I wonder if you are a ‘Swiftie’? This is the name is given to fans who follow the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift who is an extremely gifted, popular and very successful pop star. She is only in her thirties but has been writing songs for many years that come from her heart about her feelings, vulnerabilities and relationships. Writing from the heart takes a lot of courage and when you are on the world’s stage it is open to public scrutiny, but for the ‘Swifties’ her words speak to them in their situation. I wonder if the same could be said in general of works of literature, art, poetry, music, sculpture etc where there has been a process of self examination of life along the way to the completed work.
In early June, St Paul’s in Alverthorpe will host the Borealis Chamber Choir who will be recording some choral works that were composed out of a mixture of sad-ness and joy in the composer’s life. The composer is Robert Fürstenthal (1920-2016), a Jewish émigré who narrowly escaped the Holocaust and later settled in California. Steve Muir who is co-director of the choir, has been asked to make the recordings by Robert’s 100 year old widow, Françoise. After the war, Robert believed that Françoise, his child-
hood sweetheart back in Vienna, had been murdered in Auschwitz. But miraculously they found each other again thirty or so years later, neither of them knowing that the other was still alive, and both living in the US! They married, and Robert poured out his joy and gratitude via a remarkable body of new musical compositions until his death 8 years ago. Take time to read that again – what a story!! We look forward to hearing the final recording.
Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are ‘human beings’ and not ‘human doings’. In other words life is not about rushing around from one thing to the next but also allowing time to sit and reflect on life. When we do this, it allows us see more of God’s hand at work in our lives and indeed in the world. In the early days of the Church, St Irenaeus wrote “The Glory of God is man (and women of course) fully alive”. Being ‘alive’ is more than just existing but experiencing the wonder of our lives and the world God has given us to share. There may be times when we feel we have fallen short or things can not be redeemed but nothing is beyond God’s mercy and forgiveness. We are followers of a God of new beginnings and all of life’s experiences can be used by God as we are transformed into Jesus likeness and our own lives can be offered to God as a work of art.

Take care and God Bless, Glenn
Rev Glenn Coggins, Vicar of the United Benefice of North Wakefield