Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Awake My Heart with Gladness

                                                             
Awake, my heart, with gladness, 
See what today is done; 
Now, after gloom and sadness
Comes forth the glorious Sun. 
My Savior there was laid 
Where our bed must be made 
When to the realms of light 
Our spirit wings its flight. 
The foe in triumph shouted 
When Christ lay in the tomb
But, lo, he now is routed, 
His boast is turned to gloom. 
For Christ again is free; 
In glorious victory He 
Who is strong to save 
Has triumphed o'er the grave. 
This is a sight that gladdens; 
What peace it doth impart! 
Now nothing ever saddens 
The joy within my heart. 
No gloom shall ever shake, 
No foe shall ever take, 
The hope which God's own Son 
In love for me hath won. 

Now hell, its prince, the devil 
Of all their powers are shorn; 
Now I am safe from evil
And sin I laugh to scorn. 
Grim Death with all his might 
Cannot my soul affright; 
He is a powerless form, 
Howe'er he rave and storm. 

The world against me rageth 
Its fury I disdain; 
Though bitter war it wageth 
Its work is all in vain. 
My heart from care is free, 
No trouble troubles me. 
Misfortune now is play 
And night is bright as day

Now I will cling forever 
To Christ, my Savior true; 
My Lord will leave me never, 
Whate'er He passeth through. 
He rends Death's iron chain
He breaks through sin and pain, 
He shatters hell's dark thrall, 
I follow Him through all. 

To halls of heavenly splendor 
With Him I penetrate; 
And trouble ne'er may hinder 
Nor make me hesitate. 
Let tempests rage at will
My Savior shields me still; 
He grants abiding peace 
And bids all tumult cease. 

He brings me to the portal 
That leads to bliss untold, 
Whereon this rhyme immortal 
Is found in script of gold: 
"Who there My cross hath shared* 
Finds here a crown prepared; 
Who there with Me hath died 
Shall here be glorified." 
--Paul Gerhardt 1648 ("Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden"); translated John Kelly, 1867

*Matthew 16:24-26 & Revelation 2:10

Saturday, March 1, 2025

The Cross


In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.

I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agonies and blood;
He fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.


Sure never till my latest breath,
Shall I forget that look!
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.

A second look He gave, which said,
"I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou mayest live."

Thus while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too!

—John Newton (author of "Amazing Grace"; 1725-1807) 


Saturday, February 1, 2025

Biblical Winters

 
[Young Elihu to Job & company]
"God's voice thunders with marvelous things;
He does great things we cannot deeply know.
For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,'
And to the shower of rain, Be mighty rain torrents'...
From the Breath of God ice is given,
     And the broad waters are frozen."  (Job 37:5, 6, 10)

Praise Yahweh from the earth:
Fire and hail, snow and clouds, 
Strong wind doing His will...
Let them praise the Name of Yahweh,
For His Name alone is exalted;
His splendor is above the earth and heavens. (Psalm 148: 7a, 8, 13)
Pen and ink; Paint 3D; Marie Byars art
He sends forth His command to the earth;
His word runs swiftly forth.
He dispenses snow as wool;
He scatters hoar-frost as ashes.
He hurls His hail as fragments--
Who can stand before His icy cold?
He sends forth His word and melts them;
He causes the wind to blow,
         and the waters flow.  (Psalm 147: 15-18)

[Yahweh says]
"For just as the rain comes down
     And the snow from the heavens
     And does not return there
     Without watering the earth,
Causing it to bring forth and sprout
     So that it yields seed to the sower
      And bread to the eater,
Thus is My Word which goes forth from My mouth:
It does not return to me void,
But does what I delighted
And advances those things for which I sent it."  (Isaiah 55: 10-11)

"Come, now, let us reason together.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red as crimson,
They shall be [white] like wool."  (Isaiah 1:18)

[King David leads us in saying]
"Cleanse me with hyssop* and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."  (Psalm 51:7)

(original translations c.m.b.)

*Ezov, the hyssop of the Bible-- a flowering herb in the mint family, which was used for cleansing. The plant was used to "sprinkle" liquids.  A hyssop stalk was used to life a sponge to Jesus' lips as He hung on the cross, to give Him something to wet His lips as He thirsted.

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

[Thee God I come from, to Thee go]

                                                           
Thee, God, I come from, to thee go,
 All day long I like fountain flow 
From thy hand out, swayed about 
Mote-like* in thy mighty glow.         
Hopkins in his early years
What I know of thee I bless, 
As acknowledging thy stress 
On my being and as seeing 
Something of thy holiness.     

Once I turned from thee and hid, 
Bound on what thou hadst forbid; 
Sow the wind I would; I sinned: 
I repent of what I did. 
Hopkins as a young priest
Bad I am**, but yet thy child.
Father, be thou reconciled. 
Spare thou me, since I see 
With thy might that thou art mild. 

I have life before me still 
And thy purpose to fulfil; 
Yea a debt to pay thee yet: 
Help me, sir, and so I will. 
Hopkins in later years
But thou bidst, and just thou art, 
Me shew mercy from my heart 
Towards my brother, every other 
Man my mate and counterpart.
--Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., 1885
                                                                 
*speck-like
**should not be taken as a call to wallow in poor self-esteem; rather, this recognition of original sin helps us understand the lack of perfection in all of us and our need for God's forgiveness.  We all want to go off our own ways, and we are not naturally altruistic and loving towards others. 



Sunday, December 1, 2024

Fum Fum Fum

 
On December 25th** sing
Fum, fum, fum*.
On December 25th sing
Fum, fum, fum.
He is born of God's pure love,       
The Son of God, the Son of God;
He is born of Virgin Mary
On this night so cold** and dreary.
Fum, fum, fum.

     
Birds of every forest grove sing
Fum, fum, fum. 
Birds of every forest grove sing
Fum, fum, fum. 
All your fledglings on the bough,
Oh, leave them now, oh, leave them now;
For to make a downy cover
For our Jesus, round Him hover.
Fum, fum, fum.  

Shining stars from heav'n above, sing
Fum, fum, fum. 
Shining stars from heav'n above, sing
Fum, fum, fum. 
Oh, come rejoice, oh, come rejoice;
Come and light the night's obscureness
With your light and dazzling pureness.
Fum, fum, fum.    
--Traditional Spanish Catalan carol (one of many translations)  

*"Fum" [pronounced "foom"], an imitation of strumming guitars and other stringed instruments; possibly also suggesting the rocking of the cradle.
**We don't know what date or time of year Jesus was born.  (Some modern writers assert it was in August, due to supposed clues in the text, but this is not known for sure.)  This date was chosen to give people who converted to Christianity an opportunity to carry on old light festivals with new meanings.  Many carols reflect their European settings far more than the realities of 1st century Bethlehem.


Friday, November 1, 2024

All Things Bright & Beautiful

 
Refrain: 
All things bright and beautiful,  
 All creatures great and small, 
All things wise and wonderful, 
The Lord God made them all. 

Each little flow'r that opens,
Each little bird that sings, 
He made their glowing colors, 
He made their tiny wings. [Refrain]  
The purple-headed mountain 
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning 
That brightens up the sky. [Refrain]  
Pen & Ink, Paint 3D, Marie Byars art

The cold wind in the winter
The pleasant summer sun
The ripe fruits in the garden
He made them every one. [Refrain
cornucopia, colored pencil art, Dollar Tree coloring book
He gave us eyes to see them, 
And lips that we might tell 
How great is God Almighty, 
Who has made all things well. [Refrain]
-Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848 [female]

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Prayer Answered by Crosses

 
I ask’d the Lord, that I might grow
In faith, and love, and ev’ry grace,
Might more of his salvation know,
And seek more earnestly his face.
‘Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
And he, I trust has answer’d pray’r;
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.
I hop’d that in some favour’d hour,
At once he’d answer my request:
And by his love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.
Instead of this. he made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in ev’ry part.
Yea more, with his own hand he seem’d
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Cross’d all the fair designs I schem’d,
Blasted my gourds*, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cry’d,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
“‘Tis in this way,” the Lord reply’d,
“I answer pray’r for grace and faith.
“These inward trials I employ,
“From self and pride to set thee free;
“And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
“That thou mayst seek thy all in me.”
     --John Newton (1725-1807); author of "Amazing Grace" and many other poems & hymns  

*Book of Jonah:  God dried things up to prove a point to Jonah about Jonah's hardness of heart towards the Ninevites