Day Thirty Five - Calon Lân

‘…those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

they shall walk and not faint’.

Isaiah 40:31

As we enter Advent, our minds are automatically drawn forward with hope. To us in the Western world, what used to be called Christendom, our culture is so entwined with Judeo-Christian culture that it is almost impossible to untangle. At the centre of this culture is hope. Looking forward with anticipation. The anticipation of a better future.

However, this outlook has not been shared by all throughout history. The ancient Egyptians, perhaps one of the greatest of all past cultures, did not strive for continual improvement but rather accepted and settled for what they deemed was already ‘perfect’. An example of this can be seen in the way their art scarcely advanced over two-or-so millennia. This acceptance of the status quo may seem rather lacking in ambition to us, but the Egyptians knew that change can also be for the worse.

However, as Christians we can never escape the glorious, uplifting feeling of hope. Hope is key to the stories of Moses, the exiles, and throughout our scripture, and it is hope that, at the end of a year sullied by the pandemic and social division, we look forward to Christmas and beyond. But what do we hope for?

Personally, I hope that we can turn away from the current trend of grouping people as to their ethnicity, age, gender, or other external factors and instead view all equally as individual human beings, and find a way where we can reclaim a respectful nation where all are included and none are ashamed to have somewhere to call home. Above all I hope that we can move away from our obsession with material worth and all of the squabbles and injustices it causes and concentrate on what really matters; a pure, happy and honest heart. The modern festive season is often accompanied by over-indulgence, frivolity and excess but, without sounding over puritanical, I hope that we can instead refocus on the true meaning of Christmas.

This ideal is perhaps best typified in Calon Lân, originally written by Daniel Jones as a hymn, but now heard most as a folk song often sung at international rugby matches. The first verse, and its translation (Gwyn T. Williams) are thus;

Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus,

Aur y byd na'i berlau mân:

Gofyn wyf am galon hapus,

Calon onest, calon lân.

I don't ask for a luxurious life,

the world's gold or its fine pearls,

I ask for a happy heart,

an honest heart, a pure heart.

So, by staying true to our faith and by looking forward with hope, hope for purity and honesty, we too may ‘mount up with wings like eagles’ and ‘not be weary’. With a pure heart filled with the strength of the Lord we can all look forward to Christmas and what lies beyond with hope.

Eternal Father,

We thank you that in a world of despair, You are our hope.

In a world of darkness, You are our light.

In a world of sorrow, You are our joy.

Amen.

Gwyn Davies