Monday, March 10, 2008
The Crucifixion
Technically, this is a prose section, but Luther adds a poetic feeling:"Und es war schon um die sechste Stunde, und es kam eine Finsternis über das ganze Land bis zur neunte Stunde, und die Sonne verlor ihren Schein. . ." Luke 23:44-45a. Or, "It was already the sixth hour, and a darkness came over the entire area until the ninth hour. And the Sun lost its [her] shine. . ."
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Confessions*
1) Though I'm not at all what I'd like to be,
I hope you'll understand. . .
My thoughts and deeds aren't "good as gold":
They're more like worthless sand.
2) So far as east is from the west,
So far my sin's removed.**
Embraced by Jesus's perfect grace,
I know I'm always loved.
3) My love for God is really true,
My faith in Him sincere:
Now I reach to others, too,
4) To show I really care.
So after a trying day of work,
When stress just runs away,
I hope you realize I know inside
It's still a lovely day!
---Marie Byars, 1986; Ft. Stewart, GA
*"Confessions" of both sin & faith
**Psalm 103:12
Labels:
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The "Nature" of Love
[Agapge]* Love is patient and is kind;
Love does not envy;
Love does not boast and is not vain;
It down not behave rudely nor seek its own way;
It is not provoked and does not think evil;
It does not rejoice in wrong-doing but rejoices in the truth.
[Love] bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love neer fails. . .
And now these three things remain:
Faith, Hope, and Love;
But the greatest of these is Love.
St. Paul, I Corinthians 13: 3-8; 13
* "Agape" is a special type of undeserved Love. God shows it perfectly; we cannot, which is why we are all sinners.
"Happy Valentine's Day!!"
Love does not envy;
Love does not boast and is not vain;
It down not behave rudely nor seek its own way;
It is not provoked and does not think evil;
It does not rejoice in wrong-doing but rejoices in the truth.
[Love] bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love neer fails. . .
And now these three things remain:
Faith, Hope, and Love;
But the greatest of these is Love.
St. Paul, I Corinthians 13: 3-8; 13
* "Agape" is a special type of undeserved Love. God shows it perfectly; we cannot, which is why we are all sinners.
"Happy Valentine's Day!!"
Labels:
Ancient Wisdom,
Biblical poetry,
Jesus Christ,
love,
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Friday, January 18, 2008
Not "Done" with "Donne"
My mother, Melba, just died on January 12th. She went peacefully in her sleep & is asleep in Jesus. She is released from her dementia (which was actually caused by heart disease, not Alzheimer's). She quite likely had low grade mental issues for many years, from which she is also released. No more on-going physical degradations that came from mini-strokes & a silent heart attack & strained lungs. So I can only say with the poet John Donne, "Death be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so. . .Death, thou, too shalt die!" (You can find the entire poem in earlier posts.) BTW, Melba liked purple.
Labels:
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Friday, January 4, 2008
Vivaldi's Winter
ALLEGRO MOLTO
To shiver, frozen, amid icy snow
in the bitter blast of a horrible wind;
to run constantly stamping one's feet;
and to feel one's teeth chatter
on account of the excessive cold;
LARGO
To spend restful, happy days at the fireside
while the rain outside drenches a good 100;
ALLEGRO
to walk on the ice,
and with slow steps
to move about cautiously
for fear of falling;
to go fast, to slip and fall down;
["falling to the ground"]
to go on the ice again and run fast
until the ice cracks and opens up;
LENTO
["Sirocco Wind"]
to hear coming out of the iron gates
ALLEGRO MOLTO
Sirocco, Boreas and all the winds at war:
that's winter, but of a kind to gladden one's heart.
---Antonio Vivaldi, 1725
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Joy to the World
(A paraphrase of Psalm 98)
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.
---Isaac Watts, 1719
Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.
---Isaac Watts, 1719
Monday, December 3, 2007
Joseph the Faithful Carpenter
Ponders the new he keeps concealed:
His bride-to-be in found with child—
A father’s name is not revealed.
As Joseph slumbers fitfully
An angel enters Joseph’s dream
To tell him that this comes from God
And things are not as they may seem:
“O, Joseph, banish all your fears
And take Young Mary as your wife
And be a father to God’s child
Who comes to share in human life.”
Good Joseph, born of David’s line
(Which matters not in days of Rome)
Bequeaths a human royalty
And gives the Boy a godly home.
A jealous Herod fears this King,
So Joseph takes them speedily
To Egypt, where again he works,
To care for his small family.
An angel tells that Herod’s dead,
So Joseph brings them all back home;
He brings them to quaint Nazareth
And raises God’s Son as his own.
---C. Marie Byars, 1999 (c)
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