Christmas Shopping

I don’t particularly like shopping for Christmas presents, but last night I spent several hours doing just that. It’s not that I don’t like Christmas – and of course, giving presents to people is a nice sentiment, too. Walking around in streets and shopping centres all decorated for the holidays is nice. But the stress and pressure of it all take away a lot of the fun.

The problem is, it’s so insitutionalised. It is that one time of year that we give each other presents. We know pretty well every year who we will give to and receive from, and also the average amount expected. So every year it’s a rush to find something within that price range that will hopefully make the recipient genuinely happy, not just thanks-for-the-gesture happy. Sometimes it works, and I hope I do have some good things picked out this year, but sometimes – let’s be honest – some of it is really crap. So why do it at all?

It’s easier with children. Perhaps my cynicism is due to the fact that there hasn’t been any kids in the family for a while. Fortunately, my brother and his wife are about to change that.

But if it’s true that it’s not really about the presents but about what they represent, wouldn’t it be better to leave it aside at Christmas? Because of the traditions, it can be hard to distinguish whether you mean it or not.

Instead of all the Christmas stuff, maybe we should start giving presents to people we love at times they don’t expect – all year round. Surprising someone is, after all, a much greater gesture than just conforming to tradition.

Messiah

No Christmas season is complete without hearing Handel’s Messiah. Yesterday I went with my parents to the beautiful Town Hall, Sydney, where Sabine was part of the mass choir at the 66th annual presentation. This was the Sunday afternoon matinée.

The performance was in many ways different than what you usually hear in continental Europe. It is an English tradition to invite pretty much anyone willing to participate in the choir. This makes for an impressive both sight and sound, even if they are not up to par on the speedier parts. In “Hallelujah”, the tenors went astray like sheep and for several bars the whole choir was quite confused. Overall, though, the choir gave quite a good performance.

Conductor Philip Chu (who is no older than I am) seemed confident and engaged. The choir being amateurs, he naturally focused much of his conducting on them. Fortunately, the orchestra played as they should. And organist Peter Kneeshaw, who was playing his 25th Messiah in Town Hall, added a sense of calm and grandeur to the setting. Adding organ to the Messiah is uncommon in Denmark, but with an instrument as magnificent as the one in Town Hall, it would be a shame not to. Especially the 32-foot pipes sounded wonderful.

Tenor James Pratt was without doubt the weakest link in the performance. He probably had a bad day – audibly struggling several places, and not concentrated in his keeping in tempo with the orchestra. Bass Jae-Hyeok Lee had a good voice, but his Korean accent was a bit too heavy not to notice. The girls, meanwhile, were the stars of show. Especially contralto Helen Sherman was the musical highlight, but both she and soprano Simone Easthope (who is a Seventh-Day Adventist) did a wonderful job in narrating and making the words and music come alive.

There were several glitches throughout, but nothing serious enough to tarnish the overall experience. The performance was no match for Camerata in Copenhagen, but considering the young age of most of the performers and the amateur choir, this was a good prelude to a merry Christmas, indeed.

The Radio Community Chest 66th Annual Presentation of Handel’s Messiah
Sydney Town Hall, December 17, 2006
Combined Churches Choir
Conductor: Philip Chu, Organist: Peter Kneeshaw
Soprano: Simone Easthope, Contralto: Helen Sherman, Tenor: James Pratt, Bass: Jae-Heok Lee

Prayer Works

For any non-religious readers, this will probably sound like superstition. I’m writing this with a renewed confidence that God answers prayer. I cannot prove it, but that’s the whole point of having faith. It is hard even to describe what His answer entails. In this case, it’s all in my head – there has been a change in my thoughts which I can only ascribe to God’s intervention. 

The interesting thing is that it is because of others’ prayers, not mine. I can relate to a passage in Cardinal Newman’s poem “The Dream of Gerontius”, where the main character is dying, and implores his friends: “So pray for me, my friends, who have not strength to pray.” A thrilling part in the musical setting of Edward Elgar.

There is beauty in the truth of this option. Intercessory prayer – praying on behalf of others – is just as powerful as personal prayer. I know that friends and family are praying for me. And I know that it makes a difference. So from the bottom of my heart: thank you.

Appreciation

Last month, the official Danish Seventh-day Adventist website, www.adventist.dk won 1st prize for Best Church-Related Web Site in the annual competition at Kristeligt Dagblad, the leading (and only) Christian daily newspaper here. Read more at ANN.

This is good news, obviously, and a great cadeau to the church here. So congratulations! I was webmaster for the site until a year ago. I’m honoured that my name was included in the ANN story, and happy for the remarks I have recieved from a lot of people. No hard feelings in this case, and I still don’t regret quitting my job.

But Thomas Müller hits right on the mark with his last comment: “I am hoping with this public acknowledgement that the church leadership realizes the potential in this media and allocates more resources.”

It is sad that due recognition for work such as this should come from outside sources, and not from the church leadership, but unfortunately it comes as no surprise. Which is probably the main reason I don’t work there anymore.