Hymn by Hymn
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STLT#299, Make Channels for the Streams of Love
So…. bear with me on this: today’s hymn is the Jan to yesterday’s Marcia. Everyone loves Wake Now My Senses. it’s a popular ordination hymn. It makes some of us cry. It is easy to sing and suits so many sermons. And there, on the bottom of the right hand page, tucked away so as you… Continue reading
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STLT#298, Wake, Now, My Senses
One of the joys of belonging to a congregation that’s just 20 years old is that the history is recent, and there are a lot of firsts to be part of. On May 27th of this year, there were a lot of firsts: I was co-ordained by the First Universalist Church of Southold, where I was… Continue reading
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STLT#297, The Star of Truth
It seems that every month or so there is a day I let my faithful – and even not so faithful – readers down. Today is one of them. I’ll chalk it up to utter exhaustion after an amazing, if sleep-deprived, week at SUUSI, and a beautiful but long drive home from the Smoky Mountains of… Continue reading
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STLT#296, O Ye Who Taste That Love Is Sweet
Confession: sometimes I sing a hymn and all I really have to say is, ‘yep, it’s great’ and then I look for more to say. I love this hymn. It’s great. The melody, a late 15th century French tune by Franciscan monk Jean Tisserand, is lush and a bit bittersweet, and provides a perfect mood… Continue reading
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STLT#295, Sing Out Praises for the Journey
Of course this is the hymn today, as I set out on 14-hour trip home from SUUSI that was called Blessed Is the Path. And in fact, I’m a little surprised no one used this in their worship this week… except that it’s probably a bit stodgier than most of what we sing here. Yet… Continue reading
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STLT#294, Our Praise We Give
Here at SUUSI, we have a yearly theme; this year’s is “Blessed Is the Path,” and the resulting worship services have explored the many ways we are on our path, what we may encounter on the path, and what it means to say ‘yes’ to the path. Of course, my mind has spent a little… Continue reading
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STLT#293, O Star of Truth
So… I’m not sure about this one. On the one hand, it’s a wonderful piece about our first source – our personal experience of awe and wonder, singing praise to the “star of truth” – which is a wonderful name for that which some call God. On the other hand, there seems to be a bit of… Continue reading
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STLT#292, If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking
Last night, friend and colleague Erika Hewitt brought a message of love to evening worship here at SUUSI. It was not an easy message – she challenged us to flex our heart muscles in new ways, to lean into empathy, to see love in part as being willing to look past events and out into… Continue reading
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STLT#291, Die Gedanken Sind Frei
I entered this morning’s hymn with trepidation; I’m familiar with it and I’ve sung it a few times, but I was a bit anxious about what is really a charming little melody, wondering whether it would be a problem the way the Austria tune can be. Between the Lines was no help really; James says… Continue reading
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STLT#290, Bring, O Past, Your Honor
I don’t wanna do this any more if it means I have to be eloquent and insightful about hymns like this one. Now I am sure there were good reasons for the Hymnal Commission to include it. The lyrics – written by Unitarian minister, professor at Meadville, and church historian Charles Lyttle – are indeed a… Continue reading
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