"The Text This Week" (Textweek) now available for Android and iPhone/iPad

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I'm assuming that just about every pastor knows about "The Text This Week" aka Textweek.com site. What started as something of a hobby for Jenee Woodard turned into one of the most popular sites related to the Bible on the web. I just discovered that Chris Ruddell of Church Mag turned the site into an Android and iPhone/iPad app. (Read more from Ruddell about it over on Church Mag. He notes that the project is not yet complete, but for now it provides:

• Lectionary resources – it wouldn't be much of an app without this!  Look up lectionary readings for the current and upcoming Sundays, or browse by lectionary cycle.
• Scripture – Not following the lectionary per se?  Look up your current scripture reading by browsing the listing sorted by book of the Bible
• Artwork – Find artwork and images tagged by topic and theme.  A great way to find bulletin covers or PowerPoint slide images.
• Movies – Find inspiring clips for your sermon to bring a point to life.

It runs rather slowly on my now-aging Droid X, but it's great to have this available.

CleverKeys and WordWeb: Reference Aids to Supplement Bible Software

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Sometimes as you are reading something on your computer, you would like to have some quick information about the term: a dictionary meaning, an encyclopedia article, check in Wikipedia, etc. There are two programs I can recommend to make such a lookup quick and easy. Both of them are 'run and stay resident' program. I.e., you will usually have them start when you start your system, and they lurk in the background ready to be called up with a keystroke or mouse click.

CleverKeys is a free program available for both Windows and Macs, and it is the program I have ended up using regularly. It indicates that it was

developed for Dictionary.com by Art & Logic - is free software that provides instant access to definitions at Dictionary.com, synonyms at Thesaurus.com, facts at Reference.com and more — from almost all Windows [and Mac] programs, including word processors, Web browsers and most e-mail programs. With CleverKeys, the answers are just a click away.

It is a very lightweight program (only 5Mb on my Win7 system) and is highly configurable in terms of hotkeys and linked sites. (The default hotkey is CTRL-L, so be aware if you have any keystroke conflicts with that.) Simply highlight a word, hit the hotkey, and a webpage will open looking up that term.
Since it was developed by Dictionary.com, the default is to jump to that site which is built on the latest Random House Dictionary. Using CleverKeys to lookup Passover, you not only get that dictionary with pronunciation, definition, related questions, and origin, but scrolling down you also get info from the World English Dictionary, Word Origin and History, American Heritage Cultural Dictionary, and the 1897 Easton Bible Dictionary. One nice feature of here is that all the definitions on this page have with them a "Cite this source" link that will provide correct citation of the reference in a variety of style formats. The Dictionary.com site also provides and has links at the top of the page to Thesaurus, Quotes, Reference, and Translator resources.

CleverKeys does allow you to create your own weblinks (cf. graphic above), and I have created a link to OneLook Dictionary Search, a dictionary aggregator. For "Passover" it finds definitions in 42 online dictionaries including Dictionary.com, Wikipedia, Wiktionary, etc., and 6 "Religion" dictionaries including Easton's, the Catholic Encyclopedia (1914), the Glossary of Spiritual and Religious Terms (at ReligiousTolerance.org), Smith's Bible Dictionary (1860's at BibleStudyTools.com), Irving Hexham's Concise Dictionary of Religion (1999), and the Glossary of Biblical English of the Authorised Version of the Holy Bible (a bad link).

As you can see, we are dealing with mostly public domain resources, so the quality of results will vary, but that's the problem with most of what is floating on the web or is packaged for free with most Bible software.

WordWeb works a bit differently. It's a bit 'heavier' than CleverKeys (using 50+ Mb of memory), but it can do a bit more including work offline.

WordWeb is a comprehensive one-click English thesaurus and dictionary for Windows. It can be used to look up words from almost any program, showing definitions, synonyms and related words. It includes pronunciations and usage examples, and has helpful spelling and sounds-like links.

You can either use a hotkey combination or a key+mouse click combination to activate WordWeb, and you don't need to highlight the word. You just need to have the cursor on the term. Instead of opening a web page, it opens its own popup window. As you can see in the graphic below, it has a number of lexical and grammatical features: definition, pronunciation, usage examples, synonyms, and other ways of classifying the term.
You also have tabs that link into Wikipedia, Wiktionary, and WordWeb online with links into still more resources.

There are a number of ways that WordWeb is a more sophisticated program than CleverKeys, but I have uninstalled it because of its unique pricing policy. The program is indeed free according to these licensing terms:

You may use the program free of charge indefinitely only if

• You take at most 4 flights (2 return flights) in any 12 month period
• AND you do not own or regularly drive an SUV (sports utility vehicle).

I applaud their environmental concern, and I don't drive an SUV, but I have already had to make 4 round trip flights this year. If you don't meet the licensing terms, then you need to buy a $19 Pro version which does offer more options and functionality. So, instead of paying $19, I'm using CleverKeys. Do note that though the free version only runs on Windows, there is a $5 Pro version for Macs. There are also free Android and iPhone/iPad versions. We now also need to specify that the free version runs fine under Win8 desktop, but they have also a free Win8 app.

CleverKeys, WordWeb, and Bible Software
It is great that these programs work anywhere on your system: web, Word, email, etc. I was interested in these initially as supplements to the Bible software I've been using. If you have Logos, it does have just about everything (depending on your library) including the 2003 Merriam-Webster dictionary and at least 10 Bible-based dictionaries in their most basic library. If anything, Logos, is a bit of overkill, so sometimes I use CleverKeys to more quickly find some basic info or to jump quickly to Wikipedia. Even in their Starter collection, Accordance does include the 1913 Webster's Dictionary, the old Easton's, and the much more useful Eerdman's Bible Dictionary (2000). You can see where CleverKeys or WordWeb might still be useful for Accordance users. BibleWorks has never focused on such auxiliary reference works and only includes Easton's, the Fausset Bible Dictionary (19th century), and the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915). For BibleWorks users and for users of other programs like e-Sword, OliveTree, Laridian, and others which only include some old reference works, CleverKeys or WordWeb should prove to supplement their study nicely.

I don't feel no ways tired

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I leave you this Sunday night with a song, one that I suspect none of you have heard. I came upon it in this manner:

I knew of the work of the pianist/storyteller/composer Ken Medema from my days in the Presbyterian Church back in the 1980's and 90's; I attended one of his concerts with the church youth group. He is enormously creative, but I had forgotten about him until encountering a mention of him in a book on church music that I am reading, “Jubilate: Church Music in the Evangelical Tradition” by Don Hustad.

So, when I had completed my work for the day, I looked Ken up on the internet and found his website. On it, he has a list of podcasts, and I listened to the one titled “Pipe Down” (Nov. 22, 2011) which deals with his lifelong fascination with the pipe organ.

At the end of the forty-five minute podcast, he includes a song he found by the Norwegian duo of guitarist Knut Reiersrud and organist Iver Kleive, on the compilation “Nordic Nights.” The song is an old spiritual, “I don't feel no ways tired.” The performance includes (besides pipe organ and guitar) the singing group “Blind Boys of Alabama.” Here it is on YouTube. Many items on YouTube have millions of views; this one has just 621 views and no comments. I do not think that I have ever heard a pipe organ used in this manner. This performance is a treasure, and I commend it to you.

May God's blessings be with you this night and always.

Evensong: What's the point?

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One of the choristers, a ten-year old girl, asked this of me as we were vesting for Evensong today. “What's the point? Why are we doing this?” I did not answer her well; at first I made light of it, saying something about getting through it so we could have the pizza supper after. But she persisted; it was a serious question. I still did not answer well, telling her that people have been doing this for thousands of years, and it is our turn to take part in it. This is true, but not a sufficient answer.

Similar thoughts were in my mind this week as I prepared the organ music for this day's services. The postlude this morning was a large-scale fantasy on Sine Nomine by Craig Phillips, a fine piece. As I struggled with it and grew weary, I asked myself: “Why am I playing this?” My answer: “To honor the Saints.” This was the parish celebration of All Saints' Day, transferred to Sunday, one of the seven principal Feasts of the Church.

Were St. Cecilia, or J. S. Bach, or the Blessed Virgin Mary, or R. E. Lee, or Hezekiah the King to walk in the door of my home, I would extend them every honor within my power. I would give them the best chair, bring them the best of my food and drink, try to tell them how much they have meant to me. Or so I imagine. But am I willing to do what is actually in my power – more than that, the work which is my proper and bounden duty as a church musician? Am I willing to do a little extra work to prepare some Music to honor them, and through them the Lord whom they served? And on this day, not only these few, but all the company of heaven: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and “all other thy righteous servants, known to us and unknown” (BCP p. 489)?

Aided by such thoughts and encouraged by their examples, I gave it a good effort this week. In the event, the Phillips had more errors than is fitting, but some of the other music in this week's liturgies did go well. When we sang “For all the saints” this morning, all eight stanzas of it with a fanfare going into stanza seven, it was an Event.

When the combined youth and adult choirs sang the Bainton anthem “And I saw a new heaven” at tonight's Evensong, it was likewise an Event. For that matter, their singing of Psalm 150 to the chant in C major by Stanford was equally extraordinary.

To my young friend and fellow chorister in the Lord's service: No, I cannot give you a proper answer, not with words. But I pray that the very experience of it may lead you in the direction of an answer. Were you to stand where I stood, in the midst of the choristers as they sang, and see the intensity in the faces of many of them, young and old, perhaps you would begin to understand. I know you could hear it all around you – I saw a bit of it in your face, as well.

What's the point? What's the point of two months' choral rehearsals to get to one evening service? Or ten hours and more on the organ bench for one postlude that ended up not going very well? Behind these questions, why have people sung or said or prayed Matins and Evensong in one form or another all these years, in every imaginable language and setting and circumstance? Some of the point lies in what singing and praying together before God, and working at it with all our energies and skills, does to bring us a little closer to our maturity in the image of Christ, a little closer in every rehearsal and service. The preparations for this service have made us a better choir, and better choral singers individually. I believe that it was also beneficial to those who were in tonight's congregation, many of them parents of choristers.

But there is more: all of it, all of the work, all of the thousands of years of prayer and psalmody and praise embodied in the Daily Office, especially the Choral Office, is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1) for the honor of the One before whom we stand, who alone is worthy of praise.

I ain't got long to stay here

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This day, the First Sunday of Advent, in all of its Lessons and Music, is what the song describes: “the trumpet sounds within my soul.”

Our time here is short; we had best make the most of it. And it is not just our individual span, our “threescore years and ten.” All things shall come to an end, and after that, the judgment. The Bridegroom has tarried long. But he is coming.

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP p. 159)

Evensong: What's the point?

To contact us Click HERE
One of the choristers, a ten-year old girl, asked this of me as we were vesting for Evensong today. “What's the point? Why are we doing this?” I did not answer her well; at first I made light of it, saying something about getting through it so we could have the pizza supper after. But she persisted; it was a serious question. I still did not answer well, telling her that people have been doing this for thousands of years, and it is our turn to take part in it. This is true, but not a sufficient answer.

Similar thoughts were in my mind this week as I prepared the organ music for this day's services. The postlude this morning was a large-scale fantasy on Sine Nomine by Craig Phillips, a fine piece. As I struggled with it and grew weary, I asked myself: “Why am I playing this?” My answer: “To honor the Saints.” This was the parish celebration of All Saints' Day, transferred to Sunday, one of the seven principal Feasts of the Church.

Were St. Cecilia, or J. S. Bach, or the Blessed Virgin Mary, or R. E. Lee, or Hezekiah the King to walk in the door of my home, I would extend them every honor within my power. I would give them the best chair, bring them the best of my food and drink, try to tell them how much they have meant to me. Or so I imagine. But am I willing to do what is actually in my power – more than that, the work which is my proper and bounden duty as a church musician? Am I willing to do a little extra work to prepare some Music to honor them, and through them the Lord whom they served? And on this day, not only these few, but all the company of heaven: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and “all other thy righteous servants, known to us and unknown” (BCP p. 489)?

Aided by such thoughts and encouraged by their examples, I gave it a good effort this week. In the event, the Phillips had more errors than is fitting, but some of the other music in this week's liturgies did go well. When we sang “For all the saints” this morning, all eight stanzas of it with a fanfare going into stanza seven, it was an Event.

When the combined youth and adult choirs sang the Bainton anthem “And I saw a new heaven” at tonight's Evensong, it was likewise an Event. For that matter, their singing of Psalm 150 to the chant in C major by Stanford was equally extraordinary.

To my young friend and fellow chorister in the Lord's service: No, I cannot give you a proper answer, not with words. But I pray that the very experience of it may lead you in the direction of an answer. Were you to stand where I stood, in the midst of the choristers as they sang, and see the intensity in the faces of many of them, young and old, perhaps you would begin to understand. I know you could hear it all around you – I saw a bit of it in your face, as well.

What's the point? What's the point of two months' choral rehearsals to get to one evening service? Or ten hours and more on the organ bench for one postlude that ended up not going very well? Behind these questions, why have people sung or said or prayed Matins and Evensong in one form or another all these years, in every imaginable language and setting and circumstance? Some of the point lies in what singing and praying together before God, and working at it with all our energies and skills, does to bring us a little closer to our maturity in the image of Christ, a little closer in every rehearsal and service. The preparations for this service have made us a better choir, and better choral singers individually. I believe that it was also beneficial to those who were in tonight's congregation, many of them parents of choristers.

But there is more: all of it, all of the work, all of the thousands of years of prayer and psalmody and praise embodied in the Daily Office, especially the Choral Office, is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1) for the honor of the One before whom we stand, who alone is worthy of praise.

I ain't got long to stay here

To contact us Click HERE

This day, the First Sunday of Advent, in all of its Lessons and Music, is what the song describes: “the trumpet sounds within my soul.”

Our time here is short; we had best make the most of it. And it is not just our individual span, our “threescore years and ten.” All things shall come to an end, and after that, the judgment. The Bridegroom has tarried long. But he is coming.

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP p. 159)

Lessons and Carols

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Our annual Advent Service of Lessons and Carols was tonight. It is a Big Deal, at least for me, and I suspect for the choir. There are nine Lessons and a lot of music: this year there were eight congregational hymns and five choral pieces. It went well, some of it very well indeed.

One of the pieces was “Who is this?”, by John Ferguson. A performance by the composer and his choral ensemble, the St. Olaf Cantorei, is here. This was one of several moments during the service that I came unglued emotionally. We had a young undergraduate violist for the obbligato part, and I think she took it as seriously as I did.

Something that was more of a mixed result was the first movement of Cantata 140, “Wachet auf,” which we sang for Evensong a fortnight ago. Not having anything remotely approaching the funds needed to hire the orchestra for this, I tried an experiment, something I had wanted to do for years with an appropriate piece: we had the wind parts played on the organ, and I played the string parts on the piano. In our first piano-and-organ rehearsal, it became clear that we also needed the continuo line, so I engaged a cellist and bassist. The choir had sung this years ago under my predecessor, who taught them well; many of them still had it memorized.

At Evensong, I was pleased with how it turned out. But I received an e-mail indicating that two musicians in the congregation gave the opinion that the instruments were too loud, and the choral diction unintelligible. After bristling more than a little (I do not take criticism well, I wish I were better at it), I had the organist replace the Octave 4' with a softer Flute 4', I toned it down on the piano, and we worked on diction in rehearsal. In tonight's reading of the piece, most everything went well enough, but not my part of it; my playing was nowhere near an acceptable standard. Lesson: don't try this again. Or if we do, hire a pianist and limit my role to that of conductor. Second Lesson: if I am going to attempt ensemble playing, I had better work at it a lot more. I cannot say that my faulty playing was from sloth; I worked hard on this piece, harder than I have worked on anything that I have played this fall. But it was still crap. I was as much as one or two beats off from the ensemble at times, and there were several places where I completely missed some of my lines. Such an experience is unfortunately part of being a musician; when you play badly, you must simply let it go and move on to the next piece.

The school shooting in Connecticut on Friday put the Lesson from Isaiah 11 in a different light:

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.... They shall not hurt nor destroy on all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

It seemed appropriate to add an instrumental coda to the hymn that followed the lesson, “Lo, how a Rose e'er blooming,” in order to try and add some additional weight to this lesson in the service. More than appropriate: “inescapable” might be more accurate. On the bus yesterday morning, it came to me what to do. I wrote it out after Matins, and finished extracting the parts shortly before this afternoon's rehearsal. It was not much, just a little twenty-two measure coda for the instruments at hand: Flute, Viola, Violoncello, Contrabass. But I was very pleased with how it turned out; this was another moment where I came unglued. Our clergy responded well to the challenge of ministering to this congregation today in light of the shooting, which was much on people's minds. This little instrumental coda was my equivalent, such response as I could offer for the community. May all those little children, and the adults who sought to protect them, rest in peace.

Because I spent so much time on this, I hardly prepared the hymns at all. Several of them I did not play through even once. But they turned out well enough, by God's grace.

Near the end of the service, there comes the Collect for Advent:

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility, that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

We sang a fine choral setting of this by Craig Phillips for flute, organ, and choir – a setting commissioned by this parish. Last year I had the bad idea of laying the piece aside, for we had done it several years in a row. We all missed it, so the Phillips was back this year. It was a fine way to conclude the service, and was another moment when I came unglued.

May the music we have made this day be acceptable in the sight of the Lord, and beneficial for his people.

... with giving of thanks

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Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say, rejoice.
Let your softness be known unto all men: the Lord is at hand.
Be careful for nothing: but in all prayer and supplication
let your petitions be manifest unto God with giving of thanks.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesu. (Philippians 4:4-7, my emphasis)

I think that the above translation is from the Great Bible. It is certainly from the fine sixteenth century anthem on this text, which we sang for the Eucharist on Sunday, wherein this was part of the Epistle.

After Sunday's service of Lessons and Carols described in the previous essay, I was worn out and a little discouraged about my musicianship. Since then, four people whom I respect, all of them musicians or clergy, have expressed their thanks to me and the choir for the service, telling me that it was meaningful for them. Two of them commented particularly on the little instrumental arrangement that I mentioned.

While Pride is always a danger when people speak well of your work, it remains helpful to say “Thank you.” Hearing and reading those words helped me today; these words can help almost anyone.

We are made in the image of God. One cannot take the converse very far without wandering far astray, but it is not too much of a stretch to think that God is likewise pleased when we say “thank you” (cf. St. Luke 17:11-19, the ten lepers). He does not need our encouragement – or does he? As the Body of Christ, I wonder whether we have some part in “fill[ing] up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ” (Colossians 1:24). Might it be that our poor efforts and prayers – and giving of thanks, most of all in the Great Thanksgiving, the Holy Eucharist – have helped our Head, the Lord Jesus Christ, through the dark places in his journey, in a manner not altogether foreign from the way in which we “bear one another's burdens” by encouraging each other in the dark places in our journeys?

That is probably indeed too much of a stretch; God is immutable, and the work of Christ is entire and complete without anything from us – indeed, we have nothing to offer. Still, it doesn't hurt to leaven our prayers and our lives “with giving of thanks,” both to God and to the people we encounter every day.

God with us

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At Christmas, we hear the incomparable account of the Nativity according to St. Luke, or (in the third set of Eucharistic lessons, and on the First Sunday after Christmas) the prologue to the Gospel according to St. John. But we do not hear St. Matthew's account. Yes, we get chapter two at the Feast of the Epiphany. But what about chapter one? We get it in the Daily Office for the Sunday after Christmas in Year One, and the Feast of the Holy Name in Year Two; if it appears anywhere in the Eucharistic Lectionary, I cannot recall it or find it at present. It is not even the Gospel for the Feast of St. Joseph (Luke 2:41-52, the twelve-year old Jesus, who “must be about [his] Father's business.”).

What is St. Matthew's point with this important passage?

The first sentence of the Gospel according to St. Matthew is this: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” St. Matthew wants his readers to understand that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, and that in him are fulfilled all the promises made to Abraham (cf Genesis 22:15-18, “... and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed”) and David (cf II Samuel 7, and the questioning of this promise in Psalm 89: “Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?" [v.49]).

It echoes also the similar “books of the generations” in the First Book of Moses: the “book of the generations of Adam” (5:1); the “generations of the sons of Noah” (10:1); “the generations of Shem” (11:10); “the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son” (25:19) and lastly “the generations of Jacob” (37:2). It places Jesus in the context of the Patriarchs; it further implies that he is not only the culmination of this long genealogy, but the beginning of something new, like unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

There would be many ways to trace the descent of a Jewish person from Abraham; all of them were his descendents, as were many others (e.g, the descendants of Ishmael). There would doubtless be many lines leading even from David to Jesus – St. Luke gives one which differs entirely from that of St. Matthew. But Matthew tracks the line through the kings of Judah. This is to show that Jesus is the legitimate Heir of David, “he that is born King of the Jews” (St. Matthew 2:2). But there is more: St. Matthew is reminding us of the Story. All of these people, from Abraham to Jechonias and his brethren at the time of the Exile, are known to us from the Old Testament. St. Matthew is making it crystal clear that Jesus is part of this Story and the culmination of it. In Jesus, the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) has himself entered the Story. Nothing can ever again be the same.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (1:22-23)

One final thought: This passage is one of the few glimpses we get of St. Joseph, “a just man” (v. 19). The Church begins with Our Lady St. Mary, who believed the words that had been spoken to her (St. Luke 1:45) and was the God-bearer, the Theotokos. But she was not alone: there were Elisabeth and Zecharias – and there was, after his vision in a dream, Joseph. He was at her side on that holy Night in Bethlehem; Joseph was with her, and with Him, as long as he lived; their shared belief in what had been shown them, and what was before their eyes every day, strengthened them through what was often a difficult and uncertain path. So it is today: we believe, and in our shared belief we strengthen one another.

What shall we do, that we might work the work of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. (St. John 6:28-29)

Inscrutable evils, Unexplainable evils (Brief)

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An Allegorical Painting of the Tomb of Lord Somers 1722-29 Canaletto

Atheistic philosopher William Rowe concluded that there is no good state of affairs where an omnipotent, omniscient being would be justified in allowing evils where no possible good can arise from them taking place; he also calls these inscrutable evils, which are evils that cannot be understood. Rowe (1990: 3).

I disagree with his first conclusion as from my Reformed position I reason God wills all things with good motives for the greater good as a primary cause with good motives in moral perfection, although secondary causes that are rational beings, may have sinful motives, and therefore disagree in writing with the concept of gratuitous evil, and this is presented in my Wales, PhD 'Theodicy and Practical Theology' and in two posts on this blog, one the top ranked in pageviews as of December 2012, 'Gratuitous Evil Revisited' and also 'Gratuitous Evil'.

I reason my view would be in line with Romans 8: 28-30 in the life of a Christian believer.

Rowe with his second point does present a concept that many evils from a human perspective, not God's perspective I must make clear in my view, would be inscrutable and therefore would be very difficult if not virtually impossible to understand for humanity. I would also further state that these would be very difficult if not virtually impossible to explain.

Two major problems humanity has in trying to understand certain great evils:

Finite human nature

Human beings simply do not understand with limited minds and knowledge all the reasonings of other human beings, and all the potentials for great amounts of evil.

Human beings do not understand fully the infinite reasonings of God.

Human beings do not understand, apart from little stated in Scripture about them, the reasonings of angelic and demonic beings, and the workings these beings could do in God's will. Angels would work with good motives, demonic beings with sinful motives (Job). The concept of angelic beings performing evils, as in human experienced evils, with good motives may be controversial but 2 Kings 19: 35 for example reads:

New American Standard Version

³⁵ Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when ^[a]men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were ^[b]dead.

It appears an angel is performing the work of God. I do realize some Evangelicals will take as a possible interpretation that 'the angel of the Lord' is the pre-incarnate God the Son, but that is speculative theology not clear from the Hebrew Bible.

Human beings do not understand all the reasonings, not rational as in a human or angelic sense, but still reasoning within the intuitive nature of the animal world and all potential evils.

Human beings cannot anticipate all potential Natural Evils.

Sinful human nature

Romans 3:21-26

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

21 But now apart [a]from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [b]who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all [c]have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a [d]propitiation [e]in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, [f]because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who [g]has faith in Jesus.

Romans 6:23

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is now legal justification and an on going work of justification (1 Corinthians 6: 11) for those in Christ.

Even so, until the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15) and the culminated Kingdom there is human corruption and imperfection that will damage human perception to various degrees including in regard to evil.

I therefore agree with a concept humanly speaking of inscrutable evils as well as unexplainable evils.

Further:

A combination of human finitude and sinfulness makes understanding evil as in knowledge of it, and predicting it, inadequate, including evil in great amounts.

The Bible is of assistance of course, in particular the Book of Job, as is good solid, sound academic work on the problem of evil and theodicy. Fellowship and prayer are also essential.

But certain questions in reality lead to the need for a remedy and that is connected to the historical work of the atonement of Christ on the cross found in the Gospels, and also the documented resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promised resurrection of believers tied into the Second Coming (Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2).

ROWE, WILLIAM L. (1990) ‘The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism’, in Adams and Adams (eds.) The Problem of Evil, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Bayern, Germany-Google Images

Hortes, France-trekearth

Campo, Spain-trekearth 

So we're living in Kingston...

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... and I'm getting home sick. If you know me, download skype and call/msg me. Seriously -- it's free, and it's cool.

Short Story: Nathan got a job in Kingston. When he first mentioned the job opportunity, I was like "Ummm... No. I'm not moving to Kingston." Then, through the many trials leading up to the job offer, I could see God's Hand leading us to this place. I began praying that Nathan *would* get the job. Then he did, and we spent a week in a motel trying to find a short term-lease (which we found), we moved that weekend, and I left for Florida the next day. After visiting my new Snowbird Mum for nearly 3 weeks, I came back to our new home. A week later, it's starting to settle in that we're not moving back to Ottawa any time soon.

It's cold outside, and I don't know anyone. How do people make friends in new cities? I mean, seriously. In grade school, you'd walk up to someone and ask them if they wanted to play tag, or build a snowman. Bang! Instant friend. I might not have been a social butterfly, but I didn't have to drive 2 hours to play Settlers, or "talk about feelings." This whole finding new social circles sucks.

I need to find a church... I did some research last month and found half a dozen in Kingston that didn't scare me (okay, I guess the rest weren't that bad -- just theologically stunted -- but I'm sure they have a heart for God). Nathan went to the closest one a few weeks ago (while I went to a Southern Baptist church in FL -- but that's a whole different story), and he seemed to like it. So maybe we'll go back this Lord's Day.

It would be a lot easier if there was an RP church in Kingston... Sovereign God? check. Biblical theology? check. Covenental relationship? check. Singing the Word of God? check. Yeah.. I love my Psalms. Give me 119x over "Here I am to Worship" anyday of the week. A few years of singing lessons and I might post some youtube videos... Until then, you can listen here. I've had a Psalter on my wishlist for a few years now... I think it's time to order one myself. But I digress...

I should take some classes... Bellydance, woodworking, art, acting. Something. I should also probably look into getting a job. Sigh... Is there anything in Kingston aside from prisons and universities?

Staying indoors makes it easier to pretend I'm not completely alone in a new city, miles from anyone I know... well, aside from Nathan, but he's at work >.>

I think I'll go outside now.

So we're looking for a house in Kingston...

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... and this is our search area. It extends down to Lake Ontario's Shore. While it would be cool to live on Wolfe or Howe Island, I don't think Nathan would enjoy taking the Ferry to work every day >.>


View Larger Map

It would be larger, but those long lakes are a real pain to drive around. I guess it would be easier if we stayed within Kingston, but I have this dream of raising alpacas and spinning their fibre on a beautiful spinning wheel I designed and carved myself. Somehow, I don't think I can do that within city limits, aye?

On the other hand, being close to everything Kingston has to offer (I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that is) would be handy. Buses are handy (although I got my G1 last week, after letting it expire nearly 2 years ago, so I can do my G2 test as soon as I practice parking >.>), and I think it would be easier to resell if the house weren't in the middle of nowhere.

I still want to build my Timber-Frame Strawbale house, but I think that might have to wait until I can get Nathan to warm up to the idea.

Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America's Christian Heritage, Dave Miller

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Silencing of God: The Dismantling of America's Christian Heritage, Dave Miller

I have heard of Dave Miller’s DVD “The Silencing of God” but have only recently viewed it. I was able to get a preview at a Bible Reading Marathon conducted by the Toledo Road Church of Christ of Lorain, Ohio at the Black River Amphitheatre with the Scriptures being read by teenagers over a 24-hour period where Brother Miller was able to speak at this event. While he and I were discussing our concern about the direction our country is being pushed, I asked brother Miller if he thought about putting this material in book form so people could communicate these vital facts documenting our nation’s Christian heritage with others as they are able more easily. I was delighted to hear that a coffee table full-color edition of the book had just been published. As the adult class where we attend began viewing the DVD, I ordered a copy of this book for the church library. It is an excellent product both from content and the attractive quality of printing.

Those who know me personally know I attempt to keep up on national politics and the forces that are attempting to take us further away from God. So, the material in the DVD was not a total shock to me. What was surprising to me is the voluminous efforts early leaders made to ensure all knew our county was established to be a Christian nation—monuments, money, manuscripts, correspondence, speeches, mottos, oaths, songs, constitutions—Federal and States, etc. I often hear people say the United States is not a Christian nation and was never designed to be one. That the Founding Fathers desired to establish a secular government that merely tolerates various religions. I knew before watching the DVD that was absurdly FALSE. The Founding Fathers wrote the First Amendment to protect religious freedom as opposed to the sinister twisting of the phrase, “a wall of separation between church and state,” in a letter by Thomas Jefferson to a Baptist association to reassure them that the Federal Government would not interfere with religion to restrict the exercise of religion. I am alarmed that some fail to realize the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments, were written to preserve individual freedom from government interference. Particularly alarming is that few seem to realize that the freedom of the Press and Religion go together—these two are both in the First Amendment. Ask yourselves, “If the Press was being treated by the Federal Government the same way Christianity is, would they tolerate it?” It is a highly relevant question! 

What I learned from the DVD is just how overtly the Founding Fathers and early leaders were in favor of New Testament Christianity. Sometimes people like to refer to our “Judeo-Christian Heritage”; however, the Founding Fathers were more specific to our Christian Heritage. They pointed out that we are a tolerant Nation because of, not in spite of, New Testament Christianity. The degree to which they expressed this was rather eye-opening to me. One of the quotes I vividly remember was by John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the first U.S. Supreme Court. The early founders of our Nation were not shy about affirming the importance of Christianity to the preservation of the Nation. John Jay wrote about supporting infidel (non-Christians) leaders:

Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. It is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest, of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.—Page 89.

Some refuse to be involved in politics in any way and prefer to avoid all discussion on this subject; however, political and societal forces are pushing churches into areas that we cannot support; e.g., accepting the homosexual lifestyle and using our tax dollars to fund abortions. If we do not use our rights to make Christ’s views, which must be our views, on these two subjects clear to our leaders, then we will lose these two battles. And these two highly activist lobbies will not be interested in letting the church exempt herself. I wish we could continue in the luxury on relying on others to shoulder the political fight so we can focus solely on spreading the gospel, but we cannot. We must devote resources in this struggle too, or our ability to spread the gospel may be severely hindered. If we do not bow to our knees in prayer to God, we may find our knees forced to the ground against our wills and then we will be willing to pray to God but it will be a cry out to God in despair.

I found the words of President James A. Garfield, a member of the Christian Church, to be worthy of adoption:

Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to present them in national legislature…. If the next centennial does not find us a great nation…it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.—Page 89.

It is time for Christians to be “strong in the strength which God supplies thru His beloved Son.”

The Disciples' Prayer, Hugo McCord

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The Disciples’ Payer, Hugo McCord


Recently, I was requested to present a series on prayer. As I assembled reference materials, I shopped at a local used bookstore and came across a popular book that stated it was the 10th anniversary edition, and I learned it has over 1 million copies sold. I purchased the volume to see if it had any insights or approaches that I might find of use. While the book had several positive points, it also had some negative ones too. I went to my shelf and started reading Hugo McCord’s The Disciples’ Prayer and thought “Now this is a book on the subject that should be in new and used bookstores in a celebrated 10th anniversary edition!” Sadly, many of the works published among churches of Christ do not have the marketing support as some of large publishing houses. I believe brother McCord’s book far exceeds the value of the one I purchased that day.


The late brother McCord wrote this book in 1954 as Vice President of Central Christian College (now Oklahoma Christian University). McCord’s scholarship was well known. He received degrees from Freed-Hardeman College (now University), University of Illinois, and a doctorate from Southern Baptist Seminary. Brother McCord’s dissertation was on the supposed “Synoptic Problem” which I find of interest since it is a theory of many modernists who attack the Bible. The “Synoptic Problem” claims there are discrepancies, even contradictions between Matthew, Mark and Luke. They even go so far as to suggest an imaginary author called “Q” that the gospel writers had to borrow from. Some suggest that Mark’s gospel was written first and Matthew had to borrow from it. Imagine that! Matthew, an apostle who was with Jesus during His ministry, had to borrow from Mark who was not an apostle. Difficult to believe? Indeed. Occasionally McCord writings point out how these critics overlook certain realities that contradict their theories. For example, McCord’s chapter on “Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” discusses the word “daily” and how modernists have far missed the mark:

Many scholars have doubted that the word “daily,” epiousion, in this petition is a faithful translation. Actually, some great scholars have been unfamiliar with epiousion. Origen (c. 185-254) was bold to say that Matthew and Luke just made up the word. But Chrysostom, Gregory Nyssen, and Basil of Caesarea—all eminent Greek-speaking scholars—thought that epiousion really means “daily”… Centuries elapsed, and modern scholars, still unfamiliar with epiousion, refused to accept the translation “daily” (needful). However, thanks to penetrating scholarship (?), the stigma of coining the word was taken off Matthew and Luke, and laid on the broad shoulders of imaginary author “Q,” from whom Matthew and Luke copied (?). So said modernists Moulton and Milligan as late as 1919. But in 1925 Q was exonerated from coining the word, for lo it was found in an old Greek housekeeping book. (Page 62)

The Disciples’ Prayer discusses the model of prayer Jesus gave in the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew and later to a smaller group in Luke. These two accounts are not parallel in the chronological but topical sense since the Sermon on the Mount is five chapters before the model prayer of Luke 11. Also, the wording is not identical in these models which indicate it was never intended to be recited repetitively as some do—a practice Jesus warned about just prior in Matthew’s account. And churches of Christ are not the only ones to point this matter out! I found the words of Martin Luther of interest on this and more pungent:

Thus, as we see, it was carried on in monasteries, nunneries and the whole ecclesiastical crowd, that seem to have had nothing else to do in their calling than to weary themselves daily so many hours, and at night besides, with singing and reading their Horas; and the more of this they could do, the holier and greater worship they called it. And yet among them all there was not one that uttered a real prayer from his heart: but they were all filled with the heathenish notion that one must tire God and one’s self with crying and muttering, as if he neither could nor would otherwise hear; and they have thereby accomplished nothing else than to waste their time and punish themselves…with their praying.— Martin Luther, Commentary on the Sermon On The Mount, Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1892, pp. 240-269.

Brother McCord does a thoughtful and insightful analysis of what some commonly refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer” or “The Model Prayer”. McCord points out that it was never a prayer that the Lord actually prayed so to call it “The Lord’s Prayer” would be incorrect unless one is speaking of a pattern of prayer taught by the Lord. The study of prayer has been enriching and this small volume spoke volumes compared to other works I have examined of longer length.

Originally printed West Virginia Christian, Vol. 18, No. 1,January 2011, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.

RSCM Report, Part Five: The Conclusion of the Matter

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What is to become of these young people? Not just the ones here, but the young adults of Spain where there are not enough jobs, the children in Greece abandoned by their parents because they cannot care for them, the child soldiers of Sudan, poor and hungry children everywhere? Last winter's unusual cold in Europe, this summer's drought, crop failures and wildfires in the United States are perhaps harbingers that this is the generation that will reap the fruit of a century of excess. At present, the “one percent” of the world are firmly in control, grinding the poor into the dust. But their days are numbered:

He hath filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he hath sent empty away.

I believe that the hand of God is at work among the children and youth that I teach in our parish choir, the RSCM choristers, and their peers throughout the world. A new thing is coming.

The future that seems least likely is the one that I would wish for these choristers: long, quiet, and prosperous lives, and peace for our nation. But I see signs that this generation may equal the “Greatest Generation” of the Depression, World War and its aftermath, both in the trials that they will face and in the way that they will rise to the challenge, by God's grace:

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
for I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
(“K,” in Rippon's Selection, 1787 [sung at the closing Eucharist])

I am old; I will not live long into these days. I must use the time remaining to me to equip them for their task, not knowing what that task will be nor what they will need. This I know: they will need the Song, they will need each other, and they will need the Lord their God.

Even by next summer's Course, food may be much more expensive and perhaps scarce, and worse times may come. But we have food of which this world knows nothing:

Love bade me welcome: yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lack'd anything.

A guest, I answer'd, worthy to be here:
Lord said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?

Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
So I did sit and eat.
(George Herbert: anthem text from the Course)

RSCM Epilogue: Rain

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Sunday, July 27: The Lord's Day

The morning began with low grey rain clouds filling the sky. It began to sprinkle as I loaded my luggage into the car. By the end of breakfast and our drive into St. Louis and the Basilica, it was a proper rain, steady and gentle. It continued half the day, the first such rain in two months or more – and widespread, not just a localized shower.

You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; you refreshed the land when it was weary. (Psalm 68:9)

For the first part of the Eucharist, the ATBs were shunted off into the same side chapel where I had prayed on Friday before the Tabernacle. We listened with delight as the trebles began the Mass:

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te.
Benedicimus te.
Adoramus te.
Glorificamus te.
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam.

It was a moment of grace, almost unbearable. How could God be so good?

After Evensong, I stood in the parking lot with the elderly bus driver. “Are they finished?” he asked. “Yes. The service is over. They are hugging on each other, saying good-by; they will be out here soon.”
“That rain was a gift from God,” he said. “It has already perked things up a little.”

As is my custom on the way home from the Course, I stopped at the roadside park north of Hannibal for a picnic supper in the early evening. There were puddles on the roadway at the turning into the little park. The birds and cicadas sang, bats darted through the sky above the ruined cornfield across the road, the moon sailed through the heavens.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

I don't feel no ways tired

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I leave you this Sunday night with a song, one that I suspect none of you have heard. I came upon it in this manner:

I knew of the work of the pianist/storyteller/composer Ken Medema from my days in the Presbyterian Church back in the 1980's and 90's; I attended one of his concerts with the church youth group. He is enormously creative, but I had forgotten about him until encountering a mention of him in a book on church music that I am reading, “Jubilate: Church Music in the Evangelical Tradition” by Don Hustad.

So, when I had completed my work for the day, I looked Ken up on the internet and found his website. On it, he has a list of podcasts, and I listened to the one titled “Pipe Down” (Nov. 22, 2011) which deals with his lifelong fascination with the pipe organ.

At the end of the forty-five minute podcast, he includes a song he found by the Norwegian duo of guitarist Knut Reiersrud and organist Iver Kleive, on the compilation “Nordic Nights.” The song is an old spiritual, “I don't feel no ways tired.” The performance includes (besides pipe organ and guitar) the singing group “Blind Boys of Alabama.” Here it is on YouTube. Many items on YouTube have millions of views; this one has just 621 views and no comments. I do not think that I have ever heard a pipe organ used in this manner. This performance is a treasure, and I commend it to you.

May God's blessings be with you this night and always.

Evensong: What's the point?

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One of the choristers, a ten-year old girl, asked this of me as we were vesting for Evensong today. “What's the point? Why are we doing this?” I did not answer her well; at first I made light of it, saying something about getting through it so we could have the pizza supper after. But she persisted; it was a serious question. I still did not answer well, telling her that people have been doing this for thousands of years, and it is our turn to take part in it. This is true, but not a sufficient answer.

Similar thoughts were in my mind this week as I prepared the organ music for this day's services. The postlude this morning was a large-scale fantasy on Sine Nomine by Craig Phillips, a fine piece. As I struggled with it and grew weary, I asked myself: “Why am I playing this?” My answer: “To honor the Saints.” This was the parish celebration of All Saints' Day, transferred to Sunday, one of the seven principal Feasts of the Church.

Were St. Cecilia, or J. S. Bach, or the Blessed Virgin Mary, or R. E. Lee, or Hezekiah the King to walk in the door of my home, I would extend them every honor within my power. I would give them the best chair, bring them the best of my food and drink, try to tell them how much they have meant to me. Or so I imagine. But am I willing to do what is actually in my power – more than that, the work which is my proper and bounden duty as a church musician? Am I willing to do a little extra work to prepare some Music to honor them, and through them the Lord whom they served? And on this day, not only these few, but all the company of heaven: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and “all other thy righteous servants, known to us and unknown” (BCP p. 489)?

Aided by such thoughts and encouraged by their examples, I gave it a good effort this week. In the event, the Phillips had more errors than is fitting, but some of the other music in this week's liturgies did go well. When we sang “For all the saints” this morning, all eight stanzas of it with a fanfare going into stanza seven, it was an Event.

When the combined youth and adult choirs sang the Bainton anthem “And I saw a new heaven” at tonight's Evensong, it was likewise an Event. For that matter, their singing of Psalm 150 to the chant in C major by Stanford was equally extraordinary.

To my young friend and fellow chorister in the Lord's service: No, I cannot give you a proper answer, not with words. But I pray that the very experience of it may lead you in the direction of an answer. Were you to stand where I stood, in the midst of the choristers as they sang, and see the intensity in the faces of many of them, young and old, perhaps you would begin to understand. I know you could hear it all around you – I saw a bit of it in your face, as well.

What's the point? What's the point of two months' choral rehearsals to get to one evening service? Or ten hours and more on the organ bench for one postlude that ended up not going very well? Behind these questions, why have people sung or said or prayed Matins and Evensong in one form or another all these years, in every imaginable language and setting and circumstance? Some of the point lies in what singing and praying together before God, and working at it with all our energies and skills, does to bring us a little closer to our maturity in the image of Christ, a little closer in every rehearsal and service. The preparations for this service have made us a better choir, and better choral singers individually. I believe that it was also beneficial to those who were in tonight's congregation, many of them parents of choristers.

But there is more: all of it, all of the work, all of the thousands of years of prayer and psalmody and praise embodied in the Daily Office, especially the Choral Office, is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1) for the honor of the One before whom we stand, who alone is worthy of praise.

I ain't got long to stay here

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This day, the First Sunday of Advent, in all of its Lessons and Music, is what the song describes: “the trumpet sounds within my soul.”

Our time here is short; we had best make the most of it. And it is not just our individual span, our “threescore years and ten.” All things shall come to an end, and after that, the judgment. The Bridegroom has tarried long. But he is coming.

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP p. 159)

I don't feel no ways tired

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I leave you this Sunday night with a song, one that I suspect none of you have heard. I came upon it in this manner:

I knew of the work of the pianist/storyteller/composer Ken Medema from my days in the Presbyterian Church back in the 1980's and 90's; I attended one of his concerts with the church youth group. He is enormously creative, but I had forgotten about him until encountering a mention of him in a book on church music that I am reading, “Jubilate: Church Music in the Evangelical Tradition” by Don Hustad.

So, when I had completed my work for the day, I looked Ken up on the internet and found his website. On it, he has a list of podcasts, and I listened to the one titled “Pipe Down” (Nov. 22, 2011) which deals with his lifelong fascination with the pipe organ.

At the end of the forty-five minute podcast, he includes a song he found by the Norwegian duo of guitarist Knut Reiersrud and organist Iver Kleive, on the compilation “Nordic Nights.” The song is an old spiritual, “I don't feel no ways tired.” The performance includes (besides pipe organ and guitar) the singing group “Blind Boys of Alabama.” Here it is on YouTube. Many items on YouTube have millions of views; this one has just 621 views and no comments. I do not think that I have ever heard a pipe organ used in this manner. This performance is a treasure, and I commend it to you.

May God's blessings be with you this night and always.

Evensong: What's the point?

To contact us Click HERE
One of the choristers, a ten-year old girl, asked this of me as we were vesting for Evensong today. “What's the point? Why are we doing this?” I did not answer her well; at first I made light of it, saying something about getting through it so we could have the pizza supper after. But she persisted; it was a serious question. I still did not answer well, telling her that people have been doing this for thousands of years, and it is our turn to take part in it. This is true, but not a sufficient answer.

Similar thoughts were in my mind this week as I prepared the organ music for this day's services. The postlude this morning was a large-scale fantasy on Sine Nomine by Craig Phillips, a fine piece. As I struggled with it and grew weary, I asked myself: “Why am I playing this?” My answer: “To honor the Saints.” This was the parish celebration of All Saints' Day, transferred to Sunday, one of the seven principal Feasts of the Church.

Were St. Cecilia, or J. S. Bach, or the Blessed Virgin Mary, or R. E. Lee, or Hezekiah the King to walk in the door of my home, I would extend them every honor within my power. I would give them the best chair, bring them the best of my food and drink, try to tell them how much they have meant to me. Or so I imagine. But am I willing to do what is actually in my power – more than that, the work which is my proper and bounden duty as a church musician? Am I willing to do a little extra work to prepare some Music to honor them, and through them the Lord whom they served? And on this day, not only these few, but all the company of heaven: patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and “all other thy righteous servants, known to us and unknown” (BCP p. 489)?

Aided by such thoughts and encouraged by their examples, I gave it a good effort this week. In the event, the Phillips had more errors than is fitting, but some of the other music in this week's liturgies did go well. When we sang “For all the saints” this morning, all eight stanzas of it with a fanfare going into stanza seven, it was an Event.

When the combined youth and adult choirs sang the Bainton anthem “And I saw a new heaven” at tonight's Evensong, it was likewise an Event. For that matter, their singing of Psalm 150 to the chant in C major by Stanford was equally extraordinary.

To my young friend and fellow chorister in the Lord's service: No, I cannot give you a proper answer, not with words. But I pray that the very experience of it may lead you in the direction of an answer. Were you to stand where I stood, in the midst of the choristers as they sang, and see the intensity in the faces of many of them, young and old, perhaps you would begin to understand. I know you could hear it all around you – I saw a bit of it in your face, as well.

What's the point? What's the point of two months' choral rehearsals to get to one evening service? Or ten hours and more on the organ bench for one postlude that ended up not going very well? Behind these questions, why have people sung or said or prayed Matins and Evensong in one form or another all these years, in every imaginable language and setting and circumstance? Some of the point lies in what singing and praying together before God, and working at it with all our energies and skills, does to bring us a little closer to our maturity in the image of Christ, a little closer in every rehearsal and service. The preparations for this service have made us a better choir, and better choral singers individually. I believe that it was also beneficial to those who were in tonight's congregation, many of them parents of choristers.

But there is more: all of it, all of the work, all of the thousands of years of prayer and psalmody and praise embodied in the Daily Office, especially the Choral Office, is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1) for the honor of the One before whom we stand, who alone is worthy of praise.

I ain't got long to stay here

To contact us Click HERE

This day, the First Sunday of Advent, in all of its Lessons and Music, is what the song describes: “the trumpet sounds within my soul.”

Our time here is short; we had best make the most of it. And it is not just our individual span, our “threescore years and ten.” All things shall come to an end, and after that, the judgment. The Bridegroom has tarried long. But he is coming.

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP p. 159)

Rosalynn and Jimmy

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I received my annual Christmas Card from Rosalynn and Jimmy Carter the other day, and put it on my desk at home, right under the portrait of George Washington.

Yes, I know that the Carters send these Christmas cards out by the thousands, to all who donate to the Carter Center's work with tropical diseases and the monitoring of elections, and perhaps to Habitat supporters as well. But it is still a treat to hear from them every December. The card is always a print of one of Jimmy's oil paintings; this year, a dove on a blue background. He is not a great artist; this is just a hobby for him, and it gives their Christmas greeting a homespun touch.

The current president has embraced the social media: Facebook, Twitter. He doubtless has many thousands of "friends." Rosalynn and Jimmy are from another generation; they send Christmas cards. And thank-you notes: after my mother died, I sent a part of my inheritance to the Carter Center in her honor, a check that was for me a substantial sum, for my mother respected him every bit as much as I do. In due time, I received a short handwritten thank-you note from Jimmy Carter. I do not think that this was something a secretary did for him; I think that he took the time himself to write it.

He is a Good Man.

Some would say that he was not a good president; I would say that he was perhaps the last good president (as is morally good, not necessarily "good" in the sense of "successful") that we will have in this country. He was elected in the wave of revulsion over the moral bankruptcy of Richard Nixon, and times have changed; someone like Carter could never be elected now.

I send Rosalynn and Jimmy my heartfelt good wishes for a blessed Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. May God's blessings be with them.

And he shall purify...

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"And he shall purify," from Handel's Messiah

But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering of righteousness. (Malachi 3:2-3)

For other foundation can no man lay than is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. (I Corinthians 3:12-13)

We heard a fine sermon this morning from J., one of the handful of people who read these pages, based in part on the Old Testament lesson from Malachi, and the quotation from Isaiah incorporated into the day's Gospel account, St. Luke 3:1-6. She described how gold and silver are refined by fire, and how wool is “fulled” (and yes, I looked it up on Wikipedia as J. suggested: here is the link. In ancient times, it involved slaves walking on the woolen cloth ankle-deep in tubs of urine, which cleansed the raw wool from dirt, oils, and impurities.)

As J. said, none of this sounds easy if you are the silver ore being refined, or the wool being soaked in urine and beaten or trampled upon. But “he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap.” There is no getting around it; one way or another, all of us must be cleansed of everything that stands between us and God. It is not an easy process. All of this was in J.'s sermon.

I would add that when one starts with an ore that contains gold and silver, only a small fraction is precious metal, for example a quartz rock with a few tiny flakes of gold. That is how we are too – there is some “gold” in us, but there is a whole lot of other stuff.

St. Paul describes the work we do in apt terms: “gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble.” When it seems that we are working hard but making little or no progress, it is well to remember this passage. Most of what we do will not stand the fire – but by God's grace there may be a tiny bit of it that does. Rarely will we know which is which, except sometimes in hindsight. But God knows, he who is “like a refiner's fire.”

Music-making is one aspect of such work. We practice, we do our best, and it is never sufficient: most of it is “wood, hay, stubble.” But there is often “something” there, some element of true Music that shines like gold. If we persist, and if God persists with us, we improve; some of the dross is burned away, and we become better musicians. Someday (not, probably in this life), he will have purified us completely, so that we “may offer unto the LORD an offering of righteousness.”

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

"2012 A-Z" - A Galaxial Event of Disneyesque Proportion -vid

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The Rumor Mill News Reading Room 
"2012 A-Z" - A Galaxial Event of Disneyesque Proportion -vidPosted By: Jordon [Send E-Mail]
Date: Tuesday, 11-Dec-2012 09:36:14

. Everything you wanted to know about '2012' but didn't know to ask. With over 30 yrs in Radio & TV Broadcasting, Boulder Professor Marc "The Arcturian", Grandson of Warren Buffet's Mentor, Benjamin Graham, takes you on this Galaxial Tour in: "The Most Comprensive 60 Minutes On "2012" Ever Assembled"

 2  1  0  1  0http://youtu.be/rxMymXI4KAg