Friday, December 23, 2011

Behold, the tabernacle of the Lord

What a wonderful surprise this morning to pick up the Christchurch Press from my drive and open it up to a glorious photo on the frontpage of my friend and colleague, Mark Chamberlain illustrating an article about the many different places churches will meet in this year for Christmas services, including a magnificent marquee at St Barnabas' Fendalton where Mark is the vicar.



You can read the article here.

PS It looks like a purple shirt but in reality it is not. But there might be some ribbing from colleagues :)

UPDATE: On Christmas morning I and my family worshipped in this tabernacle - beautifully decorated, full of people (we were at 9 am, one of five services in the parish that morning), and with excellent presidential leadership by Philip Robinson and a great sermon by Mark.

Generally it would appear that, with kind weather, outdoors worship (following the quakes on 23rd December 2011) in Christchurch Anglican parishes went well. A lovely account of midnight worship under the Southern Cross for the St Michaels-and-All-Angels parish is given by Bosco Peters.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

A church in a tent? I feel a text coming on .....

Kai o logos sarx egeneto kai eskenosen en hemin.

& an evangelical in the citadel of Bob Lowe! Laus Deo.

Martin

Father Ron Smith said...

Nice picture of your friend, Peter. Is he from the Ne;son Diocese? I see he's wearing a purple shirt. Not movng to AMiA any time soon?

Only joking!

Happy Christmas!

Peter Carrell said...

Hi Ron,
Happy Christmas to you and Diana!

Like me Mark grew up in the Christchurch Diocese and served later in the Nelson Diocese.

In reality the shirt (which I have seen this week) is a deep red and not at all purple.

liturgy said...

deep red in Advent?
I guess that will be another option in the next NZ Lectionary ;-)

Blessings

Bosco

Peter Carrell said...

Yes, Bosco, and the Clergy Trade Union (NZ) are taking up the plight of clergy and the cost of their uniforms. They are pushing for a doubling of the Shirt Allowance so we can have two shirts per required colour (slightly "off purple" for Lent and Advent so no unnecessary confusion with bishops is caused)!

Anonymous said...

But what will the union do about all those filthy habits?
Is this something they can cope with?
Or is that surplice to requirements?

Hmm, time I stole away quietly ...

Martin

liturgy said...

There's a shirt allowance?!!!
Ah yes - twice zero...

Can we go Sarum:
off purple for Lent
Blue for Advent
& of course we need rose
but probably only one
it's used so little...

Bosco

Peter Carrell said...

White would double for clergy cricket matches; and gold would be good for parties :)

Father Ron Smith said...

Your friend better not wash this red/purple shirt too often, Peter, it might eventually go pink, and then what would everyone think?