Mood: Strong/Resilient
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STJ#1014, Answering the Call of Love
If you open your hymnal, you will see that the song has a different title printed. Now if you’ve been paying attention, you have also marked up this song’s title and lyrics, as per the composer’s instructions, changing “standing on the side” to the much less ableist and much more active “answering the call.” I… Continue reading
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STJ#1007, There’s a River Flowin’ in My Soul
Sometimes in this practice I am caught up in the flow of the experience, the memories, the theological and spiritual musings. Sometimes I am fascinated to learn more about the composer, the song’s origins, and its care. Today was intended to be the latter – who is Rose Sanders and where does this song originate?… Continue reading
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STLT#358, Rank by Rank Again We Stand
I don’t even know where to begin, so I guess I’ll begin with this morning’s experience of singing. As frequent readers know, I’m an Anglophile – a lover of British television, British film, the British Isles, and at least once, a British person. Knowing this was today’s hymn before I cracked open the hymnal, I started… Continue reading
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STLT#345, With Joy We Claim the Growing Light
First, I need to say a prayer for Key West, and really all of south Florida this morning. I have friends who are still on the island (mostly they are first responders, public works folk, or other government officials), and they are getting hit so very hard as I type. I’ve seen a few videos… Continue reading
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STLT#337, Have I Not Known
I am in Peterborough, New Hampshire, preparing to lead a retreat with dear friend and colleague Diana McLean. And as I was preparing to write today, I waxed a little poetic about the Blake poem this hymn tune (Jerusalem, by Charles H.H. Parry) was written for. And I burst into tears. Like, not just a… Continue reading
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STLT#327, Joy, Thou Goddess
When I say “Beethoven” I bet most of you think “da da da DUM” and the strikingly innovative opening to the Fifth Symphony. But for me, it’s this – Ode to Joy. I first waxed poetic about it on November 1st, noting the joy of the music and the lyrics by Henry Van Dyke. And… Continue reading
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STLT#303, We Are the Earth Upright and Proud
I can’t write – I’m still giggling about the fact that every time I start singing this, even with lyrics in front of me, I start singing the English lyrics of A Mighty Fortress Is our God. And then getting mad when ‘in us its rivers flowing’ doesn’t rhyme with “on earth is not an… Continue reading
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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#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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links
Learn more about my ministry at The Art of Meaning
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