Joy. Unexpected blessings. The surprise and grace of giving and receiving presents. Love. Christmas.
And coffee. Yummy, aromatic, delicious coffee. Whohoo! Enjoying my first cup in 26 days! Hopefully, I've learned a thing or two about my heart and its desires. More thoughts later, now is the time to be with family! Merry Christmas- may you find what you seek or may what you seek find you. Many blessings, Sarah
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Day 24- anticipation is rising
more thoughts on hymns and how they share gospel truths:
And o come o come emmanuel! The chorus goes: rejoice rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee o Israel
Rejoice! God with us comes to us, he/she who wrestles/struggles ( the meaning of Israel).
I guess I have a perspective that everyone struggles in some way or another and that is why the message of Christmas is so potent- the one who understands our struggles is here for us to take them upon himself.
So if there is something going on in our lives that is difficult and if there is something we wrestle with, there is hope for us! And that should give us joy/hope/peace/ an understanding of what love is. God is coming for us to be with us in our struggles and we/he will
overcome.
The hymn is beautiful and has many other great lines.
Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66
Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Hymn # 31 from Lutheran Worship
Author: French Processional
Tune: Veni Emmanuel
1st Published in: 1854
And o come o come emmanuel! The chorus goes: rejoice rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee o Israel
Rejoice! God with us comes to us, he/she who wrestles/struggles ( the meaning of Israel).
I guess I have a perspective that everyone struggles in some way or another and that is why the message of Christmas is so potent- the one who understands our struggles is here for us to take them upon himself.
So if there is something going on in our lives that is difficult and if there is something we wrestle with, there is hope for us! And that should give us joy/hope/peace/ an understanding of what love is. God is coming for us to be with us in our struggles and we/he will
overcome.
The hymn is beautiful and has many other great lines.
Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66
Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!
Hymn # 31 from Lutheran Worship
Author: French Processional
Tune: Veni Emmanuel
1st Published in: 1854
Day 23- All Glory Given
Sometimes, old hymns say all that needs to be said. Come, all ye faithful, be joyful and triumphant! What else would you said when something glorious happens that you have long awaited?
Because, if you've travelled that Christian journey (or even on a plain old life journey) for awhile, you know that sometimes it is really hard to be joyful and triumphant. There are too many things that can get you (me) down. whoever wrote these words knew that the message of a newborn king who would change things was given in the midst of sorrow and heartache. And maybe he/she also knew that a pep talk was needed in order to stir the hearts of those that would hear the words. Come on, get excited, the one we've waited for is here! Come out of mourning and weeping! Rejoice! Remember to rejoice! At least, that is how I see the song: people needed to be reminded to be joyful. And there is a need to adore, because it is easy in the midst of life to forget our purpose in this life. The westminister catechism puts it so nicely when it answers the question, " what is the chief end of man? To know god and enjoy him fully." to know, to enjoy is to adore and I like the thought that we need to come and adore Jesus, triumphantly and joyfully. I think by not drinking coffee, I've come to see some ways I can adore something (inanimate object though it is). How much better is it to adore someone! And that someone who will fulfill some vey great and numerous promises!
Another thought i have is that O, Come all ye Faithful is a happy song. a happy song that is to be sung in a victorious manner.
And victory implies hardship and loss- two cruxes of the human experience. Another reminder to not lose hope and that we should anxiously await a new day where all will be put to right. Come Lord Jesus fill our hearts with joy!
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels:
Chorus:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created:
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God
In the highest:
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Because, if you've travelled that Christian journey (or even on a plain old life journey) for awhile, you know that sometimes it is really hard to be joyful and triumphant. There are too many things that can get you (me) down. whoever wrote these words knew that the message of a newborn king who would change things was given in the midst of sorrow and heartache. And maybe he/she also knew that a pep talk was needed in order to stir the hearts of those that would hear the words. Come on, get excited, the one we've waited for is here! Come out of mourning and weeping! Rejoice! Remember to rejoice! At least, that is how I see the song: people needed to be reminded to be joyful. And there is a need to adore, because it is easy in the midst of life to forget our purpose in this life. The westminister catechism puts it so nicely when it answers the question, " what is the chief end of man? To know god and enjoy him fully." to know, to enjoy is to adore and I like the thought that we need to come and adore Jesus, triumphantly and joyfully. I think by not drinking coffee, I've come to see some ways I can adore something (inanimate object though it is). How much better is it to adore someone! And that someone who will fulfill some vey great and numerous promises!
Another thought i have is that O, Come all ye Faithful is a happy song. a happy song that is to be sung in a victorious manner.
And victory implies hardship and loss- two cruxes of the human experience. Another reminder to not lose hope and that we should anxiously await a new day where all will be put to right. Come Lord Jesus fill our hearts with joy!
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him
Born the King of Angels:
Chorus:
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
God of God,
Light of Light,
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Very God,
Begotten, not created:
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
Glory to God
In the highest:
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given!
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Day 22- Humility
Three more days until coffee. What will I do with myself when I can have a nice hot cup of joe? I probably should buy some of my favorite roasts here in Durham before we leave for Florida so I can have the best possible cup on Christmas morning.
Sort of selfish of me when lots of hard things are happening all around me. Daniel's family is preparing for Granddad Horace's funeral, other folks are suffering from illnesses and medical complications, other people need jobs or need prayer for relationships. Heavy stuff is going on and what I like to think is my greatest difficulty in life right now is not drinking coffee. Ugh. This week God has put some things in perspective for me and revealed (yet again), that a tough, stoic exterior ain't all it's cracked up to be. He's chipped away at my hard shell a little bit and made me see that i need to get out and over myself and let him do his thing. Mary's Magnificat in Luke is pretty powerful example of how to do just that. She didn't backtalk with excuses how this or that would inconvenience or how she wasn't ready to take that leap of faith, she just rolled with it, looked at the bigger picture, and put all her trust and faith in God, that from this prayer, seems like she knew really well. I hope as Christmas comes to pass that I, too, can praise God like Mary for all the great things he has done-- and not be so concerned with myself.
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
Here's to letting God do his thing and humbling myself and letting go and trying to be a vessel for God's work. Here's to interceding in prayer for others and figuring out what it means to let the Lord magnify my soul. Come, Lord Jesus, have mercy on us!
Sort of selfish of me when lots of hard things are happening all around me. Daniel's family is preparing for Granddad Horace's funeral, other folks are suffering from illnesses and medical complications, other people need jobs or need prayer for relationships. Heavy stuff is going on and what I like to think is my greatest difficulty in life right now is not drinking coffee. Ugh. This week God has put some things in perspective for me and revealed (yet again), that a tough, stoic exterior ain't all it's cracked up to be. He's chipped away at my hard shell a little bit and made me see that i need to get out and over myself and let him do his thing. Mary's Magnificat in Luke is pretty powerful example of how to do just that. She didn't backtalk with excuses how this or that would inconvenience or how she wasn't ready to take that leap of faith, she just rolled with it, looked at the bigger picture, and put all her trust and faith in God, that from this prayer, seems like she knew really well. I hope as Christmas comes to pass that I, too, can praise God like Mary for all the great things he has done-- and not be so concerned with myself.
Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat Luke 1 46-56
46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
Here's to letting God do his thing and humbling myself and letting go and trying to be a vessel for God's work. Here's to interceding in prayer for others and figuring out what it means to let the Lord magnify my soul. Come, Lord Jesus, have mercy on us!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
day 20/21- losing steam
there is a pattern in my life where I start off strong with a new project, am so excited about it, and then something happens. May be there is a set back or too much time passes or things don't progress as i imagined them, and I begin to lose steam. When this happens, I have two choices ahead of me: i either choose to dig my heels in and grit my teeth to take it to the finish line by sheer determination or I let it simply die, hoping maybe some life will be resurrected into while it fades, but if that doesn't happen, I let it rest. Writing, no coffee, and my other projects, are all losing steam. Since I have more structure in place with other projects and I am an object in motion set in motion with no coffee, those are the ones I know I will grit my teeth and get done... but writing... that one may gently float into nothingness... unless I concertedly dig in my heels.
There are four days left until Christmas. Can I finish off this blog strong?
Have I learned to wait, to anticipate, to enter into a quiet contemplative state? I think so. I think I have built better habits over the course of this fast. I think I have felt myself be led more into the presence of God and have felt his hand at work. I have tasted the sweetness of God through this writing project. The reflection and ordering of my thoughts has helped me feel more alive and peaceful. It has been a very enjoyable time that I've cherished. I recommend that people feeling "dry" in their spiritual life, find that which helps them feel more alive and connected with God- be it writing, running, painting, music, whatever. My question now is, will I keep up those habits when I pick up coffee once again? The answer is I hope so.
Also, Daniel's granddad passed away this afternoon. We knew it was coming and know he is in a better place (it is a better place, maybe that is not a comforting thought to those that mourn, but he is whole again and is not in pain!). Yet, there is a loss and somber reflection on death and his life. It is the literal aspect of the old has gone... when will the new come? When will there be a new earth that does not have death and dying, grief and loss? When, Lord, will you come again? The hymn below is my response for right now.
Hymn for the day:
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
There are four days left until Christmas. Can I finish off this blog strong?
Have I learned to wait, to anticipate, to enter into a quiet contemplative state? I think so. I think I have built better habits over the course of this fast. I think I have felt myself be led more into the presence of God and have felt his hand at work. I have tasted the sweetness of God through this writing project. The reflection and ordering of my thoughts has helped me feel more alive and peaceful. It has been a very enjoyable time that I've cherished. I recommend that people feeling "dry" in their spiritual life, find that which helps them feel more alive and connected with God- be it writing, running, painting, music, whatever. My question now is, will I keep up those habits when I pick up coffee once again? The answer is I hope so.
Also, Daniel's granddad passed away this afternoon. We knew it was coming and know he is in a better place (it is a better place, maybe that is not a comforting thought to those that mourn, but he is whole again and is not in pain!). Yet, there is a loss and somber reflection on death and his life. It is the literal aspect of the old has gone... when will the new come? When will there be a new earth that does not have death and dying, grief and loss? When, Lord, will you come again? The hymn below is my response for right now.
Hymn for the day:
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six winged seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
day 18/19 pottermore and harry potter
This weekend I finished reading the seventh Harry Potter in French. Cannot get over how good the story is, no matter the language. Different parts always hit me everytime I read it. This reading the themes of power spoke out in conjunction with the parallels to what happened in the First and Second World Wars and/or what is happening/happened in various arab spring states. Grindelwald and Voldemort in their lust for power destroy destroy destroy. The race for a pure blood state is much like the holocaust or what have you massacre of ethnic/religious minorities. Rowling paints very deep and heavy stuff in the background of the story in the midst of the Harry Potter storyline in order to help readers connect to historical and present day issues regarding power and tyranny and evil.
How does that relate to Advent?
Well, I could always connect Grindelwald and Voldemort to Herod who committed similar atrocities after the birth of Christ. Or the fact that Christ came to earth in order for the world to be righted- he came to be the Righteous Ruler who would be Just and rule correctly. No more evil tyrants, no more fear, no more death. And while Christ's fight with death happened in those three days when he descended into hell after his crucifixion, it all had to start with His birth. Just like Harry's journey to conquer Voldemort began with him surviving the killing curse as a baby, Jesus's rise to supremacy over death began in an inauspicious stable with dirty animals and hay. Our journeys to become right with God through Jesus's sacrifice also follow suit: we are said to be born (again) in Christ and we fight evil and temptations of power and pride, learning to sacrifice ourselves like Jesus and Harry Potter. And when we fail, we repent and have remorse and know that Christ is Lord of all and will reign and right all wrongs. In Advent, even when we see examples of injustice and grave misuses of power, we remember and reflect on and yearn for Christ's second coming to Power to Restore Good to the earth. Come, Lord Jesus! Come! May we humbly serve you and not be tempted by power and pride! Keep us lowly, like the ox and the lamb who witnessed!!! your birth. May we look for you in lowly places and be content to find you there.
Also, as a side note, some perks of reading HP in French, besides picking up some vocab and grammar, are reading the "frenchified" names of main characters. Crockdur is fang, hagrid's dog; Terrier is the Burrow (okay, that's a bit literal of a translation); Crackmols are Squibs, Serpentard is Slytherin; Rogue is Snape and the list goes on. I guess you have to be a person that loves words and etymology to get why reading harry potter in two languages is such a feast. Tolkien did the same thing in LOTR which was overkill(anglicizing already sort of anglicaized names, really?)... read the annex at the end of return of the king... He made the names of merry and pippin and frodo super complicated. Oh, how I love morphemes! in english and french!
ALso, i finally logged onto pottermore- oh dear. what a time waster. must resist making potions- seriously, it's target population is 12 year olds... why am I suddenly wanting to earn as many house points as i can doing inane potions and spells? new fast: pottermore!
How does that relate to Advent?
Well, I could always connect Grindelwald and Voldemort to Herod who committed similar atrocities after the birth of Christ. Or the fact that Christ came to earth in order for the world to be righted- he came to be the Righteous Ruler who would be Just and rule correctly. No more evil tyrants, no more fear, no more death. And while Christ's fight with death happened in those three days when he descended into hell after his crucifixion, it all had to start with His birth. Just like Harry's journey to conquer Voldemort began with him surviving the killing curse as a baby, Jesus's rise to supremacy over death began in an inauspicious stable with dirty animals and hay. Our journeys to become right with God through Jesus's sacrifice also follow suit: we are said to be born (again) in Christ and we fight evil and temptations of power and pride, learning to sacrifice ourselves like Jesus and Harry Potter. And when we fail, we repent and have remorse and know that Christ is Lord of all and will reign and right all wrongs. In Advent, even when we see examples of injustice and grave misuses of power, we remember and reflect on and yearn for Christ's second coming to Power to Restore Good to the earth. Come, Lord Jesus! Come! May we humbly serve you and not be tempted by power and pride! Keep us lowly, like the ox and the lamb who witnessed!!! your birth. May we look for you in lowly places and be content to find you there.
Also, as a side note, some perks of reading HP in French, besides picking up some vocab and grammar, are reading the "frenchified" names of main characters. Crockdur is fang, hagrid's dog; Terrier is the Burrow (okay, that's a bit literal of a translation); Crackmols are Squibs, Serpentard is Slytherin; Rogue is Snape and the list goes on. I guess you have to be a person that loves words and etymology to get why reading harry potter in two languages is such a feast. Tolkien did the same thing in LOTR which was overkill(anglicizing already sort of anglicaized names, really?)... read the annex at the end of return of the king... He made the names of merry and pippin and frodo super complicated. Oh, how I love morphemes! in english and french!
ALso, i finally logged onto pottermore- oh dear. what a time waster. must resist making potions- seriously, it's target population is 12 year olds... why am I suddenly wanting to earn as many house points as i can doing inane potions and spells? new fast: pottermore!
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