Archive for Sabbath

Sabbath healing; sabbath freedom

November 5, 2014 / / 2 comments

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.  And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.”  And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God.

But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.”  Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it?  And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.  Luke 13:10-17

 

We know that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath (Mark 2: 23-28). We recognize the metaphor of the animal which is bound to service and the woman whom Satan bound to infirmity. We see that Jesus wins the theological argument and “all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced.”  But if I may add one more observation: how interesting that the ruler of the synagogue accosts the people with his indignation and not Jesus.

“There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” 

It’s a power play: chastising those who are lower down in the religious hierarchy; scolding people who are suffering and less likely to protest. He doesn’t tell Jesus to stop healing people, he tells the people to stop asking for healing. “Can’t we have one day a week without you people clamoring for relief!”

The sabbath is supposed to be a day for joy and freedom from work. Perhaps the ruler felt that having all those sick people around dampened the mood. Maybe he only cared about his sabbath and no one else’s. But on that day, Jesus gave the people an occasion to rejoice and praise God, and also gave them a sabbath to remember. Thanks be to God.

Category: healing, Jesus, Sabbath /

Radiant gladness

July 20, 2014 / / Comments Off on Radiant gladness

At my church we sometimes sing a hymn which so clearly illustrates the way music can be stitched together across centuries and nations. The melody is a terrific German folk tune (which Brink and Polman’s Psalter Hymnal Handbook describes as “a sturdy tune and an able harmonization” that “calls for energetic art singing.”). You may know it best as “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” or perhaps “O Day of Rest and Gladness.”

The words for “O Day of Radiant Gladness” come from three different sources. The first two stanzas are a reworking of Christopher Wordsworth’s 19th century hymn “O Day of Rest and Gladness.” The third stanza comes from Charles P. Price,  a Pittsburgh native born in 1920 who became a professor at Virginia Theological Seminary. The final stanza isn’t credited to a single author, but is ©1982 Church Pension Fund–which is to say, the Episcopalians.

I love the way this hymn rejoices in the Sabbath as a day of triple light: each Sunday reminding us of and participating in creation, Resurrection Day, and Pentecost. A joyful Sabbath is a foretaste of heaven. Honestly, it just thrills me to stand with a congregation and sing these thoughts.

Alas, YouTube didn’t have a good version of the hymn for me to share with you, so I’ll let you listen to the original German song while you read along. Perhaps–if you don’t know German very well–you’ll catch a bit of the feeling.

 
O day of radiant gladness,
O day of joy and light,
O balm of care and sadness,
most beautiful, most bright;
this day the high and lowly,
through ages joined in tune,
sing, “Holy, holy, holy,”
to the great God Triune.

This day at the creation,
the light first had its birth;
this day for our salvation
Christ rose from depths of earth;
this day our Lord victorious
the Spirit sent from heaven,
and thus this day most glorious
a triple light was given.

This day, God’s people meeting,
his Holy Scripture hear;
his living presence greeting,
through Bread and Wine made near.
We journey on, believing,
renewed with heavenly might,
from grace more grace receiving
on this blest day of light.

That light our hope sustaining,
we walk the pilgrim way,
at length our rest attaining,
our endless Sabbath day.
We sing to thee our praises,
O Father, Spirit, Son;
the Church her voice upraises
to thee, blest Three in One.

Tune: Es flog ein klein’s Waldvögelein (Woodbird). German folk tune, first published in the 17th c.

Text: Stanzas 1-2, Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1855), alt.;
stanza 3, Charles P. Price (b. 1920);
stanza 4, Hymnal 1982.

 

Category: hymns, music, Sabbath /

Welcome, Delightful Morn

February 16, 2014 / / Comments Off on Welcome, Delightful Morn
Carmina Sacra Image: archive.org

Carmina Sacra by Lowell Mason, 1841
Image: archive.org

 

This morning as the sun is shining and the snow is melting, I’ll share a suite of hymns arranged for flute and harp by Kathryn Cater and Sandy Norman. They begin with “Welcome Delightful Morn,” an old hymn that’s new to me. The words are by Thomas Hayward (who also wrote “From Greenland’s Icy Mountains”). The tune is Das Lie­ben Bringt Groß Freud, by Fried­rich Sil­cher, who took it from a Swa­bi­an folk tune. Silcher’s tune was ar­ranged by Low­ell Ma­son and published in his Car­mi­na Sac­ra, (se­cond ed­i­tion, 1841). There seems to be a bit of Ellis Island-like confusion surrounding the tune. Some hymn­als name the tune “Lisch­er” (a mis­spell­ing of “Sil­cher”?), or er­ron­e­ous­ly give Sil­cher’s name as “Schnei­der.”

Dr. Mason would probably want us all to be singing instead of just listening, so I’ll include the words to this first hymn and leave it up to you. Have a blessed Sabbath.

 

Welcome, delightful morn,
Thou day of sacred rest!
I hail thy kind return;
Lord, make these moments blest;
From the low train of mortal toys,
I soar to reach immortal joys,

Now may the King descend,
And fill His throne with grace;
Thy scepter, Lord, extend,
While saints address Thy face:
Let sinners feel Thy quickening Word,
And learn to know and fear the Lord,

Descend, celestial Dove,
With all Thy quickening powers;
Disclose a Savior’s love,
And bless the sacred hours:
Then shall my soul new life obtain,
Nor Sabbaths be enjoyed in vain,

 

Category: hymns, Sabbath, worship / Tags: , , ,
 
Wordpress Theme by ThemeZee