Isaiah 4:5-6 Then the Lord will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night, covering the glorious land. It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.
Psalm 31: 19-20, 32:7 How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues … You are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.
Whenever I see or hear the words “hiding place,” I flash back to a Saturday night Karis “should” have died. She was sixteen; I was with her at the hospital in São Paulo. Her eleven-year-old sister Valerie, home alone working on a project for school, sang “You are my hiding place … I will trust in you” over and over and over, afraid for Karis’s life.
Teen Karis with her sisters at Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo, sharing two pairs of rollerblades between the three of them
Meanwhile, the teens of our church were engaged with their regular weekly meeting. Suddenly one of them said, “We need to pray for Karis.” They didn’t even know she was in the hospital, but the entire group knelt and prayed for her until around midnight they sensed release from God. They only learned the next morning that at the time they felt compelled to pray, Karis’s fever had spiked beyond what the thermometer could measure, and she had managed to say “Goodbye, Mommy,” before passing out. Her doctor was struggling to reach the hospital through São Paulo traffic. Her nurse, too terrified to act, left it up to me to pack Karis in ice and, with the help of another nurse and an orderly holding her down—Karis was shaking uncontrollably—give her the injection the doctor had ordered before he jumped in his car. He repeated the injection, along with other emergency measures, the moment he arrived in her room, running full tilt up the stairs and through the hallways.
“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you.”
Isaiah too was afraid, of the judgment and stripping and violence he knew was coming (chapter three). He flashed back to the Exodus, when God had led his people escaping from slavery in Egypt with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13-14). These stories were part of the people of Israel’s identity, told and retold through the centuries to illustrate God’s care and protection when they were weak and vulnerable.
Have you experienced God as your hiding place? I would love to hear your story.
2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Do you ever have days that seem just too much to cope with?
Wednesday our flight from Newark to Pittsburgh, coming home exhausted from an amazing week in Colombia, was delayed by two hours. It so happened therefore that as our plane was landing, Luciene, my Schalm grandchildren Caleb and Talita’s other grandmother, was running up the steps of Valerie and Cesar’s home here in Pittsburgh to reconnect with a Zoom call which had been interrupted by an urgent message for her husband. Luciene tripped on the steps and broke her ankle, completely doubling her foot backward. The pain was horrific. Five-year-old Caleb commented to me yesterday several times that his Vovó was crying.
Opa and Vovó in Pittsburgh!! Such joy for Caleb and Talita and all of us
So, as we drove home from the airport, my son-in-law Cesar Jr. and his dad were transporting Luciene first to urgent care and then, after x-rays, to the hospital ER. Even with massive morphine directly into her ankle, the pain of having her bones repositioned was intolerable. She was hospitalized, scheduled for surgery the next day (at the same hospital where our daughter Valerie was working).
However, Lu’s ankle was too swollen to operate yesterday, so Lu was sent home to bedrest for a week, in the hope of operating Thursday next week, to install metal plates and screws to support her ankle as it heals.
At the time Cesar Jr. was transporting Lu back to their house from the hospital yesterday and Cesar Sr. headed to our house to pick up Caleb and Talita, I was on an Instagram Live in Portuguese talking about Karis’s zest for life despite her pain and weaknesses, citing her life verse, this one (above) from 2 Corinthians. Lu herself, from the car going home from the hospital, coached me through connecting with the Live since I was having trouble getting on—turns out Instagram looks different in Brazil than here, so Ilaene’s instructions weren’t helping me. Huge panic that I might not figure it out in time! (If anyone reading this speaks Portuguese and wants to join Ilaene and me on next week’s Live, it will be 8:00 pm Brasília time/7:00 pm Eastern time on Instagram at Igrejas Discipuladoras. You can also watch last night’s Live there.)
There was so much emotion involved with all of this that I have no idea whether I said anything coherent or helpful to anyone on the Live. I’m still trying to find emotional equilibrium, devastated that this has happened to Luciene. Maybe that’s why I’m dumping it on you.
But one thing is vivid: the reality of God’s grace, PRESENT in our challenges and weaknesses and limitations and pain. Offered generously by our Lord to me and to you, today. Please pray with us for Lu as she faces (I almost wrote “walks through,” exactly what she can’t do!)–as she deals with some very tough days ahead. May God’s power resting on her be palpable.
At challenging times like this, I find worship in Portuguese reaches my heart more than English. “Tua Graça Me Basta” means Your Grace Is Sufficient.You can soak in the beauty even if you can’t understand the words. If you enjoy this, you can listen to more of Rachel Novaes here.
And here’s another beautiful song giving me comfort right now (in English this time).
But the Holy Spirit gives dreams and visions June 3, 2023
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.
Acts 2:4, 17-19 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit … Then Peter stepped forward … “‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.
Galatians 5:17 The Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.
With his permission, before this Pentecost week escapes us, I want to quote enough for you of Pastor Kevin Antlitz’s sermon last Sunday to interest you in listening to the whole thing:
“In 1968, Patriarch Ignatius, one of the leaders of the Eastern Orthodox Church, spoke at a gathering of Christians leaders from around the world and across denominations and traditions. While he had everyone in the room, he asked a very important question. It’s a question that the church should always be asking:
How can the death and resurrection and ascension of Jesus matter today? Put slightly differently: How can the message of the gospel matter for our world, in our time?
Patriarch Ignatius answered: the Holy Spirit. The only way Jesus can matter today is the Holy Spirit. Everything hinges on the Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit, God is distant, Christ is in the past, the Gospel is a dead letter.
Without the Holy Spirit the Church is simply another organization. Without the Holy Spirit, authority is domination, mission is propaganda, liturgy is nostalgia.
Without the Holy Spirit, Jesus is just a historical figure, and the church is a museum or a social club. At its worst, it is an institution of manipulation and control.
But with the Holy Spirit, the Risen Christ is present. God’s life-giving, life-transforming power is unleashed. With the Holy Spirit, the church becomes a community where people can encounter the love of God, recognize their sins and brokenness, and be healed and empowered to extend God’s grace to others.”
Pastor Kevin showed us how Pentecost redeems Babel. The Holy Spirit speaks every language of the world. He knits the frayed fabric of humanity back together, harmonizing rather than fracturing. Rather than a physical tower, the Holy Spirit builds Christ’s Kingdom with living stones, all who honor Christ as their Lord. We’re each responsible for maintaining Body unity, honoring the Holy Spirit’s work.
As Kevin spoke, I thought of Jesus telling Pilate, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight …” (John 18:36). “My Kingdom is not of this world”—one of Jesus’s last statements. How often do you—how often do I—get this mixed up, reverting to the confusion and division of Babel, when Jesus calls us into an entirely new and different loyalty, to a Heavenly Kingdom where joy, harmony, generosity, kindness, and all the fruits of the Spirit are the recognized currency?
Hebrews 11:26, 13:5-6 Moses thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. … For God has said, “I will never fail you, I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear: What can mere people do to me?”
I usually post just twice a week, but I want to share a situation with you that’s happening right now. We could substitute the names “Otto and Idagly” for Moses in Hebrews 11:26: they too have chosen suffering rather than treasures in the way the world evaluates priorities. I wrote about them way back on October 11, 2020, so you might want to re-read that post.
Otto leads the Pastoring of Pastors movement Dave helped start in Venezuela. For a long time, as a husband and dad who cares deeply about his family, Otto has nurtured the dream of a house of their own. And now that is coming true!!
Currently their family of five lives in Idagly’s parents’ home, sharing the space also with Idagly’s sister and her family–12 people in a five-bedroom house. This means their two adolescent girls share a small bedroom with their brother, and Otto has his office in his and Idagly’s bedroom, and all twelve people share the kitchen, living room, and bathroom.
Yuliana, Idagly, Eliam, Otto, Eliany
Otto created a plan eight months ago to build a four-bedroom house (one bedroom to be used for his office). An architect projected it would cost $15,000. We tried to raise money for this, but people responded with only $8,000, so there was no possibility of initiating construction.
With runaway inflation, the cost increased dramatically. Inflation in Venezula was 436% in April this year compared with April 2022. Think about that for a minute.
However, people leaving Venezuela have been selling their properties at a loss to obtain cash. A four-bedroom apartment became available in Otto and Idagly’s neighborhood for $23,000. We told them to jump on it. We “borrowed” $15,000 from our own retirement account to complete the cash payment. Otto and Idagly received the keys to the apartment two days ago! They want to paint and repair a few things before moving in after they are with us in Bogotá for a leaders’ retreat June 8-14.
Dave and I have been thinking and praying about a repayment plan that would work for Otto and Idagly. We gave them $2,500 as a gift, leaving them $12,500 to repay. That’s an enormous amount in a country where right now the minimum wage is equivalent to $5.40 per MONTH and they are understandably nervous about this. The proposal we have sent them is that they repay us $100/month, which would take them until the end of 2034. (That’s more than a third of what they receive through our Multiplying Grace effort.) Any month they are able to pay more, or any time someone makes a $100 contribution, their debt will be reduced by one month.
Would you enjoy helping them with this debt? If so, please send your gift directly to us. We can’t give you a tax break because we used personal money, not ministry money. You can send us a check (contact me through Messenger or debrakornfield@gmail.com for the address) or use Paypal or Google Pay. I’ll try to update you monthly on progress toward resolving this debt.
Imagine how amazing it will be for this family that has chosen to STAY in Venezuela to care for pastors to have their own living space. Imagine Otto, leading a nationwide ministry, having an office of his own.
I think Otto and Idagly’s situation helps us understand why almost a quarter of Venezuela’s population has left the country, including most professionals. Recently public school teachers went on strike, protesting salaries of about $10-$25/month. University professors earn $40-$60/month. President Maduro said no and ordered them back to work, asking them to be content with being “heroes.” Wouldn’t you leave too? There’s no way for one person to eat at those salary levels, even only eating rice. And most of them have families.
Every time I read a story like this, I appreciate Otto and Idagly and our other Venezuelan pastor friends more, for their determination to stay in Venezuela to serve and care and give. Truly, they are heroes in the Kingdom of God.
Job 41:1, 12, 18-19, 33-34 Can you catch Leviathan with a hook or put a noose around its jaw? … I want to emphasize Leviathan’s limbs ad its enormous strength and graceful form. … When it sneezes, it flashes light! Its eyes are like the red of dawn. Lightning leaps from its mouth; flames of fire flash out. … Nothing on earth is its equal, no other creature so fearless. Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts.
Psalm 104:24-26 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! … See Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.
In the mood for levity, I went to Job 41. God spends an entire chapter describing this creature whose identity is disputed all these thousands of years later. I picture God laughing with glee as he points out to job the amazing features of this great fling of his imagination.
And I think of poor Job, totally taken aback by the exuberance of God’s response to his completely valid questioning of his experience of extreme suffering. God says to Job, “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?” (Job 40:2).
Job must have been shaking in his boots. “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you,” he responded. (Another version says, “Nothing you wish is impossible.”) Job continued, “You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance? It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.”
I haven’t suffered like Job, but I question all kinds of things. This conversation challenges me to remember Who I’m talking to: a God powerful enough to raise Jesus from the dead and give him a body that can pass through locks and walls and appear on a mountain 140 km (87 miles) away (his disciples had to walk) and then ascend to Heaven back in Jerusalem. A God whose Holy Spirit, poured out like fire, can be present everywhere at the same time.
Leviathan. Levity. God’s powerful sense of humor on full display through his creation.
Thanks, Lord, for helping me not take myself so seriously today!
Another of God’s creations (borrowed from my friend Nancy Goetz Jones):
Mark 15:25-27 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” Two criminals were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. And the Scripture was fulfilled that said, “He was counted among the transgressors.”
Station 6: Jesus is nailed to the cross
Lucy writes about her work of art:
“When I was making this piece, I wanted a way to represent the pain and suffering of Jesus while also implementing other symbols. I put water and wine on one side of the crossbar and bread on the other symbolizing communion. I put the words, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” in Latin, Greek, and Aramaic because that’s what was on the sign on Jesus’s cross.
The Hebrew on the cross translates to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in their respective places. The nails in the form of a body are supposed to represent the suffering and pain that Jesus endured on the cross.”
[Debbie] The nails in the shape of a heart brought tears to my eyes. I remembered Karis writing in her journal (June 1, 1999) as a hospitalized teenager:
“I’ve been poked with needles until my arms are literally black and blue and red. I thought last night as they poked me again, “What must it have been like for Jesus, not to be pierced by loving nurses and these tiny sharp needles, but rather the soldiers, the nails . . .” I remember Christ and find not the strength not to complain but rather that there is nothing to complain about.”
The words came to mind of the American folk hymn, “What wondrous love is this.” Here it is, sung by Fernando Ortega. With Lucy’s image burned into your mind, close your eyes and worship.
Matthew 27:33-35 They went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). The solders gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall … After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. This fulfilled the word of the prophet: “They divided my garments among themselves and cast lots for my robe.” (Psalm 22:18)
Station 5: Jesus is stripped of his garments
Suzanne says this about her painting:
“I used bright colors to contrast with the subject matter and to show that he was stripped in broad daylight. As I drew, I contemplated how we use clothing not only to cover our nakedness, but to show social status and wealth, to express ourselves, and to look attractive.
The church and followers of Jesus are often called the body of Christ. I wonder what we need to be stripped of.
I left off the head of the man on Jesus’s left not only because I didn’t have room for it on the page, but also so viewers can put themselves in his place. What have you said or done that has metaphorically stripped Jesus and brought him shame?”
Luke 23:27-28 A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women. But Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. … Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest (Psalm 126:5-6).
Station 4: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
Millicent says of her artwork:
“I made the women in white silk to show tears. They are together, witnessing the same scene, yet each individually bears her own grief. Isaiah 53 says Jesus bears our griefs and carries our sorrows.
Here is a recent example of Jesus noticing my tears and turning to care for me:
On the evening of Sunday, December 11, 2022, my downtown apartment building was on fire. I walked down the fire escape with two elderly ladies and when we got outside, we could see the flames shooting out the windows of one of the apartments. As I stood at the corner, a stranger, slightly inebriated, kept patting my shoulders and asking if I was okay. I said yes and then he said to me, “I’m not a religious person, but I think we should pray.” He cupped his hands and held them out to me. He waited for me to take hold of his hands, which I did. I thought he was going to start praying but realized he was waiting for me to pray. I prayed for the safety of all who were involved in the fire. After thanking this stranger, I walked away thanking God for sending me an Angel who helped me get centered on what was needed at that moment.
Because we weren’t allowed back into the apartment building due to water damage, I was given a choice to call a friend or family member to come get me, or sleep on a cot in the Convention Center. I prayed and asked God to give me a name to call. I called my friends who live on the Northside, and even though it was 12:45 a.m., the husband came to get me while his wife made up the couch. I stayed with them for two nights. When I found out I still couldn’t get into the apartment building on the third day, another friend said I could stay with her. She offered me her bed while she slept on the floor.
On Wednesday, December 14th, the landlord sent those tenants who still had no place to stay to a hotel on the Northside. I was able to stay at the hotel for several night until the apartment building manager came to the hotel to inform us that Tuesday, December 20th, would be the last night they would pay for us to stay at the hotel. We were also informed that we could not go back to the apartment building to live, because all leases were cancelled. On December 21st, a third friend extended hospitality to me. I stayed with her and her husband until I was ready to move.
The next day I looked at an apartment a few blocks from church and filled out an application. While waiting for approval, I received my security deposit in the mail along with December’s rent, prorated. That evening I got word that my application was approved, and the apartment was mine. I was able to use the check I had just received that afternoon as my security deposit for the new apartment. On Friday, December 30th, I moved into my new home. Prayer and praise turned a devastating situation into an experience of joy.”
Note: This article was originally published in The Ascent, a monthly publication of Church of the Ascension, Pittsburgh. Used with Millicent’s permission.
Psalm 92:1-4, 13-15 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night. … You make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done … Planted in the house of the Lord, the righteous will still bear fruit in old age. They will stay fresh and green proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Dave and I have just enjoyed a few days on the coast of Oregon at a lovely camp founded by Quakers almost a hundred years ago. Twice a year we reconnect with the International Ministry Team (IMT), our place to “belong” within OC International.
Don’t you love the duck on Edwin’s head?
It’s a diverse, experienced team working literally all around the world, led by the former president of OCI. It’s a privilege to profit from the wisdom gleaned from years of committed cross-cultural impact across a spectrum of ministry genres. We soak in marvelous stories of God’s love and faithfulness through often-harrowing circumstances.
My favorite part of these gatherings is worshiping the Lord with these lovely people. Half the team is older than we are. They model for us the words of Psalm 92. Rather than just getting old and crotchety and self-centered, they passionately proclaim the worthiness of the Lord to receive our praise. And believe me, their experiences in life have been anything but easy. They have made choices along the way—hundreds, maybe thousands of choices—to seek and find the Lord through their tough times. They have planted their feet on the Rock and found him to be their solid foundation through every storm.
Mid-week, we take a break from meetings to explore a local attraction of the place where we’ve gathered. This time we toured a cheese factory—Tillamook Creamery, a few miles down the coast. Our team leader, Greg, challenged me to write a blog applying something from this tour to our spiritual lives. So here we go:
Entrance to Tillamook Creamery, Tillamook, Oregon
Cheese, like wine, is valued according to how long it has aged.
Of course, good cheese requires good ingredients and a careful process of separation of the curds from the whey. But the time comes when it just needs to rest. Nothing more can be done for the cheese than to leave it alone and let the rennet do its thing, “cheddaring” (further acidifying) the cheese.
Cutting and packaging cheese that has been aging for months!
I didn’t know “cheddar” is a verb! While the cheese is resting, cheddaring is going on, enhancing the flavor and hardness of the cheese.
How often do I rest and let the special ingredient in me, the Holy Spirit, refine me and enhance my “flavor”?
The answer to that question may determine whether, in my old age, I still have something positive to offer those around me, instead of getting grumpy and gripey. Because GOD is faithful, I want to sing for joy until the end of my days. Don’t you?
1 John 5:19-20 The world around us is under the control of the evil one. And the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. … He is eternal life.
My heart is so full of the blessing of yesterday–I want to share a few of many special moments with you. Dave and I love attending the sunrise service at 6:00 a.m. The service begins in total darkness as we review God’s work leading up to this day. We are each handed a candle, and the first half of the service is conducted by candlelight.
Before I go on, a bit of context:
On Thursday evening, at the end of the footwashing service, the altar had been stripped of every decoration as the light gradually lowers until the pastor ends with the reading by candlelight of Luke 22:39-53. Verse 53 ends with, “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” As he says “the power of darkness,” the pastor blows out his candle. At the same instant, all remaining light in the sanctuary is extinguished. We sit in silence in the darkness, and when we’re ready, leave in the same way.
On Friday, from noon until 3:00, in various ways, including art works from people in the congregation, we shared in Jesus’s suffering on the cross, suffering for each of us. We are invited to write our sins and burdens and walk forward to leave our folded papers in a basket at the foot of the rough wooden cross, bearing a crown of thorns, at the front of the church. At the end of the service, these are taken outside and burned, to symbolize Christ bearing them for us.
On Easter morning, as we enter the dark sanctuary, we have in our minds the stripped altar and the cross. But at a certain moment in the service, the lights and the choir explode, and we see the sanctuary full of flowers. Madly ringing bells we have brought from home for this moment, the congregation joins the choir in wholehearted praise.
This year, when the lights came on, we also saw an amazing mosaic at the front of the church. This also requires a bit of context, going back to Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22. We were invited to bring to that service a piece of pottery from home, which we placed in a big metal tub and smashed with hammers at the end of the service, to illustrate our brokenness.
An artist, with the help of anyone from the church who wished to participate, took those broken pieces and created beauty from them. People crowded around after the service to admire it and to identify pieces from their own broken cup or bowl or pitcher. Many of us were in tears at this visual, visceral symbol of God’s transformation and healing offered us through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. The photo I managed to capture:
The mosaic reminded me of the last chapter of Suffering and the Heart of God. Diane Langberg waxes poetic as she describes Jesus on the cross, and then restored to life, healing our brokenness. Here’s part of what she says:
The cross is a place of death and evil; decay and wrath. It is a pace of darkness, thirst, isolation, rejection, abandonment, and bondage. It is the absence of God and all that is good. It is hell itself.
And whom do we see there? The Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon. We see the fairest of ten thousand, the beauty of God incarnate. We see purity, holiness, infinite love, compassion, and eternal glory. …
Death and evil seemed to have won. But God had so much more up his sleeve:
What happened that third day? Decay was transformed into glory. Death was swallowed up by life. Evil was transfigured into holiness, and the wrath of men into praise. Darkness was changed to light, and hell defeated by heaven. Thirst is transformed into living water and brokenness into the bread of life. Alienation led to restored relationship and bondage led to freedom.
If garbage can be transformed into beauty on such a scale as this, then surely it can happen in my small life and in the lives of others. … The cross, a thing of beauty? Yes, for it is at the cross that we behold all of the beauties of Christ in perfection. All of his love is drawn out there. All of his character expressed. The wounds of Jesus are far more fair than all the splendor of this world. …
Children of God in a world controlled by the Evil One. I fear the odds are against us. Our wits are too slow, our understanding finite and our strength too frail. But, glorious but, “the Son of God has come … to transform garbage into beauty, first in our lives and then in those we serve. … So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18). And what is it that is unseen? The Lord of Glory, the Lord of all Beauty, who wears the appearance of a slain Lamb as his court dress. …
May we count Him alone as worthy and all else as rubbish. May we desire one thing—to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek his beautiful face. And then may the beauty of our Lord be upon us. May he establish the work of our lives.
I invite you to enjoy our choir’s Easter anthem, called “Glad of Heart,” written in 1568, here (start at 1:39:50) Of course, you can watch any of the rest of the live stream you wish–or either of the other two services. The worship during communion begins at 1:59:23. Here is the text:
Now glad of heart be everyone! The fight is fought, the battle won, the Christ is set upon his throne, alleluia, alleluia!
Who on the wood was crucified, who rose again, as at this tide, in glory to his Father’s side, alleluia, allelluia!
Who baffled death and harrowed hell and led the souls that loved him well, all in the light of lights to dwell: alleluia, alleluia!
To him we lift our heart and voice and in his paradise rejoice with harp and pipe and happy noise. Sing alleluia, alleluia!
Then rise all Christian folk with me and carol forth the One in Three that was, and is, and is to be, alleluia, alleluia!
Though this has become a long post, I want to share one more thing, related to verse 4 of this anthem. Several weeks ago I started practicing with my grandchildren a simple piece of music (“Allelu, allelu, allelu, alleluia, Praise ye the Lord) to share with their parents at our Easter brunch, accompanied by a variety of simple instruments. The adults at the table each had an instrument as well, to join in the song after the children “taught” it to them. “Happy noise” indeed! It was such fun that we sang and “played” other songs as well, ending, at Talita’s request, with “Twinkle, twinkle, little star.” Since the morning sermon had referenced Jesus as the Morning Star, each of us to reflect his glory, this seemed oddly appropriate!
Debra Kornfield 