As I write, on March 20, there is a fine light snow in
the air. The Spring Equinox will arrive at 11:57am where I live. “Spring has
sprung,” in spite of appearances at the moment.
It’s been an unusual winter here in Chicago, with one of
the highest annual accumulations of snow. What my Karen and I call a “Minnesota
winter” – snow came, stayed, and accumulated; we didn’t have the typical Chicago
snow/thaw/melt/repeat cycle. In our view, this is actually a good thing.
But there has been a lot of complaining in the circles I
read and listen in on. Too much snow, too cold, for too long. Me? This winter I’ve
had a theological “aha!” about the way we think and talk about the weather.
As moderns, we know how weather happens. Our models for
forecasting are getting better all the time. We are rarely surprised by unusual
weather events, and we find that it is increasingly easy to make reliable
long-range (5- to 7-day) plans around the forecasts.
Therefore, we reason (like the good products of the
Enlightenment that we are) that God has nothing to do with today’s weather.
Sure, we concede, he cares about us
and the affect of the weather on us. God still wants us to be thankful and
joyful in all circumstances. But is God actually responsible for this fine light snow in the morning just hours
before the Equinox?
If not, then we may complain about the weather.
BUT: What if, without ignoring the science, we still believe that God is responsible for the weather? What if it was God’s plan for
northern Illinois that we should have so much snow, so often and for so long,
and some pretty intense cold to boot? Then are we comfortable complaining about
it?
Well, I don’t mean to sound better than I am. I just
found that, this winter, I could not complain. And then I found that I could be
not only thankful, but joyful. Of course I
am happy that spring is coming. Yes, I’ve
been eager for it. And check back in
the heat of July and August and see if I am still maintaining my cheery
attitude toward God and his ways with our climate.
You see—modern Christians with a foot in scientific
materialism—if God is not directly involved (read: responsible) for our
weather, then how is he not the Great Watchmaker, the Maker who set things in
motion and leaves them to their own processes? Is he not rather actually
holding all things together by the word of his power (see Colossians 1:16—17)?
This winter I have regained some of the wonder by believing this means even
today’s weather.
So, today I’m thankful that it is snowing on the first
day of Spring, even if I’m also thankful that there’s not going to be enough
that I have to shovel again.
So here I am, post-thesis, with three part-time jobs and something more permanent "out there." Winter's grip is loosening here in Chicago land, but not so much that I can be out on my bicycle. There are always musical goals to pursue, to be sure. And - of course - books to be read!
The advance news on John Eliot Gardiner's biography of J. S. Bach surfaced as I was writing my thesis this summer. I have to say, I was relieved to hear it would be released too late for me to have to account for it in my work! No doubt it would be excellent and helpful, but I did not relish what it might do to my progress. It hit the shelves at about the same time I submitted the thesis.
My Karen gave me a copy for Christmas - a prized gift! But I could not bring myself to begin it until my thesis had run its full course. As soon as it went to the technical reader (official copy editing; jots-and-tittle stuff) I cracked Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven. And, oh what a rich, engaging work this is! I am going to enjoy savoring this, a few pages at a time, every day for weeks. Last night Gardiner addressed the Pietists for the first time. I was relieved to see that what he wrote concurs with the portrayal in my thesis . . . though, of course, more elegantly and succinctly stated.
On less scholarly fronts, I have been working through The New Oxford Book of English Verse, with the goal of reading cover to cover through this year. I am writing occasionally about that in my other blog. And, to provide a break from my course prep work, weekends I have been re-reading the C. S. Lewis Narnia series. I'm eager to get to The Last Battle this weekend, after which I will begin his Space Trilogy. Those books will take longer than a weekend each, especially once the roads open up for bicycling! Then, it will be on to The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings. This is my year for recapturing wonder.
My professional project this week has been focused on the nature of Christian Higher Education, specifically paying attention to the role of campus worship ("chapel"). Yes, I have a particular reason for this right now, but more generally I have ideas that I want to work out. So, I've read Duane Litfin's Conceiving the Christian College, Arthur Holmes' The Idea of a Christian College, and David Dockery, Renewing Minds. (Litfin is the previous president of Wheaton College, where I am completing my theology degree; Dockery is the newly appointed president of Trinity International University, where I am teaching music history this year.) Also very helpful is the essay by Philip Ryken, "The Liberal Arts in the New Jerusalem," in Liberal Arts for the Christian Life. I have pretty strong opinions about worship [oh, really?!?] and want to think clearly about what the options and opportunities are for worship in the academy. I'm eager to get my hands on James K. A. Smith, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation.
All this, with lectures and rehearsal prep to boot. What a life!
A cheery thought for a sunny March day at the beginning
of Lent.
I was introduced to the ars moriendi during my thesis reading. David Yearsley, in Bach and the Meanings of Counterpoint,
suggests that Bach’s final composition, the chorale prelude “Vor deinen Thron”
(Before thy throne) was “a prelude to the unimaginable joys of the transfigured
body. It is a chorale prelude not to congregational singing, but to eternal
life.” (p. 36; you can read this chapter here)
The Art of Dying was a well-established discipline to consider how to make a good death. That is, how to die without anxiety, in
such a way as to experience spiritual comfort personally and to give loved ones
comforting assurance of one’s spiritual preparedness. By the 17th
century, the general tone of this discipline was that “dying well” was the
natural end of “living well.” Even the Puritans saw ars moriendi as an important discipline and pastoral care matter:
Thomas Becon’s The Sick Man’s Salve
predates by a century Jeremy Taylor’s better-known Rule and Exercises of Holy Dying.
Draw your own conclusions about why in the world I am
thinking about ars moriendi these
days. There are more than a couple, but I’m not about to embark on a public psychoanalysis!
Let’s just say that I don’t seem to be able to avoid it. Two weeks ago, at the
Bach Cantata Vespers in River Forest, one of the hymns was “Who Knows When
Death May Overtake Me” – with each line concluding “My God, for Jesus’ sake I
pray Thy peace may bless my dying day” – a prayer for the living who know they
will one day die.
In my reading through The
New Oxford Book of English Verse (which I occasionally write about here) I have
encountered this theme often enough that I have decided to track it through
the year. I rather suspect that as the chronology of English poems marches into
and beyond the 18th century, this theme will – er, ahem – die out.
Eighteen-year-olds don’t get this, and thirty-year-olds don’t want to. We protect children from the very notion of death and especially
of their own death. (Though our forebears had no such scruples: see the
children’s hymns of Isaac Watts and Cecil Frances Alexander, which now to many
seem downright sadistic, or at best macabre.) But our forebears may have been
on to something: if we live with our end in view, we may just perhaps live
better.
And that is at least one part of what Lent is about. I
won’t be writing a Lenten series, but there’s a Lenten thought for me. And to
that end, here is an appropriately themed poem which seems apt for this season. It was part of my Oxford poetry reading this morning:
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
Granted, we don't know on what day Jesus was born.
But equally granted, Jesus was born on a certain day. And
eight days later he was named. And forty days after she gave birth, his mother,
Mary, presented herself with an offering for purification, according to law and
custom. And while the family were in the temple, they had
significant encounters with two older saints who recognized who Jesus was.
Their words of blessing are part of our scripture. Let us pay attention.
So, since we have agreed in the western Church to set
apart December 25 as the Nativity, then Jesus' name day is January 1. And the
40th day after the birth is February 2. Another "Forty day" marker in
redemption's story, and in the Church's walk with Jesus.
Introit:
I will give you as
a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
(Isaiah 49:6)
Psalm 84:1 - 4
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of
hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts
of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living
God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may
lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my
God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing
your praise!
Prayer
Almighty and
everliving God, we humbly pray that, as your only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may e
presented to you with pure and clean hearts by Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
(Collect for The Presentation, Book of Common Prayer,
1979)
Malachi 3:1 - 4
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way
before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the
messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the
Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when
he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit
as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and
refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in
righteousness to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be
pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
Anthem: from Messiah
(recordings from Robert Shaw with the Atlanta Symphony and Chorus) I wish these were available with the
bass-baritone Gerard Sundberg, who sang in this annual concert for Shaw’s last
years (including the last Shaw performance of Messiah) If you are inclined to listen, be advised the whole string will take about 10 minutes.
Thus saith the Lord:
But who may abide:
And he shall purify (from a different source altogether):
Hebrews 2:14 - 18
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he
himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might
destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all
those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it
is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore
he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a
merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation
for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted,
he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hymn:
O Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness (music choir singing this hymn)
And when the time came for their purification according
to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the
Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the
womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to
what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young
pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man
was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy
Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he
would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the
Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do
for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and
blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to
your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have
prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory
to your people Israel.”
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said
about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this
child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign
that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that
thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of
Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with
her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until
she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with
fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to
give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the
redemption of Jerusalem.
And when they had performed everything according to the
Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And
the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was
upon him.
Prayer:
O Christ our King
and Savior, who was humbly presented in your Father's house to a waiting world,
keep alive in us a welcoming heart and a burning love, so that we may live in
the light of the glory of your redeeming power, revealed to all the nations in
your birth, presentation, and resurrection. Amen.
Here we are, in this season between celebration and solemnity, between the Nativity and the Passion. Through these weeks in traditional Christian worship, the Church looks in on the life and ministry of Jesus, specifically at those occasions in which he "manifested his glory" (see the Gospel of John especially). "Manifest/Manifestation" is the English translation of "Epiphany." I love what this hymn does to show us Jesus in Palestine, where as St. John said, "we have seen his glory, full of grace and truth." And then, like John, looking into our future as well.
I am not writing about more of this season, but do want to share this hymn. The wedding at Cana, John chapter 2, is said to be where Jesus first manifested his glory. It is but one of a significant string of biblical references and allusions to wedding feasts, in all of which the glory of Jesus is shown. I love to include the Cana wedding when I perform wedding ceremonies, and have had joyful occasion to be thinking about this again.
1 Songs of thankfulness and praise Jesu, Lord, to Thee we raise. Manifested by the star To the sages from afar; Branch of royal David's stem In Thy birth at Bethlehem; Anthems be to Thee addressed, God in Man made manifest.
2 Manifest at Jordan's stream, Prophet, Priest, and King supreme; And at Cana, wedding-guest, In Thy God-head manifest; Manifest in power divine, Changing water in to wine; Anthems be to Thee addressed, God in Man made manifest.
3 Manifest in making whole Palsied limbs and fainting soul; Manifest in valiant fight, Quelling all the devil's might; Manifest in gracious will, Ever bringing good from ill; Anthems be to Thee addressed, God in Man made manifest.
4 Sun and moon shall darkened be. Stars shall fall, and heavens shall flee; Christ will then like lightning shine, All will see His glorious sign: All will then the trumpet hear; All will see the Judge appear; Thou by all wilt be confessed, God in Man made manifest.
5 Grant us grace to see Thee, Lord, Present in Thy holy Word; May we imitate Thee now, And be pure, as pure art Thou; That we like to Thee may be At Thy great Epiphany; And may praise Thee, ever blest, God in Man made manifest.
Amen.
Author: Christopher Wordsworth
The Hymnal: General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church 1892
The Evangelical Feasts are those dates on the Church
Calendar that observe and celebrate events in the life of Jesus as recorded in
the Gospels. From Palm Sunday on, we can be certain that our dates line up with the actual events, as they are so closely tied to the Jewish Passover festival. At this time of year, we settle for what the western church has agreed to do: celebrate the Nativity/Incarnation in late December, and then observe those Gospel accounts that roll out the "manifestation" (epiphany) of Jesus - first to Gentiles (the magi), then to Israel (as this week, by way of Jesus' baptism). We cannot know when the Father spoke, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased," but we surely must not forget that the Father did so speak; and we should heed the words.
I will not be posting weekly through this Church Year, but will
continue with the Evangelical Feasts (and, just because it is meaningful to me,
Lent).
I will give you as
a light to the nations, that my salvatin may reach to the end of the earth.
(Isaiah 49:9)
Psalm 80:20-29
I have found David, my servant;
with my holy
oil I have anointed him,
so that my hand shall be established with him;
my arm also
shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not outwit him;
the wicked
shall not humble him.
I will crush his foes before him
and strike down
those who hate him.
My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name
shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand on the sea
and his right
hand on the rivers.
He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the
Rock of my salvation.’
And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of
the kings of the earth.
My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant
will stand firm for him.
I will establish his offspring forever
and his throne
as the days of the heavens.
Isaiah 42:1-9
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in
whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring
forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice,
or make it
heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly
burning wick he will not quench;
he will
faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till he has
established justice in the earth;
and the
coastlands wait for his law.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them
out,
who spread out
the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to
those who walk in it:
“I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you
by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the
nations,
to open the
eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison
those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give
to no other,
nor my praise
to carved idols.
Behold, the former things have come to pass,
and new things
I now declare;
before they spring forth
I tell you of
them.”
Anthem Motet
on Isaiah 42
Acts 10:34-38
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand
that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does
what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel,
preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you
yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee
after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who
were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
Prayer
Almighty God, whose
servant and prophet John the Baptis was a witness to the truth as the
forerunner of the salvation wrought in your Son, lead us to bear witness to the
same Jesus Christ, who is the eternal light and truth, and lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Gordon Giles, The Music of Praise, page 57
Hymn On Jordan’s
Bank the Baptist’s Cry
On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry
announces that the Lord is nigh;
awake and hearken, for he brings
glad tidings of the King of kings.
Then cleansed
be every breast from sin;
make straight the way for God within,
prepare we in
our hearts a home
where such a
mighty Guest may come.
For thou art our salvation, Lord,
our refuge and our great reward;
without thy grace we waste away
like flowers that wither and decay.
To heal the
sick stretch out thine hand,
and bid the
fallen sinner stand;
shine forth
and let thy light restore
earth's own
true loveliness once more.
All praise, eternal Son, to thee,
whose advent doth thy people free;
whom with the Father we adore
and Holy Ghost for evermore.
Words: Charles Coffin, 1736
trans. John Chandler, 1837
Music: Winchester New
Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be
baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized
by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for
thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And
when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the
heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my
beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Prayer
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the
River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy
Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant
they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the
Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Collect for the Baptism of our Lord, The Book of Common Prayer, 1979
