Note that this quarantine is currently taking place during Lent. Therefore, this setting is particularly appropriate for those familiar with the hymn Lord, who throughout these forty days.
However, I don't usually end up laughing during the original. Maybe that is about to change...
Just found their blog: https://catherinescafe.blogspot.com/ and signed up, as they seem like women I'll enjoy meeting (virtually, anyway). And yes, I am now following them on Twitter, too.
In the midst of crisis, it is more important than ever that we stand together. From wherever you are, join the members of the Duxbury Interfaith Council each Sunday at noon in prayer for health and healing.
Duxbury Interfaith Council invitation to prayer Sundays at noon from wherever you are, however you pray. Church bells will ring, and we will all stop for a moment.
This seems particularly appropriate in such a time.
"I bind unto myself today the strong Name of the Trinity...I bind this day to me for ever, by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation... I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead..."
What strength could be greater?
And part I have loved since childhood:
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
At Trinity Episcopal, Fort Wayne, we used to sing this middle section before the gospel reading every week. This recording has a different tune for the middle section than the Episcopal hymnal has, but the words are still there and powerfully comforting.
May it be prayer and blessing to you, too, and may Christ, the One who is our Rock and our Salvation, the One who will never abandon us, be truly present in your life, now more than ever.
text via YouTube: I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever,
by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
his baptism in Jordan river;
his death on cross for my salvation;
his bursting from the spicèd tomb;
his riding up the heavenly way;
his coming at the day of doom:
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
of the great love of cherubim;
the sweet "Well done" in judgment hour;
the service of the seraphim;
confessors' faith, apostles' word,
the patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven
the glorious sun's life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken, to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
his heavenly host to be my guard.
Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort
and restore me.
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of
all that love me,
Christ in mouth of
friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.
It's a time of worldwide anxiety. Instead of overdosing on news, sometimes it's good to put oneself in another key. Just watched this thanks to Jay Arnold at https://twitter.com/JadedCreative/status/1238081405713821698 and thought I'd share - we're all in this together.
It occurs to me that sometimes we don't know who's around us any more than these bystanders are cognizant of the musicians' presence among them. Now is a good time to be aware of each other - both to help and to give thanks - and also to be alert for glimpses of God's beauty and goodness even in the midst of crisis.
In English:
1 Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love; hearts unfold like flowers before thee, praising thee, their sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away; giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.
2 All thy works with joy surround thee, earth and heaven reflect thy rays, stars and angels sing around thee, center of unbroken praise, field and forest, vale and mountain, blooming meadow, flashing sea, chanting bird and flowing fountain, call us to rejoice in thee.
3 Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest, wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest! Thou our Father, Christ our Brother: all who live in love are thine; teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.
I began this blog as I prepared to leave for a seminary field education placement in a parish in Haiti, creating it as a way of sharing my experiences and reflections over the summer with people at home and continuing it upon my return.
I finally returned to Haiti in 2011. So much in a short time. I returned to the US in 2013, but something tells me I'll be back. Meanwhile, there is still so much I intended to share while I was there. I hope some of it will make it onto this blog. A piece of my heart is always in Haiti, and I hope some of yours will be, too. Pray for Haiti, please. So much is needed; with God, so much is possible.
Meanwhile, there are ample opportunities for ministry here, and plenty of discoveries to make. There are beautiful things to consider, birds to watch, and concerns to share. And I am never short of curiosity to lead me into all sorts of odd corners. In all of it, God is present. Welcome to the adventure.
* * *
This is a personal blog. Nothing in it is an official statement from the Sisters of St. Margaret, the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, or any other organization.
