One thing the British do well is ceremony. On Saturday night I watched on television the Service of remembrance from the Albert Hall. This is the most solemn day in the British calender when on the anniversary of the armistice in the First World War, we remember our war dead in that and subsequent conflicts. It is especially poignant when our troops are engaged in daily battles as they are in Afghanistan.
The symbol of it all is the poppy, which grew in the fields of Flanders where the great battles of the Somme, and Ypres were fought. Everyone wears a paper poppy on their coat. David Cameron recently almost offended the Chinese on his recent visit there. They thought it was a reference back to the Opium Wars.
The actual service was splendid. The whole Royal Family was there and all leading politicians, but also thousands of ordinary people as well as serving soldiers. Near the end there was two minutes silence during which thousands of paper poppies fluttered down from the soaring ceiling.
I was pleased to see that one of the hymns was How Great Thou Art!
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
And when I think that God his son not sparing,
Sent him to die - I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home- what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
There was the Duke of Edinburgh straight like a ramrod singing out the words for all he was worth and the Queen, jiggling slightly to the rhythm like a Momma in a Gospel church. And there were Ed Milliband the Labour leader and Nick Clegg the Liberal Democrat leader, both avowed atheists, singing out the second and third verses as if they believed them.
What is the world coming to?
2 comments:
Actually Dr. Hamblin, as an American, I can think of a great many things that the British do well..... being masters of the written language in ways that we do not seem to be able to match, knowing when to be silent and just do what must be done, and a little good old fashioned reserve when appropriate are a few things I can think of right off the top of my head. Not to mention all those wonderful British Mystery Series. v
How Great Thou Art is a very good hymn. I enjoy it as well.
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