Occasional Scribbles

History Repeating Itself!

Church reading 2025

Two years ago having gone to the only church service in the year I ever try to attend,  I wrote about being completely and unexpectedly, asked to do a reading at the Christmas Carol service. I am not a church goer. But the church lies at the back of my garden and I do love the Carol service.

Somewhat sadly the church now, my church, is part of a grouping of four others. Services there, are more or less only for weddings, Christenings and funerals for ‘locals’ that span these four ministries. But fortunately there is a Carol service even if it’s rather early for Christmas, falling as it has almost two weeks before Christmas and not Christmas Eve as it has done in years past. Sad.

This time there was no cold and glittering frost like a million sparkling diamonds when I crossed my garden to the church, as there was two years ago when I raced to this lovely service. No bells called the faithful to prayer, despite the church being a favourite for bell ringers, having six bells. Their haunting sound often floats across my garden throughout the year as they practice ringing.

Very kindly, since he really has no interest in such things, the Other, wanting to support my enjoyment of the Christmas service, accompanied me again. Despite the glowing red lights of the heaters prettily strung inside, he was still cold! 

Having introduced ourselves to yet another unfamiliar lady vicar, we took our seat in the pew not quite at the back of the church as we have before. With so few people then, it seemed silly to be so far back, this time. The lady vicar began to walk up the aisle to begin the service and passing us, suddenly thrust a reading at me and more or less kept going.

What to do? I could hardly chase after her and say Non! Not me. Again.

The service got under way and I quickly read through the reading. Matthew 2:1-11!! This time, it happened to follow ‘while shepherds wash their socks by night’ which the lady vicar actually said, slightly embarrassed, that was how she sang it and perhaps it showed her age as no one nowadays even probably knows we all used sing it thus. Oh we did, I thought!

I’d never read the reading before as I’ve read little of the Bible and am not familiar with much of it. Fortunately the long A4 page was in fairly large print. They must think only sightless oldies like me will take on the obligation. I’d had a couple of G&Ts before setting off for the service. I said to the Other under my breath that I now regretted the second. He came back with a quick rejoinder that I probably should  have had a third! 

My eyes were a little blurred as I sang the carols and my contact lenses didn’t seem to be quite in place, though it could have been the gin.  I tried to poke them about my eyes as we sang the carols. I think I got them about right and the print was quite large even for me.

So the time came. I’d actually sent a prayer to our Lord, asking him to ensure I read well and clearly and hopefully with some cheery intonation as those preceding me were a little boring and hard to hear. Wicked of me I know!

The lady vicar assured me she’d call me for my reading but actually, luckily there was no need as she didn’t! It was all painfully clear, my reading was the fifth. And so, yet again, two years later, I trembled up the aisle. Luckily my contact lenses saw a rather blurred congregation as I turned to face them. With the confidence of the far blind, I set to. 

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. ….”

Well I knew this bit I thought, though I was really thinking that Herod killed off all the babies.  But Herod seemed quite keen about the new baby, our Lord Jesus Christ. Herod asked to be told where the babe was so he could also worship this incredible arrival of the birth of our Saviour to the Virgin Mary.

I barely remember the rest. I slightly blew the line at the end, “for the word of the Lord.”?

But I dribbled out the last and only important line.

“Thanks be to God.” I’d made it! For the second time!

Merry Christmas everyone.