messiah – Mum's devotional

Happy Hanukkah!

December 22nd

O King of the Gentiles, yes, and their desire; O Corner-stone, that makes two of one: come to save man, whom You have made of the dust of the earth!

O Rex Gentium antiphon

We thank You also for the miraculous deeds and for the redemption and for the mighty deeds and the saving acts wrought by You, as well as for the wars which You waged for our ancestors in ancient days at this season. …You in your abundant mercy rose up for them in the time of their trouble, pled their cause, executed judgment, avenged their wrong, and delivered the strong into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and insolent ones into the hands of those occupied with Your Torah. Both for Yourself did you make a great and holy name in Thy world, and for Your people did You achieve a great deliverance and redemption. Whereupon your children entered the sanctuary of Your house, cleansed Your temple, purified Your sanctuary, kindled lights in Your holy courts, and appointed these eight days of Hanukkah in order to give thanks and praises unto Your holy name.

Al HaNassim prayer

Because: irony. Since Hannukah starts at sunset tonight: Happy Hanukkah, or “G’mar tov” since I’m typing this and there’s no possible way for me to mispronounce it.

Here is Tom Inglis et al. (on We Are One) singing A King is Born on Youtube and Spotify respectively. This is one of the few Integrity/Hosanna songs I genuinely like.

…and here is an image of Herbig-Haro 110 from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic. (Herbig Haro objects are basically like exhaust jets from a star.)

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.

Truly, Tomorrow

December 16th

O Virgin of virgins, how shall this be?
For neither before thee was any like thee, nor shall there be after.
Daughters of Jerusalem, why marvel at me?
The thing ye behold’s a divine mystery.

translation of the O Virgo Virganum antiphon

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet he did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Matthew 1:18-23 (NIV)

Because I got ahead of myself and covered Mary’s story in July, and the context of Isaiah’s ‘Emmanuel prophecy’ is actually pretty complicated, I thought we’d look at Joseph’s point of view, because that really required a lot of faith too, and I feel like he doesn’t get enough credit.

Here is Pentatonix’s version of Mary Did You Know? on Youtube and Spotify. (Voctave also has an amazing version with Mark Lowry, but they already got a turn, and the Pentatonix one is easier listening, even if Voctave’s is just technically wow. You know what? Just listen to both of them. There, problem solved.)

Today’s picture in last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic is boring, so here is Van Eyck’s Annunciation because I adore this painting.

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.

Exceeding expectations

December 13th

The Lord has displayed His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. …See, My servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were appalled at You [Him] — His appearance was so disfigured that He did not look like a man, and His form did not resemble a human being — so He will sprinkle [like the blood of a sacrifice is sprinkled for atonement] many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him, for they will see what had not been told them, and they will understand what they had not heard.

Isaiah 52:10, 13-15 (HCSB)

Not, Lord, because I have done well or ill;
Not that my mind looks up to you clear-eyed…
Not that I, wretched, wander from your will;
Not now for any cause to you I cry,
But this, that you art you, and here am I.

Come to me, Lord: I will not speculate how,
Nor think at which door I would have you appear,
Nor put off calling till my floors are swept,
But cry, “Come, Lord, come any way, come now.”
Doors, windows, I throw wide; my head I bow,
And sit like some one who so long has slept
That he knows nothing till his life draw near.

from George Macdonald’s Book of Strife in the form of a Diary of an Old Soul

Here’s The Rose Ensemble‘s version of the Star in the East on Youtube and Spotify respectively.

…and here is an image of a two year old light shell from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic.

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

The very important skill of not tripping

December 12th

…and if taking of offence causelessly or easily at men’s doings is to so carefully be avoided, how much more care is to be taken that we do not take offence at God himself, which we certainly do as often as we do murmur at his providence in our crosses, or bear impatiently such afflictions as he pleases to visit us with. Store up therefore patience against the evil day, without which we take offence at the Lord himself in his holy and just works.

from Bradford’s Plimoth Plantation (Book I*)

Do not fear what these people fear; do not be terrified. You are to regard only the Lord of Hosts as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be held in awe. He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, He will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare… Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be snared and captured.

…Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of former times… The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned… For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.

Isaiah 8:12-15 and
Isaiah 9:2,6-7 (HCSB)

*I don’t have the exact place noted, but it’s toward the end of Book I, so it’s in the sixth, seventh or eighth chapter. …and yes, we’ve seen Isaiah 9:2 before.

Here, from Handel’s Messiah, is the For unto us a child is born on Youtube and Spotify, because I had to, at least once.

…and here is an image of the spiral galaxy NGC 4911, in the Coma Cluster, from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic.

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

In the flesh, in our hearts, and in glory

December 1st, First Sunday of Advent

…He will proclaim peace to the nations.

Zechariah 9:10 (HCSB)

When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you should say that the Lord needs them, and immediately he will send them.”

This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

Tell Daughter Zion, “See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.”

The disciples went and did just as Jesus directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their robes on them, and He sat on them. A very large crowd spread their robes on the roads; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed kept shouting:

Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!

When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee!”

Matthew 21:1-10 (HCSB)

Here is the King’s Singers’ Veni, Veni Emmanuel on Youtube and Spotify. Because Latin, is cool. There’s also Josh Wilson’s O Come Emmanuel, for those of you that don’t think Latin is cool.

…and here is a photo of the Lagoon Nebula from last year’s Hubble Advent Calendar in The Atlantic. I’m sure there’s one this year, but I want to be able to post it on the right day. (I love Advent calendars, because, deep down, I’m actually just a really verbose five year old, and like to put things in their proper cubbyholes. Bonus points if they’re shiny.)

The perfect bond of unity

November 16th

Love all for Jesus, but Jesus for Himself.

from The Imitation of Christ (Book II, Ch. 8)

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his practices and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of his Creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian*, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.

Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complain against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive. Above all, put on love —the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful.

Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Colossians 3:9-17 (HCSB)

*a term for savage

…and, because I’m evil, here’s another Integrity medley, Walking in the Spirit on Youtube and Spotify respectively. (Mhhmmm, Muzak. Give me all the Muzak.)

Not the Messiah you were expecting?

October 13th

He [Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read… Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:16,20-21 (NIV)

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. …And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. … For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

from Isaiah 61 (NIV)

I wonder if getting to pretty regularly surprise people was any kind of compensation for the, frankly, rotten working conditions involved in being the Messiah. Not in a mean way, obviously, just in a kind of ‘bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you?’ sense. I feel like it would have been fun when it wasn’t exasperating. Of course it was probably mostly exasperating, but, oh well.

Expecting the Unexpected

October 9th

God does not tell us what He is going to do, He reveals to you who He is. No one is surprised over what God does when once he has faith in Him. Have you a supernatural God, or do you tie Him up by the laws of your own mind?

Oswald Chambers,
Now is it Possible (Will You Go Out Not Knowing?)

When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.

As soon as Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet Him. Then Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Yet even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.”

“Your brother will rise again.” Jesus told her.

Martha said “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die —ever. Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

John 11:20-27 (HCSB)

…and Martha still doesn’t expect him to raise Lazarus from the dead, because, seriously, who does that?

(I mean it, read John 11, Mary’s presumably still blubbering, and Martha’s like “Um… Jesus, you sure you want to open the tomb? Because, you see, there’s a dead body in there, and, well, we’re in the subtropics, and by this point, I don’t know if this is a good idea… have you, er, really thought this through, what with grief and everything, because I mean… well… he stinks, okay! There, fine, I said it! He’s been dead awhile and he stinks.”)

…and here’s Andrew Peterson’s Always Good on Youtube and Spotify, because it’s really good.