carols by candlelight at the convent

Join us Sunday evening for music and dessert!

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descending
Comes our homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
Comes the powers of hell to vanquish
As the darkness clears away.

At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!

The Hymnal 1982 #324

English poem by Gerard Moultrie used in the Anglican Communion, the Catholic Church, Western Rite Orthodoxy, and the Lutheran Church - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_all_mortal_flesh_keep_silence

Of the Father's Love Begotten

Of the Father's love begotten,

ere the worlds began to be,

he is Alpha and Omega,

he the source, the ending he,

of the things that are, that have been,

and that future years shall see,

evermore and evermore!

O that birth for ever blessèd,

when the Virgin, full of grace,

by the Holy Ghost conceiving,

bore the Savior of our race;

and the Babe, the world's Redeemer,

first revealed his sacred face,

evermore and evermore!

Let the heights of heaven adore him;

angel hosts, his praises sing;

powers, dominions, bow before him,

and extol our God and King;

let no tongue on earth be silent,

every voice in concert ring,

evermore and evermore!

Christ, to thee with God the Father,

and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,

hymn and chant and high thanksgiving,

and unwearied praises be;

honor, glory and dominion,

and eternal victory,

evermore and evermore!

Author: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius

Translation by John Mason Neale (our founder)

#82 Hymnal 1982

Hark What a Sound - music for your Advent prayer

Hark what a sound, and too divine for hearing,

stirs on the earth and trembles in the air!

This is one of my favorite Advent hymns, much beloved at St. Margaret's. We just sang it this week, and once again this year I have a copy in my room for prayer. It speaks to so much in this season, particularly in times where we are in need of hope.

"Surely he cometh..."

"He shall suffice me, for he hath sufficed."

This is the promise of Advent.



Hark what a sound, and too divine for hearing,
stirs on the earth and trembles in the air!
Is it the thunder of the Lord's appearing?
Is it the music of his people's prayer?

Surely he cometh, and a thousand voices
shout to the saints, and to the deaf are dumb;
surely he cometh, and the earth rejoices,
glad in his coming who hath sworn: I come!

This hath he done, and shall we not adore him?
This shall he do, and can we still despair?
Come, let us quickly fling ourselves before him,
cast at his feet the burden of our care.

Through life and death, through sorrow and through sinning,
he shall suffice me, for he hath sufficed:
Christ is the end, for Christ was the beginning,
Christ the beginning, for the end is Christ.*


If you'd like to listen to an arrangement for brass of this hymn tune while meditating on the words, here you are:

*Frederick William Henry Myers, author

tune: Highwood  - R.R. Terry, composer

For more on the hymn: https://hymnary.org/text/hark_what_a_sound_and_too_divine_for_hea

to whom I am grateful for the text so I didn't have to type it all out from our sheet music. 

Advent Carol Service: St John’s Cambridge 1982 (George Guest)

A Grateful Day with Brother David Steindl-Rast - Gratefulness.org

About “A Grateful Day

Contemplation & Candlelight

Come join us... Enter into the dark, candlelit chapel and just be, surrounded by music and prayer and peace.

all the king's horses

Today in the Episcopal Church lectionary we remember Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer. In their honor, I'd like to share a portion of the first sermon Hugh Latimer preached before King Edward. Worth considering in a 21st century light.

Hugh Latimer - The First Sermon preached before King Edward, March 8, 1549
(Deut. 17:14-16)

“In any wise, let not such a one prepare unto himself many horses,” etc. In speaking these words, ye shall understand that I do not intend to speak against the strength, policy, and provision of a king; but against excess, and vain trust that kings have in themselves more than in the living God, the author of all goodness, and giver of all victory. Many horses are requisite for a king; but he may not exceed in them, nor triumph in them, more than is needful for the necessary affairs and defence of the realm. What meaneth it that God hath to do with the king’s stable, but only he would be master of his horses? The scripture saith,…“He dwelleth on high.” It followeth,… “He looketh on low things;” yea, upon the king’s stables, and upon all the offices in his house. God is the great Grandmaster of the king’s house, and will take account of every one that beareth rule therein, for the executing of their offices; whether they have justly and truly served the king in their offices, or no. Yea, God looketh upon the king himself, if he work well or not. Every king is subject unto God, and all other men are subjects unto the king. In a king God requireth faith, not excess of horses. Horses for a king be good and necessary, if they be well used; but horses are not to be preferred above poor men. I was once offended with the king’s horses, and therefore took occasion to speak in the presence of the king’s majesty that dead is, when abbeys stood. Abbeys were ordained for the comfort of the poor: wherefore I said, it was not decent that the king’s horses should be kept in them, as many were at that time; the living of poor men thereby minished and taken away. But afterward a certain nobleman said to me, What hast thou to do with the king’s horses? I answered and said, I spake my conscience, as God’s word directed me. He said, Horses be the maintenances and part of a king’s honour, and also of his realm; wherefore in speaking against them, ye are against the king’s honour. I answered, God teacheth what honour is decent for the king, and for all other men according unto their vocations. God appointeth every king a sufficient living for his state and degree, both by lands and other customs; and it is lawful for every king to enjoy the same goods and possessions. But to extort and take away the right of the poor, is against the honour of the king. If you do move the king to do after that manner, then you speak against the honour of the king; for I full certify you, extortioners, violent oppressors, ingrossers of tenements and lands, through whose covetousness villages decay and fall down, the king’s liege people for lack of sustenance are famished and decayed, — they be those which speak against the honour of the king. God requireth in the king and all magistrates a good heart, to walk directly in his ways, and in all subjects an obedience due unto a king. Therefore I pray God both the king, and also we his people, may endeavour diligently to walk in his ways, to his great honour and our profit.

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/latimer/sermons.pdf (excerpt p.71-72)

O DAY OF PEACE

Can it really have been eighteen years since 9/11?

I still remember waiting, sitting on the floor in front of the television with the other sisters, saying, "Show the flight number. Show the flight number. Show the flight number." The entire Haitian house - that is, our SSM Sisters in that convent - were on a 6AM American Airlines flight out of Boston that morning. And then there were our Sisters who work for Trinity Wall Street, right there at St. Paul's Chapel at Ground Zero.

All OK. None unaffected.

So many others didn't find such good news at the end of the day.

I still think of Deora Bodley, who was on the plane that went down in PA. She was in my mother's class in grade school - third or fourth grade, I'm not sure which. I prayed for her family tonight and remembered the story I heard about her mother in vigil waiting to hear...

And so tonight when we had Evensong alongside St. John's Duxbury, I looked at the face of a sister who had been there in NYC and thought how many more there must be out there tonight.

Eighteen years? Tonight there are many for whom it must seem yesterday. And we all go on. And we all hope. We live, we find joy, we remember... whatever it is.

I offer this hymn as a prayer for us all as we seek to heal our broken world, giving thanks for Carl Daw's gift in hymn writing that permits us to express that prayer more deeply.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry on immigration: ‘Who is my neighbor?’

"Deeply embedded in the Christian faith, indeed deeply embedded in the Jewish tradition, which is the mother of the Christian faith, and deeply embedded in the faith and traditions and values of many of the world’s great religions, is a profound conviction in a sure and certain value and virtue that care for the stranger, the alien, the visitor, is a sacred duty, a sacred vow.

In the Hebrew scriptures in the book of Deuteronomy, the book writes and says you shall love the stranger, for remember you were once strangers in the land of Egypt.

In the 25th chapter of Matthew in the New Testament, Jesus in the parable of the last judgment says that when you welcomed the stranger, when you did it to these who are members of my family, you have done it to me."



transcript via https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/presiding-bishop-issues-video-message-on-immigration-who-is-my-neighbor/

Rachel Held Evans Funeral

Here's the original link to the service livestream: https://rachelheldevans.com/funeral
 (I've also included the YouTube version made of it below.)

The link also includes the bulletin pdf with the participants, hymns, etc.  Liturgical participants included Nadia Bolz-Weber preaching, Sarah Bessey and Austin Channing Brown reading, Audrey Assad singing, and Winnie Varghese celebrating (I recognized her soothing voice from General Convention before I knew she was there). There were others, but those are the ones with whom I was familiar and whose presence was somehow comforting - how much more to her family and friends. I had also become familiar with Jeff Chu through that time of prayer while Rachel was sick, and his leading of the Prayers of the People was moving.

But hearing from her little sister Amanda Held Opelt both made me laugh and moved me to tears. Plenty to think about, too. One thing she said that I don't think will necessarily get quoted seems important to me: "What was most special about her was her love. She's one of the least branded people I know. We all know, she was horrible at Instagram. She was the worst. And I think while other writers were working on their image and working on their brand, Rachel was working on her relationships. She was listening, she was leaning into people's pain, she was hearing their stories, she was being changed by their stories."  She wrote a song about her sister after she'd read Rachel's Searching for Sunday - that she never sang to her - I think it's called "Bloodlines and Intercessions." Hope someone publishes the words. Maybe she'll record it... Meanwhile, you should watch the service and listen - it's somewhere around the half hour mark. Wish I could be such a good sister to mine...

From her service (1979 Book of Common Prayer via the online bulletin):

O God of grace and glory, we remember Rachel before you and thank you for giving her to us to know and to love as a companion in our pilgrimage on earth. In your compassion, console those who mourn. Give us faith to see that death has been swallowed up in the victory of Christ so that we may live in confidence and hope until, by your call, we are gathered into the company of all your saints; by the power of your Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.



COMMENDATION

Leader: You only are immortal, the creator and maker of humankind; and we are mortal, formed of the earth, and to earth shall we return. For so did you ordain when you created me, saying, "You are dust, and to dust you shall return." All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

People: Give rest, O Christ, to your servant with your saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.

Leader: Merciful Savior, we commend Rachel to you. Receive her as a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Accept her into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of your saints.


And here's something from the BCP (p.507) that wasn't in the bulletin but that is really important. And it lines up well with what Nadia Bolz-Weber's sermon, which you simply must hear for yourself. It starts right about minute 50 on the video.

The liturgy for the dead is an Easter liturgy. It finds all meaning in the resurrection. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we too, shall be  raised.

The liturgy, therefore, is characterized by joy, in the certainty that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present,  nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else  in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ  Jesus our Lord."

This joy, however, does not make human grief unchristian. The very love  we have for each other in Christ brings deep sorrow when we are parted  by death. Jesus himself wept at the grave of his friend. So, while we  rejoice that one we love has entered into the nearer presence of our Lord, we sorrow in sympathy with those who mourn.

So hold them all in your prayers, especially Dan, her husband, and her little ones.  And hold yourself gently if you, too, are grieving right now, as so many are. 

Peace be with you all.

leavin' on a jet plane...

It's been a long wait, but I am finally going to get back to Haiti! It will only be for a couple of weeks, but I'll take it.

A few of you may remember that I left abruptly in 2013 - having received word that my mother had been in what ought to have been a fatal car accident, I was out the door in less than 24 hours. I am happy to report that my mother is still with us, which, in the words of more than one trauma doc, is miraculous. But that's another story. (Feel free to pray for my parents' health, however.)

Anyway, I am preparing to travel and beginning to think of the things I am looking forward to. Thanks to my phone, I have nifty little emojis for some of them. I was disappointed not to see a mango emoji, but then I realized they're not in season anyway, so I had better stop pining for a mangue francique.


🏞🛫💺🛬✈⌚🙏😀☀️😁💕🐐🐓🦎🌺🥑☕🍚💒♥️🎶

***

Finally finishing my post... on the plane waiting for boarding to finish! Pleased to report that I understand all the announcements in Kreyol. That is encouraging. 

I hope to post a bit while there, but it remains to be seen how much internet access I will have. 

Time to go!