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Text: Peder Hygom (1692-1764) Tune: Folk tune from Ryfylke Christ and the Canaanite Woman. Annibale Carracci1. Jesus, I long for your blessed communion, Jesus, I Long for your blessed communion, Yearning possesses my heart and my mind. Break down all barriers that hinder my union. Draw me to you, O Redeemer most kind! Show me now clearly my need that is crying. Show me the pain of the wrongs that I do. That unto sin I may daily be dying, And in the Spirit live only to you. 2. Quicken my soul thro’ your blood and your merit. Send me your Spirit and help me to prove I am your captive in soul and in spirit. Lead me and draw me to you with your love. Come, let my heart from all idols be severed; So that you only can dwell in my soul. Grant me your peace that continues forever, Peace beyond all I can fathom or know. 3. Jesus, when shall I find rest in your haven? Take up my burden, Lord, lift it from me! When shall I see you, my Savior, in heaven? Waken and quiet the wild, troubled sea. O loving Jesus, come help me, be speedy; Hide not your face from me, always be near. You are the wealth of the inwardly needy. Come, fill my heart with your mercy and cheer. 4. Jesus, let not my love go unrequited: See my poor soul growing weary, O Lord, Let us, Immanuel, now be united, When you are with me, my soul is restored. Once you did say, “They will hunger and perish, If I permit them to go on their way!” Love everlasting! Refuse not to nourish Souls that are hungering for crumbs for today. 5. Merciful Jesus, I pray, hear my pleading. Do not forget what you said in your word: “Ask and receive; you will find when you seek me This you have said and your people have heard. I, like the woman at Cana, keep pleading, Crying to you till my longing is stilled. And you have spoken with grace to my needing, “Amen, yes, Amen; be done as you will.” Tr. Carl Døving; Georg Rygh; REFLECTION The text for next Sunday gives some readers the willies and drives preachers to other lessons. Jesus is recorded as saying rather harsh things to this desperate woman. He was not sent to her, she is not part of his mission, is she like a dog? One might ask then why did he go to SyroPhoenicia? It was, for his people, the center of paganism. He very well knew he would be confronted in this way by needy people. And indeed he was. There is an intense exchange between the woman who wants Jesus to heal her possessed daughter and Jesus. Her logic is impeccable and Jesus realizes that, so much that he changes his mind? That is tricky for many. As God, would Jesus not have known that? My favorite NT scholar on Matthew, Frederick Dale Brun argues that indeed Jesus learns from her that his mission is to the whole world. That is something of a shocking exegesis, but something does happen here. If the food should go to the people it is intended for, she says, one also has to remember that at great meals, crumbs drop to the ground and feed the family pets. More are fed than those intended, is her basic argument. All she wants it a crumb. Jesus is persuaded and marvels at her great faith and tells her that her daughter is healed. Jesus exorcising the Canaanite Woman's daughter. From Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 15th century. While this may be the deeper meaning of the account, the focus on the faith of the woman needs attention. I know of only one hymn that treats this woman, the German/Danish hymn Jesus I Long for your blessed communion, (in the original)to taste your communion, sung by Hans Nielsen Hauge, the great lay evangelist whose work changed Norway. While he only got to stanza two before being struck down by a light from heaven, the rest of the hymn uses images from this chapter in Matthew. Stanza four tells the story of this woman and her faith, especially her prayers. Its conclusions urges us to use her as a model for our prayer—and not give up in our quest for healing. THe surprising end of the stanza is that God says Amen to our prayers! Faith is our relationship with Jesus Christ, a two way relationshhip. As in any relationship that is worthy, we long for closer communion with the beloved. That closer communion with Jesus is our prayer. While this woman has one goal in mind—the healing of her daughter—we may simply have a longing to be closer to Christ. Thus the first stanzas which stress that we need to confess our sins and let Jesus heal that rift to bring us comfort. On the second hand, our relationship, like any, ebbs and flows. God knows that we tend to cry out more to him when we need something. Our need is not a failure of faith, but it usually drives us to the source of our faith more quickly than a sunny day. Crying out to Jesus for help brings him to us quickly, with healing in his wings. The Canaanite Woman and her Daughter In a far country, out of Israel, Jesus meets a woman who believes He is “the Lord, the Son of David.” She yells For him to heal her daughter, she needs reprieve, The demon never lets her rest; her cries Irritate the disciples who beg the Lord To send her away. He’s silent. Then replies “I was not sent to you.” She sinks to the floor, “Help me!” A cry as plaintive as it gets. “Even the dogs eat the table crumbs!” Her faith surprises him. He sees a net Singing across the waters, the kingdom come, Her parable opens him to all the earth, Stunned as she sees his wonder show its worth. (From Jesus the Harmony Gracia Grindal Fortress Press 2021 HYMN INFO This hymn comes from German pietism which sees Jesus as Wisdom, Jesus Sophia. It was translated by a friend of Hans Adolph Brorson, Peter Hygom, a pastor near Brorson’s home. It went north quickly and received many Norwegian folk tunes. The one most popular today is a folk tune from Ryfylke in Norway. The second hymn, Just a Crumb, focuses on what poets call a synecdoche, a trope Martin Luther loved—in a small piece of bread one receives the entire kingdom of God. LINKS Sissel—singing with the Norwegian tradition of quarternotes https://youtu.be/nINI6X0FW5c?si=DpAKvdMBAtUiwGyo Tono Holbækmo https://youtu.be/lG3Dkr0TEY4?si=KvOBlhEThTb6JC8x For more on Hauge see https://www.hymnfortheday.com/post/hymn-20-jesus-i-long-for-your-blessed-communion NB: Another hymn on the text

Jesus Walks on Water. Ivan Aivazovsky Text: Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993). Tune: Martin Luther (1483-1546) (For reason of copyright I cannot print the text. It can be found in the Chalice Hymnal, but you can also see it on hymnary.org. https://hymnary.org/text/the_storm_is_strong_we_face_the_wind REFLECTION In this account of Jesus stilling the storm, we have echoes of the entire Scripture. The past few years, to my joy, scholars have been seeing the entire Bible as one complete narrative that begins in Genesis 1 and ends in Revelation. This has enriched and made sense out of the Bible and the meaning of Jesus that has thrilled me who long ago had wearied of the historical critical method of Scriptural interpretation that took the accounts apart to find the parts of the narrative, but also erased the mega-narrative. Jonathon Pageau, a Greek Orthodox thinker and artist, looks for patterns in Scripture and creation which we have lost track of today, but which unifies the Biblical narrative in powerful ways. Jesus rescuing Peter. Armenian icon He remarks that Jesus has just come down from the mountain where he went to pray. The mountain is the peak, really temple, which from Eden to Revelation, is the place where heaven and earth meet. From it the priest, prophet and king can see all and practice their vocations. Christ has ordered the disciples to take the boat across the lake during the night. During which they encounter a raging storm. They are terrified. Jesus comes down and walks on the water toward them. They see him as a ghost, really something from heaven, until he says that he is I AM who has always been there. Peter asks to be commanded to walk on the water, which Christ does. Of course, he loses faith and begins to sink beneath the waves. He then cries out to Christ for help, who does save him, while upbraiding him for his lack of faith. When he enters the boat, an image of the ark, or the church, the storm subsides. This scares the disciples even more as they realize who Christ is. So this is more than an account of a miracle of Christ. It is a parable of God’s creative work among us to bring order to the chaos of the waters. He rules the wind and waves. Without belief in him, our world falls apart. We feel ourselves drowning in the chaos of the worlds of doubt and unbelief. All we can do is look up through the storm and see our creator and redeemer appearing in the chaos and cry out for help. He is there to rescue us and save us. And like the disciples we will celebrate this salvation and rush to tell the whole world. It needs to hear of the one who ordered the world and keeps it for us. HYMN INFO Sylvia Dunstan was a Canadian pastor in the United Church of Canada who also served as a prison chaplain. She wrote a number of hymns that are still in use. She died after difficult struggle with cancer. This is among her less well known hymn, but it does deal with the miracle. The tune, arranged by Johan Sebastian Bach, is one of Martin Luther’s more famous tunes, Erhalt uns Herr, which was for one of his more famous texts, Lord, Keep us steadfast in your word. This hymn appears in three current hymnals The Chalice Hymnal, The Book of Praise, and Worship, 4th edition. LINK Bach’s version of Luther’s tune. https://youtu.be/LV0iKx2s5IY?si=BhSm6leQVHMhqgsy __________________________________________ As you plan for Bible study in your congreegation or in your own personal devotions this coming year, this collection of sonnets on the life of Jesus drawn from all of Scripture might be a resource for you. Scholars are coming more and more to show Jesus as the fulfillment of the OT prophecies and this book helps with that study. "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." --Jill Baumgartner, Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Welsh: Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r Miracle of the Bread and Fish. Giovanni Lanfranco Exodus 13,16-17; William Williams Text: William Williams (1717-1791) Tune: John Hughes (1873-1932) 1. Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but thou art mighty; Hold me with thy powerful hand: Bread of heaven, bread of heaven Feed me till I want no more. Feed me till I want no more. 2. Open thou the crystal fountain Whence the healing stream shall flow; Let the fiery, cloudy pillar Lead me all my journey through: Strong deliverer, strong deliverer Be thou still my strength and shield. Be thou still my strength and shield. 3. When I tread the verge of Jordan, Bid my anxious fears subside; Death of death, and hell's destruction, Land me safe on Canaan's side: Songs of praises, songs of praises I will ever give to thee. I will ever give to thee. Tr. Peter Williams (1722-1796) MEDITATION This very popular hymn appears frequently in festivals in Wales and wherever there are Welsh people. Because my eyes are a bit blurred after my transplant, I am once again repeating an old blog which uses this great hymn for its center. Here are some events where the hymn has been used. This hymn has been sung at grand public events in Britain for some time, like the funeral of Queen Mother Elizabeth. It was a key hymn at the memorial service for Diana in 2007. Not surprisingly it was sung at both Prince William’s and Prince Harry’s weddings. The many textures of their experience with the hymn are overwhelming to feel as we watch them during these various ceremonies. The hymn uses the imagery of the Exodus pilgrimage to describe the Christian’s daily journey forward. Led by a pillar of fire and a cloud, the pilgrims received bread from heaven. As Jesus feeds the 5,000 they also receive bread from heaven. Jesus himself is the bread from heaven which we also receive at the Lord's Supper. He feeds us and through his body inhabits us. He guides us until we stand on the verge of Jordan, waiting to be brought over to Canaan. The hymn helps us pray for the Lord to guide us in our pilgrimage through the wilderness to the promised land. On the way, as we sing, we connect with the Exodus and Jesus. And also our ownmemories of times in which we received the Bread from Heaven. These memories gather up in us and flood over us; every moment, whether sweet or tragic, and are present all at once as is clear from the use of the hymn by the British royals. As we grow older, there are more and more such moments; they go deeper and deeper. No wonder sometimes we can barely sing. HYMN INFO Written by Wales greatest hymn writer, William Williams, this became something of a national anthem for the Welsh. Williams, who was ordained a deacon in the Anglican Church, was refused ordination as a priest because his theology had moved toward Methodism and its revivals. He suffered for this the rest of his life. Translated into English by Peter Williams, also involved with Methodism, the version has been sung boisterously at Rugby matches, in addition to many solemn and national celebrations or memorials. The tune by John Hughes has been the favored one. Other texts also are associated with it, but this one takes special place. Cwm Rhondda, the name of the tune, meaning the Valley of Rhonndda, is the name of a place in Wales. It is a central hymn for the Welsh hymn festivals called Gymanfa Ganu, especially on March 1, St. David's Day, the patron saint of Wales. LINKS Diana’s memorial service 2007 https://youtu.be/2o5FM8FxMco Kate and William’s wedding https://youtu.be/SwvpTl88jwI Massive choir/congregation https://youtu.be/Ofp6rdAgRrY Michael Ball at Wembley https://youtu.be/rshc59H-iKM Swansea choir https://youtu.be/7s1suWhb5KA

Danish: Jeg ved et evigt himmerig German: Ich weiss ein ewiges Himmelreich Norwegian: Eg veit i himmelen ei borg Text: Hans Christensen Sthen (1544-1610) Tune: Hallingdal Folktune Malmö fortress Congregation: 1. I know a kingdom without end, Where shines a bright tomorrow. There is no weeping there, nor sin, No any tears of sorrow. Congregation: 2. Within it dwells God’s only Son In splendor and in glory; My hope and comfort, he’s the one Who waits in heaven for me. Congregation: 3. A pilgrim here, I’m on my way, Away from my deceiver. I’m bound for heav’n, I long to be Beside the crystal river. Christ: 4. I have redeemed you with my blood And I will come to greet you. I’ll fill your heart with all things good, With joy and gladness meet you. 5. My word and holy sacraments I graciously have given. I take into myself your sins To make your home in heaven. 6. When gold and joy lose their allure And worldly things assail you, I’m waiting here to reassure Your faith, for I’ll not fail you. Congregation: 7. Into the world I naked came. Now all that I have gathered I leave behind without a claim When passing through death’s waters. 8. And this I know, one morning bright When death’s dark night is over, My body will arise from night And heav’nly joys discover. 9. So help us, dear Lord Jesus Christ; Your blood for us was given, Your bitter death and sacrifice Has won for us bright heaven. 10. I thank you Lord eternally, My gracious God forever, For you have been so kind to me In Jesus Christ our Savior! Tr. Gracia Grindal MEDITATION (Once again I am using an older blog as my eyes make writing difficult. I am having a corneal transplant on July 22 so things should be better next week.) Jesus in the parables for next Sunday speaks of how precious the kingdom of heaven is by showing how people in this world desire great and beautiful treasures. The hymn shows the kingdom in different images. When hymn texts are translated from one language to another, it is probably not mainly for what they say, but the tune they are associated with. A beautiful melody is universal and people want to sing it. They need words. Poets who love music want to make it available to people in their own language. This hymn was on the lips of many medieval people in Northern Europe, scholars say. Where it started is vague. It clearly had German roots. The melody, however, was not this one. The text has been in the hymnals of Danes since the Reformation. I grew up with it in the Concordia Hymnal. It is where I first saw the strange name of the Danish pastor Hans Christensen Sthen. The spelling always interested me. He preceded the three great Danes of hymnody, and was a worthy poet. Then I started seeing it on CDs of religious folk/pop and choral singers in the north. The text was longer than what was in our hymnal and involved a dialogue between Christ and the congregation. But what grabbed me was its beautiful folk tune. Its beauty and longing for the heavenly kingdom are simply transfixing. Performances range from classical choral to rock and roll. A text longing for release from this world is not what the hedonists of our generation might be interested in, but here we have it. It has been very popular. Up against death the song teaches, the allures of the world do not count for much. We need something eternal. I am glad it is popular. Beauty is a tool for evangelism. And the church has much beauty to tell. It is likely that as some of those who came to love the hymn face their pilgrimage over the river, the words they sang in their youth will sound in their heads as they begin the journey. We know how even those with severe Alzheimers can remember words of songs long after they have lost the ability to have a conversation. What better reasons to have beautiful melodies with gospel words for people to sing: “When death’s dark night is over, /My body will arise from night/ And heav’nly joys discover.” The words teach them the way of salvation, how Jesus' sacrifice has won us heaven. So lovely, so true. God works in mysterious ways his wonders to perform! St. Petri Church in Malmö where Sthen served HYMN INFO Sthen was a pastor in the kingdom of Denmark, which at the time included much of southern Sweden, or Skåne, right across the water from Copenhagen. He heard the German version of this and translated it for inclusion in his En liden Vandringsbog before 1600. It was included in Danish collections until Kingo in 1699 who did not use it, but it remained in the memory. It was translated into Nynorsk by Bernt Støylen in 1905 and has become a constant presence in the repertoires of Gospel singers. It is a little difficult for a congregation, but people love to hear it. LINKS Sissel with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir https://youtu.be/f1FoX_llovk Embledamene/Woman’s Choir https://youtu.be/BnlibFNTY88 Anne Lise Berntsen and Nils Asheim https://youtu.be/3-akPXtkges Tor Gustafson Quartet/jazz version https://youtu.be/DGfqm1CHXao SKRUK https://youtu.be/xp398Dt1VOI Saxophone and Organ https://youtu.be/CQafteL1Qd8 Sissel in 1995 https://youtu.be/y4eRS64nooo __________________________________________ As you plan for Bible study in your congreegation or in your own personal devotions this coming year, this collection of sonnets on the life of Jesus drawn from all of Scripture might be a resource for you. Scholars are coming more and more to show Jesus as the fulfillment of the OT prophecies and this book helps with that study. "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." --Jill Baumgartner, Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Text: Henry Jeffreys Zelley (1859-1942) Tune: George H. Cook (??-1948) arr. Charles Fuller 1. Walking in sunlight all of my journey Over the mountains, through the deep valeJ esus has said, I'll never forsake thee Promise divine that never can fail. R/ Heavenly sunshine, Heavenly sunshine Flooding my soul with glory divine. Hallelujah, I am rejoicing Singing His praises, Jesus is mine. 2. Shadows around me, shadows above me, Never conceal my Savior and Guide; He is the light, in Him is no darkness Ever I'm walking close to His side. R/ 3. In the bright sunlight, ever rejoicing, Pressing my way to mansions above, Singing His praises, gladly I'm walking, Walking in sunlight, sunlight of love… R/ My sister and brother by the Philco radio MEDITATION (I am awaiting a cornea transplant and cannot see very well so this is a slightly edited repeat.) Jesus saying that the righteous will shine like the sun made me think of this old chestnut and its place in our family's Sunday mornings. From the big brown Philco radio in the parsonage living room, every Sunday morning at 8:00 sharp, we would hear Rudy Atwood playing Heavenly Sunshine at the beginning of Charles Fuller’s Old Fashioned Revival Hour. My father, who had been up since 5:00 working on his sermon, now had breakfast ready for us. The fragrance of coffee and fresh scones made its way up the stairs. My sister, five years younger, would be down in the kitchen enjoying the music and the time with our father. It was the Lord’s Day, Sunday! How could you not be excited? Once again we could gather together in the church for Sunday School and church. Once again we could study and hear God’s Word! Sleeper, awake! After a breakfast of fresh baked scones and homemade strawberry jam, we would have devotions and then get ready for church while mother seared the roast beef for Sunday dinner—mashed potatoes and roast carrots, plus….while Fuller preached. Rudy Atwood led the Old Fashioned Revival Hour quartet in familiar Gospel songs, and Mrs. Fuller would read letters from troubled souls who had been blessed by the services the week before. "Take it away, honey," he would say and then she began. Memories that grow dearer as I grow older, "flooding my soul with glory divine!" HYMN INFO Charles E. Fuller Charles E. Fuller, (1887-1968) who in 1947 founded Fuller Theological Seminary, had grown up in southern California where his prosperous parents owned orange groves. He graduated from Pomona College ready to work as a chemist in his father’s citrus business. In 1916 he was converted and his life changed direction. After some years teaching Sunday School, he entered what is now called BIOLA University (Bible Institute of Los Angeles). Although he had been a Presbyterian, his views changed to a more fundamentalistic view so he moved to the Baptist Church and became a Baptist pastor in 1925. He was called to Calvary Church where he ministered for some time. As his ministry grew, Fuller quickly realized he could send his message via radio to many thousands more. In 1933, he established the Gospel Broadcasting Association. In 1937, he began national broadcasts of the Old Fashioned Revival Hour on the Mutual Broadcasting System. People came to hear the broadcasts in the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, so they had a live audience. The Gospel Quartet, along with Rudy Atwood’s Gospel playing, plus his wife’s reading of the letters, gave it a down home feeling. By 1942, the audience numbered over ten million. In 1968, he made his last broadcast and died soon thereafter. Scholars have noted that he was a skillful administrator, with a shrewd sense of how radio could advance his ministry and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His preaching and his establishment of Fuller Seminary, now one of the major evangelical institutions in America, made him a force for good in what would become the rise of the evangelical movement that developed after him. Rudy Atwood Rudy Atwood (1912-1992), Fuller's musician, began playing the piano as a young boy and then for church. Fuller heard him playing and asked him to be his musician. Atwood became a famous gospel pianist, much sought after for concerts and workshops on how to play Gospel music. As of 2015, recordings of the old programs are streamed weekly on the internet. Zelley, the author of the hymn text, was a scholar who earned a Ph.D. He became a big promoter of the camp meeting movement. A prolific writer of hymn texts, writing over 1500, he did his seminary work at Pennington Seminary. Cook, the composer, is not very well known. He spent his life working in church music contexts, composing, performing and leading musical events. He died in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. Fuller arranged the chorus and left out the stanzas. LINKS Rudy Atwood/Heavenly Sunshine! https://youtu.be/BEk1wwp8i0Q Amazing Grace Studio Choir—with the stanzas which Atwood did not use https://youtu.be/jVCeoQSjhP8 A medley of gospel songs with the choir beginning with Heavenly Sunshine https://youtu.be/Wf2ZwCsM3yo Rudy Atwood in Concert, medley of Gospel songs https://youtu.be/bjClkILZCeY The Old Fashioned Revival Hour—lots of programs to hear https://www.ofrh.com/listen

The Sower Van Gogh Text: Norman Olsen (1932-2023) Tune: Fred Jackisch (1922-2022) 1. When seed falls on good soil It’s born through quiet toil, Where soil receives, The earth conceives The blade, the stem, the fruit, the leaves Good soil, oh, mother earth, The womb, where seed takes birth. 2. God’s Word in Christ is seed; Good soil its urgent need; For it must find In human kind The fertile soil in heart and mind. Good soil! A human field A hundred-fold to yield. 3. Plow up the trodden way, And clear the stone away; Tear out the weed, And sow the seed. Prepare our hearts your Word to heed, That we good soil may be. Begin, O Lord, with me! REFLECTION (I am having trouble with my eyes so this is a repeat and one of my favorite blogs.) Most stories, a famous critic Northrup Frye once noted, go from beginning, middle to end, from life to death. The Christian story, however, goes from middle to end to beginning. That is the good news and mystery of our faith. The poet Dante knew that—his great epic The Divine Comedy begins with his near drowning. As he is going under, a light from heaven comes to him and raises him up into new life. The seed is a major image for Jesus. It is a central parable of the kingdom because it tells the story of the death and then life of the seed. It first of all describes faith, but he also uses it to describe himself. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24 It helps to be a farmer when one listens to Jesus—most everyone around him worked the land and understood his imagery in a way that today’s people may not. I can think of no better hymn than this one for Sunday. It is written by pastor Norman P. Olsen, a crusty, no nonsense Lutheran pastor, who served congregations that were filled with farmers or whose livelihood was directly affected by the weather and the flourishing of crops around them. This is where all eyes were looking west to see what the My great uncle Freddie preparing the soil on his farm on the other side of Cyrus from Norman weather would bring. Norman died last year at a ripe old age while living on a farm near Cyrus, Minnesota, where my mother grew up. He was a dear friend and colleague of mine.. He could see around him the way the seed was planted, how it took root in the rich soil, and then sprouted up into golden fields of wheat, waving under the blue skies of summer, then the harvest, the stubble plowed under and then winter. His earthy sense of the world around him and the Gospel makes this hymn so profound. This isn’t something that happened only in Jesus’ time and place; it happened as he looked out at the fields around him. The notion of being fruitful is richly Christian. Our story which has a goal and a journey in it, is not about one triumph after another, a progress from lowly to holy. It is really a story of growth and fruitfulness on that journey—of savoring the life around us, of seeing what needs to be done and doing it, enjoying it fully, knowing there is a new world up ahead that will beggar our imaginations. We can enjoy the present because we know the future which is present to us in Jesus. St. Augustine said that Jesus is not only the country where we belong, but the way to it. To use a phrase from a translation of Paul Gerhardt's hymn, "If God Himself be for me," when Jesus is with us, our heaven has begun. So pray that God’s work will begin in you, as Norman has it in the hymn, and enjoy each phase of growth along the way. Norman Olsen HYMN INFO Born in New Jersey to Norwegian immigrants, Norm came to Minnesota when he enrolled at Concordia College in Moorhead. He served congregations around Minnesota. Norm and I worked for several years on the ReClaim hymnal. He knew how to write prayers with the kind of syntax that made Cranmer’s prayers in the Book of Common Prayer so powerful. They have that orotund sound and breathe the truth of faith into their hearers. The LBW committee found this hymn to be one of the few contemporary texts they could use. A composer in his congregation had set it, but the LBW wanted another tune. So the chair of the music committee, Frederick Jackisch wrote the tune in the LBW. The text’s tight rhymes made for a good tune. Another piece of hymn trivia, the name of the tune: Walhof--Karen Walhof, secretary to the project, from Augsburg Fortress press who helped put the hymnal together, was much beloved by the LBW committees. Giving the tune her name was a nifty way to honor all her work. LINKS Razmies https://youtu.be/YqptGonR1gU?si=MlUr1Whp1139tCxv United Methodist Congregation https://youtu.be/Z3Yr1WfvO9U Congregation and choir https://youtu.be/avDmNisejWg __________________________________________________ NB: To read my sonnets on Augustine's notion of Christ being the country where we belong and the way to that country, buy my recent book which has twelve sonnets on the idea, reflecting on Augustine's On Christian Doctrine. It is availabe at FinishingLinePress.com or Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, plus several other sites. Thank you.

Jesus teaching the disciples. Giotto Text: William Chatterton Dix, 1837-1898 Tune: 7676D 1 "Come unto me, ye weary, and I will give you rest." O blessed voice of Jesus, which comes to hearts oppressed! It tells of benediction, of pardon, grace, and peace, of joy that hath no ending, of love which cannot cease. 2 "Come unto me, dear wand'rers, and I will give you light." O loving voice of Jesus, which comes to cheer the night! Our hearts were filled with sadness, and we had lost our way, but thou hast brought us gladness and songs at break of day. 3 "Come unto me, ye fainting, and I will give you life." O cheering voice of Jesus, which comes to aid our strife! The foe is stern and eager, the fight is fierce and long, but thou hast made us mighty, and stronger than the strong. 4 "And whosoever cometh I will not cast him out." O patient love of Jesus, which drives away our doubt, which, though we be unworthy of love so great and free, invites us very sinners to come, dear Lord, to thee! Christ teaching. James Tissot REFLECTION Jesus wraps up his instructions on discipleship with a prayer of thanksgiving to his Father for revealing these mysteries to the simple and children, rather than the scholars. He finishes with his much loved words of promise that he will give us rest and that his burden is light. These are wonderful and comforting words to hear after the grim warnings he has given us about what we can expect as we bring his word to others: Persecution and hatred. While these words may seem contradictory, they are not. We are looking at what is penultimate and ultimate. We can live through these terrors and sufferings, which could be awful, because we know that ultimately we will be safe. Fear of being hurt is often enough to stop people from standing up for what is the truth, but the disciples, who will have seen Christ’s resurrection, could firmly believe that they were safe. Christ by his resurrection had shown that he was victor over sin, death and the devil. Thus, the martyrs could go to the stake in confidence that no matter their suffering and pain, Christ would be there to give them the victory. Martyrdom of Andrew One of the proofs of the resurrection, in fact, the church has used down through the ages, is that none of the apostles, who all were brutally martyred, denied the resurrection. The apostles had been suspected of plotting to lie and say that Christ had been raised from the dead even if it were not true. None of them, however, denied the resurrection as they each faced a terrible death. They had reason to recall these words as their lives came to their violent ends. In fact, they knew the rest Jesus promised to provide was theirs already, even as they took courage during their suffering. As the hymn has it, Christ has made us “stronger than the strong.” The apostles must have felt his promise coming true as they were facing their torture. His promise to give us rest is another way for him to say, don’t worry. Fear will make you fail., but you need not fear. Fears and anxieties cause us to imagine all kinds of fearful things that keep us from doing what we have been called to do for our Lord. Here he promises us the strength to endure. Rest in that. William Chatterton Dix HYMN INFO Chatterton Dix is unusual for his time. He lived during the Anglo-Catholic revival in England which was led by Anglican divines of every kind. Dix, however, was a layman, a successful businessman, who became a hymn writer. His most famous hymns are "As with Gladness Men of Old." and "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus." The tune for this text is not settled. And while the hymn is loved by many, and the performances below are genuine, it doesn’t seem as if it appears in festival versions. LINKS Burbank First UMC/Piano version https://youtu.be/GnxpFE10MEc?si=G1W_ZLtSM_qTJCBy St. Matthew Lutheran Choir https://youtu.be/W84_K5rddQE?si=yyQ5dFC63jwnsus3 WCF Music https://youtu.be/4nh95yGTFzI?si=FsrJyqBsZvF0W9r2

Isaac and Abraham. Viborg Cathedral in Denmark by Skovgaard 1 Tho' troubles assail, and dangers affright, Tho' friends should all fail, and foes all unite; Yet one thing secures us, whatever betide, The promise assures us, The Lord will provide. 2 The birds without barn and storehouse are fed; From them let us learn to trust for our bread: His saints what is fitting shall ne'er be deny'd, So long as it's written, The Lord will provide. 3 We may, like the ships, by tempests be toss’d On perilous deeps, but need not be lost: Tho' Satan enrages the wind and the tide, Yet scripture engages, The Lord will provide. 4 His call we'll obey, like Abra'm of old; We know not the way, but faith makes us bold; For tho' we are strangers, we have a good guide, And trust in all dangers, The Lord will provide. 5 When Satan appears to stop up our path, And fills us with fears, we triumph by faith: He cannot take from us (tho' oft he has try'd) The heart-cheering promise, The Lord will provide. 6 He tells us we're weak, our hope is in vain, The good that we seek, we ne'er shall obtain; But when such suggestions our graces have try'd This answers all questions, The Lord will provide. 7 No strength of our own, nor goodness we claim, Our trust is all thrown on Jesus's name; In this our strong tower for safety we hide; The Lord is our power, The Lord will provide. 8. When life sinks apace, and death is in view, The word of his grace shall comfort us through; Not fearing nor doubting with Christ on our side, We hope to die shouting, The Lord will provide. REFLECTION Of the Scripture lessons suggested for this day, the account of Abraham and Isaac is by far the most compelling and well known. It is among the most discussed and difficult in the whole Bible. That God should demand Abraham sacrifice his son to prove his loyalty shocks many. At the same time, it cannot be dismissed. It appears through the Bible and many see Isaac as a precursor to Jesus who also trudges up a hill carrying the tree on which he will die. And this time his Father, God, lets it happen. It is all for our salvation. Newton’s text covers many of the teachings of Jesus in Matthew we have been struggling with over the past weeks—the birds God feeds, the temptation of Jesus, our facing of our own deaths and losing our lives when we take up our crosses—are all here. Each circumstance is difficult, but Christians, following in the footsteps of Abraham, Jesus and countless other faithful disciples, go forward believing the Lord will provide. “We hope to die shouting, The Lord will provide!” I can’t make the Isaac story palatable to everyone, nor should I. It needs deep discussions from us in small groups and studies. And it would profit from being discussed with this hymn at the forefront, sung over and worked with during the conversation. Faith is always a step into the darkness. We walk by faith, but not by sight. To take those steps, we need a guide, our Lord, who has promised to be with us and lead us into green pastures where we will stay forever with him. I say this trembling. Yet I believe it. HYMN INFO John Newton Written in 1775 for a worship service in the Great House of Olney, where Newton and William Cowper served, this hymn began with the line from the Genesis account, “The Lord will provide.” The two, who collaborated on the collection known as the Olney Hymns, 1779, included this text. It has been shortened over the years and the salient stanza on Abraham is often excluded. For more on Newton click below. It seems to have lost its place in current hymnody, but the contemporary worship musicians have found it and sing it a lot. The tune is not quite settled, so any LM meter tune might fit, but here are a couple of performances. LINKS The Story of Amazing Grace and John Newton/15 minutes well worth your time https://youtu.be/8m8AHHduTM0 The Lord will Provide Matthew Smith https://youtu.be/YfTjEMVfqew?si=-8nE3Fgdfd9ZYldn The Lord will Provide/Biblogic Music #20 https://youtu.be/PS1jTfDIBcE?si=RfFfp4RDp01xO9Va

Jesus teaching the disciples. James Tissot Text: Anonymous Tune: Schönster Herr Jesus, Silensian folk 1. Beautiful Savior, King of creation, Son of God and Son of Man! Truly I'd love Thee, truly I'd serve thee, Light of my soul, my Joy, my Crown. 2. Fair are the meadows, Fair are the woodlands, Robed in flow'rs of blooming spring; Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer; He makes our sorr'wing spirit sing. 3. Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight, Bright the sparkling stars on high; Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer Than all the angels in the sky. 4. Beautiful Savior, Lord of the nations, Son of God and Son of Man! Glory and honor, Praise, adoration, Now and forevermore be Thine! Tr. Joseph Seiss (1823-1904) Jesus. Rembrandt REFLECTION Jesus’ Semon on Mission, given before he sends out his disciples, is filled with instructions and warnings that are not for the faint of heart. It seems to go against many of the conventional thoughts we have about Jesus and Christianity. Isn't he all about peace and reconiliation? It is shocking to hear Jesus say he has come to bring a sword which will cause division even in the most sacred of relationships—between parents and children—although he doesn’t mention between husband and wife. How does that work? Children of missionaries hear this with understanding, especially in the past when their parents would travel out in the bush leaving them at the mission school alone for months on end. It often engendered bitterness and sorrow for many. But Jesus is telling the truth here. While I don’t want to be one who tries to soften Jesus’ saying and explain the hard words away, maybe it can be compared with the story of Isaac. God had to know whom Abraham loved more—Isaac or him. It is a terrifying story, but it has a truth we all know deep down: for things to be right in our relationship with God AND our family, loving God first puts all other loves in their proper place. Nothing is worse for a child than to be worshiped by his or her parents. It is idolatry and Scripture rails against idolatry. Right worship vs. idolatry is the story of the entire Bible. Furthermore, while this account is worse than the Isaac story—there is no angel or ram in the thicket nearby—Jesus doesn’t come bearing a sword like a warrior. He is in his own person the sword, the one who in his very being separates us from unbelievers. To hear his word and follow him is to go his way and leave behind anything that demands our false worship. As our hymn makes clear, nothing in all of creation is more lovely, pure or shining than Jesus. When we know that and follow him, everything is put right, ultimately. That does not mean there is no suffering, nor sorrow. While he promises that we are more precious than many sparrows, he also promises us that when we follow him, we will be hated by the world. When we do take up our crosses to follow him, however, we will have found life and can believe that all will be well. Even during our suffering, he “makes our sorrowing spirit sing.” HYMN INFO Joseph Weiss The author of the German text is unknown. Joseph Seiss is the translator. Most Americans know it from the St. Olaf choral tradition—it is the signature anthem of several Norwegian American Lutheran college choirs. Bernhard Severin Ingemann (!789-1862), one of Denmark’s greater poets, was given a copy of the German hymn, “Schönster Herr Jesu,” and wrote "Deilig er Jorden" to it. Originally a funeral hymn, it became a Christmas hymn because its last stanza refers to Christmas night. The tune is very likely from Silesia. Mozart used it, as did Swedish troubadour Carl Michael Bellman (1740-1795). Many Norwegians say "Deilig er Jorden," is "Fairest Lord Jesus" when they want a translation, but it is not that either. Same tune, three different texts! Here you can hear the Christiansen arrangement and "Deilig er Jorden" in Norwegian and Danish. LINKS Kenneth Jennnings Conductor emeritus conducts a mass choir; notice Anthon Armstrong, his successor, singing with the choir https://youtu.be/UYrfcNG2vsM St. Olaf Choir with Anton Armstrong, current conductor of the choir https://youtu.be/0QJ4TkIcSkk Deilig er Jorden/Oslo Gospel Choir https://youtu.be/A0TmOCmT5qY Deilig er Jorden/Danish Radio and audience https://youtu.be/dz0ooyQjnYs Deilig er Jorden/St. Michaelis in Hamburg https://youtu.be/f4qP48IkX_A ______________________________________ For your daily devotions "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." --Jill Baumgartner, Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145

Text: Civilla Durfee Martin (1866-1948) T une: Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (1856-1932 Jesus teaching the disciples James Tissot 1..Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: //His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;// R/ I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. 2. “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; //His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; //R/ 3. Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;| //His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;// REFLECTION Jesus healing the paralytic The more I read Scripture the more it feels like I have never read it before. It is always new and surprising. Jesus in Matthew 10 is instructing his disciples on what they are to do on their mission: proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand and then to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons. Jesus has given the disciples power to do what he has been doing. These miracles are no small thing—raising the dead no less! Doing this is certain proof the kingdom of heaven is near. In his instructions he invests them with his powers. Thus they bring Jesus, the kingodm of heaven, with them to do the works he commends to them. This list of miracles is not in the command he gives in his Great Commission, Frederick Bruner says in his wonderful commentary on Matthew. There we are to baptize and teach all that he commanded, and he will be with us always. Because he is with us, we will bring the kingdom wherever we go, that is sure, but do we do anything but baptize and teach? Or as we go as salt and light, or sheep among wolves, will we be called to act in his name with healing, casting out demons and raising the dead? It isn't clear. Maybe we are to wait in each encounter we have with another for a word from the Lord. He tells us not to prepare a speech beforehand to defend ourselves when we are hauled before our persecuters. At that moment we will be given the words to say. It is the mystery and surprise of the Christian life, always to be waiting on the Lord in every new situation. As our hymn has it, I know he watches me. It is not a picnic to do as he commands, either. Doing as he commands will bring persecutions and suffering to us, something Jesus describes vividly. This is what it means to bear our crosses, he says. One has to believe in the dread purposes of the Lord to fathom some part of these instructions with their consequences. Yet we are not to fear. God is watching over us as he cares for the sparrows of the field. We can sing because we are happy in him. Let not your heart be troubled! Ultimately, we can trust that he will keep us safe. HYMN INFO Civilia Martin Civilla Martin and her husband were visiting a married couple. The wife had been bedridden for twenty years, and the husband confined to a wheelchair. When she asked him how they were doing he remarked, “His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.” From that exchange came this hymn. Charles H. Gabriel who set it to music was among the more prolific writers of Gospel songs—they think over 7,000--and this is among his most beloved. He grew up on a farm in Iowa where his father was a singing school leader. He learned music from him but was never trained. He served as organist in several churches, one in San Francisco and Chicago where he became the musician with the Homer Rodeheaver Publishing company. He edited over 35 Gospel Song books, plus many other collections. His most famous song after this one is “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.” The song became Ethel Waters’ signature tune. She had come to hear Billy Graham in Manhattan in 1957 and rededicated her life to Christ. Cliff Barrows heard she was there and asked her to sing for them over the next years. She became a regular at the Billy Graham revivals. Ethel Waters and Billy Graham LINKS Ethel Waters version https://youtu.be/Fo3-p3GDV6w?si=vOIF3QU_9T3clYDd Lynda Randle, David Phelps, Reggie Smith https://youtu.be/g5XZK4hDRKg Whitney Houston (her last recording} https://youtu.be/kg81gddHA4M Mississippi Children’s Choir https://youtu.be/Q_8pUqXADTE

Text: John Bell. Tune: Irish folk (For reasons of copyright, I cannot display the text, but it is found in almost every contemporary hymnal today.) Calling of Matthew Caravaggio REFLECTION The Calling of Matthew is one of the most dramatic in the gospels. Jesus appears and sees Matthew in the counting house with the worst of the worst according to the Judean people of the day. He is a traitor to them, serving himself and the Roman government. One could hardly go lower in the opinion of the people around Jesus. Still he walks in, calls Matthew to follow him, and Matthew stands up and leaves everything behind to follow. The call has utterly changed him. He is the kind of person Jesus says he came to serve—he came to minister to sinners, he announces at the dinner after the calling. After the dinner, he will raise Jairus' daughter from the dead and heal the woman with the isue of blood. Matthew will be there to see who Jesus is. Jesus call to Matthew is paradigmatic. All of us are sinners, sinners are all God has to work with. In the story of Kristus kommer (Christ is coming). Asta Nørregaard Matthew and all the other disciples, we see Jesus showing us what it means to follow him. They see him, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, casting out demons, stilling the storm, raising the dead and teaching. As they follow they are gradually being made into disciples—remember Jesus says in his calling to Andrew and Peter that he will make them fishers of men. As they follow, they become salt, light, a city on the hill. And when Jesus leaves and gives the great commission at his ascension, he commands them to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teach all things that he has taught them. Today many think that means the have a set of goals for transforming the world, but Jesus is not saying that, he says go to your neighbor, the person next to you, and wherever you go you will be bringing Christ with you and he will transform those who hear his word and see his work. To serve the neighbor is to love them. And that means, in Jesus’ terms, to respond in love to the needs of those present to us, not with a set of programs, but actual help for them. In today’s world of efficiency, we make abstractions about what people need and design programs that serve not an individual, but some abstraction. That misses the point: programs dehumanize and make the neighbor abstract. We are to be present to the neighbor and trust that in our own beings Christ is present and leading us to know what the person standing before us needs. Matthew will be learning this in his three year schooling with Jesus. An exciting thought: every encounter is a new one with Christ who inhabits our world in everyone we meet. HYMN INFO John Bell John Bell has been something of the guru of recent contemporary hymnody over the past quarter century. A Scottish pastor and at one time serving the Iona community, he has been noted especially for his use of Celtic folk tunes for his texts. These folk tunes which seem washed in the deep blue waters of the turbulent North Sea can make almost any text sound great, but Bell’s skill with a text, especially in the repetitions one finds in this text, works especially well with this gorgeous Scottish tune. Bell, born in Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, had musical talent from the beginning and intended to a music teacher, but a call to the ministry, especially to serve the poor, changed the direction of his life. He served as associate pastor at the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam. From there he returned to the Church of Scotland as a youth pastor. He began writing hymns along with his colleague Graham Maule, when he realized there were no hymns on various topics central to the Christian faith. This has become one of the most popular of his hymns and can be found in most contemporary hymnals around the world. It is all about what it means to follow Christ. Note too that it is from the point of view ofJesus who is the speaker calling us, something recent hymns have done, and oddly, many on the call of God to the Christian, such as "I, the Lord of Sea and Sky," and "Borning Cry." LINKS Chet Valley Churches (see the lyrics here) https://youtu.be/uu7ihXeTsMQ?si=YlD83WWPKKVfLTuR First Plymouth Church Lincoln Nebraska https://youtu.be/1EOmW1_gJwY?si=E0nuC0n5_pwgj3F6 The University of Notre Dame Folk Choir https://youtu.be/TY13dATqEKc?si=bThzR97H0vo9zw-_ Orchard Enterprises https://youtu.be/VFXAmB_Iq7k?si=4IfHBYfF_hElyUBn

The Visitation Albertinelli May 31 is the day the church remembers Mary's visitation to Elisabeth. Click on this link to find out more about the festival. https://www.hymnfortheday.com/post/hymn-for-the-visitation-and-pentecost-2