Rays of Light

Image Source = Wikipedia

Text Source = Gates of the House:  The New Union Prayerbook–Prayers and Readings for Home and Synagogue (New York:  Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1977), p. 222

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There exists a silent, immanent language, a secret tongue,

It has no sound, syllable, only shade of hues:

Enchantments, splendid pictures, hosts of visions.

In this tongue God makes Himself known to those His spirit chooses,

In it the Royal Emissary of the world reflects upon His thoughts,

The Artist Creator embodies the thought of His heart,

And in it finds the solution of the unexpressed dream.

It is the language of images revealed

In a strip of blue sky and in its expanse,

In the purity of small clouds and in their dark mass,

In the tremor of golden wheat, in the pride of mighty cedars,

In the rustle of a dove’s pure wing,

And in the eaglewing’s sweep,

In the beauty of the human body, in the aura of a glance,

In the sea’s wrath, in the wave’s caprice and play,

In the overflowing night, in the silence of falling stars,

In the roar of light, in the rumble of sea flaming

With sunrises and sunsets…

St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church, Athens, Georgia, U.S.A.

Image Source = parish website

Hymn Source = The Hymnal 1982, of The Episcopal Church

A paraphrase of Psalm 84

The first two verses of the hymn come from The Psalms of David in Meeter (1650), of the Church of Scotland; the last two verses are by The Reverend Carl P. Daw, Jr., an Episcopal priest born in 1944.

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1.  How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts to me!

My thirsty soul desires and longs within thy courts to be;

my weary heart and flesh cry out, O living God, for thee.

2.  Beside thine altars, gracious Lord, the swallows find a nest;

how happy they who dwell with thee and praise thee without rest,

and happy they whose hearts are set upon the pilgrim’s quest.

3.  Those who go through the desert vale will find it filled with springs,

and they shall climb from height to height till Zion’s temple rings

with praise to thee, in glory throned, Lord God, great King of kings.

4.  One day within thy courts excels a thousand spend away;

how happy they who keep thy laws nor from thy precepts stray,

for thou shalt surely bless all those who live the words they pray.

Above:  Andover Theological Seminary, Andover, Massachusetts

Publisher and Copyright Claimant = Detroit Publishing Company

Image Source = Library of Congress

(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/det1994009556/PP/)

Reproduction Number = LC-D4-17218

Hymn Source = The Hymnal 1982, of The Episcopal Church

Ernest Warburton Shurtleff (1862-1917), the author of this hymn, was a U.S. Congregationalist minister and poet who spent part of his career in Paris, France.

Shurtleff wrote this hymn for the 1887 graduating class of Andover Theological Seminary.

http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/feast-of-ernest-w-shurtleff-april-3/

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1.  Lead on, O King eternal,

The day of strife has come;

Henceforth in fields of conquest

Thy tents shall be our home;

Through forty days of preparation

Thy grace has made us strong,

And now, O King eternal,

We lift our battle song.

2.  Lead on, O King eternal,

Till sin’s fierce war shall cease,

And holiness shall whisper

The sweet amen of peace;

For not with swords loud clashing,

Nor roll of stirring drums,

But deeds of love and mercy,

The heavenly kingdom comes.

3.  Lead on, O King eternal:

We follow, not with fears;

For gladness breaks like morning

Where’er thy face appears.

Thy cross is lifted o’er us;

We journey in its light:

The crown awaits the conquest;

Lead on, O God of might!

Flames

Image Source = Oscar

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DancingFlames.jpg)

Hymn Source = Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), prepared by the Lutheran Church in America, The American Lutheran Church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada, and The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod

Words by the Reverend John W. Arthur (1922-1980), a Lutheran minister from 1946 to his death, mostly within the Lutheran Church in America; he devoted his career mostly to liturgics and campus ministry

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1.  Spirit of God, unleashed on earth

With rush of wind and roar of flame;

With tongues of fire men spread good news;

Earth, kindling, blazed its loud acclaim.

2.  You came in pow’r, your Church was born;

O Holy Spirit, come again!

Raise up new saints from waters deep;

Let new tongues hail the risen Lord.

3.  Let new lips, tasting vict’ry won,

Inspire our hearts grown cold with fear;

Revive in us baptismal grace,

And fan our smold’ring lives to flame.

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/fiftieth-day-of-easter-day-of-pentecost-year-c/

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/fiftieth-day-of-easter-day-of-pentecost-year-b/

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/fiftieth-day-of-easter-day-of-pentecost-year-a/

The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Ely, England, United Kingdom

Image Source = Wikipedia

A traditional text, originally in Italian

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High and blessed Trinity,

By us always adored.

Glorious Trinity,

Marvelous unity,

You are savory manna

and all that we can desire.

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/trinity-sunday-year-a/

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/trinity-sunday-year-b/

http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/trinity-sunday-year-c/

A Spanish Shepherd

Image Source = Wikipedia

Hymn Source = The Methodist Hymnal (1965), of The Methodist Church

Words by the Rev. John W. Shackford, born in 1878 and still alive in 1964; he was a leader in Christian education within the former Methodist Episcopal Church, South (extant 1845-1939)

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1.  O Thou who art the shepherd

Of all the scattered sheep,

Who lovest all thy lost ones

On every mountain steep,

Create in us  a yearning

For those whom thou dost seek,

The hopeless and the burdened,

The crippled and the weak.

2.  We would be thy disciples

And all the hungry feed;

Nor seek our own salvation

Apart from others’ need;

These, Father, are thy children

Thou sendest us to ifind;

Help us by deeds of mercy

To show that thou art kind.

3.  Awake in us compassion,

O Lord of life divine;

Create in us thy spirit;

Give us a love like thine.

Help us to seek thy kingdom

That cometh from above,

And in thy great salvation,

Show forth thy boundless love.

The Ruins of Old Coventry Cathedral, England

(The Nazis destroyed the cathedral during a blitz in World War II.)

Images Source = Wikipedia

Hymn Source = The Methodist Hymnal (1965), of The Methodist Church

Words by Sir John Bowring (1792-1872), a hymn writer, a Member of Parliament, and a talented linguist

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1.  In the cross of Christ I glory,

Towering o’er the wrecks of time;

All the light of sacred story

Gathers round its head sublime.

2.  When the woes of life o’er take me,

Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,

Never shall the cross forsake me:

Lo! it glows with peace and joy.

3.  When the sun of bliss is beaming

Light and love upon my way,

From the cross the radiance streaming

Adds more luster to the day.

4.  Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,

By the cross are sanctified;

Peace is there, that knows no measure,

Joys that through all time abide.

5.  In the cross of Christ I glory,

Towering o’er the wrecks of time;

All the light of sacred story

Gathers round its head sublime.

http://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/thirty-ninth-day-of-lent-good-friday/

Below:  The Interior of Old Coventry Cathedral in 1880

Good Shepherd Mosaic in Ravenna, Italy

Image in the Public Domain

Hymn Source = The American Lutheran Hymnal (1930), of the American Lutheran Church (1930-1960)

Words by St. Clement of Alexandria, Theologian and Church Father, in 211 C.E.; translated by the Rev. Henry Martyn Dexter (U.S. Congregationalist) in 1846

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1.  Shepherd of tender youth,

Guiding in love and truth,

Thro’ all their ways:

Christ, our triumphant King,

We come Thy name to sing,

And here our children bring

To join Thy praise.

2. Thou art our holy Lord,

O all-subduing Word,

Healer of strife:

Thou didst Thyself abase,

That from sin’s deep disgrace

Thou mightest save our race,

And give us life.

3.  Ever be near our side,

Our Shepherd and our Guide,

Our joy and Song;

Jesus, Thou Christ of God,

By Thine own staff and rod.

Lead us where Thou has trod,

Our faith make strong.

4.  So now until we die

Sound we Thy praises high

And joyful sing;

Let all the holy throng,

Who to Thy Church belong,

Unite and swell the song

To Christ our King!

Lutheran Confirmation

Image Source = Isidorus Finn

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Konfirmaatio_Aholansaari_2009.JPG)

Hymn Source = The American Lutheran Hymnal (1930), of the American Lutheran Church (1930-1960)

Words by Herman H. Brueckner, 1926

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1.  All hail thou day of wondrous grace,

My confirmation day.

When I the steps of God retrace,

Imprinted on my way.

2.  When I was but an infant small,

He pledged his love to me;

He called me with a holy call,

His child and heir to be.

3.  The sacred washing I received,

That cleansed me well from sin;

Of ev’ry guilty stain relieved,

I now have peace within.

4.  From parents kind and teachers true,

By Thee, my God, ordained,

I learned Thy holy will to do,

By faith in Christ sustained.

5.  So now I come before Thy throne,

Thy precious name to bless,

Resolved to serve Thee as Thine own

In truth and holiness.

6.  I consecrate myself to Thee

In body, soul and mind;

Do Thou but help and strengthen me,

Thou Hope of all mankind.

7.  While in this world of sin and strife,

Vouchsafe to me Thy grace

Till I have reached the end of life

And see Thee face to face.

Lutheran Confirmation

Image Source = Wikipedia

Hymn Source = The American Lutheran Hymnal (1930), of the American Lutheran Church (1930-1960)

Translated from the German by Herman H. Brueckner, 1927

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1.  I have chosen Thee, my Savior:

None so dear as Thou to me.

Yea, in Thee my soul rejoiceth

And the light of life doth see.

From my heart I therefore say,

Call and pray:

Jesus, come and claim Thou me,

Claim Thou me,

For my soul adoreth Thee.

2.  I have chosen Thee, my Savior:

Thou has suffered for my sin;

Thou my troubled soul doth comfort,

Helpest me life’s crown to win.

From my heart I therefore say,

Call and pray:

Jesus, come and claim Thou me,

Claim Thou me,

For my soul adoreth Thee.

3.  I have chosen Thee, my Savior:

Beautiful and fair Thou art,

Rich in love beyond all telling,

Solace for my longing heart.

From my heart I therefore say,

Call and pray:

Jesus, come and claim Thou me,

Claim Thou me,

For my soul adoreth Thee.

4.  I have chosen Thee, my Savior:

Thou my refuge in distress!

In Thy sacred wounds confiding,

For my sins I gain redress.

From my heart I therefore say,

Call and pray:

Jesus, come and claim Thou me,

Claim Thou me,

For my soul adoreth Thee.

5.  I have chosen Thee, my Savior:

Let the happy day be blest

When Thy voice shall bid me welcome

To the saints’ eternal rest!

From my heart I therefore say,

Call and pray:

Jesus, come and claim Thou me,

Claim Thou me,

For my soul adoreth Thee.