Now the Heavens Start to Whisper [Mary Louise Bringle 2005]Now the heavens start to whisper, as the veil is growing thin.Earth from slumber wakes to listen to the stirring, faint within:Seed of promise, deeply planted, child to spring from Jesse’s stem!Like the soil beneath the frostline, hearts grow soft to welcome him. In Fargo it has turned cold.  Most days do not rise above freezing now and so...  Read More

Creator of the Stars of Night [9th century Latin trans. Mason Neale 1851]At your great name, O Jesus, nowAll knees must bend, all hearts must bow;All things on earth with one accord,Like those in heaven, shall call you Lord.This stanza of the poem alludes to the "Christ Hymn" in Philippians chapter two.  Paul quotes the hymn in his letter to the church at Philippi.  That hymn concludes [Philippian...  Read More

Creator of the Stars of Night [9th century Latin trans. Mason Neale 1851]Come, Sun and Savior to embraceOur gloomy world, its weary race,As groom to bride, as bride to groom:The wedding chamber, Mary's womb.This Stanza of the hymn puts me in mind of a Sufi poem:EvenAfterAll this timeThe Sun never says to the Earth,"You owe me."Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.      ...  Read More

Creator of the Stars of Night [9th century Latin trans. Mason Neale 1851]Qui condolesse interituMortis perire saeculum,Salvasti mundum languidum,Donans reis remedium.In sorrow that the ancient curseShould doom to death a universe,You came, O Savior, to set freeYour own in glorious liberty. What prompts God to come to us?  That is the question at the heart of the second stanza of the ancient poem. ...  Read More

Creator of the Stars of Night[9th Century Latin translated by Mason Neale 1851]Conditor alme siderumAeterna lux credentiumChriste Redemptor omniumExaudi preces supplicumCreator of the stars of nightYour people’s everlasting light,O Christ, Redeemer of us all,We pray you hear us when we call.I am always taken by hymns which have stood the test of time.  The Latin hymn Conditor Alme Siderum is just ...  Read More

Lift up your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates[Georg Weissel 1642 trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1855]Redeemer, come! I open widemy heart to thee; here, Lord abide.Let me thy inner presence feel;thy grace and love in me reveal.The liturgical emphasis of Advent focusses on an ancient Aramaic expression which is used only once in the Greek New Testament, by the apostle Paul.  As he concludes his first letter to t...  Read More

Dear friends,   I am sorry that the software I'm using to create the devotions is putting a question mark wherever there is supposed to be a single or double quotation and also in a few other random places.  I have a bug-report submitted to the company and hope to have this resolved soon.PHL...  Read More

Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates by Georg Weissel 1642 trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1855.Fling wide the portals of your heart;make it a temple set apartfrom earthly use for heaven’s employ,adorned with prayer and love and joy.1Cor. 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?  20 For you were bought with...  Read More

Sunday, December 1, 2019.  Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates by Georg Weissel 1642 trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1855.Lift up your heads, ye might gates;behold the King of glory waits;the King of kings is drawing near;the Savior of the world is here.When I was in seminary I used to go to lunch with a friend.  Being young men we sometimes engaged in a bit of competitive eating — either by choosing ...  Read More

Psa. 129:0   A Song of Ascents.1 “Often have they attacked me from my youth”—let Israel now say—2 “often have they attacked me from my youth,yet they have not prevailed against me.3 The plowers plowed on my back;they made their furrows long.”4 The Lord is righteous;he has cut the cords of the wicked.5 May all who hate Zionbe put to shame and turned backward.6 Let them be like the grass on the hous...  Read More

Advent & Christmas Devotions 2019-2020   The daily devotions this year are written by pastor Paul.  He will use stanzas from the poetry used in hymns, carols, and other sacred music common to the liturgical seasons of Advent and Christmas as the starting place.  These will sometimes also be paired with scripture.  Many will be familiar to you and some will likely be new.     The devotions will be ...  Read More

ScriptureNRSV LUKE 17:11-19On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw tha...  Read More