Sing for Joy - The festival proper

The Flower Festival has been and gone - but what an event it turned out to be after all that hard work! It took;

- a team of thirteen arrangers three days to condition bucketfuls of flowers and create the designs.

- hundreds of people to come through our doors, both during the daytime and for our special preview evening and Festal Evensong events.
- many, many delicious cakes, cookies and quiches to be baked and eaten, and countless cups of tea to be made and drunk!
- a small army of volunteers to serve refreshments, welcome visitors and sell craft items. Some folk even acted as drivers for friends and neighbours so they didn't miss out...

In the craft marquee with Nilisha (stone artist)
and Katherine (author)

We couldn't have achieved any of this without them all.

But the main attraction - of course - was the flowers. So here, for your pleasure, are photos of the arrangements and the wording that accompanied them in the festival booklet. There are also a few 'in progress' pictures for the flower arrangers among you... 

Enjoy!

Sing for Joy! - a Flower Festival based on hymns and worship songs.

1.  Come on and Celebrate!

Music and songs have always been an important part of worship in our church communities through the ages. And so we invite you to enter this holy place to enjoy a few of our favourites…

Thank God that we can worship him with music and singing.

Photo by Graham North

2. Who put the colours in the rainbow?

How often do we really look around us, at the wonders of creation? Science tries to explain, but there are still some things that defy explanation, that can only be accounted for because of the hand of our Divine Creator God.

Take time to thank God for the wonders of His universe and the world He created for us. Pray that we all become better stewards of this earth. 

Not just flowers that end up in the windows...

By day

By night. (Photo by John Buckland)

Katherine (one of the festival organisers)
 with the Mayor of Charnwood and Lady Mayoress

3. On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry

John the Baptist’s message promised that the Lord was nigh and gave us the opportunity to be washed clean of sin.

Give thanks for all who come to be baptised and start a new life with Christ, whatever their age.

Look closely for locusts and honey...

4.  We eat the plants that grow from the seeds

By members of Ronald West Court (sheltered housing)

We may not be as in touch with the land these days as our ancestors were, but the harvest – which we can widen to include skills and talents as well as food - still comes from God.

Thank God for the food you eat and for the skills with which he has blessed humankind that can be used to improve many lives.

5. Angel voices ever singing

A throne of light, surrounded by angels forever singing. What a wonderful concert that must be!

Pray for all who perform Christian music which touches the hearts of all who hear it.

And the throne lit up!

6. The old rugged cross

The crucifixion and death of Jesus was such a huge a sacrifice, we can barely comprehend it.

Give thanks that Jesus was prepared to follow God’s will, even to death, to show how great His love was for us.

7. The Wise Man Built his House upon the Rocks

An easy reminder that, without sure foundations, a building might collapse. In the same way, our faith needs to be built on sure foundations so it stands the test of time.

Thank God for all who help us to deepen our understanding and build a solid foundation on which to build our faith.

8. Peace is flowing like a River

By members of Badger Court (sheltered housing complex)

In our broken world, the idea of peace, love, hope or joy flowing through lands which have been torn apart by conflict or ravaged by natural disaster or man’s greed seems difficult to imagine. But one day…

Take a moment to pray for a place in the world you know is troubled and ask that peace, love, hope and joy would flood that place.

9.  Let us break bread together

The bread and wine are what Jesus left us to remember him by and are integral to the Lord’s Supper.

Thank God for the sacrament of Holy Communion, through which ‘we are all one body, for we all share in one bread’.

10. Holy, Holy, Holy

Written by Bishop Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta, who died in our link diocese, Trichy. The altar front has been decorated to look like the altar in CSI St Mary’s, Pudukkottai (the church with which we are directly linked) and has an Indian influence.

Thank God for the church throughout the world and ask for a deeper understanding of what it is like to be Christian in other places.

Good enough to wear, but not
a patch on Tamil garlands

11. Thine be the glory

The resurrection in all its glory, promising us that death is not the end and that we have eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Pray for all who have died in faith over the centuries. Pray too for anyone you know who has been bereaved and ask God to comfort them in these sad times with the promise of eternal life.

From sketchbook...

...to buckets of potential...

...to angels...

...and the resurrection

Photo by John Buckland

12.  Thanks to God whose Word was spoken

As of November 2014, the full Bible has been translated into 531 languages, with 2,883 languages having at least some portion of the Bible.

Give thanks for the translators who work so hard to enable the Word of God to reach people throughout the world.

Photo by Graham North

13. Bind us together

Too often our differences pull us apart.

Pray that we would be able to embrace differences, recognising that we each have a unique part to play in the church, and that God will bind us together with love and a common purpose.

Photo by Graham North

14. Crown him with many crowns

All the crowns have been made by the young people of our congregation to remind us of Jesus the King.

Take a moment to give thanks for our Queen, Elizabeth II; that she has such a strong faith and that although she is royalty, she worships a higher King.

15. Lord, the light of your love is shining

A reminder of the brightness and radiance of God’s glory and of Jesus, light of the World.

Pray for the dark places in life, and ask that God would bring light to them.

16. Father, I place into your hands…

Too often, life has big issues and we feel helpless in trying to resolve them on our own. Thankfully, we can hand these things to God and place them in his hands, knowing that he hears and answers all our prayers. The altar cloth, made specially for this festival, reflects this idea.

Take time to offer to God the things you need to.

17. Lord, you have my heart

The hymn talks of being a sacrifice, of Jesus taking our lives and leading us on; the memorial garden not only remembers the men of Nanpantan who lost their lives in the First World War, but many past members of our congregation whose lives were a sacrifice in smaller ways.

Give thanks for those who even now, seek to serve by protecting us from danger. Pray that you would discern God’s will for your life, and offer it up as a fresh sacrifice to him.

Photo by Graham North

18. All Creatures of our God and King

We are blessed with beautiful woods around our place of worship. Take time to walk through and visit the seven different stations where you can pause and reflect on different aspects of God’s creation.

All creatures of our God and King,

lift up your voices, let us sing:

Alleluia, alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beams, 

thou silver moon that gently gleams,

O praise him, O praise him, 

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,

ye clouds that sail in heaven along,

O praise him, Alleluia!

Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice, 

ye lights of evening, find a voice,

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,

make music for thy Lord to hear,

Alle-‘loo’-ya, Alle-‘loo’-ya!

Thou fire so masterful and bright,

that givest man both warmth and light,

O praise him, O praise him,

Alle-‘loo’-ya, Alle-‘loo’-ya, Alle-‘loo’-ya !

In the downstairs toilet - our vicar's arrangement.
(She's being promoted next year to a window...!)

Dear mother earth, who day by day

unfoldest blessings on our way,

O praise him, Alleluia!

The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,

let them his glory also show:

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

And all ye men of tender heart,

forgiving others, take your part,

O sing ye Alleluia!

Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,

praise God and on him cast your care:

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

And thou, most kind and gentle death,

waiting to hush our latest breath,

O praise him, Alleluia!

Thou leadest home the child of God,

and Christ our Lord the way hath trod:

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

In the area for scattering ashes of loved ones

Let all things their Creator bless,

and worship him in humbleness,

O praise him, Alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,

and praise the Spirit, Three in One:

O praise him, O praise him,

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

          

And although we didn't have a song listed about Mary, we couldn't leave her flowerless...

Hope you've enjoyed seeing the arrangements on this virtual 'walk' around the church and grounds. Thank God for photographs to keep the memory alive, as church looks awfully bare since the take-down!