a road near to where we lived in Liverpool on our trip up there a couple of weeks ago from which you get a good distant view of some of the city centre's landmarks including the 2 famous cathedrals. Reminded me of this poem by Roger McGough written for the original opening of the Roman Catholic cathedral which a friend showed me recently. I really like it:

O Lord on thy new Liverpool address
let no bombs fall
Gather not relics in the attic
nor dust in the hall
But daily may a thousand friends
who want to chat just call

Let it not be a showroom
for wouldbe good Catholics
or worse:
a museum
a shrine
a concrete hearse
But let it be a place
Where lovers meet after work
for kind words and kisses
Where dockers go of a Saturday night
to get away from the missus
Tramps let kip there through till morning
kids let rip there every evening

Let us pray there
heads held high
arms to the sky
not afraid and kneeling
let Koppites
teach us how to sing
God's 'Top of the Pops' with feeling

After visiting you
May trafficwardens let noisy parkers off
and policemen dance on the beat
Barrowomen knock a shilling off
exatheists sing in the street

And let the cathedral laugh
Even show its teeth
And if it must wear the cassock of dignity
Then let's glimpse the jeans beneath

O Lord on thy new Liverpool address
let no bombs fall
Keep always a light in the window
a welcome mat in the hall
That it may be a home sweet
home from home for all.

Family Snaps

Just realised I've not posted since before last weekend's trip up to Shropshire and Liverpool. Far too busy at the moment with my big essay deadline day and then exams looming large, so entries on here are probably going to be brief and sporadic. Couldn't let last weekend just go completely though - it was so good to see family and friends, and to see just how quickly our 2 nephews are growing up. Thought I'd share some of our photo's:

(Drink time for Nathaniel)

(It's a fun life!)

(Louise, Kevin and Nathaniel)

(Benjamin)

(Walkies)

(Peter, Lorraine and Benjamin)

Heading North!!!

Lisa and I are very excited at the prospect of heading to Shropshire, Runcorn and Liverpool tomorrow morning for the weekend to see brother, sister, brother in law, sister in law, 2 nephews, godsons and various friends!!! Can't wait to see the nephews at 15 and 8 months old having not seen either of them for 4 months!

I'm happy down here in Cambridge at the moment but there is something about heading back to Liverpool...family and friends are a huge part of that, but there is slightly more to it than that. It's strange the pull that particular places have on us sometimes.

Easter Electric Shock

And whatever Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were doing in writing the final sections of their books, they were not telling the story of Jesus's resurrection as a happy ending. They were telling it as a startling new beginning. Easter morning isn't a slow, gentle waking up after the difficult operation. It's the electric shock that brings someone back to life in a whole new way.

Just noticed this from Tom Wright on Malcolm's blog and really like it. As per my below entry Easter Sunday is and should be a real celebration - but it is a celebration of a new beginning, not the end of the story. The truth of Christ's resurrection makes a whole new life possible, and, as Tom says, in the church we often just celebrate it for a few hours before returing to the 'normal' way of things. But what can be normal after Easter? Easter needs to 'electric shock' us to a new way of living in the light of God's grace and love shown ultimately in Jesus' death and resurrection. Praise God! Click here for Tom's full article, as well as some interesting follow up comments.

Easter Sunday!

(African Resurrection image)

Following on from yesterday's entry (see below), it really is time to party and celebrate now!!! Enjoyed a lively family communion service this morning, and what better way to sum up what today is all about than with these famous words:

Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;

endless is the victory, thou o'er death hast won;

angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,

kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay.

Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,

Endless is the vict'ry,

thou o'er death hast won.

Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;

Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;

let the Church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;

for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;

life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife;

make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love:

bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.

Words: Edmond Budry (1854-1932), 1884;

trans. Richard Hoyle (1875-1939), 1923;

© 1925. World Student Christian Federation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Easter Saturday

Struggled to find an image that I wanted to use for this post - not quite sure how realistic a picture this gives us of Jesus' body in the tomb, surely it would have been a bit more wrapped up?! Anyway, it makes the point that Jesus really did die - and stayed dead for 2 days.

I don't think that it is too morbid to actually point that out and remember it appropriately, to show sorrow and remorse for our guilt as well as thankfulness for the amazing self-sacrificial love of God. Also to think about our response to it all. This is all summed up really well for me by the words of 'When I Survey the Wondrous Cross' (see yesterday's post below).

Sometimes we can be guilty as Christians (in certain church circles anyway), of really downplaying the solemnity of Good Friday / Easter Saturday, of commemorating them in a wishy-washy way (if at all) that almost makes them seem an inconvenience in the build up to the big resurrection celebration on Easter morning. What a celebration that should be! But at the right time, after an appropriate and real recognition and remembrance of the events that lead up to it.

Good Friday

When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died;
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Rampant Reds!

So says the headline on the BBC sport website following the 3-0 victory in Eindhoven this evening. Professional and classy performance against a very poor looking PSV team, 3 good goals which included another header from Crouch (4 goals in the last 2 games now from him including 2 headers - needs to break his nose and have a couple of weeks off more often!), a stormer of a volley from Riise, and a header from Gerrard (makes him Liverpool's highest ever European Cup goalscorer overtaking Ian Rush - 1 of my all time hero's). The way the two teams played you'd have thought Liverpool were at home not away - certainly sounded like that as 'Fields of Anfield Road' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' dominated the noise from the crowd in the 2nd half! Can't believe that we were playing the same team that knocked Arsenal out in the last round! Only downside was serious sounding achilles injury to Fabio Aurelio - sounds like he's going to be out of action for a long time. Still though, great result to follow on from the demolition of Arsenal at the weekend!

At the end of the game David Pleat, 1 of the ITV commentators made me laugh saying that Liverpool had had an easy run because of the teams we'd played in the group stages and then getting PSV and that the real work would have to start when we go on to play Chelsea or Valencia in the next round (assuming we don't get hammered 4-0 at Anfield by PSV in the return leg!). What a stupid comment to make! Did he just forget that we had knocked Barcelona, supposedly the best team in the world as well as defending champions out in the previous round?

Now sat keeping an eye online to see if Ireland can pull off another shock in the Cricket World Cup against the South Africans - but not looking likely now. Looking forward to going to watch a bit of the England v Sri Lanka game tomorrow, though not holding out a great deal of hope for England.

Currently listening to...

Not done a music post for quite a while so:
Kaiser Chiefs: Yours Truly, Angry Mob

Enjoying this greatly at the moment. Highly recommend!





Guillemots: Through The Window Pane

A friend said to me when I first got this back around Christmas that it was brilliant, but a bit of a 'slow grower' and to give it time. He wasn't wrong! (Cheers Rich)


Looking forward to the new Arctic Monkeys album coming out in a few weeks as well - sounds good in the reviews I've seen.