Wednesday 30th December – In the Bleak Mid Winter Christina Rossetti was the daughter of an Italian refugee. She was raised as a High Church Anglican and broke off her engagement when her fiance converted to Catholicism. She wrote this hymn as a poem and it didn’t appear in a hymnbook until 1906 – after […]
URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 29th December 2020
Tuesday 29th December – It Came upon the Midnight Clear This carol by Edward Sears is a firm favourite across the denominations despite the Unitarianism of the writer. In the hymn Sears laments the world at war not hearing the message the angels brought. In the UK it is usually sung to Arthur Sullivan’s tune […]
URC Daily Devotion Monday 28th December 2020
Monday 28th December – The Coventry Carol Both the words and music of this carol date back to the middle ages and put in sung form the dramatic, and horrific, slaughter of the Innocents. Annie Lennox’s version of it is particularly haunting. St Matthew 2: 16-18 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by […]
URC Daily Devotion Sunday 27th December 2020
Sunday 27th December – The Candle Song Candle lighting has long been part of Catholic and Orthodox spirituality but was treated with suspicion at the Reformation. It’s interesting that in many of our churches we have, at least in Advent, lit candles and we realise that it’s now a popular part of spirituality. Kendrick recognises […]
URC Daily Devotion Saturday 26th December 2020
Saturday 26th December – Good King Wenceslas This hymn written by the Anglican hymn writer and translator JM Neale was written to promote the spirit of generosity. It is thought that Boxing Day – the Feast of Stephen – was when servants and tradespeople received their “Christmas boxes” from the employers. Turning to the legend […]
URC Daily Devotion Friday 25th December 2020
Friday 25th December – While Shepherds Watched their Flocks By Night This carol is a paraphrase of the Gospel account of the angels and the shepherds made by Irish man Nathum Tate. Many tunes have been used for this – we normally use Winchester New which has an appropriately churchy feel to it. However, Cranbrook […]
URC Daily Devotion Thursday 24th December 2020
Thursday 24th December – Hark the Herald Angels Sing This hymn has been edited since Wesley’s, long forgotten, original. George Whitfield changed some of the words and cut some of the verses (which were originally of four lines each) whilst Charles Burnley changed the hymn to its current form of three 8 line verses. We […]
URC Daily Devotion Wednesday 23rd December 2020
Wednesday 23rd December – The Cherry Tree Carol Other than he was an honourable man who encountered the Divine in his dreams, we know little of Joseph. This lack of knowledge inspired people over the years to wonder how he really felt when learning that Mary was with child. The Cherry Tree Carol is one […]
URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 22nd December 2020
Tuesday 22nd December – Masters in This Hall This appears to be an ancient carol but only dates from the Victorian era when William Morris – famous for art, design, poetry and socialism, and much more – wrote it. It tells of the poor shepherds who came to see Jesus. St Luke 1: 46-55 And […]
URC Daily Devotion Sunday Worship – 20th December 2020
URC Daily Devotions Service for Sunday 20th December 2020Advent 4 – Come thou long expected Jesus Opening Music I believe in Father Christmas by Greg Lake They said there’ll be snow at ChristmasThey said there’ll be peace on earthBut instead it just kept on rainingA veil of tears for the virgin birth.I remember one Christmas morningA winter’s […]