The collect for that fourth Sunday struck a chord: “that the sins which weigh us down may be quickly lifted by Your grace and mercy.” What lifts the weight of your sin from you when you think it is so heavy that you want to stop even trying to keep moving? The grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus. They lift the burden and not gradually and slowly, but surprisingly and suddenly. When you see them all on Him and that He is carrying them and you are free. Free to dance for joy on the way into the Kingdom. What we could not bear, He came among us to bear for us. So unfathomably great is His love...
An early Christmas dinner for the family as the snow fell. It is true that “no warmth that in a family dwells” can compare with the shocking truth that “God was man in Palestine / And lives today in bread and wine;” still there was abundant warmth!...
The most wondrous Christmas service for the children ever. For the children or by the children? Despite pastor in his beautiful cope leading the Lessons and Carols, the children were the lectors. They had learned the prophesies and passages by heart and recited them so beautifully. They sang and in parts. They played chimes. They played strings. Amazing joy. A solemn litany closed out the service that left your heart swelling in joy...
Some time back at the house and carols with the family and friends...
Back to the Church to sing for the first Divine Service or Mass of Christmas. Verbum caro factum est. David’s lovely job on “O Holy Night.” All the stanzas of Von Himmel Hoch during distribution with a great variety of vocal and instrumental accompaniment. A solemn and beautiful liturgy with the usual incense. Pastor used one of the old prayers from Lutheran Liturgy for Christmas Eve. Awe at all that Kantor Muth was able to pull together for this year...
A short night’s sleep and back to church to run through the music for choir for the final Divine Service of Christmas (the traditional “third Mass” but we never do the dawn service, so the visit of the shepherds gets shortchanged!). Reading of the Kalends (our little bit of Matins appended to the start of the Divine Service); “O Come, All Ye Faithful” to “We Praise You Jesus at Your Birth” to a wonderful homily by Pr. Ball on the Word Made Flesh to Praetorius’ “To Us a Child” (choir) to “Of the Father’s Love” to “Hark! The Herald Angels” to “Now Sing We Now Rejoice” to “Joy to the World.” All of that laced around Divine Service 3, richly sung in parts. I confess that I do not approve of any Lutheran Christmas Service for the final service ending in anything but “Now Sing We” (Praetorius just kind of ruins any other ending, you know?), but at least we got to sing it ALMOST at the end...
I did wonder during the collect of the day for Christmas (hits me every year) what on earth the committee was thinking to OMIT the “new” in the collect and just render it “the birth.” TLH: “...that the new birth of Thine only begotten Son in the flesh may set us free, who are held in the old bondage under the yoke of sin.” This is utterly faithful to the original: “Concéde quæsumus omnípotens Deus: ut nos Unigéniti tui nova per carnem natívitas líberet, quos sub peccáti jugo vetústa sérvitus tenet.” I THINK people thought it sounded like Christ was born anew each year; but of course, that’s not what it said or what it meant. There was something utterly NEW about Christ’s birth in the flesh, for it was sinless. And we desperately need to be joined to this new birth, and that is the gift of Baptism. The loss of the “new” in reference to the birth loses the tight tie into the Baptismal epistle from Titus 3, and Luther’s sermon that we must exchange our old birth for His new one! When folks set out to improve the liturgy, I find almost invariably they end up doing something that the next generation will need hopefully carefully set back in place...
Then home to feast a bit more: Praetorius’ Mass for Christmas Day and then the Christmas Oratorio by Bach... Thanks to the pastors and musicians at St. Paul’s who gave us such a joyous, rich, and dignified celebration of the nativity.
A few pics:
2 comments:
Von Himmel Hoch is a gradual hymn. WHy is it not sung before the epistle in its correct place?
It may certainly be used as a gradual hymn but it is not prescribed as one. In Lutheran use the gradual hymn falls between epistle and gospel. It’s length makes it a fine distribution hymn.
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