Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
10 The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.
16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
“Is not my word like fire, says the Lord!” (Jeremiah 23:29)
“Gather ‘round that fire this Advent season,” advises John Piper. “It is warm. It is sparkling with colors of grace. It is healing for a thousand hurts. It is light for dark nights.” In other words, read some scripture this Advent!
If you are setting up your nativity scene with shepherds, the first to appear on the scene, you can read Luke 2: 1-20:
2 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
When you are setting up your creche with Wise Men, you can read Matthew 2: 1-12:
2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
You will note that animals are not mentioned in the scripture. Even so, I always liked this song and this version by Sufjan Stevens is pretty straightforward.
I gave the wee babes the Fisher Price nativity set for their birthday.
Of course, Lottie loves to play with it in her precise, careful way. The wee laddie likes to throw the pieces and has no respect for the baby Jesus, despite my remonstrances to the contrary.
(I did not give him this sweater. But I definitely approve.)
Keep on reading your scripture in these final days of Advent! Only six days ’til Christmas!
The OM and I had a wonderful time in Colorado at the beautiful Broadmoor Hotel. Granted there was a huge hail storm while we were there. You might have read about it or watched a video about it.
Pretty intense.
The view out our window before…
the view out our window after (note geraniums)…
Millions of dollars worth of roof damage
Flash flooding
It was the talk of the week, that’s for sure. We had fun nonetheless and visited the Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls and the art museum at Colorado College. We got lost going to the Airforce Academy and had to go back to the hotel and drink rosé on the patio, but c’est la vie.
Back in church on Sunday I read the first lesson from First Kings, but the second lesson was a better one from Ephesians, which we should all take to heart every day:
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,27 and do not give the devil a foothold.28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.5 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (4:25-5:2)
The rector gave a good sermon on the gospel lesson (John 6:35, 41-51). Helen Feesh was back as the substitute organist, although she played the piano for some reason and the Voluntary was Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1!
She brought her son with her, who was visiting. A professional baritone, he sang two great solos, which I enjoyed, especially Watchful’s Song from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Pilgrim’s Progress.
When I was leaving the rector made a joke about being glad to see me back before Labor Day, but he wasn’t being snarky. He understands why I don’t go in the summer and doesn’t hold it against me. So, all in all, it was a very pleasant experience, although I got a little misty-eyed when the congregation bid adieu to Brenda, our wonderful soloist/cantor, who is moving to Colorado with her family. Sunrise, sunset.
I’ll have a few more postcards tomorrow. Until then,
Whoopi-ty-aye-yay
I go my way
Back in the saddle again
I am so glad it is Friday and that the weekend is just around the corner. I plan to take it easy.
I’m going to clean up my kitchen after having some work done in there this week. And I’m going to start thinking about my trip east next weekend to see daughter #2. Maybe I’ll even pack!
I’m looking forward to seeing the wee babes.
It is rumored that the sun may be out this weekend, at least partially, so I’m hoping to get outside and survey the south forty.
And, by the way, Sunday is Johnny Appleseed Day.
“Oooooh, the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord, for giving me the things I need, the sun and the rain and the appleseed. The Lord is good to me.”
‘Tis the season when we all need to take a chill pill and go easy on people. Everyone is stressed out. My DP had some good holiday advice a few days ago and here are a few more things to keep in mind.
First of all, try not to think of all this yuletide preparation as a burden. If it is a burden, you have put it on yourself. Personally, I love getting ready for Christmas, especially the unpacking of the ornaments and decorations, the new and the old. For me, it is a gradual process. There are no deadlines. If something doesn’t get put up this year, so be it. No one will care or (probably) notice. And it will all be lovely.
If no one invites you to a party, have your own. We don’t have a lot of friends, but those we have will all be coming over to our house on the Saturday before Christmas, and I’m sure they are happy about that. We can get dressed up and twist the night away…at least until 8:30 p.m. when we all turn into pumpkins!
Put money in the Salvation Army red kettle every time you see one! Have your cash ready. Don’t view those bell-ringing Santas as an annoyance. The money goes to a good cause.
Watch some Christmas movies! For me at least, it just wouldn’t be Christmas without The Bishop’s Wife (1947) and White Christmas (1954) and 3 Godfathers (1947)! Unimaginable. If Danny Kaye can’t put you in the holiday spirit, no one can.
Go to church–at least once! Remember that Jesus really is the reason for the season. The rest is all hype and advertising. We are celebrating with a Festival of Lessons and Carols at our church this Sunday evening. Check and see if there is a similar service in your neighborhood. If you can’t actually attend one, listen to the King’s College, Cambridge service which is broadcast live on BBC Radio 4 on December 24. The service is also broadcast on Christmas Day, and at various times on the BBC World Service.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
(John 1: 1-14, KJV)
Have a good weekend! The wee babes (and their parents) have been sick this week. We’ll see them on Saturday when we go to their mom’s graduation–she’s getting her EdD!
*Tom Petty
P.S. I had to include this photo which was posted on Facebook by my friend Carla. It is a Christmas greeting from Christ the Redeemer Church in Pelham, NY where her son is a seminarian intern (3rd from left). Episcopalians know how to amuse themselves.
It was a stormy, gray Sunday and I contemplated staying in bed and reading Ivan Doig, but I was a good girl and got up and went to church. I was rewarded with great scripture readings and one of my favorite hymns. I mean, how great is Philippians 4:1-9:
Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
2 I entreat Eu-o′dia and I entreat Syn′tyche to agree in the Lord. 3 And I ask you also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. 6 Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.
There you have it.
Our final hymn was #624, Jerusalem the Golden, which always makes me cry. I was kind of a mess, mascara running all over, etc. Oh well. I am just a sentimental/crazy old lady who cries at hymns.
Most of my weekend was spent catching up on house maintenance and the like, which I do not mind. Life becomes a romance when you can learn to enjoy your everyday tasks and routines. Didn’t Oswald Chambers say something about that? (I think he was talking about our relationship with Christ, but it works here too.) Enjoy your home, I say, and part of that is taking care of it.
The OM and I babysat on Friday night while the boy and daughter #3 went out on the town…haha…they were home before 9 o’clock! The wee babes were great–a hand full–but great. I had forgotten what it is like to try to change a diaper on a boy-child who, when put on his back, immediately flips over. What a wrestling match ensues! Zut alors! I managed to get the little bud into his jammies, but I’m afraid they might have been backwards…C’est la vie. They were tuckered out but too wound up to go to bed, and when their parents arrived home, it was in the nick of time as Lottiebelle was having a meltdown and the OM’s patience was wearing thin. We headed home and I had a large glass of wine. They all came over for the last barbecue of the season on Sunday night.
In between I went to a work-related fundraiser–a “Hootenanny”–where a bunch of aging hippies and old communists plus President George H.W. Bush’s former Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service sang 1960s folk songs accompanied by a ukelele band. I’m telling you, truth is stranger than fiction. It was more fun than you would think and the story of my life.
Now it is Monday already and it’s back to the salt mine. Enjoy the day!
8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; 12 the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
(Romans 13:8-14)
On Sunday I read the second lesson in church. This made me very happy, because it was a great passage, especially that line about “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand.”
In other news I went to the auction as planned on Saturday and made a few purchases. I rescued a little drypoint etching by Ernst Oppler (1867-1929) which no one wanted, but which I really like.
I also bid on and won an English Pembroke table with drop leaves which is quite nice. There were other nice things, but I restrained myself. I loaded up the amazing Mini Cooper and trundled home.
I spent the rest of the weekend puttering around the old manse, doing laundry, vacuuming, dusting, and reading the newest Longmire out in the Florida room. I finished it and now will have to wait ’til the next installment which should come out in about a year! It was quite a cliffhanger too…
The OM left for a conference in Philadelphia on Sunday, so I had to make dinner for the boy and daughter #3. I managed to throw something together (toasted ravioli); the babes had some orange food.
I must also note that today is daughter #1’s birthday! We won’t be able to celebrate together until two weeks from now, but we’ll toast her tonight for sure!
You’ve come a long way, baby!
Here’s to a wonderful year! (And a good week!)
And, oh, what’s that you say? The Cards are only 2 games back from first place?
We had perfect flyover weather this weekend–and to think, it was 108-degrees last Saturday! Anyway, we had a pleasant weekend, although we did very little. I went to a few estate sales and got a few things,
including this book which I have been looking for for quite some time.
I also found a nice Hitchcock table and four chairs for daughter #1 who will now have room in her flyover apartment for such things!
After taking the table apart, the OM and I wrestled everything into my Mini Cooper and his Accord and were pretty proud of ourselves for doing so.
I also sat outside and read a good deal of Longmire #9, which was excellent. It includes exchanges like this:
I opened the volume to the title page and read: “The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume XXV, History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming 1890.” I gently closed the heavy, leather-bound hardback and rested it against my chest. “Is this book for sale?”
She smiled at me with all the warmth of a Moroccan rug salesman. “Do you know what it’s worth?”
“I do.”
“Twenty-five dollars.”
I studied the marbled edges of the pages. “That’s not what it’s worth.”
“I wasn’t negotiating a price; I was simply trying to see if you knew the value.” She sighed deeply and picked up another from one of the towers near her. “I’m past the point of caring what things cost; I just want to know that beautiful and important objects are in the hands of people who will appreciate them.”
…I stood there holding the two books and looking at the piles around us–they were like literary land mines just waiting to explode minds…
And this:
He smiled, and a line settled alongside the upturned corner of his mouth as he popped the lid on the center console–he knew all my caches and cliches–and pulled out an extra box of shells. “What other weapons do we have?”
I started the Bullet and pulled the gear selector down into drive. “Steadfast resolution.” I turned and looked at him, not as if he would take the option, but it had to be said. “If you want out now would be the time.”
He actually laughed as he reloaded the round. “I try never to miss an episode of Steadfast Resolution–it is my favorite program.”
Having finished Longmire #9, I am now reading Cheyenne Autumn by Mari Sandoz, a classic novel published in 1953 about the 1,500-mile flight of the Northern Cheyenne from the Indian Territory back to their home in the Yellowstone region in 1878–because Henry Standing Bear put it on his list of 10 Books to Read. Is it weird to take literary suggestions from fictional characters?
I don’t think so either.
Meanwhile we continued to receive adorable pictures of the wee babes in Florida
We also heard from daughters #1 and #2 enjoying one last weekend together in NYC!
I went to church because I was reading and was treated to this lesson:
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:26-39)
I don’t know about you, but I cannot read verses 35-39 without a tear coming to my eye. Great stuff.
Yesterday was Bob Dylan’s 76th birthday. I hope you celebrated appropriately.
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’
Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in spin
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’
For the loser now will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin’
Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin’
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin’
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changin’
Yesterday was also Aldersgate Day which is a commemorative day celebrated by Methodists. It recalls the day in 1738 when Anglican priest John Wesley attended a group meeting in Aldersgate, London, where he received an experience of assurance of his salvation.
This was the pivotal event in Wesley’s life that ultimately led to the development of the Methodist movement in Britain and America. According to his journal, Wesley found that his enthusiastic gospel message had been rejected by his Anglican brothers. Heavy-hearted, he reluctantly attended a group meeting that evening in a Moravian chapel. It was there, while someone was reading from Martin Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, that he felt that his heart was “strangely warmed”.
I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.
The following hymn was written by Shirley Murray to commemorate the event on the 250th anniversary in 1988.
How small a spark has lit a living fire!
how small a flame has warmed a bitter world!
how great a heart was moved to hope, to dare
and bring the faith out in the open air!
No boundary sign will stand against this faith,
no wall restrain this preaching of the Word:
the Good News travels on, it rides the road
and draws to unity the realm of God.
The single note becomes a song of praise,
the single voice grows to a swelling choir
and born in song, new stories now are sung
of freedom, chains unbound and loosened tongue.
Thank God for all who listened and believed,
who still are by the Spirit set on fire --
our hearts be warmed again, for Christ will wait
on beach, in upper room, or Aldersgate.
You will note that animals are not mentioned in the scripture. Even so, I always liked this song and this version by Sufjan Stevens is pretty straightforward.
Of course, Lottie loves to play with it in her precise, careful way. The wee laddie likes to throw the pieces and has no respect for the baby Jesus, despite my remonstrances to the contrary.
(I did not give him this sweater. But I definitely approve.)
The OM and I had a wonderful time in Colorado at the beautiful Broadmoor Hotel. Granted there was a huge hail storm while we were there. You might have read about it or watched 
Pretty intense.
dual personalities 