Proper 6 [11]God's power and God's blessings, over human souls and nature alike |
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| Scripture | Theme | Hymns |
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| I
Sam 15:34-16:13 --or-- Ezekiel 17:22-24 |
Saul rejected, David annointed --or-- God's power to bless |
203: Hail
to the Lord's Anointed 651: Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire |
| Psalm
20 --or-- Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 |
Asking God's blessing for our brothers and sisters --or-- It is good to praise God |
67: We,
Thy People, Praise Thee 96: Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above 103: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise 417: O For a Heart to Praise My God |
| II
Cor 5:6-10; 14-17 --or-- II Cor 5:6-17 |
The miracle of change--mortal life in the body changing to eternal life in Christ | 372: How
Can We Sinners Know 384: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling |
| Mark 4:26-34 | Parables of seeds--an intimate sharing of planting, growth, and harvest | 469: Jesus
Is All the World to Me 694: Come, Ye Thankful People, Come |
Kingdomtide. Ordinary time. Sundays after Pentecost. This is how we refer to the longest continuous season in the church calendar. What do they mean to us? Kingdomtide sounds quite grand, while ordinary time sounds, well, very ordinary. Sundays after Pentecost seem to look back, although the final Sunday before Advent looks forward to the Reign of Christ or Christ the King. Where can we focus? How do we find a direction? Perhaps there is some guidance in the history of this week's featured hymn.
Rhabanus Maurus lived in the 8th and 9th centuries. The Roman empire was gone and Europe had entered a period known as the Dark Ages. Records of the Dark Ages are generally more scarce. As a result, many people have characterized that time as being marked by intellectual and cultural decline. You never would have reached that conclusion by looking at the work of Rhabanus. He was referred to as the teacher of Germany and was known as a theologian and poet. He prepared works on education and grammar, as well as commentaries on the Bible and histories of military compaigns. Late in life he was elected as Archbishop of Mainz, one of the most prominent states in the Holy Roman Empire. Dark Ages? Not as far as Rhabanus was concerned!
How did Rhabanus achieve so much during the so-called Dark Ages? The answer is reflected in his writings. As a deacon and priest and ultimately an archbishop, he focused on God and the nature of the world that God created. The hymn Veni Creator Spiritus is one example. It ponders the mystery of the Trinity, even as it acknowledges creation's need for the Holy Spirit's gifts and grace and peace. Bringing the divine and the mortal together this way is, itself, inspiring.
Centuries later Europe was emerging from the Middle Ages into the period of the Renaissance. The English Reformation was in full tilt. It was during this time the British crown fought to maintain control while wrestling with the authority of the church in Rome. John Cosin lived during these turbulent years. Although he was devoted to the Church of England and hostile to Roman Catholicism, he found inspiration in Rhabanus' hymn and translated it into English. It was written for the coronation of Charles I and has been sung at every coronation since that time. Here is his translation:
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1. Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, and lighten with celestial fire; thou the anointing Spirit art, who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart. |
2. Thy blessed unction from above is comfort, life, and fire of love; enable with perpetual light the dullness of our blinded sight. |
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3. Anoint and cheer our soiled face with the abundance of thy grace; keep far our foes; give peace at home; where thou art guide, no ill can come. |
4. Teach us to know the Father, Son, and thee, of both, to be but One; that through the ages all along this, this may be our endless song: |
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Praise to thy eternal merit, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. |
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Kingdoms and Kingdomtide were very real and very pressing concerns to Cosin in his day. The need for peace and the yearning for ordinary time were palpable. The security of an endless song of praise carrying forward into the future was inspiring. May the words of this hymn inspire us to celebrate God's kingdom, enjoy the ordinary nature of creation, and proclaim the eternal glory of the Lord.
God bless you--
Lection at HymnSite.com
God bless you!
| Passages suggested are from The Revised Common Lectionary: Consultation on Common Texts (Abingdon Press, 1992) copyright © by the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT), P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville TN 37203-0003. Reprinted with permission of CCT. |