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Text: Gracia Grindal                                        Tune: Rusty Edwards   To A Maid whose Name was Mary, The Angel Gabriel Came . Text: Gracia Grindal                                        Tune: Amanda Husberg or Daniel Damon   VISITATION Somewhere I hear the church bells ringing From cities, towns and countryside, And every cell within me singing A song that cannot be denied. The bells are telling with their sound Good news to everyone around.   For as they ring, I feel my body Leap up with joy to hear the news. For now we know that youthful Mary Is certain that the news is true. The time has come—she is with child Ring out wild bells, ring, joyful, wild!   For Mary, blest among all women, Is bearing God within her womb. Through her our Lord is fully human In her divinity makes room. And comes to us as long foretold, Ring in the new, ring out the old!   Look up and see the sun is shining The bells are telling bright as noon For in this joyful noonday chiming We know that Christ is coming soon. Through Mary’s body, heaven nears, Ring out wild bells, ring out with cheer!   REFLECTION One of the hymns recommended for this Sunday is To a Maid Engaged to Joseph, my text on the annunciation but the main body of Sunday's lesson is the Visitation.)   Although the Visitation is officially celebrated on May 31, the lesson for this Sunday is the story of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth in Juda. It is one of my favorite days in the church year. Like the Annunciation which precedes this account, artists have painted it many times, some of them, the most beautiful paintings of all time. In addition, it is so filled with biblical allusions, it can hardly be well mined in a short blog! The reference to John’s kicking in his mother’s womb in recognition of his Lord comes straight from the story of David leading the ark into Jerusalem, and dancing for joy. Mary is like the ark of the covenant carrying in her womb as she does the fulfillment of the prophecies of the past thousand years. The ark housed the two tablets of the Law, fragments of manna, the staff of Aaron, images of who Jesus will be--the word made flesh, the bread of life, the kingly priest forever.   And yet it is such a homely story. A girl, pregnant out of wedlock, fleeing the gossip of her home town, goes for refuge to her old cousin who sees in her the fulfillment of prophecy and greets her with what we now know as the rosary prayer. "Hail, Mary, full of grace, blessed art thou among women." There is divinity in this simple moment. It is the way God works through all of the biblical story through Revelation.   The Angelus by Francois Jean Millet The church made it part of what became the Angelus prayer—repeated three times a day, morning, noon and especially in the evening when the vesper bell rang. It was part of the rhythms of the day in Christian Europe for centuries. One of the most famous paintings from late 19th century France of two peasants in a field praying is called the Angelus. We can see by the church spire in the back of the painting that the picture is about prayer. And can almost hear the bell ringing.   There is nothing in Scripture that doesn’t echo previous events. Here we have the fulfillment of the hope for Messiah told with the richest set of biblical images. They ring in our minds like the Angelus bells. Listen to them, search for them reverberating all through your celebration of the coming Christmas event! As they ring out, let them bless you.   HYMN INFO This text on the Visitation was part of my hymn text series on the B series of the Revised Common Lectionary. Close readers will hear echoes of Tennyson's section from his great poem In Memorian , "Ring out Wild Bells." Dan Damon wrote a tune that is part of Hope Publishing House' treasury. The other, by Amanda Husberg, was published by Wayne Leupold Editions. Wayne Leupold the owner and publisher asked me now twenty years ago to write texts on all of the Revised Common Lectionary texts, excluding the psalms. which I did happily. It was a new way to revel in the Word and try to make the texts speak to our time. I would write a text for the Sunday on Saturday night and then spend the rest of the week working it over. He asked me to do so when I was beginning to think my writing career was over. His request opened a door in my life that was full of blessings and surprises. Thanks.   LINKS (There are no links to the Visitation text, but the annunciation text was set by Rusty Edwards, a student of mine at Luther Seminary. During my hymn writing class I began writing hymn texts as examples for my students and began a series on the women in the Gospels. He, a brand new composer, set them to tunes, some of which have become popular and included in succeeding hymnals. A wonderful surprise!   Schola Cantorum of St. Peter https://youtu.be/CmkozmrNWn4?si=zfAGgj6xMqq_zJ1p   John Wesley Slider https://youtu.be/gC1Kv7WxVQY?si=zFWJuFYmGJuaSsNP   First United Methodist Church (a dialogue between the angel and Mary) https://youtu.be/CmkozmrNWn4?si=zfAGgj6xMqq_zJ1p

Icon with scenes in the life of John the Baptist 1 O come, O come, Immanuel, And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear. R/Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel Shall come to you, O Israel.   2 O come, O Wisdom from on high, Who ordered all things mightily; To us the path of knowledge show And teach us in its ways to go. R/   3 O come, O come, great Lord of might, Who to your tribes on Sinai's height In ancient times did give the law In cloud and majesty and awe. R/   4 O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem, Unto your own and rescue them! From depths of hell your people save, And give them victory o'er the grave. R/   5 O come, O Key of David, come And open wide our heavenly home. Make safe for us the heavenward road And bar the way to death's abode. R/   6 O come, O Bright and Morning Star, And bring us comfort from afar! Dispel the shadows of the night And turn our darkness into light. R/   7 O come, O King of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind. Bid all our sad divisions cease And be yourself our King of Peace. R/ Tr. John Mason Neale REFLECTION illuminated manuscript with monks singing This is the most well known and beloved of Advent hymns in the popular mind. The longing for Christ to return is palpable in the very sounds of the hymn. Given the fiery sermon of John the Baptist in the lesson for today, the yearning for Christ to come is also frightening to some—and John means it to be. The one who is coming will put an end to our sinful ways—the axe is to the root.   And yet there are many who do long for the ending no matter how apocalyptic. They look forward to an ending of evil and the new kingdom of heaven to begin. When I sing it, I am struck with the melancholy longing in it, its Scriptural sources, and its venerable tradition. It brings me back to a cold night in the dark of a Northern European winter, hearing this plaintive cry for the light which marks the evenings in December. Like people that walk in great darkness. The prayer for healing our divisions and difficulties has rarely seemed so necessary. "Bind in one the hearts of all mankind. "So we pray for the Lord to come. O come, O come, Emmanuel!   HYMN INFO This hymn is among our oldest Advent songs, one that emerged sometime in the 7th century, scholars think, and clearly came from the monastery. Its tune can be traced to 17th century France. It was sung every night during Vespers from December 17th until Christmas Eve, when the eighth O antiphon "O Virgin of Virgins," was sung before and after the Magnificat, the canticle always sung at Vespers. Each night during that week the community would add the next O antiphon. Those were titles for the coming Savior: Immanuel, Wisdom, Lord of Light, Branch of Jesse, Key of David, Bright and Morning Star, King of nations. John Mason Neale It comes to us through the work of John Mason Neale (1818-1868), the Anglican priest who spent his life translating Greek and Latin texts from the early and medieval church. Without him our hymns for the liturgical year would be scanty indeed. As the Christian church reeled from the French Revolution and its temporarily establishing Notre Dame as a Temple of Reason, many horrified Christians thought the church needed to reestablish its connection with the ancient church, anchoring itself more deeply in its tradition, some of which the Reformation had stripped away. In England there were two wings of the Anglican church at the beginning of the 19th century, the Evangelical or Low Church and what would be called the Broad church When the winds of change from the French Revolution hit England, a new movement emerged called the Oxford Movement, which became known as the High Church wing of the church. It was led by John Henry Newman (1801-1890). His followers began restoring what they thought had been lost in the Reformation: the liturgical year, ancient hymnody, theological works, architecture, liturgical vestments. Its first printing was in the Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum done in 1710. This preserved the Latin text. It was translated and included in the Hymnal Noted in 1851. (Noted means with music.) This tune was the one chosen. It was then printed in Hymns: Ancient and Modern which by the end of the century made the hymn text and tune popular. Neale had originally translated the first line as “Draw nigh, Draw nigh,” but by the 1861, it had been edited to "O Come, O Come." LINKS Choir of King’s College Cambridge   https://youtu.be/qcIIZpnZPgo The Mormon Tabernacle Choir   https://youtu.be/FqkUPUSY8ds The Piano Guys/Piano and Cello/Lovely   https://youtu.be/iO7ySn-Swwc Mótettukór Hallgrímskirkju Advent festival, see the lovely church https://youtu.be/_G0RB8ry3wo Mathias Eick/Norwegian version folk instruments https://youtu.be/C4BrnG9F0Jc Latin version https://youtu.be/xRi1GDoaQu4 NB: Jesus the Harmony  would make a nice Christmas present. It can be read devotionally over the entire year, one poem for every day. https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Text: Philipp Doddridge (1702-1751)                               Tune: attr. Thomas Haweis (1734-1820) Hark, the glad sound! The Savior comes, the Savior promised long; let every heart prepare a throne, and every voice a song.   He comes, the prisoners to release, In Satan’s bondage held; the gates of brass before him burst, the iron fetters yield.   He comes, from thickest films of vice to clear the mental ray, and on the eyeballs of the blind to pour celestial day.   He comes the broken heart to bind, the bleeding soul to cure, and with the treasures of his grace to enrich the humble poor.   His silver trumpets publish loud The Lord’s high jubilee; Our debts are all remitted now, Our heritage is free.   Our glad hosannas, Prince of peace, thy welcome shall proclaim, and Heaven’s eternal arches ring with thy belovèd Name.   REFLECTION The beginning of John the Baptist’s cry in Luke is filled with joy and hope. We are to prepare the way because the Savior is coming to make things right—the highways, the valleys, the rough places made plain. Doddridge expresses the joy we will have when he comes.   Just now as I am writing the family is cleaning the house, baking the required Christmas goodies, and putting up Christmas decorations. A joyful and exciting time, especially for the children who are assembling their Christmas lists and checking them twice and many times more. While there is nothing they really need, they understand the need for preparations—it is part of the event. God has come in the flesh and gives us gifts we are thankful for, things we need for life and health. He wants us to revel in the good of his creation as we do during Christmas.   But the joy is there because we know the gifts we have under the Christmas tree are wonderful but not ultimate. His Son is the ultimate. Without the knowledge of another world, another dimension, all the good things of Christmas would simply be evidence of our hedonism and not very satisfying. When those things become our gods, and we worship them and our own efforts, God has to bring judgment and an end to them. That is why the end times for all of us can be terrifying. Have I worshiped the living God, or only my own idols which the judgment will take away?   All our Christian festivals celebrate the intersection of the spiritual with the mundane, where God gives us more than hints of heaven.  And the glimpses we get of heaven through them give us joy in our earthly gifts because they are gifts from God. Happy Advent!   HYMN INFO Philipp Doddridge was a pastor to Non-conformists in England, which meant not in the Anglican church. Because of that he could not go to school in the English universities. While he was offered a chance to enter the Anglican ministry, he refused. For many years he served his Non-conformist congregation in Northampton where he also established a school for other students from the Non-conformist congregations around him. When it was clear he was dying of tuberculosis, Lady Huntingdon, a patron of many such men, like Isaac Watts, offered to send him to sunny Lisbon for a cure. Doddridge agreed to go there, he sad, because he could as well go to heaven from Lisbon as Northampton. He died soon after arriving there. His hymns, published posthumously, numbered around 400: Hymns, Founded on Various Texts in the Holy Scriptures ( 1755). They have receded in popularity over time.  Hymnal editors have not liked "the eyeballs" in stanza three so have left them out. Some traditions think of it as a Christmas hymn. There are several popular tunes. Lutherans tend to use Chesterfield attributed to Thomas Haweis, an English surgeon who left his practice to study for the Anglican ministry, but was removed from his parish for his Methodist leanings. He served as chaplain to Lady Huntingdon. He died while serving the Chapel in Bath.   LINKS Plexus Resources Handel tune https://youtu.be/9OYBO-GatKc?si=V9uoHt65MIDXrYjz   Lutheran TV Haweis' tune https://youtu.be/RP07fPpaDNo?si=HXGWuKXSt0pxoJP4   David Oates https://youtu.be/KMLngqjtYlI?si=Zgi5wTm-7GydSfOD   Oasis Chorale https://youtu.be/76_HCKP5tpI?si=Z_Ho0vwUViswifwz   Koine https://youtu.be/vB4OV2w-FuE?si=kbMR8RV_LjcHQzzJ NB: Jesus the Harmony  would make a nice Christmas present. It can be read devotionally over the entire year, one poem for every day. "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." -- Jill Baumgartner , Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Danish: Hvorledes skal jeg møde German: Wie soll ich dich empfangen Norwegian: Hvorledes skal jeg møte Text: Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676). Tune: Johann Crüger (1592-1662) 1. O Lord, how shall I meet thee, How welcome Thee aright? All nations long to greet Thee, My hope, my heart’s delight! O kindle, dearest Jesus, Thy lamp within my breast, That I may know what pleases Thee, Lord, my heavenly Guest.   2. Thy Zion strews before Thee Green boughs and fairest palms, And I, too, will adore Thee With sweetest songs and psalms. My heart shall bloom forever For Thee with praises new, And from Thy name shall never Without the honor due.   3. What hast thou left ungranted To give me glad relief? When soul and body panted In utmost depth of grief, In deepest degradation, Devoid of joy and peace, Then, thou my soul’s salvation Didst come to bring relief.   4. I lay in fetters groaning, Thou camst to set me free; I stood, my shame bemoaning, Thou camst to honor me; A glory thou dost give me, A treasure safe on high, Thou wilt not fail or leave me As earthly riches fly!   5. Naught, naught, dear Lord, could move Thee To leave Thy rightful place Save love, for which I love Thee; A love that could embrace A world where sorrow dwelleth, Which sin and suffering fill, More than the tongue e’er telleth;-- Yet thou couldst love it still.   6. Rejoice, then, ye sad-hearted, Who sit in deepest gloom, Who mourn o’er joys departed, And tremble at your doom: Despair not, he is near you, Yes, standing at the door, Who best can help and cheer you, And bid you weep no more.   7. No care nor effort either Is needed day or night, How ye may draw Him hither In your own strength and might. He comes, He comes with gladness, Moved by His love alone, To calm your fear and sadness, Which unto Him are known.   8. Sin’s debt, that fearful burden, Let not your souls distress; Your guilt the Lord will pardon And cover with His grace. He comes, he comes procuring The peace of sin forgiv’n To all God’s sons securing Their part and lot in heav’n.   9. Why should the wicked move you? Heed not their craft and spite! Your Savior who doth love you, Will scatter all their might. He comes, a King most glorious, And all His earthly foes In vain His course victorious Endeavor to oppose.   10. He comes to judge the nations, A terror to His foes, A light of consolations And blessed hope to those Who love the Lord’s appearing. O glorious Sun, now come, Send forth Thy beams so cheering, And guide us safely home! Tr. Composite   REFLECTION The lectionary committee of the 1970s eschewed the traditional Palm Sunday text of Jesus entering Jerusalem for other, more eschatological texts, like the one for today, in which Jesus prophesies great suffering and terror. This has made Advent a more penitential time than a time of joyful preparation for his coming as this most Lutheran hymn by Paul Gerhardt has it.   On the whole, the old Lutheran Advent hymns are filled with joyful expectancy, even in the midst of our suffering and sin. Christ comes to free us: "A world where sorrow dwelleth,Which sin and suffering fill, More than the tongue e’er telleth;--Yet thou couldst love it still.”   So instead of praying that he will come—which he most certainly will—according to the text for next Sunday, Gerhardt has us praying that we will be ready--Prepared to meet our Savior.   Martin Luther also addresses this in his explanation to the Lord’s Prayer in the Small Catechism, the third petition, Thy Kingdom come. His explanation is burned into my memory from year of learning it: “The kingdom of God comes indeed of itself, but we pray in this petition that it will also come among us.”   Here are the words to sing as we pray Christ will bring in his kingdom also among us this Advent. “Rejoice, then, ye sad hearted who sit in deepest gloom.”  “He comes, he comes with gladness/Moved by his love alone.” Indeed, rejoice!   HYMN INFO This hymn is very long so I had to use an old translation to get the entire hymn in English, but people had more time to sing and meditate on their hymns then! It was likely written in 1653 while Gerhardt was working with Johann Crüger, the musician at Nicolai church in Berlin. Gerhardt lived through the entire Thirty Years War when times were extremely difficult. At the time of this hymn, five years after the Peace of Westphalia, he was serving the congregation in Mittenwald, not far from Berlin, where in 1651 he had been appointed head pastor. Gerhardt was not yet married; he would marry Anna Maria, the daughter in the home where he was tutor, in 1655. They were happily married, but five of their six children died in infancy and Anna died in 1668 after a long illness. Only one child survived his father. Crüger included this hymn in his 1653 version of Praxis Pietatis Melica. Later others would use the tune "Valet will ich dir geben." Bach used the first stanza of this text for his Christmas Oratorio, with another tune.   LINKS The Augustana Choirs/Sioux Falls   https://youtu.be/1ROAEABNB54   Wind Symphony Concordia River Forest Illinois   https://youtu.be/kcuT79u1SK0   Danish with Ingolf Olsen singing https://youtu.be/EqxuofOFnNY   Organ version by Paul Manz   https://youtu.be/j46xq1flEG0   German jazz version   https://youtu.be/QuvPGMyPO_g   German congregation https://youtu.be/UGogl0feo2g   Bach’s Christmas Oratorio opens with the first stanza of the hymn https://youtu.be/cjEU_6OY88c NB: Jesus the Harmony  would make a nice Christmas present. It can be read devotionally over the entire year, one poem for every day. "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." -- Jill Baumgartner , Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Everyone on this blog should know the story of our greatest Thanksgiving hymn Now Thank we All our God! Click below to read the story https://www.hymnfortheday.com/post/hymn-for-thanksgiving-2023-now-thank-we-all-our-god

for a more familiar hymn Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven, click here. https://www.hymnfortheday.com/post/hymn-142-praise-my-soul-the-kiText : Hallgrímur Pétursson (1607-1674)   Tune: Icelandic folk 9. Yes, Jesus you are king, most clear The King of glory through the years The King of angels, mankind’s King, The King of all created things.   10. You stood to wait your judge in bonds While howls of torture clamored round, Forsaken, mobbed by enemies. Oh what a wonder here I see!   11. Lord, Jesus, hear me, hear me, right One day you shall be my delight When I will see your glory, Lord, Your judgment seat beyond the clouds!   12. Fearless I’ll face your final word Redeemed to hear your judgment, Lord When in your name all chosen ones Will call me chosen with your Son.   13. King I can call you, Lord, and King: Call me your thrall, your underling; There is no dignity on earth Compared to what God’s slave is worth.   14. The paved high street has proved a snare, Often my footsteps stumbled there. But you were led there willingly So grace came washing over me   15. Your church elects you, hear it sing For you, her one and only King Now may your Lordship guide her ways To heaven’s light and shining peace. Amen.   Tr. Gracia Grindal 2019 Hymns of the Passion REFLECTION The hymn for today, from iceland's greatest hymn writer, is based on John 19:13-15 and Luke 23:23. Jesus becomes king by his obedience to his father and his willingness to suffer the passion and ultimately defeat death and the devil..That Christ becomes king by suffering the most vile punishments, abuse and scorn, goes against worldly wisdom, but when we see it in the klieg lights of eternity, what he has done is truly royal.   The phrase, character is king flashes into my mind as these words appear. Because Jesus suffered these terrible things, and did not flinch, we know his true character—only a God could do such a thing. Hallgrímur fully understood the scandal of the gospel. It is when Jesus is most cruelly abused that the poet sees his true kingly character emerge. “When I will see your glory, Lord, Your judgment seat beyond the clouds!”   We know that simply being called a king is no proof of great character, in fact the pampering and privileges given royal children is not destined to produce great character, which is probably why the British royal family sends its sons into the military where they actually serve. Soldiers learn quickly whom to trust among their comrades. This explains the fierce attachments of veterans to each other. Character is revealed under fire. Aristotle taught in his Poetics that we do not know another’s character until we see them make a choice. In making their choice, we see the inner being of a person come forth. Some might remember when British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain came home from his conversation with Hitler on September 30, 1938, with a document that he said “Insured peace in our time.” Eleven months later Germany invaded Poland and England declared war on Germany. The world was engulfed in the most terrible war of all time. His appeasement and unwillingness to stand against Hitler at the time is considered one of the greatest failures of character in the annals of twentieth century history.   As we have seen just now, running for office in a democracy can be awful. One's life, family, work and associations are all fair game in this brutal work. Voters want to know the character of the candidates for whom they are voting and the campaign can be brutal as we have just experienced.   We know we can trust Jesus because he chose to suffer and die on the cross for us. It gives us the faith to trust him with our lives. How could he take the abuse, the shaming, the violent and deadly rejection of the entire establishment and leadership class? He did it for love of us. Today we need to look more closely and see how easy it is to domesticate Jesus and miss how we as leaders of the establishment would have looked on him.   HYMN INFO This is a central text in the collection of Passion Hymns by Hallgrímur. On October 27, 2024, I was in Reykjavik for a performance of the oratorio by Sigurdur Sævarsson remembered the 350th anniversary of Hallgrímur's death. Nothing goes so deep in the Icelandic Christian's soul as these hymns. As I have written elsewhere, Hallgrímur was a brilliant young boy whose antics got him sent off to Denmark where he worked as an apprentice to a blacksmith. He was discovered by an Icelandic scholar in Copenhagen and sent to the cathedral school where he distinguished himself as a scholar and poet. When he returned to Iceland, under a cloud, he suffered more. Because of the understanding of his bishop, he was finally given a living in Hvalsnes, a remote parish near Keflavik. There he and his wife suffered the death of their young daughter (for whom he wrote a great hymn) and lived in penury. The bishop took pity on him and sent him to a much richer parish in Saurbær where he wrote these hymns, making a name for himself as a scholar, preacher and poet. He died from leprosy. He is remembered throughout Iceland today as not only a great poet, preacher and pastor, but also a character with a fascinating life story. The church in the middle of Reykjavik is named in his honor. (For more see HYMN 19.) LINKS Schola Cantorum, Reykjavik https://youtu.be/QQtGnkAVuX8?si=E4C1c-qQJAl4arVJ Anna Pálína Árnadóttir - https://youtu.be/Q-9FzZ9zQP0?si=J40q6E0UqouymqXg excerpts from the oratorio https://youtu.be/K-KFosgC9Bw?si=bj-Te4x_tYtVDTjq link to my translation of the Passion Hymns https://kirkjuhusid.is/products/25576-hymns-of-the-passion-passiusalmar-in-english?_pos=2&_sid=6de747994&_ss=r NB: Jesus the Harmony  would make a nice Christmas present. It can be read devotionally over the entire year, one poem for every day.   "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." -- Jill Baumgartner , Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Text: Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1876-1936) Tune: English folk tune, King's Lynne 1.        O God of earth and altar, Bow down and hear our cry, Our earthly rulers falter, Our people drift and die; The walls of gold entomb us, The swords of scorn divide, Take not thy thunder from us, But take away our pride. 2.        From all that terror teaches, From lies of tongue and pen, From all the easy speeches That comfort cruel men, From sale and profanation Of honour and the sword, From sleep and from damnation, Deliver us, good Lord! 3.        Tie in a living tether The prince and priest and thrall, Bind all our lives together, Smite us and save us all; In ire and exultation Aflame with faith, and free, Lift up a living nation, A single sword to thee. MEDITATION (a slight reworking of a previous blog) G. K. Chesterton’s hymn on God and Caesar or “earth and altar,” a prayer for "Forgiveness and deliverance” is a good one to contemplate today as we ponder Jesus teaching the disciples about what is to come. The lesson for next Sunday where Jesus predicts the end of everything: the destruction of the templs, and our mundane world. In doing so he is really talking about what is ultimate and penultimate. Be prepared and remember only my word will prevail against the gates of hell. A good lesson after the political slugfest of the past months. While people have been fighting as if everything is at stake--and much was to both sides--getting our priorities right is what Jesus is teaching us. He is giving us something that allows us to survive the tumults here. We can struggle for a beter life here because we have by faith what is eternal. Knowing that makes us free to risk much knowing whether we win or lose we are the Lord's. T here is much tumult about us in the world and few hymns have addressed our civil situation as fully as Chesterton’s. Chesterton was no shrinking violet. He had what his biographers call a “rollicking personality.” He fully enjoyed life; he was a good friend of George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells with whom he violently disagreed. He saw the dangers in the hubris of empire: he was one of the few British journalists to oppose the Boer War. He also became a violent opponent of the eugenics movement—in 1922 he wrote Eugenics and other Evils against it as it was gaining popular support. This gained him the reputation of being a “reactionary”, but he was proved right as the Nazi party gained dominance in Germany. That same year he joined the Catholic Church. Some scholars maintain that his argument that Small is Beautiful convinced Ghandi to work for the “genuine” nationalism of India.   He is the author of the Father Brown mystery series and wrote biographies of Charles Dickens. St. Aquinas, and St. Francis of Assisi that are still popular. He wrote poetry from the sublime—like this hymn--to the ridiculous—"The Logical Vegetarian.” His books Heretics in 1905 followed by Orthodoxy are masterpieces. He was a force in British life: the quotation books are full of his proverbs and sayings.   He knew the dangers of empire well and the failures of a craven leadership not really up to the demands of the time. This hymn was written after the Boer War, which although the British won, ended up as something of a disaster for them. The Boer troops managed to inflict damage on the British army which included troops from the entire Empire—Canada, New Zealand, Australia. When they realized they were losing to a much greater force, the Boers started guerrilla warfare against the British and continued to create havoc.   One can read this hymn by Chesterton as a warning to the British empire from the experience of the Boer War, but hymnal editors have found the sentiment calling for judgment and unity expressed in its fine poetry worth including in non-British hymnals.   With Chesterton’s willingness to entertain opposing ideas and ideologies, this hymn should not be read as a prayer that his side will win, but rather that both sides will be judged and that the nations unite around a common set of principles even as they spar politically for what is penultimate. He wants the united people to be both "smitten and saved." We should be praying that now, whether we are glad about the election results or disappointed. “Ire and exaltation” probably describes the feelings of many after this election; What we all need to pray for is both a cleansing judgment and modicum of temporal unity. Our life is in him, not the political situation.   HYMN INFO This hymn was included in the 1906 English Hymnal , a strong reaction against the Victorianism of the previous hymnal, Hymns: Ancient and Modern . (1861) Musicians like Vaughan Williams, Percy Dearmer (1837-1933), and others could not say enough about how bad the Victorian age had been for English hymnody, especially its music. They wanted to restore the English hymn tradition to its folk melodies, working against the strong influence of German music at the time dominated by Beethoven, Brahms and Wagner. Vaughan Williams returned English hymnody to its folk roots. He really caused a Renaissance in English music which is still going strong. LINKS British congregation singing https://youtu.be/wFG-CqYXyOo Choir of Trinity College Cambridge https://youtu.be/XUYY0uJfkhQ Ivica Kljuce https://youtu.be/4IskStYYi-M The Gentle Wolves https://youtu.be/XqJlJIwh34A This gives a brief history of Chesterton’s place in British history https://youtu.be/etI_QRNJfkw NB: Jesus the Harmony  would make a nice Christmas present. It can be read devotionally over the entire year, one poem for every day.   "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." -- Jill Baumgartner , Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Text: Francis Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)    Tune: William Henry Havergal (1793-1879)   1 Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in endless praise, let them flow in endless praise.   2 Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee, swift and beautiful for thee.   3 Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King. Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee, filled with messages from thee.   4 Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold. Take my intellect and use every power as thou shalt choose, every power as thou shalt choose.   5 Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne, it shall be thy royal throne.   6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee, ever, only, all for thee.   REFLECTION Jesus is nearing his death. He and his disciples are watching the activities in the temple. Richly garbed people are going by making a big deal out of their large gifts to the treasury. The coins clang as they fall into the box. Then suddenly a widow goes by and puts in all she has, two small copper coins, hardly worth a penny. Jesus praises her for giving more than all the rich who have passed by. She has given her all.   Jesus is about to give his all—his life—for the world. We can wonder why this poor woman felt the need to give all. We do not know, but she becomes for me an emblem of faith. By giving up everything she has that could sustain her in this life, she is trusting that she will be provided for by the God she worships.   I can’t remember when or where, but I remember clearly once when I was on a trip and suddenly I had nothing. Usually that would cause me terror. Being alone in a far country with nothing can be frightening. I remember, however, how free I felt. I had no car to park or worry about, no treasure to fear losing, nothing of my own to care about. Somehow for a brief moment, I realized my future was not in my own hands—as it never really is—but it rests in the providence of God. To be sure I quickly found the means to continue, but for a moment, I had learned something.   That is faith. We can’t bring anything to the deal that will contribute to our salvation. It will all have to come from God, as in fact all our sustenance does. That moment of feeling free was somehow a clear parable of what faith is about and all I could do was trust in the Lord who makes provisions for us in this world and, more important, in the next.   So take my life and all that I have. Not a mite would I withhold. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee,   HYMN INFO Frances Havergal was the daughter of an English clergyman who composed tunes for many of her texts. Her education included the languages of Europe and Greek and Hebrew. She knew Scripture well and wrote her many hymns in their light. Also a composer, she called this hymn her consecration hymn, describing its origin. She had visited Arely House where ten people were staying, not all of them confessing Christians. She knew all of them and wanted them to know her joy in the Lord, so she prayed the prayer, “Lord, give me all in the house.” It so happened, everyone in the house did give themselves to the Lord during an emotional evening. As she lay in bed, unable to sleep for joy, lines of the hymn came to her. She always sang the text to her father’s tune, Patmos, which Lutherans seem to know best. Others use the Mozart tune, but Hendon seems to be the one evangelicals prefer as you will see below. César Malan, born in Geneva, studied theology there and became a pastor. Somewhat Unitarian, he was changed by a movement known as the Réveil which ultimately, through the work of Malan, and others, revived the Swiss church. He suffered persecution from the powers that be and was fired from his pastorate in 1816. In 1820 he built a chapel in his garden which became a place for separatists to worship. In 1841 he published a hymnal, Chants de Sion . He was in effect the father of the French Reformed hymn. (Much more should be added here; it is a long and involved story.) LINKS Chris Tomlin   https://youtu.be/agROj9nTQP4 Brian Doerksen https://youtu.be/Ma-RUB28iYE CraftyGrim4 https://youtu.be/g5nPdad2EEY Dennie United Methodist Church. Dee Dietz singing https://youtu.be/M1sij_uaaGw Patmos, Francis' father's tune, Concordia Publishing House https://youtu.be/4FHU2h1000I THENBA/ The Mozart tune, the most popular in England   https://youtu.be/Gf11rReeWIs Jesus the Harmony  would make a nice Christmas present. It can be read devotionally over the entire year, one poem for every day.   "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." -- Jill Baumgartner , Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Click here for the blog on I Sing a Song of the Saints of God.. https://www.hymnfortheday.com/post/hymn-for-all-saints-day-i-sing-a-song-of-the-saints-of-god-reformation-sunday I am using an old and favorite blog for All Sains Sunday, with my All Saints pumpkin recipe! I am in Iceland for the events surrounding the 350th anniversary of Hallgrímur Pétursson Iceland's greatest hymnwriter and won't be able to post anything then. Enjoy! Hallgrímur Pétursson October 27, will be the 350th anniversary of Hallgrímur Pétursson death (1607-1674), 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 by Sigurdur Sævarsson, using Hallgrimur’s hymns in Hallgrímskirkja in Reykjavik which I attended. 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.)   https://www.hymnfortheday.com/post/hymn-334-up-up-my-soul-icelandic-hymns-of-the-passion-passíusálmar Here is a part of what I heard on Sunday night in Reykjavik, but not the same performance. It was very powerful and moving. More Americans should know the works of Sigidur Sævarsson! This would be a wonderful work to hear during Lent, especially Holy Week. https://youtu.be/K-KFosgC9Bw?si=z97_GwC6ilUr4m2S Here is his website where you can hear more of his work https://sigurdursaevarsson.com

Text: John Newton (1725-1807) Tune: New Britain, anonymous Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) That sav'd a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see. '   ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears reliev'd; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believ'd!   Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; 'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.   The Lord has promis'd good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.   Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease; I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace.   The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine; But God, who call'd me here below, Will be forever mine.   When we’ve been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing his praise Than when we first begun.   REFLECTIONS This account of Jesus’ on his way to his crucifixion healing the blind man is filled with insights into the life of faith—that blind Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus is a sign of his faith. Jesus responds to the cry of faith and asks him what he wants. Bartimaeus could simply be begging for alms, but he is not. He wants to be healed and he believes that Jesus can heal him. It is interesting to note that those around the blind man want him to shut up and not make a scene. But the blind man is urgent, he knows what Jesus can do and believes in his powers.   Jesus seems to like that we call to him in desperation. He knows that when we are desperate, we can count on him alone, not our own virtues. This is a true picture of faith. Knowing that we have nothing to bring to the request except our urgency, knowing that Christ can be the one who is able to heal and save. Only when we come to see the powerlessness of our own wills do we cry out in faith. Later, we will confess, with John Newton, “I once was blind, but now I see.” Faith is the belief, without any proof, that Jesus can heal us. So we cry out, in church every Sunday, Lord, have mercy!   HYMN INFO Amazing Grace is probably the most well known hymn in the world today. Written by John Newton, a curate in the Anglican church, it became popular especially during the 1960s after Judy Collins recorded it. Newton had a very rough childhood. His mother, who wanted him to be a pastor, died when he was young. His father was at sea. Because he was an unruly child, his father took him to sea when he was only eleven. There with the sailors, he lived a hard life—he became one of the most profane on the ships, able to swear and curse with such violence that it shocked even hardened sailors. He was pressed into duty by the British navy, and later enslaved to an African. He got free and continued working on slave ships to America. He rose to be ship captain. During a storm at sea, he had a powerful experience of salvation, but continued to captain slave ships, saying later he really had to be more deeply converted to understand how evil his work was. His childhood sweetheart was a woman whose parents were not happy about him as a potential mate for their daughter. Finally, he married her and reformed. He began to oppose slavery and soon became a passionate abolitionist. He began studying Greek and Hebrew and started writing hymns. The Wesleys encouraged him. He became curate in the Olney parish where he took in William Cowper, the writer of “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” Together they published the Olney Hymnal. Amazing Grace was one of the hymns in the book. What tune it had, we do not know. But it did cross the ocean to America. William Walker, editor of The Southern Harmony , put the text to the tune "New Britain." From there it went on to become more and more popular. Walker added the last stanza to Newton’s hymn. It has become a secular standard around the world. Because it doesn’t mention Jesus it has been acceptable to those without faith. Newton without a doubt meant the grace of Jesus. The movie Amazing Grace tells the story of his work with the great opponent of slavery in England, William Wilberforce, who successfully led the drive to have Parliament ban the slave trade. Mahalia Jackson, one of the first to record it, made it into a spiritual. Johnny Cash made it a Country western song, etc. etc. Played with bagpipes it sounds like it did originally in its home in the celtic regions of Britain. My hymn uses the language of the text and the blind man calling to be healed. Amanda's tune and descant is lovely. LINKS Royal Scots Dragoon Bagpipes https://youtu.be/M8AeV8Jbx6M Mahalia Jackson https://youtu.be/ZJg5Op5W7yw Judy Collin’s version https://youtu.be/AtteRD5bBNQ Soweto Gospel Choir https://youtu.be/ZoJz2SANTyo Mormon Tabernacle Choir https://youtu.be/C2arm5ydeJc Howard University Choir https://youtu.be/C5xYvpXYMuk Gaithers https://youtu.be/qNuQbJst4Lk copyright Wayne Leupod, Editions

Text: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) Tune: Sigfried Fietz, et al. By gen­tle Pow­ers faith­ful­ly sur­round­ed, Protected won­drous­ly, con­soled by grace, That’s how I long to live these days to­ge­ther, Close by your side, to start the com­ing year; Our hearts are tor­tured ev­en now by ev­il days, The bur­dens of the past are hard to bear, Oh Lord, grant our scared souls the sal­va­tion, Therefore You have cre­at­ed us and saved. And if You pass the hea­vy cup of suf­fer­ing, The bit­ter cha­lice, filled to the high­est brim, Then we will take it, grate­ful with­out trem­bling Out of Your good and so be­loved hand. But if You will grant us once more the joy to see This world, the splen­dor of its beam­ing sun, Then we will sure­ly all the past re­mem­ber And our whole lives will be Yours alone. Let warm and bright the can­dles’ flames light up to­day, Which You have brought in our gloomy times, Lead us to­ge­ther back again if that can be! We know for sure, Your light shines through the night. When now the si­lence spreads around, help us to hear And list­en to the full em­brac­ing sound Of this world, which un­seen around is wid­en­ing To all Your child­ren’s high­est hymns of praise. By gen­tle Pow­ers won­der­ful­ly shel­tered, Awaiting fear­less­ly what there will be. God is near at dusk and in the morn­ing And with us cer­tain­ly on each new day.’             Dietrich Bonhoeffer, December 19, 1944 Tr. Eckhard Becker Translation used by permission of author   REFLECTION After James and John have asked Jesus whether they can sit at his right and left hand in his kingdom, which embarrasses the other disciples, Jesus speaks vividly of what his kingdom is. It is not the kind of kingdom they imagine. It is of another dimension, one with “gentle powers” completely upside down from their expectations. Even though they think they can drink the same cup as he, Jesus challenges them. They do not know what they are asking. When they drink from his cup, as they will, they will face as much suffering as joy. They will learn that, and we know it as we read the story again. For now they still haven’t gotten it. Bonhoeffer’s hymn, which has been translated into many languages and set to many tunes, dwells on those opposites in a way that points to the kind of kingdom and power Christ would establish. This is appropriately a Christmas hymn as Bonhoeffer wrote it in a Christmas greeting to his family some three months before his martyrdom. It has candles in it, but more than that—it has a particular pleasure of each day in the world, something the Incarnation was all about. These joys however were not undimmed by human tears. Christ suffered for us at our hands, but also suffers with us. The suffering he speaks of is incomprehensible to most of us, but the suffering of the Christian is a given—even as is it for all human beings. Christians live in a great drama in which our Lord, who came to save us from death and destruction, has to submit to the worst suffering that could be meted out to a person—a crucifixion. Add to that, it was for his friend who betrayed him, and the religious and secular powers of the day who wanted him gone. They could not bear his goodness and his wisdom. He had to be destroyed. But even as they destroyed him, he loved them and died for them. His sacrifice made things right for us. And his resurrection is the victory that defeated all his enemies.   Only when we submit to him and serve him, will we find place with him in his kingdom. A promise of joy in the midst of terrible suffering. Thanks be to God for our Lord’s gentle powers.   HYMN INFO This hymn text, “Von guten Mächten,” appeared in Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison , written in the last days of 1944 while he was facing death at the hands of the Nazis.  Since its publication, the hymn has received many tunes and translations. The translation above is by Eckhard Becker, a German writer and composer. He has included his own setting for the text on his website here. for much more, other translations and tunes click here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4G_TfKePYgLUkq5_0YjJkDTBCTeFgZNF Kurt Grahl's setting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-pKhvyFrNw   Kurt Grahl's setting with Sophano voice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mckxI4CSvs Many tunes and transaltions https://www.dietrich-bonhoeffer.net/bonhoeffer-aktuell/bonhoeffer-einzelmeldung/news/80-jahre-von-guten-maechten-wunderbar-geborgen/ The tune most popular in Germany today is by Sigfried Fietz which you can find in the links below.   LINKS Sung and played by Sigfried Fietz https://youtu.be/3l9QEnKsL74?si=vPMUsgz-jEaoUL18   New Choir https://youtu.be/kRJSimmhu3c?si=W565MmWJTadyhfFu Moses https://youtu.be/ZGs3iSP4aJw?si=tGGfaRb2FUum-P4r All Saints Anthem NB For a lovely anthem for All Saints Day click here https://youtu.be/Wh0JdRLgJ-I? si=_KsIIdbBLpYMOHgB

Text:  Henry F. Lyte (1793-1847)                                       Tune: Rowland H. Prichard (1811-1887)   1 Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee. Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou, from hence, my all shalt be. Perish ev'ry fond ambition, All I've sought, and hoped, and known; Yet how rich is my condition! God and heav'n are still my own.   2 Let the world despise and leave me; They have left my Savior, too. Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue. And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might, Foes may hate and friends may shun me-- Show Thy face, and all is bright.   3 Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn, and pain! In Thy service pain is pleasure; With Thy favor loss is gain. I have called Thee Abba, Father; I have stayed my heart on Thee. Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, All must work for good to me.   4 Man may trouble and distress me, 'Twill but drive me to Thy breast; Life with trials hard may press me, Heav'n will bring me sweeter rest. Oh, 'tis not in grief to harm me While Thy love is left to me, Oh, 'twere not in joy to charm me Were that joy unmixed with Thee.   5 Take, my soul, thy full salvation, Rise o'er sin, and fear, and care; Joy to find in ev'ry station, Something still to do or bear. Think what Spirit dwells within thee, What a Father's smile is thine, What a Savior died to win thee; Child of heav'n, shouldst thou repine?   6 Haste, then, on from grace to glory, Armed by faith and winged by prayer; Heav'n's eternal day's before thee, God's own hand shall guide thee there. Soon shall close the earthly mission, Swift shall pass thy pilgrim days, Hope soon change to glad fruition, Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.   REFLECTIONS This wonderful hymn is by the author of Abide with me, one of the greatest of all hymns in the English language. It dwells on the issue Jesus has posed to the Rich Young Ruler in the text for next Sunday, how may I get eternal life. The Savior has already told his followers that they must take up their crosses and follow him, that the first will be last and the last first, that they should become as little children in their faith. When the rich young man approaches Jesus, we remember those teachings. It is not clear he has heard them. He seems to think that eternal life can be purchased with his great wealth like a commodity he can add to his rich store of things. Jesus cuts to the chase: even if he has followed the law, which Jesus recommends, he has actually not followed the first commandment that we have only one God. The young man's god is his wealth. When he hears that he must sell all that he has and give to the poor, he goes away with a broken heart. Although his god has failed him in this question, he cannot give it up.   The hymn, however, is the song of one who has given up his or her wealth to follow Jesus and taken up his cross. "Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!/Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!/In Thy service pain is pleasure;/With Thy favor loss is gain./I have called Thee Abba, Father…”   Scripture is filled with stories, from Eve, to Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus, of those who are given the choice of their own gods or the one true god. Our God is, by his own words, a jealous God and wants our devotion above all else. Jesus teaches that over and over again, even suggesting that if we love our families more than God, we cannot follow him. He even says we must hate our families in order to love him. That sounds appalling to many, but it puts into stark language what it means to worship God. And it is for our own good. To worship the one true God is to have things right. The fall came from Eve’s wish to be like God. Every trouble since has come from the temptation to worship gods of our own making. Such worship creates havoc. As our creator well knows. His jeaousy is for our good!   So this hymn teaches us what we must do to follow Jesus and the benefits that accrue from the true worship of God.   HYMN INFO Henry F. Lyte, born in Ireland, studied at Trinity College in Dublin, where he distinguished himself as a poet. He originally thought of becoming a medical doctor, but instead studied theology. He became rector in English parishes where he continued writing hymns. In 1818, on the death of his brother, he had a spiritual experience which utterly transformed his life and work. From then on, he said, he began thinking and preaching entirely differently. This text has several tunes associated with it. The links below feature Ellesbie, from The Christan Lyre , a tune attributed to Mozart. The other most popular is Hyfrodol, the popular Welsh tune by Rowland Prichard.   LINKS Congregation singing with Martijn de Groot https://youtu.be/qn-_bGNALU8?si=auTRjYBo9_Xv_bNR   Scott Bacher Indelible Grace https://youtu.be/NhIo2o3WLnA?si=QpRAwu8VIT9JeyQv   Biblical {Pursuit Southern Harmony sound https://youtu.be/kyb8FjUuZNs?si=64e7dKEkrz5h7f7R   Reformed Praise https://youtu.be/LOM4unf2xK8?si=ge1Jt4YSmmUnsmFB   Enfield Hymn Session https://youtu.be/N3x4TisgzTQ?si=gGWoUBQYjM-ccCEp