Jesus has just told his hearers a hard saying on divorce. People find it difficult to hear. When I preached on it once, a woman stomped out of the church. She objected not only to Jesus’ words, but to the very fact we were talking about it. I supposed that Jesus was simply speaking the truth. Anyone who has divorced and has children knows they cannot split the child into the father’s or the mother’s only. And that the relationship with the other spouse will continue through the children no matter how hard and awful the relationship is. Jesus is speaking the truth.
I suspect most preachers will rush to the end of this text where Jesus says Suffer the Little Children to come unto me and speak of our Savior’s love for children. The close relationship of these two topics is not an accident of Mark’s gospel. Is Jesus showing us how to treat the children after such a calamity? Some say that. Others don't see how the two are related. I think we should take them as a whole. Then we should refresh our understanding of a child’s faith and trust. To read about a song perfect for next Sunday, click this link to a piece on one of the favorite Sunday School songs: The Wise Man Built his House upon the Rock
HYMN WRITER ANNIVERSARIES
LINA SANDELL
October is a birthday month for three hymn writers who deserve mention. Lina Sandell was born on October 3, 1832. I featured her in the hymn for last week, Children of the Heavenly Father.
LISBETH SMEDEGAARD ANDERSEN
This week is also the 90th birthday of Pastor Lisbeth Smedegaard Andersen, Denmark’s most accomplished hymn writer today. In addition to writing many hymns and poems, she has taught us how to look at the great treasury of art that preaches the Gospel to us. Her book on Rembrandt as a modern preacher was a revelation to art lovers who had not looked at the work of Rembrandt as sermons. Unfortunately, none
of these works have been translated into English and they should be.. I first met her in 1994 at the 300th anniversary celebration of Hans Adolph Brorson in Løgumkloster, Denmark and have followed her career as a colleague and friend with admiration. She served a congregation in Risskov and then Holmen church, a historic Baroque church, in the middle of Copenhagen. In her retirement she has written many books on Christian art, narratives of her family that intersect with the history of Denmark, as well as hymns and poems, many of which have been set by some of Denmark’s leading composers. During the pandemic she wrote hymns on the prayers of Kierkegaard. She continues writing both hymns and books on biblical themes such as Mary and Jesus, or women in the bible. A real treasure of the church! Happy Birthday!
One of the most interesting of her poetric works is her crown of sonnets (a collection of 15 sonnets), “The Wind Stirs up the Leaves in all the Gardens.” They treat the fourteen stations of the cross. A crown of sonnets is a poetic achievement, one in which the last line of the first sonnet becomes the first line of the next sonnet, and the last sonnet is made up of the fourteen first lines of each sonnet, a tour de force. It has been set to music by Per Skriver for choir, reader and a small string group. I have translated that. Click here to read the translation of the Crown of Sonnets.
Hallgrímur Pétursson
October 27, will be the 350th birthday of Hallgrímur Pétursson, Iceland’s greatest hymn writer, especially his Fifty Hymns of the Passion. It will be marked by many events, one of them a performance of an oratorio using Hallgrimur’s hymns in Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik at which I hope to be present. In 2019, the church published my translation of the fifty hymns which I did with the help of the now late retired bishop Karl Sigurbjörnsson. For more on Hallgrímur, click here. (They would make a fine study during Lent.)
Last hymn in the Passion
