"For All the Saints"

The words to this hymn were written by Englishman William How (1823-1897). An Anglican minister, he was appointed bishop of Wakefield in 1889. There has been a church in Wakefield for over 1000 years, something that's a bit difficult for us Americans to grasp. The Cathedral of All Saints in Wakefield, England, erected a marble memorial to How.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the music was composed by a fellow Englishman, Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872-1958).


"For All the Saints"

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

(Photo of the spire of Wakefield Cathedral, formerly Cathedral of All Saints, comes from this website.)

"Come Down, O Love Divine"

Pentecost Sunday

This hymn was written by Bi­an­co of Si­e­na (?-1434). It was put to a melody by the English composer, Ralph (pronounced Rayf) Vaughn Williams (1872-1958). Williams' father was a vicar and his mother was the great-granddaughter of the potter Josiah Wedgwood.

"Come Down, O Love Divine"

Come down, O love divine, seek Thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with Thine own ardor glowing.
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,
And kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, til earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let Thy glorious light shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace, till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling.
(photo of Williams as a young man)

"Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise"

Ascension Sunday

This is one of the over 6000 hymns written by Charles Wesley (1707-1788). Although it's long, I have reprinted the lyrics in full, as brother John Wesley requested in the preface to the 1799 Methodist hymnal.

Robert Williams (1782-1818), who wrote the melody used for this hymn, was a blind basket maker from Wales. The tune is named Llanfair, and some speculate that it is named for Wil­liams’ home town of Llan­fair­pwll­gwyn­gyll­go­gerychwyrn­drob­wllllandt­ysil­iog­og­o­goch. In Eng­lish, it translates to “church of St. Mary in the hollow of white ha­zel near the ra­pid whirl­pool of the Church of St. Tysil­lio by the red cave.”

"Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise"

Hail the day that sees Him rise, Alleluia!
To His throne above the skies, Alleluia!
Christ, awhile to mortals given, Alleluia!
Reascends His native heaven, Alleluia!

There the glorious triumph waits, Alleluia!
Lift your heads, eternal gates, Alleluia!
Christ hath conquered death and sin, Alleluia!
Take the King of glory in, Alleluia!

Circled round with angel powers, Alleluia!
Their triumphant Lord, and ours, Alleluia!
Conqueror over death and sin, Alleluia!
“Take the King of glory in! Alleluia!”

Him though highest Heav’n receives, Alleluia!
Still He loves the earth He leaves, Alleluia!
Though returning to His throne, Alleluia!
Still He calls mankind His own, Alleluia!

See! He lifts His hands above, Alleluia!
See! He shows the prints of love, Alleluia!
Hark! His gracious lips bestow, Alleluia!
Blessings on His church below, Alleluia!

Still for us His death He pleads, Alleluia!
Prevalent He intercedes, Alleluia!
Near Himself prepares our place, Alleluia!
Harbinger of human race, Alleluia!

Master, (will we ever say), Alleluia!
Taken from our head to day, Alleluia!
See Thy faithful servants, see, Alleluia!
Ever gazing up to Thee, Alleluia!

Grant, though parted from our sight, Alleluia!
Far above yon azure height, Alleluia!
Grant our hearts may thither rise, Alleluia!
Seeking Thee beyond the skies, Alleluia!

Ever upward let us move, Alleluia!
Wafted on the wings of love, Alleluia!
Looking when our Lord shall come, Alleluia!
Longing, gasping after home, Alleluia!

There we shall with Thee remain, Alleluia!
Partners of Thy endless reign, Alleluia!
There Thy face unclouded see, Alleluia!
Find our heaven of heavens in Thee, Alleluia!

And a Battery

Easter Sunday I sat with some of the little ones as they ate their snacks after the service. One little girl in particular was very talkative. She had on her new Easter dress and was quite proud of her new little pink purse. While she carried her food to the table, I carried her purse. (Which was quite heavy, by the way!)

Adrianna: See my new purse?

Me: It's very pretty! I like the pink color, and the sequins.
What do you have in your purse?

Adrianna: Some lipstick. And some bubble bath.

Me: Those are good things to have with you.

Adrianna: And a battery.

Me: Why do you have a battery?

Adrianna: Because I like batteries!

There you have it. Out of the mouth of a pre-schooler. The three essentials to carry in your purse.

On Easter Sunday, why not carry bubble bath in your purse?! Jesus washed away our sins by His death and resurrection. We are made clean through Him. As for the battery, I suppose you can say it signifies that we get our energy from Him. We are a useless shell that doesn't work without Him to fuel us.

And the lipstick? It reminds us that no matter how much we try to gussie ourselves up, God see us for who we truly are. He sees into the depths of our souls. And He died for us anyway. He died for us BECAUSE of those things!

"Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands"

I happened upon this Easter hymn while perusing a hymnal from my collection. Words by Martin Luther (1483-1546), and music adapted and harmonized by Bach (1685-1750) from a German melody written in 1524. How can you go wrong? It's a bit difficult to sing on the first go around, even with the music in front of you, but it's worth listening to.

"Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands"

Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands,
For our offenses given;
But now at God’s right hand He stands,
And brings us life from Heaven.
Wherefore let us joyful be,
And sing to God right thankfully
Loud songs of Alleluia! Alleluia!

Here the true Paschal Lamb we see,
Whom God so freely gave us;
He died on the accursed tree—
So strong His love!—to save us.
See, His blood doth mark our door;
Faith points to it, Death passes over,
And Satan cannot harm us. Alleluia!

So let us keep the festival
Where to the Lord invites us;
Christ is Himself the joy of all,
The Sun that warms and lights us.
By His grace He doth impart
Eternal sunshine to the heart;
The night of sin is ended! Alleluia!

You can go here to listen to the wonderful melody and read all of the verses. Unfortunately, I think there's a wrong note in the next to last measure, so you'll have to overlook that. Also, just be forewarned that there is a painting a bit of the way down the page. It's of Jesus in the tomb, with two disciples looking at Him. As long as you're ready for it, I suppose it isn't quite so startling.

"Christ The Lord Is Risen Today!"

"Christ The Lord Is Risen Today!"

Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!

Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

(The drawing above is of the Foundry Chapel in London. Originally, an old iron foundry used to make artillery, the building was remodeled for use as a chapel. John Wesley’s words for this hymn were writ­ten for use at the first wor­ship ser­vice at this Wes­ley­an Chap­el.)

"All Glory, Laud, and Honor"

The tune for this Palm Sunday hymn was written by St. Theodolph (760-821), the well-loved Bishop of Orleans, France. When Emperor Charlemagne died in 814, his son and successor (Louis I the Pious) had Theodulph imprisoned. A legend arose that a short time before the bishop's death in 821, Louis was in the area where the bishop was imprisoned. As he passed under Theodulph's cell, the emperor heard singing and worshipping coming from the bishop's cell. When the emperor heard this tune being sung, he was so moved by it that he immediately ordered the bishop's release.

All Glory, Laud, and Honor


Refrain:
All glory, laud, and honor,
to thee, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.

1. Thou art the King of Israel,
thou David's royal Son,
who in the Lord's name comest,
the King and Blessed One.

(Go to the link above to see all verses.)

Epiphany

When I was a girl, January 6 meant: my younger brother's birthday. We never took our tree down until after his birthday. I suppose Mom thought having the tree for his birthday made it more festive somehow, and somewhat lessened the downside of having a birthday so close to Christmas. And she was right. Now that I'm married and have a family of my own, I still leave our tree up through Epiphany, in his honor, even though my brother lives half-way across the country.

Now that I'm a Christian, I can see Epiphany in another light. In Sunday's sermon, pastor said:

There is no star, no baby to draw people in. Where will God lead people? To us. Ephesians 3 says, through the church God is showing His wisdom to heavenly rulers and powers. Through the church, God will manifest His glory. We are the light of the world. The grace, patience, and mercy that God has shown us, we should extend to others. Let's be what we are; the light of the world.

Dear Lord, help me to show grace, patience, and mercy. Help me to be a light in my little corner of the universe.

"As With Gladness, Men of Old"

You may be familiar with this first stanza of the Epiphany hymn, As With Gladness, Men of Old:

As with gladness men of old
did the guiding star behold;
as with joy they hailed in light,
leading onward, beaming bright;
so, most gracious Lord, may we
evermore be led to thee.

These last two verses are probably less well known, but so full of hope and wonder:

Holy Jesus! every day
keep us in the narrow way;
and, when earthly things are past,
bring our ransomed souls at last
where they need no star to guide,
where no clouds thy glory hide.

In the heavenly country bright,
need they no created light;
thou its light, its joy, its crown,
thou its sun which goes not down;
there for ever may we sing
alleluias to our King.

This hymn, written by William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898), is not his most famous. Dix, the manager of a marine insurance company in Scotland, is most famous for writing the words to "What Child Is This?" (Photo above is of the Parish Church in Somerset, England, where Dix was buried.)

"Infant Holy, Infant Lowly"

The grocery store has relegated their Christmas stuff to a corner at huge discounts. They don't care about the visual beauty of their displays. Ornaments are scattered hodge-podge, the boxes of Christmas lights are askew on the shelf, and the Christmas candy sits unceremoniously next to the Hannah Montana doll.

It doesn't bother me, for this is not what Christmas is anyway. Just as this hymn title is a study in contrasts, so is our Lord. It's about the Baby Who came to die. The Baby, wrapped in cloths, foreshadowing His inevitable purpose. The Son of God, placed in a feeding trough; He, Who is the bread of life.

The link below takes you to an accompaniment of this hymn, but unfortunately it doesn't accurately capture the correct harmony. As written, the soprano and alto parts "clash" at least once in every line of this hymn. It's that sound that makes you think, "Is that the right note?" But, when you look at the part, it is correct. The dissonance builds tension, and then is resolved to a chord that sounds right. Isn't this just what our Lord did? He built tension, He took everyone by surprise. Then, He resolved the ultimate tension between God and Satan. Between God and us. Between God and me.

Infant Holy, Infant Lowly
Infant holy, Infant lowly, for His bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing, little knowing, Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Swift are winging angels singing, noels ringing, tidings bringing:
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.

Lessons and Carols

We've been busy around here. Nutcracker. Church jobs. The usual Christmastime activities.

Just wanted you to know: KVOD (FM 88.1 Denver) is broadcasting Lessons and Carols, live from Kings College, at 8am (MST) on December 24.

Wherever you are, try to catch Lessons and Carols this Christmas Eve.

Second Sunday of Advent

Want to listen to some good Advent hymns?

Go to Sing for Joy and you won't be disappointed. (If you like the same kind of music I do, that is!)

No need to silence my blog music, by the way. It'll stop on its own when you go to the link above.

Comfort, Comfort Ye My People
verse 3

Make ye straight what long was crooked,
make the rougher places plain:
let your hearts be true and humble,
as befits his holy reign,
For the glory of the Lord
now o'er the earth is shed abroad,
and all flesh shall see the token
that his word is never broken.

Have a blessed week.

Be Fruitful and Multiply

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
James 2:10

The kids and I reread the creation story from Genesis as our Jesse Tree reading for the day. Although I must have read those verses at least 20 times, something new jumped out at me this morning. (I love when that happens!)

As early as Genesis 1:11, God says, "Let the land produce vegetation..." (NIV). The King James translates it as, "Let the earth bring forth grass...". Verse 12 says that the land produced (brought forth) vegetation. When God creates sea creatures and birds, He blesses them and tells them, "Be fruitful and increase in number..." (NIV); "Be fruitful and multiply... (KJV). The land animals are to do the same. And finally, in Genesis 1:28, God tells Adam and Eve, "Be fruitful and increase in number (multiply), fill (replenish) the earth, and subdue it. Rule (have dominion) over [every living creature]."

Having experienced infertility for many years, I always saw these passages as the command I could never fulfill. The big glaring spotlight trained right on me, reminding everyone I had failed. But with the scripture readings from just a few Sundays ago about the Parable of the Talents still fresh in my mind, I realized this morning that our being fruitful doesn't just have to mean giving birth to biological children. An economist recently said, "Our country is in financial trouble because instead of producing and saving, we are consuming and spending." I can produce and be fruitful in the smallest of ways. I can do it by cleaning the bathroom mirror without inwardly grumbling. I can do it in a life-changing permanent way. By teaching my children about God, His word, His Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Wow. Hopeful words. Humbling words. Hard words.

(I typed in the phrase "be fruitful and multiply" and searched images, only to find this photo above. Interesting, don't you think?)