Jan_2018_web

“O Worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness”
The first line of the hymn appears on the cards placed on
arrangements on Chain of Flowers’ day. Perhaps we might ask
for the hymn to be sung at a service during that day as well as
the Association prayer being said? Surely the emphasis on the
beauty of the flowers that we arrange should be paramount in our
work as a symbol of creation and the Creator. One day someone
will write and argue with me and I will be delighted.
Recently I found a poem in “The Prayer Book Today”, the
magazine of the Prayer Book Society which I recommend to your
reading. We are very grateful that the Prayer Book Society and
especially Neil Inkley have given us permission to print it for
you.
Ruth
The Beauty of Holiness – Neil Inkley
Said beauty unto holiness, ‘Can I be all of thee?’
‘I fear not,’ answered holiness, ‘for you are bound to see
That there are things which charm the eye and other senses too
But these can be an earthly kind with earthly human hue.
Such things are fine, aesthetic, but not necessarily riven
With that special other quality to take them up to heaven.
’Said holiness to beauty, ‘Can I be all of thee?’
‘Indeed so,’ answered beauty, ‘for you are bound to see
That holiness is heavenward faced,
There only beauteous things are placed
And thus, with God’s good grace full-crowned,
The beauty of holiness doth abound’.
Together said beauty and holiness, ‘Then can we overlap?
‘Indeed,’ they answered both at once, their closeness no mishap.
Then beauty said, ‘The larger thing, it must be me for not all of me is holy.’
‘Yes,’ holiness replied ‘the smaller one is me, though all of me is beauty.
Just see us as concentric rings, the core of which is me;
Which is only right and proper where holiness should be.’
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