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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

New Hymn for Joseph, Father of Jesus


St Joseph with the Infant Jesus (c. 1635)






Looking for a hymn that tells the Advent/Christmas story from Joseph's viewpoint? Here's a hymn-text I wrote today for use at Edenton Street UMC this coming Sunday. I have a JPG file with the music and words together if you'd like to use that. Kindly include copyright notice: © 2011, Nancy Gerst. Used by permission.
 
HUMBLE JOSEPH, CARPENTER IN NAZARETH

Tune:   Once in Royal David’s City

Humble Joseph, carpenter in Naz’reth,
son of Adam, kin of Abraham.
Called by God to serve as Jesus’ father,
Not by blood, but Son born of faith.
Mary, he both loved and wed,
Stayed with her when tears were shed.

Abraham was his role and model,
Whose faith shone when plans went awry.
Like him, Joseph stood firm and faithful
Even when the doubts multiplied.
Mary’s son he did embrace,
Looked to God—and saw Him face to face.

May we too believe in the darkness
When our lives are torn, wearing thin.
May we trust the God who dearly loves us
See faith grow where doubt has been.
And behold the distant promise,
And receive the grace that is boundless.


Artwork by Guido Reni, at the Hermitage, in St. Petersburg. Oil on canvas, 126 x 101 cm.


Postcript:  Rev. Ned Hill gave a wonderful sermon on Joseph on 12/4/11. It had been at his comment that there aren't many hymns about Joseph that I was inspired to write the above text. You can hear this sermon here:  Swallowing the Story 

 






Friday, November 18, 2011

Seasons of Life


In the neighborhood
We’ve had some wonderfully warm and sunny fall days this past week. On one of these delicious days, early morning found me eating my bowl of oatmeal on the back porch, enjoying the gentle rhythm of the glider and the soft descent of golden leaves in the trees surrounding the back of the house. Quiet moments with many visiting birds. Comical nuthatches, courting downy woodpeckers, a tufted titmouse or two, one scampering wren, playful chickadees, and a merry nut-happy grey squirrel.

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like fall is more spectacular than I ever remember. And not just spectacular but elongated over weeks of riotous color and shimmering royalty from trees decked long in autumn splendor. It’s just been an exhilarating, life-enlarging month.

If one’s life could be compared to the four seasons, I’m perhaps in the fall stretch (if you divide 100 years….my life expectancy….by four). AARP helped me figure this out when they started sending me ads in my late forties. Fifty to seventy-five –the age when one is mature, robust, full of color from accumulated life experiences. 

I remember fall seasons when the leaves barely got a chance to strut their stuff before cold winds, down-pouring rain, and gloom snatched their glory into piles of wet globs that defied the rake or lawn sweeper for weeks on end.

Trees in the parking lot near Panera Bread on NC 55 in Apex
Well I can’t be coy with the Lord. He knows what I’m thinking . . . that I’d like for this season in my life to be like the Fall of 2011 in the Triangle. And maybe that is His plan and will be His gift. If however, He sends rainy skies and grey days my way, may He also help me to light the fire, make a cup of tea, share an hour in conversation with a neighbor or friend and make the most of the fall of my life---however it comes and however long it lasts before the cold winter of my life dusts my doorstep with flakes of white. Even there, may I look for the exquisite poetry and beauty of that season. And may it be a long and lovely one too, Lord. 

Oh yes, today is my birthday, so grant me license for such philosophical musing. It’s a long-standing birthday habit of mine!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Stay with Us

This evening at choir rehearsal we put the final touches on "Stay with Us" by Evil Hogland, in preparation for a special service tomorrow evening, "A Service of Hope and Remembrance." Several things about this are so lovely; the occasion where eight downtown churches get together yearly and host a special service for people who have lost a loved one during past year. Offered in the evening, the setting is much like an Evening Vespers or Evening Prayer service.

The Road to Emmaus by Daniel Bonnell


























"Stay with Us" is the INTROIT for this service, and seems so fitting. Based on this text from Luke 24:29 . . .
But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

This hymn text has been sung since the early days of the church. From WIKIpedia:
Phos Hilaron (Φῶς Ἱλαρόν) is an ancient Christians hymn originally written in New Testament Greek. Often referred to by its Latin title Lumen Hilare it has been translated into English as 'Hail Gladdening Light' or 'O Gladsome/Joyous Light'. It is the earliest known Christian hymn recorded outside of the Bible that is still being used today.
Tradition says that in the early years following Jesus resurrection, a lamp was kept perpetually burning at his tomb. When Christians gathered for evening worship, the lamps were lit from the burning lamp at the tomb. Various translations of the Greek are used today for the Phos Hilaron, including this one from the Lutheran hymnody:
Joyous light of glory of the immortal Father,
Heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ,
We have come to the setting of the Sun
And we look to the evening light.
We sing to God, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy of being praised with pure voices forever.
O Son of God, O Giver of Light,
The universe proclaims your glory.
You will remember that this comes from the story where Jesus meets two disciples walking along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They did not yet know that Jesus had risen from the dead. What was their posture and conversation like before Jesus showed up to walk with them? Jaded? Grief-stricken? Devastated? We love the part where they didn't recognize the Master until he sat with them at supper and broke the bread (Luke 24:13-49). Hogland's hymn says it this way:
Stay with us, it soon is evening and night is falling.
Isn't that what we all want and need from the Lord? To know that He will not leave us when dark times in our lives leave us devastated, frightened, alone. We want the gentle, risen Jesus to dine with us too and apply his resurrection to our own dark, needy worlds. This hauntingly beautiful setting keeps playing through my mind. It's really a sung prayer    . . . Lord, don't leave me!  It's also a statement of faith . . . faith that Jesus is the answer, and so we run to him and invite him to stay with us where we are.

If you haven't listened the link above, take a few minutes and bask in the peace of the message that is so appropriately served by the music. Compellingly sung by the National Lutheran Choir.




The Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio, painted in 1601 and 1606



Other works by Daniel Bonnell

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Nearer My God to Thee

On Sunday, November 13, Edenton Street UMC in downtown Raleigh celebrated their Bicentennial in a service of Festival Worship. My sense that we were going to have a mountain top morning began last summer when I thought about what music could be sung by the choir that might be appropriate for a congregation that has reached this milestone and is thriving in its ministries.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

In Flight


Soar with me high
On wings of song
Scraping the belly of heaven
In search of our highest praise
And holiest joy and deepest  
Reason for wings.                 

© 2007 Nancy Gerst