When he came to me, he never made known his coming by any signs, not by sight, not by sound, not by touch. It was not by any movement of his that I recognized his coming; it was not by any of my senses that I perceived he had penetrated to the depths of my being. Only by the movement of my heart did I perceive his presence; and I knew the power of his might because my faults were put to flight and my human yearnings brought into subjection. I have marveled at the depth of his wisdom when my secret faults have been revealed and made visible; at the very slightest amendment of my way of life I have experienced his goodness and mercy; in the renewal and remaking of the spirit of my mind, that is of my inmost being, I have perceived the excellence of his glorious beauty, and when I contemplate all these things I am filled with awe and wonder at his manifold greatness.
–Bernard of Clairvaux
On the Song of Songs 40:91-92, excerpted in In the School of Love: An Anthology of Early Cistercian Texts, selected and annotated by Edith Scholl, OCSO.
You ask then how I knew God was present, when his ways can in no way be traced? He is life and power, and as soon as he enters in, he awakens my slumbering soul; he stirs and soothes and pierces my heart, for before it was hard as stone, and diseased. So he has begun to pluck out and destroy, to build up and to plant, to water dry places and illuminate dark ones; to open what was closed and to warm what was cold; to make the crooked straight and the rough places smooth, so that my soul may bless the Lord, and all that is with me may praise his holy name.
–Bernard of Clairvaux
On the Song of Songs 74:6, from In the School of Love: An Anthology of Early Cistercian Texts, selected and annotated by Edith Scholl, OCSO.
The lone, wild bird in lofty flight
Is still with Thee, nor leaves Thy sight.
And I am thine! I rest in Thee.
Great Spirit, come, and rest in me.
Each secret thought is known to Thee,
My whole life’s path, whate’er it be;
My days, my deeds, my hopes, my fears,
My deepest joys, my silent tears.
The ends of earth are in Thy hand,
The sea’s dark deep and far-off land.
And I am thine! I rest in Thee.
Great Spirit, come, and rest in me.
When I was just learning to read music and find the notes on the piano, I found a song I had never sung before in a book sitting on our piano. The title intrigued me, so I picked it out, slow note by note, and found a hymn I have loved ever since. It was “The Lone Wild Bird.”
I love the way the image of the bird is mirrored by the image of the Holy Spirit in the opening stanza. I feel a thrill at the exclamation mark when I sing, “And I am thine!” then exhale into “I rest in Thee.” It brings a rush of associations reminding me of Psalm 139 and Matthew 10:29 and Gerard Manley Hopkins’ line about the Holy Ghost brooding over the bent world with ah! bright wings.
The Presbyterian Hymnal Companionrecords that “The Lone Wild Bird” was written by Henry Richard McFadyen on a quiet Sunday afternoon in 1925 and sent away to a national hymn-writing contest at The Homiletic and Pastoral Review. McFadyen forgot about it until he was notified that he had won third prize. David N. Johnson set McFadyen’s poem to the tune of Prospect (by Graham) from the Sacred Harp and published it in Twelve Folksongs and Spirituals (1968)–a fantastic book which, sadly, is now out of print.
It was difficult for me to find a good version of this hymn to share. Everybody seemed to want to trick it up with extra notes or showy harmonies. Some folks modernize the language and change the poetry. What I most wanted was for you to hear that haunting Sacred Harp melody.
So here’s a link to an instrumental version that pretty well captures Johnson’s intent (sorry I can’t embed the video),
and here’s a beautiful acapella version of the modern words.
A good hymn to carry around in your head for times of need.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21-22
Today, on the day we remember Jesus’ baptism, the household of God welcomed many new family members through the sacrament of baptism. It is a day of solemn joy as we remember our own vows, and promise to do everything in our power to support the newly baptized in their life in Christ. Afterwards we give thanks to God for forgiveness of sins and the new life of grace. Finally, we ask God to bestow a most precious gift:
Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works.
The Huffington Post reports that the Madison Avenue Baptist Church in NYC is getting some attention for the witty messages on its sign. Sign boards like this are not really new, of course. They used to be called “Wayside Pulpits” and can be traced back to at least the early 20th century when a Massachusetts Unitarian, the Rev. Henry Saunderson, put up a bulletin board outside his church.
In the past people could buy pre-printed wayside pulpit signs with hortatory messages and Bible verses, but with the advent of changeable plastic sign letters and the electronic message center imaginations seem to have blossomed. The popularity of posters, buttons, and patches in the 60’s and 70’s probably boosted the interest in new types of church sign messages too.
Today you can buy multiple books and calendars of church signs whether you’re looking for new messages to post or just reading them for fun. You can find Pinterest boards full of signs, and a Google image search on Church Sign Humor will let you see what messages have become as common as the Coexist bumper sticker.
All of which raises a question: when the Church reaches out with a message to passersby, what are we hoping to accomplish? Is it outreach? Marketing? Witness? Is it a word of encouragement? Prophesy? Admonition? Or is it a variety of hospitality–a way to demonstrate that Christians can have a sense of humor and are a friendly people? Maybe it can be all those things. Always a tricky business when the Church turns out to face the World.
If you liked to talk to tomatoes, or ever found yourself smiling at a squash, then have we got a website for you: Jelly Telly is an online video network created by Phil Vischer, the co-creator of VeggieTales. Jelly Telly aims to be a Nickelodeon of sorts for Christian audiences. Right now it’s in beta version as a website which streams about 20 minutes of content daily, but larger projects are apparently in the works. One show, Buck Denver asks “What’s in the Bible?” has also been developed into a curriculum. This video is part of that curriculum and asks the question, “What is the Bible?” Like some of the best of the Veggie Tales material, the video feels open and honest and wrapped in a gentle humor. It won’t replace the “Song of the Cebu,”Stuff-Mart Rap, and “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything,” but it’s well worth your 1:08.
For years my parents have hung a Moravian Star throughout Advent and Christmas and on up to Epiphany, and when I think of Epiphany, this is the star that appears in my imagination. It’s the star I think of, more than the Wise Men, probably because the star gives me hope. Hope that God will give me a sign, a light in the darkness, that he won’t leave me wandering and stumbling, trying to get to Him without any help. It’s why I love the hymn, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light” –which to my mind is not really a child’s hymn, though I’ve taught it to children and been warmed by their singing.
In him there is no darkness at all; the night and the day are both alike. The Lamb is the light of the city of God: Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.
If you haven’t yet heard the Soweto Gospel Choir, then you owe it to yourself to listen to their Tiny Desk Concert on NPR. Their music is so joyful and infectious, it’s difficult to hear without moving. A good way to start the new year with sounds of praise!
