Yesterday, a friend shared a couple of stanzas of a Good Friday hymn written by Seventeenth Century Hungarian poet Király Imre von Pécselyi and translated into English by Twentieth Century Congregationalist minister, composer, and musicologist Erik Routley. The common title of the hymn is “There in God’s Garden” and it is also known as “The Tree of Wisdom.” Alabama composer K. Lee Scott wrote the tune “Shades Mountain” specifically for this text.
I was introduced to the hymn during my two-year residence in Mississippi as Interim Dean of Jackson’s St. Andrew’s Cathedral. It became one of my favorite hymns, with its message of hope for the healing of the nations. Organist/Choirmaster Jessica Nelson led the Cathedral Choir and Congregation in singing it in my last Sunday service there, which was also the occasion for my retirement from active ministry. This seems like a good time to share it.
I invite you to contemplate the words, read the article by Emily R. Brink, and immerse yourself in the music, here sung by the Choir and Congregation of First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.
There in God’s garden stands the Tree of Wisdom, whose leaves hold forth the healing of the nations: Tree of all knowledge, Tree of all compassion, Tree of all beauty.
Its name is Jesus, name that says, “Our Savior!” There on its branches see the scars of suffering; see where the tendrils of our human selfhood feed on its lifeblood.
Thorns not its own are tangled in its foliage; our greed has starved it, our despite has choked it. Yet, look! It lives! Its grief has not destroyed it nor fire consumed it.
See how its branches reach to us in welcome; hear what the Voice says, “Come to me, ye weary! Give me your sickness, give me all your sorrow; I will give blessing.”
This is my ending, this my resurrection: into your hands, Lord, I commit my spirit. This have I searched for; now I can possess it. This ground is holy.
All heaven is singing, “Thanks to Christ whose Passion offers in mercy healing, strength, and pardon. Peoples and nations, take it, take it freely!” Amen! Our Savior!
The Hymns of Charles Wesley are among the finest treasures of Christian verse, sung by Anglicans, Methodists, and others around the world. Today, I selected one of his hymns for the Unapologetically Episcopalian Facebook page, "O Thou Who Camest From Above." As I listened to the music and read the words, I had an epiphany. It dawned on me that, even though this hymn is included in both The Hymnal 1982 (Episcopal) and The United Methodist Hymnal, I don't recall ever choosing it for corporate worship. In fact, I don't remember ever singing it at any time during my 49 years of ordained ministry.
The text is a reflection upon a verse from the Book of Leviticus: “A perpetual fire shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out” (Leviticus 6:13 NRSV). It has sacramental overtones in Christian liturgy as in the traditional Great Thanksgiving handed down to Anglicans and Methodists alike, we pray, "And here we offer unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee..." Those familiar with the Christian experience of both Charles Wesley and his brother John Wesley, may recognize an allusion to their experience, which John described as one that gave him faith in Christ who kindled a flame in the "altar of my heart."
Interestingly, Hereford, the tune to which the hymn is set in the aforementioned hymnals and in the recording below is by composer Samuel Sebastian Wesley, grandson of Charles Wesley, who was Organist of Hereford Cathedral early in his career. His father, Samuel Wesley, was also a noted English organist and composer.
This hymn is a supplication to our Savior to supply the spiritual guidance and gifts to allow his followers to fulfill the vocation to work, think, and speak for him every day. It is a perfect prayer for any Christian's daily life and I commend it to you. Perhaps it will become a spiritual practice for you in your journey of faith in the Way of Love.
1 O thou who camest from above the fire celestial to impart, kindle a flame of sacred love on the mean altar of my heart!
2 There let it for thy glory burn with inextinguishable blaze, and trembling to its source return in humble prayer and fervent praise.
3 Jesus, confirm my heart's desire to work, and speak, and think for thee; still let me guard the holy fire, and still stir up the gift in me.
4 Ready for all thy perfect will, my acts of faith and love repeat; till death thy endless mercies seal, and make the sacrifice complete.
As hymnals fade, theology also suffers. The rich repository of religious wisdom contained in hymns will be lost. The old-fashioned language of hymns may strike some as unusual, but their text teaches the Christian faith far better than most of the praise choruses that dominate contemporary services. Old hymns were carefully crafted with theology at the forefront. Traditional hymns present doctrine clearly and beautifully convey the gospel story of saving grace.
My thoughts about this quote are mixed. Hymnals are a product of a new technology from another era - moveable type and the printing press. Just because the technology changes doesn't necessarily mean that the new technology will negatively impact our theology. Praise choruses are not that common in our tradition, but there are plenty of them that express sound theology. I wouldn't write them off. And, likewise, there are plenty of traditional hymns that express a theology that I would never embrace.
However, the writer, who is not cited, does offer a compelling testimony for the strength of our traditional hymnody, prompting me to reflect on the importance of hymns and singing in our worship.
Sometimes, when people ask us what The Episcopal Church believes, our answer is, “Come and worship with us.” That’s because both our liturgy from The Book of Common Prayer and the hymns in our hymnals beautifully express the heart of our theology and our faith.
For the past year or so, due to COVID protocols, we have not been able to sing aloud as a congregation. That’s been the case in many other places as well. However, in our parish, we have tried to compensate by placing the words and music in our bulletins, which are viewed online or downloaded for use during worship. We have gone to some lengths to ensure that we have all the permissions we need in dealing with copyrighted materials. In addition to that, our Organist/Choirmaster has sung the hymns for us.
As we are beginning to return to in-person worship, we are also continuing to live-stream our principal Sunday morning service. We have removed all prayer books and hymnals from the pews because we aren’t confident that we can adequately sanitize them. They will be returned to the pews as soon as we deem it safe to do so. However we access them, our prayers and the hymns teach us, remind us, inspire us, convict us, and assist us in our journeys as a worshiping community and as individuals. I'm reminded of a word of wisdom attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo: "Whoever sings, prays twice."
So, it’s important for us to include hymns in our worship when possible, even during a pandemic. Whether or not you can actually sing the hymns, you can read and listen attentively to the words and the music. When we reach the point when we can have congregational singing again, with or without masks, it will still be important to read the words and listen to the music. You can do that even when you don’t recognize a hymn. The hymn you don't recognize may be the favorite of the person sitting next to you in the pew.
Singing or silent, if you will be attentive to the words and listen to the music, maybe you will experience the joy that comes when we “Sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm 98:1).
Blessings,
The Very Reverend Ron Pogue Interim Rector St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church Keller, Texas
There are three great festivals of the Church: Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. Pentecost was neglected for a long time and, in some ways, is not given much attention even now, if you consider that retail merchandising and greeting cards have not figured out a way to make money from it. What happened on the Day of Pentecost and why should it continue to be important to us?
Pentecost is the Greek name for the Jewish festival that took place 50 days after Passover. The Hebrew name is Shavuot. Shavuot is the second of the three major festivals (Passover being the first and Sukkot the third) and occurs exactly fifty days after the second day of Passover. This holiday marks the anniversary of the day when God’s people received the Torah at Mount Sinai.
The word "Shavuot" means “weeks.” It marks the completion of the seven-week counting period between Passover and Shavuot. During these seven weeks the Jewish people cleansed themselves of the scars of Egyptian slavery and became a holy nation ready to enter into an eternal covenant with God with the giving of the Torah. So, the day celebrates a gift from above.
Jesus had commanded his followers to wait in the city of Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them. They needed the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in order to do what he required them to do. Suddenly, their waiting was shattered by the noise of a strong driving wind. They saw what appeared to them to be tongues of fire spreading over and resting on each person there. Everyone touched became filled with the Holy Spirit. The apostles began to speak in different languages. Moving out into the street, they encountered devout people who were in Jerusalem for the feast. As the apostles preached, people heard the message in their own languages and asked, “what does it mean?” And that is the question we ask today. What does it mean that the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us? When we baptize people in this Church, we declare that they are “sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.” What will that mean for them? And, what does it mean for you who also in Baptism have been sealed by the same Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever?
The Holy Spirit creates and renews the Church.
As the Spirit spoke to Ezekiel while he was standing in the Valley of Dry Bones: “I will put my breath in them, bring them back to life, and let them live in their own land.” The Spirit who draws people to God draws them into God’s Church and there God shapes and molds them according to God’s will into the creatures they were designed to be. God’s indwelling Spirit brings order and unity, inspires, illuminates, and gives the gifts that are needed for the Church to carry out God’s mission, as it is constantly being created and renewed.
The Holy Spirit enables us to speak God’s message.
In the Acts of the Apostles, we read, “The Spirit enabled them to speak.” This is the same Spirit who called the Prophets. We are in the communications business. By that I mean we are the instruments, the delivery system for the message of God. In our words and actions, we are called to communicate that message wherever we may be. And, because it is not our message, the giver of the message provides everything that is necessary to deliver it. If we could do it on our own, we’d have to question whether it was God’s in the first place.
The Holy Spirit enables us to hear God’s message.
The Acts of the Apostles also tells us that the people gathered for the festival heard the apostles “speaking in the native language of each.” St. John tells us that Jesus said, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” The miracle of Pentecost was not so much a miracle of speaking as it was a miracle of hearing. Each person heard the message in a language he or she could understand. We have to first hear the message if we are going to deliver it to others.
The Holy Spirit comforts and heals us.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “counselor,” “comforter,” “helper.” The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts when we are hurting, afraid, angry, or struggling with the cost of discipleship. The Holy Spirit is the breath of God, the presence of God, the power of God at work in and among us to give us the sense, the awareness of God and to recognize God’s hand at work.
The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin.
Jesus said, “And when he comes he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” Sometimes, we attribute this phenomenon to our conscience. For Christians, the conscience is inspired and guided by the Holy Spirit. When we become aware of our sinfulness, it is the Holy Spirit moving within us, providing us an opportunity to turn in a new direction.
The Holy Spirit assures us of our salvation.
In the eighth chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans we are told that when we do sense our need of God, we are giving the assurance of the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit bears witness with our spirit.” That’s how we know, truly know, that God loves us, forgives us, and restores us to a relationship that we cannot either create or sustain on our own.
The Holy Spirit magnifies Christ.
Jesus said, “he will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians, “No one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit” (I Cor. 12:3). When we gather for worship and when we are sent out into the mission field, the Holy Spirit prompts us to magnify Christ in words and actions.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to want others to know God’s deeds in Christ. The Holy Spirit moves people to praise the mighty works of God and to offer themselves, their souls and bodies, to participate in those mighty acts for the sake of the world.
I invite you to join me in reflecting on the work of the Holy Spirit as you listen to my favorite Pentecost hymn, Come Down, O Love Divine. Together, let us seek the indwelling Spirit in our own lives and in the life of the Church.
Blessings,
The Very Reverend Ron Pogue Interim Rector St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church Keller, Texas
This is a strange time, isn’t it? Our routines, our diets, our outings, our socializing, our church-going, our screen time, our school, our work, our ways of caring, and so many other aspects of our ordinary, day-to-day lives are anything but normal. It is as if we’ve been uprooted and transported to a strange land and some days we wonder what the "new normal" will be like.
Maybe our feelings about this time are similar to the feelings of the Jews when they were herded off into captivity in Babylon. When they arrived, the Psalmist recalls:
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? (Psalm 137:1-4 KJV)
At first, the Jews resisted and complained about their captive state. Then, the Prophet Jeremiah brought them a message from God, telling them to adjust and seek the welfare of the strange city in which they were forced to live. He promised to eventually bring them back to their homeland. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV). We know that promise was fulfilled. We also know that, when they did return, what had been familiar a generation or two before was now strange and would never be the same again. They faced a new reality. And God gave them the wisdom and strength they needed to build again – not for the past, but for the future.
The Babylonian Captivity might be a metaphor for our life today in this strange situation. Like our ancient ancestors in faith, we can look forward to the strange new time ahead of us with confidence that God will be there too, showing us how to live in a new reality.
A colleague posted a comment the other day about something that occurred to him during his morning Bible study. He said that he came across a reference to the "new reality" of life in Christ and it occurred to him that term is preferable to the "new normal" we often hear about as we think what it will be like after the COVID-19 era is behind us. I, too, prefer that way of speaking and thinking about what lies ahead. After all, we are "new creatures."
W.H. Auden expressed it this way:
He is the Way. Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness; You will see rare beasts, and have unique adventures.
He is the Truth. Seek Him in the Kingdom of Anxiety; You will come to a great city that has expected your return for years.
He is the Life. Love Him in the World of the Flesh; And at your marriage all its occasions shall dance for joy.
Actually, for the last several weeks of life in the strange land of COVID-19, we haven’t sung the Lord’s song at St. Martin’s, have we? It’s strange for me to worship on a Sunday without either instrumental or vocal music. I’ve been trying to compensate by posting music on Facebook each afternoon. So, I’m glad to be able to announce that our new Organist/Choirmaster, Dr. Joseph Henry, has joined the staff and will be taking up the challenge of offering music in our online services in the days ahead. To begin with, we’ll have the organ. Later, we’ll add some hymns sung by a soloist. Maybe we’ll occasionally sing the Psalm. It is still not going to be the same. There will be an element of strangeness to it. But it will help us to move into the new reality that lies ahead, as God’s people have done so many times before, with faith, hope, and love.
Blessings,
The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue Interim Rector St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church Keller, Texas
P.S. Here is a recording of the lines above by W.H. Auden. These are the verses of hymn 463 & 464 in the 1982 Hymnal of The Episcopal Church. It is sung by the The Choir of Royal Holloway in a setting by Carson Cooman.
Sunday’s Gospel finds Jesus in Gentile territory. He first encounters a Syrophonecian woman who pleads with him to heal her demon-possessed daughter. Next he encounters a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment. They are not his people. Why is he there and why would he heal people like them?
Behind this story is the question of whether Jesus’ mission was consciously just to the Jews or intentionally extended to Gentiles. The biblical record is clear; Jesus never turned away anyone, Jew or Gentile, who sought his help. The realm he proclaimed is an inclusive realm of grace, open to everyone.
In the early Church, the question shifted to whether one had to become a Jew first before becoming a Christian. Paul's more inclusive way prevailed over the more exclusive approach of Peter. The grace of God was offered freely, without the need for circumcision or a particular religious pedigree.
Today, this question has emerged in yet another way. It comes to us transformed by the growing awareness that Christendom as we have known it in the West no longer is (and perhaps never was) the dominant religion in the world, and by the growing visibility of the diversity and vitality of the many other religious and spiritual traditions in the world. The emerging question is: What does it mean to be a Christian in the world?
Biblical scholar and preacher, Fred Craddock, tells the story of a missionary sent to India near the end of WW II. After many months the time came for a furlough back home. His church wired him the money for passage on a steamer. When he got to the port city, he discovered that a boatload of Jews had just been allowed to land temporarily. They were staying in attics and warehouses and basements all over that port city.
It happened to be Christmas, and on Christmas morning, this missionary went to one of the attics where scores of Jews were staying. He walked in and said, “Merry Christmas.” The people looked at him as if he were crazy and responded, “We're Jews.” “I know that," said the missionary, “What would you like for Christmas?” In utter amazement the Jews responded, “We'd like pastries, good pastries like the ones we used to have in Germany.”
So the missionary used the money for his ticket home to buy pastries for all the Jews he could find. Of course, then he had to wire home asking for more money to book his passage back to the States. As you might expect, they wired back asking what happened to the money they had already sent.
He replied that he had used it to buy Christmas pastries for some Jews. They wired back, “Why did you do that? They don't even believe in Jesus.” He wired back: “Yes, but I do.”
This missionary was a doer of the word and not a hearer only! So are we when our ears are opened and our tongues are loosened, for the hearing and the doing of the reconciling word entrusted to us.
In May of 1738, Peter Bohler, a Moravian missionary, said to Charles Wesley, “If I had a thousand tongues, I’d praise Christ with all of them.” On the 21st of May, Charles’ quest for such a faith was fulfilled. He was so stirred by those words of Peter Bohler that near the first anniversary of his conversion he wrote a hymn beginning, “Glory to God, and praise, and love.” The seventh stanza recalls Peter Bohler’s words: “O for a thousand tongues to sing my dear Redeemer’s praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!” (Here is a lively rendering of that great hymn.)
Much of what passes for evangelical Christianity today is aimed at closing ears, tying tongues, and excluding people. It sometimes seems to me that much of what is presented as good is in fact demonic. In contrast, we have the inclusive, healing, liberating ministry of our Redeemer, who not only talked about God’s love, but did something about it. Each of us can only ask that he liberate us from whatever demons torment us, unstop our ears to hear him, and loosen our tongues to praise him – with our words and with our actions – so that we become an extension of the heart and hands of Incarnate One who came not to condemn, but to give life.
I'll see you in Church!
The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue Interim Dean St. Andrew’s Cathedral Jackson, Mississippi
Watching all the children in Vacation Bible School this week brought back memories of my own childhood experience in Church.
When I was a child, I loved attending Sunday School. I had some amazingly loving and deeply faithful teachers whose influence profoundly affected the formation of my faith in a loving God. I can see them and hear their voices now as if it were only yesterday - Mr. Frantis, Mrs. Brittian, Mrs. Baber, and others. They loved us and shared their faith in Jesus with us. They reinforced the faith into which our parents were trying to guide us.
However, when I looked back on that time from the perspective of a young adult in the late 1960's, I realized something was wrong. They taught us to sing (with gusto) "Jesus Loves the Little Children." In that song, there is a line that says, "Red and yellow, black, and white, they are precious in his sight." But the church I attended was 100% white. From its members I overheard conversations from time to time about the place of our neighbors who were black, brown, and yellow. When I looked back, I realized that, while Jesus loves people besides white people, my white church people didn't. Jesus might love them, but they weren't really welcome in my church. Jesus might love them, but they weren't worthy of the dignity and respect enjoyed by white people. Jesus might love them, but our behavior toward them didn't have to look like we love them as he loves us. Jesus might love them, but they had better not act "uppity." (And what about brown children?)
If you grew up in a racist culture like I did, you know what I am talking about. Perhaps for you, as for me, recognizing that something was wrong was an epiphany, a time for repentance, and the beginning of transformation. My world could no longer be all white with a little color around the edges.
This all came to me during a time when black people were turned away from white churches. It was a struggle for one like me, who was taught that people of all colors are precious in the sight of Jesus, to reconcile that message with the actions I was witnessing. Given the rhetoric of the day, I suppose I could have rejected that message and clung to what seemed to be the majority view reflected in the rhetoric and behavior of my white world. But the security, control, and privilege of that world was slipping away. Abandoning it or confronting it could be dangerous. White people said harsh and hateful things to other white people who didn't participate in keeping non-white people "in their place." The message wasn't wrong; my white, privileged, dominant world was wrong and I couldn't live in it anymore. I had to set out on a journey toward someplace else. I'm still on that journey.
Recent events in our nation have brought me to the sad truth that many of my fellow white people are still trapped in that world. It is even sadder that they seem to be completely unconscious of it. They say and do things that are blatantly racist yet are oblivious. I know it's true because I've been there and I still find myself trying to overcome some of those prejudices that were planted in me long ago. People of color who loved me enough to point out the harm, sometimes hatefulness, of my words and actions stuck with me until I began to understand where they were coming from and how my words and my behavior affected them. Many of those people are still in my life. I give thanks to God for them. I've sort of been their lifelong project and I'm still not finished. They patiently continue on the journey with me. And as we travel, we sing that song hoping our rainbow beliefs are evident in our lives. Maybe the colors of our rainbow are still a little bit pastel, but we hope they are growing stronger with each step we take together. Together.
So, what I wanted to suggest today to my friends of all colors, races, religions, genders, and nationalities is that it might help heal our fractured, hurting world if we would sing this song and test ourselves to see if our words and actions show that we really believe it is true. Whether you believe that Jesus is God Incarnate, a wise prophet, or just a very gutsy nice guy, could it be true that he loves all the children of the world? Are all of us - red, yellow, black, white, brown - really precious in his sight? If I am one of the Jesus people, shouldn't they be precious in my sight as well? How do I love and treat people who are precious in Jesus' sight? Who are precious in my sight?
This isn't a final exam! It's a pop quiz to monitor progress in a lifelong course. I invite you to take it with me and see if we can be the difference we'd like to see in God's amazing, changing world.
I'll see you in Church!
The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue Interim Dean St. Andrew’s Cathedral Jackson, Mississippi
Our Cathedral kids and counselors will soon be enjoying an amazing week at Camp Bratton Green, the camp for the Diocese of Mississippi in Canton. While there, they will sing a grace before meals that is often called “The Johnny Appleseed Grace” made popular by a Walt Disney film. It goes like this:
In fact, those are the words of the first stanza of a hymn from the Swedenborgian Church (The New Church) of which John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed, was a missionary.
Johnny Appleseed was not just a Disney Character, he was a real person. I have visited his grave in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. The inscription on his headstone reads, “He lived for others.” This humble nurseryman went around sowing seeds, planting nurseries and orchards, and preaching. He sowed a lot of seed in his lifetime. His life had meaning and hope because he relied on the principle that “Anybody can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the apples in a seed.”
A lot of seeds will be planted in the souls of the campers at Camp Bratton Green this summer. I suspect some seeds will also be planted in the souls of their counselors. This video for the upcoming Campaign for Camp Bratton Green and Gray Center tells about how such seeds have been planted in the souls of thousands through the years and expresses the hope that there will be thousands more in the future. The campaign is appropriately called “The Seeds You Sow.”
Through our support of the campaign we will help sow seeds in the souls of children, youth, and adults. Let us contribute and let us pray for the souls past, present, and future campers, counselors, and visitors to Camp Bratton Green and Gray Center, where the seeds of faith, hope, and love take root and grow. Those seeds grow in souls and bear world-changing fruit.
I’ll see you in Church!
The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue Interim Dean St. Andrew’s Cathedral Jackson, Mississippi
Next week on May 9, we celebrate the 81st anniversary of the dedication of the Richard Howard Green Memorial Chimes in the West Tower of St. Andrew’s Cathedral. There are eleven bells in this set, the largest weighing 1,685 pounds and the smallest weighing 125 pounds. They were cast by the Old Meneely Bell Foundry of Watervliet, New York in 1936 specifically for our Cathedral. The bells were installed in 1937.
An inscription is cast on the Great Bell. It reads, “To the Glory of God / And for call to prayer for all people / The Gift of / Richard Howard Green, Junior Warden / Entered into Rest October 1, 1936.”
Mr. Green was a long and loyal member and vestryman of St. Andrew's. He made provision for the installation of the bells and was active in selecting them. Death robbed him of the joy of hearing them with earthly ears. However the Trustees took responsibility for the installation of the bells and had them named the Richard Howard Green Memorial Chimes.
These bells are a part of the historic richness of Downtown Jackson, Mississippi. They chime the hour and play a tune several times a day as well as on special occasions.
Beginning this Sunday, we will resume the custom of beginning worship services in the Cathedral by ringing one of these bells. Following the Prelude, when you hear the bell, it signals that it is time to stand for the singing of the Processional Hymn.
I’ll see you in Church!
The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue Interim Dean St. Andrew’s Cathedral Jackson, Mississippi
Our Thanksgiving Day service at Saint John's Cathedral will be at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, November 24. If you are in the vicinity, please join us. Come as you are, bring family, friends, or neighbors to this beautiful, inspiring place dedicated to the glory of our bountiful Creator.
Also, I want to encourage you to make your meal a true feast of Thanksgiving for those who gather with you around the table. The Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church provides many resources to help us join together in giving thanks on our national day of thanksgiving. Our Hymnal also is filled with words and music to express our gratitude. I commend these worship resources to you and pray that you and those you love will enjoy a truly Happy Thanksgiving!
The Collect for Thanksgiving Day
Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayers for Our Country
Almighty God, you have given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought here out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Litany of Thanksgiving
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.
For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.
For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.
For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.
For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.
For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.
For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.
For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.
Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Hymn 397
John Rutter's setting of Now Thank We All Our God performed by the Cambridge Singers
Words: Martin Rinckart (1586-1649); tr. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878)
Music: Nun danket alle Gott, melody Johann Cruger (1589-1662); arr. John Rutter (1945-)
Your thoughtful comments will make a visit to e-piphanies a richer experience for everyone. By clicking on the "Comments" link beneath each post, you can read the remarks others have written or add your own. If you leave a question, I will respond in the journal. In order to maintain the integrity of this blog, all comments are reviewed before being published on line.