Christ Comes

Christ comes, the promised peace of God,
His hands with healing filled,
In Him is brokenness made whole
And love from hate distilled.
And when He comes, for whom we long,
Then will all rage be stilled.

Christ comes, the promised hand of God,
To cast the veil aside
That shrouds the world in bitter grief,
Where none from death can hide.
And when He comes, for whom we long,
Then will all tears be dried.

Christ comes, the promise kept by God,
The faithful One, and true.
In Him is ev'ry hope confirmed
And ev'ry fear subdued.
And when He comes, for whom we long,
Then all will be made new.

~Genevieve Glen, O.S.B.



{Praise be His Holy Name! :))) }

There's A Certain Slant Of Light

There's a certain slant of light,


On winter afternoons,

That oppresses, like the weight

Of cathedral tunes.



Heavenly hurt it gives us;

We can find no scar,

But internal difference

Where the meanings are.



None may teach it anything,

'Tis the seal, despair,-

An imperial affliction

Sent us of the air.



When it comes, the landscape listens,

Shadows hold their breath;

When it goes, 't is like the distance

On the look of death.





~Emily Dickenson

All You Who Seek

All you who seek a comfort sure
In trouble and distress,
Whatever sorrow vex the mind,
Whatever griefs oppress,
Jesus, who gave Himself for you
Upon the cross to die,
Let there His heart for love be pierced:
Oh, to that heart draw nigh.

You hear how kindly He invites;
You hear His words so blest:
"All you what labor come to Me,
And I will give you rest."
Christ Jesus, joy of saints on high,
The hope of sinners here,
Attracted by those loving words
To you we lift our prayer.

Latin, 18th c., tr. by Edward Caswall, 1814-1878, public domain

I Was Born To Love You

I was born to love you
With every single beat of my heart
Yes, I was born to take care of you
Every single day of my life....

I was born to love you
With every single beat of my heart
I was born to take care of you
Every single day of my life!

You are the one for me
I am the one for you
You were made for me
You're my ecstasy
If I was given every opportunity
I'd die for your love.
So take a chance with me
Let me romance with you
I'm caught in a dream
And my dream's come true
It's so hard to believe
This is happening to me
An amazing feeling
Coming through
I was born to love you
With every single beat of my heart
Yes, I was born to take care of you
Every single day of my life!

I wanna love you, yes
I love every little thing about you
I wanna love you, love you, love you
Born to love you
Born to love you
Yes, I was born to love you
Born to love you
Born to love you
Every single day of my life!

(guitar interlude)

I wanna love you, yes

I love every little thing about you
I wanna love you, love you, love you
Born to love you
Born to love you
Yes, I was born to love you
Born to love you
Born to love you
Every single day of my life!
Every single day of my life!
Every single day of my life!
Every single day of my life:
Born to love you!



~as sung by Tuck & Patti on "A Gift Of Love"

Take My Life And Let It Be Consecrated, Lord, To Thee

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing,
Always, only, for my King.
Take my life, and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Three.

Take my silver and and my gold;
Not a mite would I with-hold,
Take my intellect and use
Every power as Thou shalt choose,
Every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Amen.

HENDON 7.7.7.7.
Frances Ridley Havergal, 1874
Henri Alexander Cesar Malan, 1827
Arr. by Lowell Mason, c. 1827
#358, The Mennonite Hymnal, Herald Press, 1969

As Falls The Night

As falls the night, we come
To shelter where your wings
Stretch out above the world you love
To guard all living things.

As fails the light, we seek
The fire no dark can douse.
Your lamp held high, you bid us fly
To harbor in your house.

As prowl our fears, we turn
To you in trusting prayer:
Where you abide, your children hide
Within your loving care.

All praise be yours, O God,
The home of all the blest;
Your walls of peace will never cease
To give your household rest.

~ Genevieve Glen, O.S.B.

My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

My Shepherd will supply my need;
Jehovah is His name;
In pastures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the living stream.
He brings my wand'ring spirit back,
When I forsake His ways;
And leads me, for His mercy's sake,
In paths of truth and grace.

When I walk through the shades of death
Thy presence is my stay;
One word of Thy supporting breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my table spread;
My cup with blessings overflows,
Thine oil anoints my head.

The sure provisions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.

RESIGNATION C.M.D.
Based on Psalm 23
Isaac Watts, 1719
Folk Hymn
F. Lewis' Beauties of Harmony, c. 1828
Version from Joseph Funk's Genuine Church Music, 1832
The Mennonite Hymnal, 1969, Herald Press

God Of Grace And God Of Glory

God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power;
Crown Thine ancient church's story;
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom,
Grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

Lo!  the hosts of evil round us
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways!
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom,
Grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.

Cure Thy children's warring madness;
Bend our pride to Thy control;
Shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom,
Grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom's goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom's goal.

Set our feet on lofty places;
Gird our lives that they may be
Armored with all Christ-like graces
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom,
Grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.

Save us from weak resignation
To the evils we deplore;
Let the search for Thy salvation
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom,
Grant us courage,
Serving Thee whom we adore,
Serving Thee whom we adore.

Amen!

CWM RHONDDA 8.7.8.7.8.7
Fosdick/ Hughes
The Mennonite Hymnal, 1969, Herald Press

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock!

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away;
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, O glory to God
For such a Redeemer as mine!

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadow a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love
I'll shout with the millions on high.

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thristy land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

~ Fanny Crosby, 1890

Anima Christi

Anima Christi, sanctifica me.
Corpus Christi, salva me.
Sanguis Christi, inebrai me.
Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
Passio Christi, conforta me.
O Bone Jesu, exaudi me.
Intra tua vulnera absconde me.
Ne permittas me separari a te.
Ab hoste maligno defende me.
In hora mortis meae voca me,
et iube me venire ad te,
ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te
in saecula saeculorum.  Amen.

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within thy wounds hide me.
Suffer me not to be separated from thee.
From the malicious enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me
and bid me come unto thee,
that with thy saints I may praise thee
for ever and ever.  Amen.

Today Your Gate Stands Open

Today your gate stands open,
And all who enter in
Shall find a Father's welcome
And pardon for their sin.
The past shall be forgotten,
A present joy be given,
A future home be promised,
A glorious crown in heav'n.

O all-embracing Mercy,
O ever-open Door,
What would I do without you
Who lead the way before?
When joy seems all too distant,
And all too near, despair,
I know one gate is open,
One ear will hear my pray'r.

~ Oswald Allen (1861)

Intimations of Immortality from Recollection of Early Childhood

Ode
Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood

The child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

~Paulo Major Canmus


I
There was a time when  meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of your; --
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

II
The Rainbow comes and goes,
And lovely is the Rose,
The Moon doth with delight
Look around her when the heavens are bare;
Waters on a starry night
Are beautiful and fair;
The sunshine is a glorious birth;
But yet I know, where'er I go,
That there hath past away a glory from the earth.

III
Now, while the birds thus sing a joyous song,
And while the young lambs bound
As to the tabor's sound,
To me alone there came a thought of grief:
A timely utterance gave that thought relief,
And I again am strong;
The cataracts blow their trumpets from the steep;
No more shall grief of mine the season wrong;
I hear the Echoes through the mountains throng,
The Winds come to me from the fields of sleep,
And all the earth is gay;
Land and sea
Give themselves up to jollity,
And with the heart of May
Doth every Beast keep holiday; --
Thou Child of Joy,
Shout round me, let me hear thy shouts, thou happy Shepherd-boy!

IV
Ye blessed Creatures, I have heard the call
Ye to each other make; I see
The heavens laugh with you in your jubilee;
My heart is at your festival,
My head hath its coronal,
The fulness of your bliss, I feel -- I feel it all.
Oh evil day! if I were sullen
While Earth herself is adorning,
This sweet May-morning,
And the Children are culling
On every side,
In a thousand valleys far and wide,
Fresh flowers; while the sun shines warm,
And the Babe leaps up on his Mother's arm:---
I hear, I hear, with joy I hear!
--But there's a Tree, of many, one,
A single Field which I have looked upon,
Both of them speak of something that is gone:
The Pansy at my feet
Doth the same tale repeat:
Whither is fled the visionary gleam?
Where is it now, the glory and the dream?

V
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!
Shades of the prison-house begin to close
Upon the growing Boy,
But He
Beholds the light, and whence it flows,
He sees it in his joy;
The Youth, who daily farther from the east
Must travel, still in Nature's Priest,
And by the vision splendid
Is on his way attended;
At lenth the Man perceives it die away,
And fade into the light of common day.

VI
Earth fills her lap with pleasures of her own;
Yearnings she hath in her own natural kind,
And, even with something of a Mother's mind,
And no unworthy aim,
The homely Nurse donth all she can
To make her Foster-child, her Inmate Man,
Forget the glories he hath known,
And that imperial palace whence he came.

VII
Behold the Child among his new-born blisses,
A six years' Darling of a pigmy size!
See, where 'mid work of his own hand he lies,
Fretted by sallies of his mother's kisses,
With light upon him from his father's eyes!
See, at his feet, some little plan or chart,
Some fragment freom his dream of human life,
Shaped by himself with newly-learned art;
A wedding or a festival,
A mourning or a funeral;
And this hath now his heart,
And unto this he frames his song;
Then will he fit his tongue
To dialogues of business, lover, or strife;
But it will not be long
Ere this be thrown aside,
And with tnew joy and pride
The little Actor cons another part;
Filling from time to time his 'humorous stage'
With all the Persons, down to palsied Age,
That Life brings with her in her equipage;
As if his whole vocation
Were endless imitation.

VIII
Thou, whose exterior semblance doth belie
Thy Soul's immensity;
Thou best Philosopher, who yet dost keep
Thy heritage, thou Eye among the blind,
That deaf and silent, read'st the eternal deep,
Haunted for ever by the eternal mind, ---
Mighty Prophet!  Seer blest!
On whom those truths do rest,
Which we are toiling all our lives to find,
In darkness lost, the darkness of the grave;
Thou, over whom thy Immortality
Broods like the Day, a Master o'er a Slave,
A Presence which is not to be put by;
Thou little Child, yet glorious in the might
Of heaven-born freedom on thy being's height,
Why with such earnest pains dost thou provoke
The years to bring the inevitable yoke,
Thus blindly with thy blessedness at strife?
Full soon thy Soul shall have her earthly freight,
And custom lie upon thee with a weight,
Heavy as frost, and deep almost as life!

IX
O joy! that in our embers
Is something that doth live,
That nature yet remembers
What was so fugitive!
The thought of our past years in me doth breed
Perpetual benediction: not indeed
For that which is mot worthy to be blest;
Delight and liberty, the simple creed
Of Childhood, whether busy or at rest,
With new-fledged hope still fulttering in his breast:---
Not fro these I raise
The song of thanks and praise;
But for those obstinate questionings
Of sense and outward things,
Fallings from us, vanishings;
Blank misgivings of a Creature
Moving about in worlds not realized,
High instincts before which our mortal Nature
Did tremble like a guilty Thing surprised:
But for those first affections,
Those shadowy recollections,
Which, be they what they may,
Are yet the fountain light of all our day,
Are yet a mster light of all our seeing;
Uphold us, cherish, and have power to make
Our noisy years semm moments in the being
Of the eternal Silence; truths that wake,
To perish never;
Which neither listlessness, nor mad endeavour;
Nor Man nor Boy;
Nor all that is at enmjity with joy,
Can utterly abolish or destroy!
Hence in a season of calm weather
Though inland far we be,
Our Souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither;
Can in a moment travel thither;
And see the Children sprot upon the shore,
And hear the mightly water rolling evermore.

X
Then sing, ye Birds, sing, sing a joyous song!
And let the young Lambs bound
As to the tabor's sound!
We inthought will join your throng,
Ye that pipe and ye that play,
Ye that trhough your hearts today
Feel the gladness fo the May!
What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.

XI
And O, ye Fountains, Meadows, Hills, and Groves,
Forebode not any severing of our loves!
Yet in my heart of hearts I feel your might;
I only have relinquished one delight
To live beneath your more habitual sway.
I love the Brooks which down their channels fret,
Even more than when I tripped lightly as they;
The innocent brighness of a new-born Day
Is lovely yet;
The Clouds that gather round the setting sun
Do take a sober colouring from an eye
That hath kept watch o'er man's mortality;
Another race hath been, and other palms are won.
Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to it tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thought that do often lie too deep for tears.

~ William Wordsworth
1802-1804  1807

Untended and unloved, the earth
Would ravel into tangled void,
But God who drew its filaments
From waste is ceaselessly employed
In spinning frames of time and space
Around our fragile dwelling place.

As days and seasons weave their web
Of warmth and cold, of wet and dry,
The cattle forage for their feed,
And overhead the sparrows fly
Where God keeps count of every one
Whose span is measured by the sun.

The wheel of time entwines the strands
Of death and life we think to be
Our loss and gain, and makes of them
One single thread: eternity.
The lilies of the field know best:
Where God provides, let spindles rest.

by Genevieve Glen, OSB; as printed in the Magnificat, Vol. 11, No. 13

Wow.  This hymn writer is so talented!  Thank You, Lord, for giving her this gift and for pouring thru her, to all of us, these special graces of insights formed in beauty.

In Your Presence Is Fulness Of Joy!

Psalm 16


A Poem by David.





16:1 Preserve me, God, for in you do I take refuge.

16:2 My soul, you have said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord.

Apart from you I have no good thing.”

16:3 As for the saints who are in the earth,

they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

16:4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god.

Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,

nor take their names on my lips.

16:5 Yahweh assigned my portion and my cup.

You made my lot secure.

16:6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

16:7 I will bless Yahweh, who has given me counsel.

Yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.

16:8 I have set Yahweh always before me.

Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

16:9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices.

My body shall also dwell in safety.

16:10 For you will not leave my soul in Sheol,

neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

16:11 You will show me the path of life.

In your presence is fullness of joy.

In your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

http://ebible.org/bible/web/Psalms.htm

Blessed

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the gentle,
for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you,
and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me.
Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great,
for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

~Matthew 5:3-12


Lord, You alone are my health,
You alone are my comfort,
You alone are my inheritance,
You alone can satisfy me,
You alone are my haven,
You alone are my God.

Praise You Lord!