joy – Mum's devotional

Caring for the Church

December 31st

…apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?

2 Corinthians 11:28-29 (NASB)

And it will be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Isaiah 25:9 (NASB)

They that trust in the Lord shall never be confounded! Some who helped for a while may fall asleep in Jesus; others may grow cold in the service of the Lord; others may be as desirous as ever to help, but have no longer the means; others may have both a willing heart to help, and have also the means, but may see it the Lord’s will to lay them out in another way;—and thus, from one cause or another, were we to lean upon man, we should surely be confounded; but, in leaning upon the living God alone, We are BEYOND disappointment, and BEYOND being forsaken because of death, or want[lack] of means, or want of love, or because of the claims of other work. How precious to have learned in any measure to stand with God alone in the world, and yet to be happy, and to know that surely no good thing shall be withheld from us whilst we walk uprightly!

…language cannot express the real joy in God which I had. I was free from excitement. The circumstance did not un-fit me even for a single moment to attend to my other engagements. I was not in the least surprised, because, by grace, my soul had been waiting on God for deliverance. Never had help been so long delayed.

…Our desire, therefore, is not that we may be without trials of faith, but that the Lord graciously would be pleased to support us in the trial, that we may not dishonour Him by distrust.

from George Müller’s Narrative (Pt. 2)

Today is, apparently, the Feast of the mysterious St. Slyvester, whom we don’t know much of anything about, other than the fact that he was pope during the time of Constantine, and stories about the two of them were used as a sort of totem whenever anyone wanted some propaganda that asserted papal supremacy. And he was absent from the only event from this period of church history that anyone remembers and simply sent representatives to the Council of Nicaea. And he’s also associated with a super-famous forgery.

But basically nothing.

Results of the Spirit

December 28th

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5 (NIV)

Whatever the soul may think fit to do itself, whatever care and pains it may take, relying only upon its own power, and thinking to be able to effect a perfect success by itself, without the co-operation of the Spirit, it is greatly mistaken. It is of no use for the heavenly places; it is of no use for the kingdom… Unless [it] will come to God, denying the world, and will believe with patience and hope to receive a good thing foreign to his own nature, namely the power of the Holy Ghost, and unless the Lord [gives] the life of the Godhead, such a [soul] will never experience true life, will never recover from the drunkenness of materialism; the enlightenment of the Spirit will never kindle in it a holy daytime; it will never… come to know God of a truth through God’s power and the efficacy of grace.

Unless a man is permitted thus through faith to receive grace, he is not qualified or adapted for the kingdom; but on the other hand, if he receives the grace of the Spirit, and does not at all change his mind, or despise grace by negligence or wrong-doing, and contends for some time without grieving the Spirit, he shall be enabled to obtain eternal life.

As one perceives the workings of evil by anger, by envy, by heaviness, by wicked thoughts and other wrong things, so ought one to perceive the grace and power of God by kindness, by goodness, by cheerfulness, by gaiety, by divine gladness, in order to be likened to and mingled with the good and divine nature, with the kind and holy workings of grace. When the will is gradually and progressively tested by time and opportunity, whether it is continually at one with grace and is found well-pleasing, it comes gradually to be altogether in the Spirit, and so being wrought by the Spirit to holiness and purity is made fit for the kingdom. Glory and worship to the undefiled Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost forever. Amen.

from (Pseudo-)Macarius’ Homily 24

Considering the day, here is Pentatonix’s version of the creepiest Christmas carol of all time, the Coventry Carol on Youtube and Spotify respectively.

Happy Christmas Eve!

December 24th

For 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.

Romans 8:29 (NIV)

THE Ox said to the Ass, said he, all on a Christmas night:
“Do you hear the pipe of the shepherds a-whistling over the hill?
That is the angels’ music they play for their delight,
‘Glory to God in the highest and peace upon earth, goodwill’ . . .
Nowell, nowell, my masters, God lieth low in stall,
And the poor, labouring Ox was here before you all.”

The Ass said to the Ox, said he, all on a Christmas day:
“Do you hear the golden bridles come clinking out of the east?
Those are the three wise Mages that ride from far away
To Bethlehem in Jewry to have their lore increased . . .
Nowell, nowell, my masters, God lieth low in stall,
And the poor, foolish Ass was here before you all.”

from Dorothy Sayers’ Catholic Tales and Christian Songs

Here’s Silent Night on Youtube and Spotify. Because I thought it was cool that Stevie Nicks did a Christmas carol, and I couldn’t find a version of my favorite one, O Holy Night, that wasn’t utterly offensive. (So. Much. Vibrato. *shudders*)

…and here is an image of a weird little nebula, IRAS 05437+2502, from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic.

Here’s this year’s calendar, if anyone’s interested.

O, Dayspring!

December 21st

O Dayspring, brightness of the everlasting light, Son of Justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!

O Oriens* antiphon

These are the last words of David:

“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High,
the man anointed by the God of Jacob,
the hero of Israel’s songs:

The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,
he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings grass from the earth.’
If my house were not right with God,
surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,
arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire.”

2 Samuel 23:1-5 (NIV)

*If this sounds familiar it’s because O Come, O Come Emmanuel is based on the Greater [‘O’] Antiphons. As I may have said before, they are very, very old, and have been translated, paraphrased and re-translated many times.

Here is another John Wesley hymn: literally the only version of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing I found that I liked, by the U.S. Army Band of all things. (I think it’s just because it needs a lot of deep voices, but most of the men’s choruses that did it used the Willcocks arrangement, which I loathe with a passion.)

…and here is an image of another spiral galaxy, M74, from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic.

Here’s this year’s calendar, if anyone’s interested.

O, Root of Jesse!

December 19th

O Root of Jesse, which stands for a banner of the people, at whom the kings will shut their mouths, whom the Gentiles will seek: come to deliver us, do not delay.

O Radix Jesse antiphon

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling a together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.

Isaiah 11:1-10 (NIV)

Sorry, we’re going to be seeing a lot of Isaiah this week, but… at least it’s not Luke 2?

On a similar note, I figure everyone’s pretty sick of Christmas songs by this point —and I’m guessing that if you want to listen to Handel’s Messiah you can do so on your own— so here’s Psalm 2 from the Psalm Project on Youtube and Spotify. (To be honest, I find the singer incredibly annoying, but they managed to put Psalm 2 to music, which I would say is impossible except for the fact that it’s, you know, a song.)

…and here is an image of the Bubble Nebula from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic, which is super cool in many ways.

Here’s this year’s calendar, if anyone’s interested.

Gaudete!

December 15th – Gaudete Sunday

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! Let your forbearance [or gentleness and/or graciousness] be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob.

Introit for Gaudete Sunday

Master of beauty, craftsman of the snowflake,
inimitable contriver,
endower of Earth so gorgeous & different from the boring Moon,
thank you for such as it is my gift.

…I have made up a morning prayer to you
containing with precision everything that most matters.
‘According to Thy will’ the thing begins.
It took me off & on two days. It does not aim at eloquence.

…Whatever your end may be, accept my amazement.
May I stand until death forever at attention
for any your least instruction or enlightenment.
I even feel sure you will assist me again, Master of insight & beauty.

…Holy, as I suppose I dare to call you
without pretending to know anything about you
but infinite capacity everywhere & always
& in particular certain goodness to me.

…If I say Thy name, art Thou there? It may be so.
Thou art not absent-minded, as I am.
I am so much so I had to give up driving.
You attend, I feel, to the matters of man.

….Who can search Thee out?

except Isaiah & Pascal, who saw.
I dare not ask that vision, though a piece of it
at last in crisis was vouchsafèd me.
I altered then for good, to become yours.

…Surprise me on some ordinary day
with a blessing gratuitous. Even I’ve done good
beyond their expectations. What count we then
upon Your bounty?

…Fearful I peer upon the mountain path
where once Your shadow passed, Limner of the clouds
up their phantastic guesses. I am afraid,
I never until now confessed.

…I fell back in love with you, Father, for two reasons:
You were good to me, & a delicious author,
rational & passionate. Come on me again,
as twice you came to Azarias & Misael.

….Make too me acceptable at the end of time
in my degree, which then Thou wilt award.
Cancer, senility, mania,
I pray I may be ready with my witness.

from Eleven Addresses to The Lord by John Berryman

Yes, there’s some overlap here; Philippians 4:4 has come up before, but of all the verses to repeat, it’s probably one of the best. More importantly: it’s traditional. And you know how traditional I am. Traditionally Gaudete Sunday is a time of rejoicing in the middle of the season of penitence preceding Christmas. (Advent used to be called St. Martin’s Lent, apparently, and it also used to be about a month longer. In which case I think we might actually have run out of Christmas carols.)

John Berryman was also (like many of the poets we have encountered) not a great role model, but I thought of this poem without really recalling what it was all about and it turned out to be way more Advent-y than I remembered. So yay!

Anyhow, the important thing: I have been waiting for two weeks to share the King’s Singers Gaudete on Youtube and Spotify. You can learn more about it and/or read the translation here, on the source of all knowledge.

…and here is an image of a wee little Orion nebula, M43, shaped by a single star (it’s actually just part of the Orion Nebula, but anyhow) from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic.

Here’s this year’s calendar, if anyone’s interested.

the Craftsman

December 14th

The work has need that the Craftsman come, the King himself, and repair the house which now lies decayed under its roof. For He made the body and the limbs of clay… O You Ruler, You just King, who hold the keys, who opens life… truly in need we speak these words, entreating Him who shaped the race of man, that He would choose not to speak His doom on us, who here in sadness and in prison sit sorrowing all the glad journey of the sun. When on us the Lord of life shows forth His light, may He be a shield to our souls, clothe the frail mind with splendor, and grant us worth, whom He chose to His glory…

from the Christ of Cynewulf

But you, LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.

He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: “The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD.

Psalm 102:12-22 (NIV)

Here is Sidewalk Prophets Oh What a Glorious Night on Youtube and Spotify.

On that topic, because it’s hilarious, and I can’t resist:

Also because the image from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic is boring, but here’s this year’s calendar, if anyone’s interested.

Hearts wide open

November 25th

Open wide your hearts also.

2 Corinthians 6:13 (NIV)

We need a larger faith. What is the use of light if we do not use it? We need a faith that will personally appropriate all that we understand, and a faith so large that it will reach the fullness of God’s great promises; so large that it will rise to the level of each emergency as it comes into our life.

We need a larger love. We need a love that will love the lost as He loves them, overcoming our repugnance to every personal condition, and delighting to suffer or sacrifice for their salvation with the joy that counts it no sacrifice. We need a larger joy. We need a joy that will not only rejoice in the gifts of God, but will rejoice in God Himself and find in Him our portion and our boundless and everlasting delight. We need a joy that will not only rejoice in all things, but rejoice evermore. We need a joy that even when we do not feel the joy, will “count it all joy,” and rejoice by faith

We need a larger experience. We do not mean by this any mere state of emotional feeling, but a larger range of Christian living, a bringing of Christ more into everything; an experience that will prove Him in all situations, amid secular business, exasperating circumstances, baffling perplexities, extreme vicissitudes; and, going all round the circle of human life, will be able to say, “I have learned the secret, in every state in which I am therewith to be content. I know how to be abased and how to abound; I know how to be full and to be hungry, to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” That is a large experience. That is a degree in the school of Christ that will outweigh all the D.D.’s of all the colleges.

from A. B Simpson’s The Larger Christian Life

Infinite change

September 27th

…and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

Romans 5:2-5 (BSB)

What at present is your condition in suffering? The doctor and the pastor ask about your health, but eternity makes you responsible for your condition. Does it frivolously or superstitiously fluctuate in a fever of impatience? Or are you willing to suffer all and let the Eternal comfort you? As time goes by, how does your condition change? Did you begin well perhaps but become more and more impatient? Or perhaps you were impatient at the beginning, but learned patience from what you suffered?

Alas, perhaps year after year your suffering remained unchanged, and if it did change, then its description would be a matter for the doctor or the pastor. Alas, perhaps the unaltered monotony of the suffering seems to you like a creeping death. But while the doctor and the pastor and your friend know of no change to speak of, yet [this] talk asks you whether under the pressure of the unchanged monotony an infinite change is taking place. Not a change in the suffering (for even if it is changed, it can only be a finite change), but in you, an infinite change in you from good to better.

from Kierkegaard’s Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing
(Ch. 14, Steere translation)

I hesitated to post this, because obviously it’s a super-popular subject.

…and here’s Josh Garrels’ The Resistance on Youtube and Spotify, which is actually why you’re getting more from Purity of Heart again so soon, because it reminded me of this passage for some reason.

Contentment

September 23rd

When thou hast Christ thou hast enough…

The Imitation of Christ (Book II, Ch. 1)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! …Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

[For] I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

from Philippians 4

…and here is Lecrae’s God is Enough on Youtube and Spotify.