One church in the Benefice holds a monthly service of Evensong in which sections from the Book of Common Prayer and a Psalm are sung. This involves the organist playing a series of chords whilst the congregation chant their way through the texts. This is not as easy as it sounds unless one has been brought up in the Church of England and knows the rhythm and the moment when the music changes onto another note.
This is called ‘pointing’ and takes time to learn. As a consequence the chanting of a Psalm can be disjointed. However, the congregation of St John’s the Evangelist in Pauntley perseveres, and each month is gradually improving its skill and enjoyment as their ears become attuned to the cadences of this lovely traditional service.
As well as music, our ears can also become attuned to prayers, and so it was with expectation that I closed my eyes during an evensong earlier this year and heard the familiar plea for God’s blessing for Doctors, Nurses, Social Workers. Politicians and World Leaders.
It was however, during this prayer that the thought came to me that the list of recipients for God’s blessing were all public sector workers. Not one mention of the self employed, the plumber, tractor driver, sheep shearer, woodman, the foreman or stockman. I heard not one word of entreaty for the factory manager, the shop assistant, the bus driver or the man who ought to be employed filling the pot holes in the roads around here.
Now I know I am being unreasonable and that the clergy cannot list all the folks in need of special attention from God, but it does make me wonder why certain jobs justify regular mention over and above the others. I reckon my Great Uncle George would have known. He used to say that, “No matter what the job is, it can be performed as a ministry.”
Great Uncle George was a legend on the Methodist Circuits having never missed a preaching assignment and, during the long winter of 1947 for walking many miles in deep snow to speak at outlying villages. I am sure he would agree that the plumber who comes out of hours to mend a leak, and then sits down for a cuppa whilst listening to the woes of the widow or the lonely man is doing God’s work as much as anyone else. The same can be said to apply to the rural postman who is a source of all kinds of help and information about the residents on his round.
Don’t ask me why, but thinking about the huge number of different jobs, also reminds me of the vastly different grasses used by farmers and smallholders. One variety much used for livestock is perennial rye grass which is long lived with a high yield and a good sward density. It can be mixed in various percentages with other types of grass including Italian rye. This, although short lived is exceptionally high yielding, is suitable for silage or hay, and has a good recovery after cutting.
Grass has to be chosen for the conditions and the uses to which it will be put and, like many things in life, it is often better mixed to give an overall performance rather than just having one single purpose. In our own case, regular grazing by sheep calls for a long term mixed grass ley of five years plus.
April, and May are the times of year when grass is at its best for cattle and sheep, and it is a wonderful sight to see a field of grazing cattle or sheep. To many townsfolk however grass is thought of as a nuisance which has to be cut and controlled, and is valued only for its colour. It represents work and so vast quantities of slow-growing, stunted varieties are purchased so as to minimise mowing and maintenance. However, country folk take a different view. To them, grass is the essential backcloth on the stage of life with a value far above its use as the best nutritional food for livestock.
Many stock keepers also like to see clover in the ley as it helps to fix nitrogen and the long leaved varieties are most suitable for grazing and give dense growth. But as far as local bee keepers are concerned the shorter white clover, (Trifolium repens) is a better choice. This is because unlike the red variety, the flower is short enough for the honey bee to reach the nectar, although if a cut of silage has been taken, the second growth of red clover produces a shorter flower. The best clover for the honey bee is however the wild white. This makes for a happy honey bee and a delighted apiarist.
Talking about busy bees further reminds me that, although we started this month’s View from the Pew at prayer in an English Church we will end it in a USA Synagogue. After the service, the Rabbi singled out a hyper active precocious six year and said, “So, your mother proudly tells me that she prays for you every night,” What does she say?” The boy replied,
“She says, “Thank God he’s in bed!”
View from the Pew 