Some
elements of the Choir disapproved of such frivolity and felt that a
Psalm was required to restore due decorum. And so:
Psalm 152
1. We are here today to celebrate Lila
Sanders' birthday;
can anyone believe she’s |turning
|ninety?
On the contrary
Most of us thought she was al |ready one
|hundred and|five.
2. She has been sacristan at St George’s
since nineteen ,
or was it eighteen |fifty
|eight?
At any rate |longer than |most of us
.can re|member.
3.+ During
the whole of this time
it is said that her appearance has | changed very | little
Which is a |most re|markable |
feat
4. She put some flowers on the altar in
the old church ;
And Harry Bailey accused her of trying
to| pretty it |up
As Sacristan she followed Harry Gourley;
Whilst under the direction of Kathleen
Bright |Parker |O.B.|E.
5. She has already seen off eight
incumbents,
namely,
Harry Bailey,
Norman Hill,
Don Hardy,
David de Dear,
Lawrence Reeve,
Noel Whale,
Paul White,
Bill Ray,
Old Uncle Tom | Cobley and |
all
and there is every expectation,
that she will do for |Bar.b'ra |Colliver
as |well!
6+ At that time she did not know what a
sacristan was;
she would say I am | just the | laundress
However we must concede that over the
intervening years
her per|formance has |slightly im|proved.
7. Fortunately she has other talents
With Roma Reeve, Joan Almond, Edith
Pitcher, and EdithRayner;
she was a member of St |George's|
tapestry group.
Together they were responsible for the
beautiful |kneelers we| use . at the |altar;
8. You may know she is a |talented|
painter;
never |satis.fied| with her| work.
9. Her faithful and cheerful service are
an |example. to us| all:
Lila, we |honour| and sa|lute you.
10. We are all here to say how |much we
|love you:
we |wish you .a |very .happy| birthday.
11.+ Let us now give three |cheers for
|Lila
And raise our glasses to toast
a |wonderful | ninety | years
Glory be to the Father and |to the| Son,
and to the Holy Ghost, and| to the
|Sacris|tan
As Lila was in the beginning, she is now
and | ever| shall be,
World without |end A|- -|men.
Text said to have been found among the ancient writings in
the
Dead Sea Scrolls. Translated and slightly adapted by Meron Pitcher,
Barry Wilkes and Roger Brown
Listen to Psalm 152
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