Gathering Gardens of Words ~ March

One of my blueberry bushes awakening to Spring.

The gate of Spring has lavishly swung open and welcomed us into its joyful cadence. I noticed the first clues last week on a walk as everywhere around me, burgeoning buds of green emerged from branches ever so cautiously. Cows arrived in fields, baby goats and sheep lay in pastures of sunshine, and birdsong was heard in bushes and trees as I meandered past. Of course, the familiar dog friends came running out to bark uproariously as we passed by quickly on the other side of the road. At home, I moved my outdoor plants back to their stations, hoping they survived the winter. Day by day, I gave a passing glance at the branches to see if anything was happening, and it was. Marvel reawakened in me as it does every Spring. You’d think after forty-six revolutions of the Earth around the sun, I would not be surprised anymore by the seasons changing, but each turning of the season brings a fresh delight to my soul. I hope that I will never lose that wonder, even when I am eighty years old.

We entered Holy Week at our church this past Sunday, led in worship by the younger members of our congregation, waving palm branches, the older kids guiding and carrying the younger ones during the first hymn. With pure joy, we were led into this most important of weeks in the Christian calendar, led by children and infants to worship the King. It was a fitting start to this week of joyful illuminating hope and celebration of the victory of our King over the sin and death of this dark world.

This month, I’ve gathered some words to share with you, some beautiful words that have watered my soul and nourished my thinking. I hope they bless anyone who is reading today, that these words point you to the Creator, the Savior, the Risen King, Jesus who sits this very day on His throne. May you know Him more deeply today than ever before.

Photo by Blake Verdoorn on Unsplash, Multnomah Falls, Oregon

“Joy being of God was a living thing, a fountain not a cistern, one of those divine things that are possessed only as they overflow and flow away, and not easily come by because it must break into human life through the hard crust of sin and contingency. Joy came now here, now there, was held and escaped.”

― Elizabeth Goudge, The Dean's Watch

The Good Shepherd, by I. Lilias Trotter

Beneath Thy Cross

Am I a stone, and not a sheep,
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath thy cross,
To number drop by drop Thy Blood's slow loss,
And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon--
I, only I.

Yet give not o'er,
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock.

-Christina Rossetti

Photo by Alexander Ramsey on Unsplash

“And Christ’s life indeed makes it manifest, terrifyingly manifest, what dreadful untruth it is to admire the truth instead of following it. When there is no danger, when there is a dead calm, when everything is favorable to our Christianity, then it is all too easy to confuse an admirer with a follower. And this can happen very quietly. The admirer can be under the delusion that the position he takes is the true one, when all he is doing is playing it safe. Give heed, therefore, to the call of discipleship!” - Søren Kierkegaard, Bread and Wine, Readings for Lent and Easter

Blossom in the Desert, I. Lilias Trotter

“Oh, that we may learn to die to all that is of self with this royal joyfulness that swallows up death in victory in God’s world around! He can make every step of the path full of the triumph of gladness that glows in the golden leaves. Glory be to His Name!”

― I. Lilias Trotter, Parables of the Cross

Bread and Wine - Lenten Reflections

Bread

I didn’t plan to remove gluten and wine from my personal menu this year, but when symptoms of food sensitivities began to reveal themselves and I could no longer bear them, I made the unwanted decision to remove these triggers and pursue the health of my body. The funny thing is that these symptoms began to pile up right around the beginning of Lent, a season of the church calendar that reminds us of our mortality, our brief lives pre-eternity. What was also funny, yet not entirely, was that I had just become good at making sour dough bread! What impeccable timing! The very food I cannot eat, the very food I crave fresh out of the oven slathered in salted butter, is the very thing that I must withhold from myself. And it taunts me in a way, the little glass mason jar of a sour dough culture that sits beneath my kitchen lamp or on the window sill after I’ve fed it. When preparing the bread for my kids, the fragrance of bread rising, baking, and cooling on the counter are in my senses of sight as I measure ingredients, of smell as the dough breathes, and of touch as I score the top of the boules with lovely designs. Everything within me says eat, and then I remember the Lord said hundreds of years ago,

“But he answered, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ~Matthew 4:4

Wine

I never really liked wine until I got married in my late twenties. My husband enjoyed it so I thought I would try a few sips at times. Mostly with a sour look and cringy face, I would take a few sips before passing it on to my husband to finish. But eventually I did acquire a taste and it was delightful. In the past several years, I have noticed that I started getting headaches that would last for hours. “Perhaps,” I thought , “White wine will be safe,” but most recently, when having a single glass, I ended up with a painful 20 hour headache. I declared that my journey with wine has ended… except on the Lord’s Day, as we gather with our church community. I take the bread and the wine during the Lord’s Supper, a small and simple portion, take, eat, drink.

What could all this mean? I sit and ponder.

“But he answered, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ~Matthew 4:4

The answer comes in the form of a catechism question and a dear sweet group of Kindergartners. While assisting at our little Christian school yesterday, the lovely teacher asked the class, “What is the Gospel?” The children replied, “Jesus!”

Amen!

The gospel is Jesus. Jesus is the Word, and He is my sustenance in this life and throughout eternity. He is nourishing my mind, body, and soul with His Word, every word that comes from the mouth of God.

“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” ~ Matthew 26:26-29 ESV

Thankfully, my body can currently handle the bread and wine at communion, once a week, a small portion. But there may come a time when I may have to eat gluten-free communion bread and grape juice, and that will be okay, not quite as okay as the delicious homemade bread our bread team makes each week, but it will be okay! ;)

For now, I want to share with you a sour dough recipe that I’m certain you will enjoy (unless you can’t eat gluten)!

Sour Dough Bread Recipe: photos attached!

““Self-denial means knowing only Christ, and no longer oneself. It means seeing only Christ, who goes ahead of us, and no longer the path that is too difficult for us. Again, self-denial is saying only: He goes ahead of us; hold fast to him.” ”

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, p. 49

Justice Smiles and Asks No More

Photo by Ahna Ziegler on Unsplash

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent for Christians around the world. I laid out our wooden lenten candelabra, with tulips juxtaposed for St Valentine’s Day. The snow fell lightly as twilight descended. We donned our coats and winter boots and drove into town for our evening service. Men, women, and children entered the sanctuary, people visiting for this midweek service, another local church joining us for this service, happy to be together again after a long work day. Hymns were sung, liturgy spoken, Scripture from the Old and New Testaments read, prayers, and a homily. Quietly, no music in the background, one by one, each of us came forward to receive the sign of the cross on our foreheads, ash mixed with oil, reminding us:

“From dust you came, to dust you shall return.”

Reminded of our mortality, we lifted up our hands to receive the benediction. This is one of my favorite services of the year. I love to be marked with the sign of the cross because it is the most meaningful symbol. God took on flesh and gave Himself up in our place to be the full payment for sin. The cross speaks of my salvation. The cross speaks of the love poured out in the blood and the water that cascaded from my Lord’s flesh. His body broken, His blood poured out, to pay the debt I owed Him. He took my place.

It is at the cross where “Justice smiles and asks no more…”

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. - Romans 3:21-31 (English Standard Version)

Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder (click to listen)
1. Let us love and sing and wonder
Let us praise the Savior’s name
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder
He has quenched Mount Sinai’’s flame
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has brought us nigh to God

2. Let us love the Lord Who bought us
Pitied us when enemies
Called us by His grace and taught us
Gave us ears and gave us eyes
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He has washed us with His blood
He presents our souls to God

3. Let us sing though fierce temptation
Threatens hard to bear us down
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conqu’ror’s crown
He, Who washed us with His blood,
He, Who washed us with His blood,
He, Who washed us with His blood,
Soon will bring us home to God

4. Let us wonder grace and justice
Join and point to mercy’s store
When through grace in Christ our trust is
Justice smiles and asks no more
He Who washed us with His blood
He Who washed us with His blood
He Who washed us with His blood
Has secured our way to God

5. Let us praise and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high
Here they trusted Him before us
Now their praises fill the sky
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou art worthy Lamb of God

6. Yes, we praise Thee, gracious Saviour
Wonder, love, and bless Thy Name.
Pardon, Lord our poor endeavor
Pity for Thou knowest our frame
Wash our souls and songs with blood
Wash our souls and songs with blood
Wash our souls and songs with blood
For by Thee, we come to God

©2001 Laura Taylor Music.

Photo by Steve Sharp on Unsplash

The Necessity of Feeding on God's Word and How To Do That in the Little Years

Photo by Pierre-Alain Picard on Unsplash

There were times in my life where time alone was plenteous. Because I was single (and waiting patiently for my future husband to arrive on the timeline) I had so very much time available to me in my twenties when I was not studying at college or working a plethora of part time jobs to pay the bills. As an introvert, my time was not filled up with a lot of social activity, there was some, especially when it came to church ministry and serving the youth and young adults at my parent’s church plant. In those times, I was busy… driving kids to the bi-weekly community worship service in another town, planning Bible study, leading the youth music team and one of the adult music teams, practicing for our hilarious Christmas drama at church, and gathering for youth events, or just meeting up with young people for coffee. But in general, life was quiet; I had no cell phone and the internet was at my parent’s house where you could only access it if no one else was on the phone, and then, you had to dial up to connect. Those who remember that stage of the internet will recall the all too familiar tones emitting from the computer speakers as it laboriously attempted to connect to the world wide web, and the painstaking patience required to wait for it!

Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

Sometimes I would pack up my journal, Bible, a book, and drive to a cozy coffee shop for an evening of writing and reflection while being serenaded by the instrumental jazz on the stereo playing overhead. Sometimes, I would venture down the ravine behind my parents house for some time alone amidst the woods, the sound of birdsong, the calming rhythm of the creek flowing ever on down towards the Fraser River from Whonnock Mountain where we lived. The views from my parents’ mountain sanctuary helped me get perspective on life. Lots of walks. Lots of thoughts. A quiet afternoon climbing over massive logs and dipping my feet in the Kanaka Creek while sunlight streamed through gathered trees watching over me like Tolkien’s faithful Ents, provided a perfect scene to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus and pour out my heart to Him, seek Him (even though I didn’t spend too long on that log that warm summer day when I realized all the berries were eaten half way up the surrounding bushes, and the thought of running into bear or cougar or coyote snapped me back into the reality of the wild… but still, it was awesome… except when I dislocated my knee going back up the ravine… but still, it was awesome.)

Photo by John Thomas on Unsplash

When the blessing of children arrived, those quiet times alone with the Lord became fewer and far between. The journaling stopped altogether as my energy was sapped much quicker and naps were an afternoon necessity! There were times when I would look up and say, “Lord, I miss you,” not that He was gone, but that my time alone with Him was now just different. While I absolutely loved being in this new season of motherhood, I had to find new rhythms of devotion, and the Lord gently led me into creative ways to “practice His presence”.

I wasn’t able to drink from the firehose of God’s Word in the same way I had before, and so it was a new season of learning by trial and error, how I was going to be in God’s Word. There were many ups and downs, many dry times, and as always with any new thing, it was a learning curve, and I had to learn to give myself grace. Over time, I found things that worked for me and didn’t work for me.

Hiking in St Louis, Missouri, 2015

2 Simple and Practical Ways to Get Into God’s Word:

1. Listen to the Bible on audiobook or stream online: We have access to so many ways to get into God’s Word in our current era, besides picking up the Bible and turning the pages. Ten years ago, my four babies were between the ages of 0 and 6 years old. We were starting some homeschooling and busy with crafting and snacks and play doh and snacks and getting everyone’s shoes and coats on to go to the community playground outside and snacks and changing diapers for two and potty training and… snacks! Life was gloriously full (and still is)! But I had little ones up at night, with sicknesses making its round through all four kids and sometimes little ones waking with bad dreams and needing consoling, or others waking up before the sun rose. So my capacity was quite limited. I wanted to wake up early and spend time alone with the Lord pouring over Scripture, but that did not happen in those years. In those years, the online version of the Bible I use was not streaming chapter to chapter. You could only play one chapter at a time, run back to the computer and click on the next chapter to hear it aloud. So I thought to myself, “What is the longest chapter in the Bible? I will just play that so I don’t have to run from the kitchen every few minutes… Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible. I would put it on in the background while the kids and I were spending our mornings in the kitchen playing, cooking, drawing, learning, and eating snacks! That was one way to get the Word in my ears, and theirs! Now, technology has improved and you can play through any book of the Bible in one click, and even use apps on your phone. Even now that my kids are tweens and teens, I still listen to the audio Bible when I’m wanting to catch up on my Bible reading plan as I rush out the door to get everyone where they need to go.

2. Scripture Music is another great way to get the Word in your hearts and in your kids’ hearts and carry it with you throughout the day. There are so many songwriters out there doing this now, you could pick your favorite and easily memorize scripture and even the catechisms through song! I still play Scripture songs around the home to fill the environment of my home, and my mind with Truth and beautiful music, especially if its a particularly stressful day, or if I’m feeling maxed out, and want to help remind myself and my family of God’s ways and words. Music can set the tone of the home.

Reminders on Perspective:

In the early church days, the New Testament was yet to be written, and eventually those documents would be circulated hand to hand as people traveled to teach and encourage the young churches that were being organized. Letters that were shared were read aloud to gatherings of Christians. They didn’t have copies of these documents in their homes to wake up to in the morning and meditate on with a cup of steaming hot espresso. They did not have the beloved music of Chopin or Mozart or Yo Yo Ma to listen to on a streaming device or a record player. The adults probably woke up before the sunrise, to start the cooking fires and warm up the house, prepare the grains and proteins for cooking, take care of the children and animals, and start the day’s work of survival. Every day is a work of survival. Maybe they had saved enough water from the day before for an early morning tea or another ancient drink of herbs and spices.

But likely, believers would gather once a week or several times a week for the reading of God’s Word, for the work of the church, and to be taught the Scriptures. Maybe they would memorize large portions to pass to others and recite those. Likely, any meditation on Scripture was what they had memorized from church gatherings and repeated at home. Many Jewish Christians also had the Old Testament, and many portions, or all of the Pentateuch, memorized as a part of their lifestyle and education. But most importantly, the Word of God was now written on their hearts and they lived and breathed with God’s Spirit indwelling them. This revolutionized the world. The peace and presence of Immanuel, God with us, was now a daily reality and as living temples, they carried the presence of God with them wherever they went, the aroma of Christ.

So, if you cannot be consistent in daily Scripture reading, there is no shame. Jesus doesn’t shame you. There is no shame on this train. But also, we need to stay on this train.

God says that those who meditate on His Word day and night are happy, are blessed (Psalm 1:1-2). God says where your treasure is there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21). God says to not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (Romans 12:1-2) and your heart and mind can be transformed and formed, literal neuropathways are formed when you read God’s Word and He transforms your thinking and thought life through these means when you saturate yourself in God’s Word.

So there is no shame (Romans 8:1) if you do not have capacity to live up to your ideals of Bible reading and frequent deep study of God’s Word, but on the other hand, He shows you the better way… Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, (Luke 10:42) spending time with the Word made flesh, soaking in every moment of hearing Him speak and filling her soul with Truth… that will not be taken away from you, and it is the better way to pursue.

The Gathering Light of His Fire

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

My phone had been receiving notifications that a severe winter storm was on its way to our corner of the Northwest. The signs were obvious: below freezing temperatures, frozen water in a bucket at church in the furnace room, people’s pipes breaking, the gathering of firewood (and long-burning logs), defrosting the truck for twenty minutes in the mornings, pets hesitant to go outside, and charred dumpsters in the heart of the city, the remains of desperate attempts for heat by those without homes.

A few weeks ago, our heating system broke in our house, and we knew that a hefty repair was in our future. It was still mild enough outside that we just put a few logs in the fireplace and we were sufficiently warmed in the evenings, gathering in our family room “bear den”. But the temperatures soon grew more frigid outside and our house got extremely cold. Thankfully, a gas fireplace in the basement helped to keep temps between 58-61 degrees Fahrenheit.

We’ve been baking a lot and leaving the oven door open to cool and maximize our use of the heat produced, and enjoying the baked goods produced from the heat! We increased our creativity in gathering fuel to burn including our two crispy Christmas trees from the forest, old school workbooks, extra wooden shingles we found in a box in our shed (from the previous owner), and dried apple branches from our tree, besides the costly grocery store firewood. A friend dropped off several large tree stumps for our sons to chop, and we are well supplied to keep the home fires burning!

When the temperatures dropped this past weekend, and frost began to accumulate on the inside of our windows, we bought a couple more hot water bottles for sleeping, an electric heating pad, doubled up on socks, and began to wear our winter coats and scarves around the house. The new heating unit arrived on the first day of the winter storm and workers faithfully stayed all day until midnight working. Amidst the falling of snow, our home was being restored, and we are once again enjoying the gift of a warm home!

One thing I’ve noticed is that our whole family gathers in our little family room and kitchen where its the warmest, where they read, play video games, study for their final exams, drink tea (and coffee), and generally entertain each other with the tools of logic they have eloquently gained this past year!

I love listening to my dad’s stories of growing up on the dairy farm in southern British Columbia. There were some winters that were so cold, that in the night, they’d go to sleep in their upstairs room and set out a cup of water. Over night, it would freeze solid. But they stayed warm enough in their house and in the morning, their mom would start up the wood stove in the basement. There was a hole cut into the floor where the heat would rise from the basement to the main level of the house… alas, central heating! And everyone would gather around the heat and light, and there, life was enjoyed, stories were shared, prayers were prayed, and knowing my aunts and uncles I’m sure many songs were sung… together.

That’s what heat and light do, they gather us in to safety, to survival, to life. The light chases the darkness away. The heat repels the deathly cold. Heat and light invite us to live, and not in isolation, but together. This is what the Word of God does.

God’s Word is a light to our path to help us see Reality, what is real and true. God’s Word gathers people together to feed our sin-sick souls, to nourish and give us strength for the daily friction of living in a broken world. We have the opportunity and responsibility, as born-again Christians, to share God’s Word with others, to bring others to the feast of God’s Word, the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, so that they too can gather with us around the life-giving warmth and light of Christ’s love, a fire that is never extinguished, but gives light and life to all who draw near.

I was reminded of this life-giving fire this past Sunday during the sermon. My husband is preaching through the book of the Acts of the Apostles. God came in the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit sent from King Jesus ten days after Jesus ascended bodily into Heaven and sat down on His throne to rule the nations and remake the world. As His people scattered among many nations pilgrimaged and gathered at the temple for the Feast of Pentecost, a harvest feast, the Holy Spirit descended and came upon the people like little flames of fire.

The tongues of fire were symbolic of the temple sacrificial system, but instead of offering the required animals on the altar, God’s people were becoming “living sacrifices” set on fire by the Holy Spirit, and being purified by the refining fire of the Holy Spirit. The people of God are now the living temple of His Spirit and we are the living sacrifices, but the provision and all the work is God’s work alone. And this is what people are drawn to, the light which comes not from us, but from God, the Creator and Giver of Light, the One who keeps the Light shining and the One to whom every knee will bow on earth and in Heaven. All nations will come to this Light and the world is being transformed by Jesus. He is the One who calls the City on a Hill into being and the light is going forth into all the world.

Light has a source and people are drawn to the source to gather and live. Jesus alone is the Light and those who come to him are filled with His Light to be reflectors of that Light which will transform the world.

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”

has shone in our hearts

to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

And the Word Came with Power

In 1962, two young women left their homes in America to answer God’s call to translate His Word into the language of the Balangao people in the Philippines. Joanne Shetler shares her story of this experience in her book, And the Word Came with Power. This is one of my favorite stories about God’s Word, the Bible, being taken to the farthest corners of the world so that others, and the whole world, can know the love and saving work of Jesus, to be reconciled to the Father and adopted as a child of God. This is the message the world needs to hear. Jesus is the Word made flesh and He comes with power to save.

This is why we need to be dwelling richly in God’s Word, and also why we need to continue to support the work of Bible translation until all hear this good news in their heart languages.

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:10-17 ESV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 ESV

Do you know the power of the Word of God in your life? You won’t know it unless you actually spend time in it. When you purpose to daily let your life be formed by the Word of God, you are letting the Architect frame the rooms of your soul, training your will to submit to God’s set apart ways, His goodness and truth. This brings fruit in your life, others’ lives, and ultimately blesses the world.

One practical way you can know God more is by following a Bible reading plan. For years, I longed to have a morning routine that included consistent and structured Bible reading and meditation. But it wasn’t until 6 years ago, that I found a reading guide that worked for me. It just clicked. The Bible reading plan that has worked for me these past 6 years is called Seeing Jesus Together (formerly called Community Bible Reading). It takes the reader through the entire Bible: every year you read through the entire New Testament; the Old Testament is read through in a cycle of 3 years. I have been using this method for 6 years now and have read through the New Testament 6 times and the Old Testament twice in those past 6 years. The structure is simple:

• Monday-Friday: read 1 OT chapter and 1 NT chapter

• Saturday: reading 1 Psalm

• Sunday: no reading because we are at church and enjoy the many Scripture readings included in our liturgy and the preaching of God’s Word (sermons are preached book by book through the entirety of the Bible).

I want to write more about this but for right now, I want to send you over to the Seeing Jesus Together site so you can get started on reading the Bible. More on this soon!

May the Word of God come with power in your life this year and always.

A Little Night Music in December - Phos Hilaron

Phos Hilaron
O gracious Light
pure brightness of the
everliving Father in heaven
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light
we sing thy praises, O God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

You are worthy at all times
to be praised by happy voices
O Son of God, O Giver of Life
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

The darkening days grow colder and wetter. We wear sweaters and slippers and blankets knitted by the great-grandmas. We keep the duraflame logs going in the fireplace and gather in our little bear den together in the evenings. December is upon us and yesterday we celebrated St Nicholas’ feast day, when we remember the pastor from Myra who loved Jesus with his whole heart and poured out that love and generosity by giving to those in need and being a gatekeeper and defender of Biblical teaching. What a fun day to celebrate!

I want to wish you a Happy New Year! Wait, you say, its not even Christmas yet! Well, let me explain. This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, and in the liturgical Christian calendar, Sunday was the first day of a New Christian Year! The Church calendar begins in the darkest time of the northern hemisphere, and it begins with Advent. Advent is the first season of the new Christian year, a season of waiting and watchfulness, a season of hope and anticipation, expectation that the Light is coming.

We remember the first coming, the Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God, and we wait with joyful hope and comfort for His second coming one day, when He will return as He said, and He will dwell forever with the Church, His Bride, and all things will be made new on Earth and in Heaven. The Consummation of all things will be accomplished, and we will feast as the temple of living stones with Jesus, the Bridegroom. I hope that these selections of music and meditations will be like a little digital gift from me to you. Thank you so much for popping on here every once in a while this year and reading. I am thankful for every passerby, who might stop and read and ponder for a little while here. I hope these words are seeds the Lord uses to bring Truth into your life, His goodness to fill your days, and to point you to His Word to light your path and surround you and fill you with His holy love. It is only His Word that matters. So that is my prayer that my words point your gaze to His Word, the living Word that brings light and life!

As music is played in our home daily and hourly, (I like to put on Chopin for our dog when we leave the house), it is obvious that music is like food for the soul. I need gentle music in my life. Soft, soothing, nourishing melodies and harmonies, truthful light-filled words that comfort my soul from the darkness of this world. Psalm 119:130-132 says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.”

In our church, my husband preaches through every book in the Bible. There is not a passage of God’s Word that is ignored (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Every Sunday, we gather as a church to hear the Scriptures read and taught, skillful teaching of a learned theologian. The unfolding of God’s Word gives light. Jesus, the Word made flesh, came to bring us Light. It mattered that much to Him, to be made one of us. On us a light has shone. (Matthew 4:12-17) May the beauty of this seasonal music usher you into a hope and light-filled new calendar year, as soon the light will grow physically in the northern hemisphere. As the Kingdom of God advances throughout the world, the now and the not yet, the redeeming of God’s creation is happening. He is reaching into the lives of lost people to bring them into His fold of grace. May these songs bring this great hope to flourish in your hearts.

May Jesus’ words in this scripture reading be our joy!

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:17-19 ESV

Until all is accomplished! What a beautiful hope to dwell on every day He gives us breath.

Music

Arise & Look to the Skies by Craig Harris

Hark What Music Fills the Sky by Craig Harris

Once in Royal David’s City by Voces8

In the Bleak Mid-Winter by John Van Deusen

Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson

Brightest & Best by Keith & Kristen Getty & Ricky Skaggs

Christmas by Sandra McCracken

The Bells of Dublin by The Chieftains

A Celtic Family Christmas by Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy

Meditations

On the Incarnation by St Athanasius of Alexandria

From the Cradle to the Cross by The Keeping Company

Heaven and Nature Sing by Hannah Anderson

Sacred Seasons: A Family Guide to Center Your Year Around Jesus by Danielle Hitchen

The Art of Advent: A Painting a Day from Advent to Epiphany by Jane Williams

“The Savior is working mightily among men, every day He is invisibly persuading numbers of people all over the world, both within and beyond the Greek-speaking world, to accept His faith and be obedient to His teaching. Can anyone, in face of this, still doubt that He has risen and lives, or rather that He is Himself the Life? Does a dead man prick the consciences of men, so that they throw all the traditions of their fathers to the winds
and bow down before the teaching of Christ?”

― St. Athanasius, On The Incarnation

“I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”
Psalm 146:2