This week I’ve been busy taking my daughter to and from GSCE exams, preparing for an historic General Synod, writing the next series of Thanks, A Lot, Milton Jones for BBC Radio 4, and recording Christmas podcasts for Faith in Kids.
My article-writing time has been diverted to a piece I’m still putting together for for Seen and Unseen about the outpouring of grief for Matthew Perry (aka Chandler Bing; aka Chanandler Bong). So just a few links this week.
Tomorrow is 11th November, when we remember - and misremember - our war dead. The First World War is still fixed in the public imagination as a tragedy, even though we were victorious. I wrote about that over at Thinking Faith here.
But 11th November is also a far more ancient festival celebrated in Britain - and most of Europe - for over a thousand years: Martinmas. I have decided to celebrate the day by eating quite a lot of meat. I’m going to attempt burnt ends, along with ribs. If you don’t know about Martinmas, I wrote about it here:
Mythmaking, Martinmas & General Melchett
Call it divine providence, a glitch in the matrix or a quirk of fate, but Armistice Day is also the feast of Martinmas. What is Martinmas? This is a feast day that emerged from France around the cult of St Martin, a Roman soldier, who was baptised as an adult and became a bishop in Tours. Saintly acts included cutting his cloak in half to share with a beg…
After Martinmas, I plan to start an Advent fast. I read somewhere that historically advent began after the day after Martinmas, but that it was shortened to begin four weeks before Christmas. For obvious reasons. I think Advent is really important as I explain here:
Reclaim Christmas
It’s still Christmas. It’s such a shame that Christmas feels like it ends just after lunch on Christmas Day. Maybe some opening of presents keeps the feeling going a little longer. But by the evening, you don’t really want to see a Christmas special of your favourite TV drama or sitcom set at Christmas. You want to move on. The new year is coming. Resol…
How this advent fast will manifest itself is still yet to be decided. I think it will involve the avoidance of bread, cakes, biscuits and crisps. So if you catch me eating those before Christmas, have words.
Talking of having words, patreons of the Cooper and Cary Have Words podcast are able to listen to the extended version of our new episode about The Chosen. Should Christians be watching it? People have been asking what we think for ages. And now all is revealed.
Why not just us on Patreon or Cooper and Cary+ on Apple podcasts to listen to it now?
