The Lions In the Desert

One for today’s readings, combining Isaiah and Matthew:

The lions in the desert,
they heard the Baptist first
and swore in their repentance
no blood should slake their thirst.

The jackals in the wastelands,
the vultures in the sky,
they turn and taste the sweet rains
where once all things were dry.

For they have heard the Baptist,
and in their hearts it burns,
the embers of his message—
that even vipers turn!

Then who am I to linger
and love my crooked ways
when adders sting no longer
and wolves with lambkins graze?

No, I shall go to Jordan
and plunge into its depths
to rise alive once more, then,
with song in every breath.

Then to God's holy mountain
I'll go with wolf and lamb,
where win flows like a fountain,
to praise the Great I Am!

John the Baptist in the wilderness By Hieronymus Bosch, 1504-1505 – https://kunsthistoriened.wordpress.com/sk1516/jeroen-bosch, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=148079

Before the Heavens

Before the heavens or the earth,
before a single star,
before th'unveiling universe,
from age to age, you are.

And when the stars have all gone out,
dissolved in entropy,
the sun has gone forever down,
beyond our end, you'll be.

The wisdom spoken at the first
that let there be some light,
you played in all the newborn earth
and found in it delight.

You helped the maker shape the clay
before God breathed in us,
and then you taught us words to say,
God's breath out of our dust.

Then come again, O Word Unfurled
upon creation's scroll,
delighting in the weary world:
Come now, and make us whole.

For we were always crumbling dust,
upheld but by your work.
Come back and breathe once more in us.
Speak us again, O Word.

NGC 4414, a typical spiral galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices, is about 55,000 light-years in diameter and approximately 60 million light-years from Earth. By The Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI/NASA)NASA Headquarters – Greatest Images of NASA (NASA-HQ-GRIN) – http://nix.larc.nasa.gov/info;jsessionid=1sl2so6lc9mab?id=GPN-2000-000933&orgid=12http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/images/hs-1999-25-a-full_tif.tif, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127019

And He Himself

And he, in the beginning,
and he himself the end,
a thread of seconds spinning,
the heaven's veil to rend:
as flesh and blood's withinning,
the highest love descends.

And he himself the sower,
and he himself the seed,
casts love still low and lower
beneath our weary feet.
Now hidden in the furrow,
he aches with winter's need.

And he himself, the spoken,
no silence now disturbs.
The hope that he betokens
seems nothing but absurd,
until the the night breaks open
with cries that have no words.

And he himself the living
is he himself the dead,
calls us into forgiving
with all we've done and said,
into the feast he's giving,
and he himself the bread.

Baptistery mosaics, Last Judgment – Christ the Judge https://duomo.firenze.it/en/discover/baptistry

Beware!

Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
Matthew 24:37-44

Beware! The thief is coming,
though no one knows the hour
when David's key is turning
and Jesse's root shall flow'r.
Then all your strong defenses
will crumble to the ground:
He'll come with recompenses
while mountains tumble down.

Be watchful, and be ready—
Do not, dare not to sleep!
His coming, long awaited,
th'appointed time shall keep.
Prepare yourself for testing;
stand firmly in the fight:
The plow must be your weapon,
your armor made of light.

Behold, this is the moment—
shall it e'er come again?—
the thief is on your doorstep
and knocks to be let in.
Make ready to receive him;
prepare a level way.
Get up and let the thief in:
At your house he must stay.

Christ Pantocrator By Unknown author – Unknown source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5820582

Then

An angel showed me the river of life-giving water,
sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God
and of the Lamb down the middle of the street,
On either side of the river grew the tree of life
that produces fruit twelve times a year, once each month;
the leaves of the trees serve as medicine for the nations.
Nothing accursed will be found anymore.
The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it,
and his servants will worship him.
They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun,
for the Lord God shall give them light,
and they shall reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:1-7

Then all the broken promises
and all the severed ties
will be restored with all that is,
where nothing ever dies.

And all that should be but is not
shall be forevermore,
and all that was and then was lost
to us us shall be restored.

The tree of life shall grow again
in orchards, rows on rows,
and Eden's gate be opened then
to everything that grows.

The flaming sword shall plow the ground
to open every grave,
and nothing cursed shall then be found
when all has been remade.

The bodies wedded to decay
shall taste the medicine
that was in Eden locked away,
and they shall live again.

Then all the broken will be healed,
the severed mended then,
and death to endless life shall yield—
but when, my God?  But when?

Painting of life tree in interoer of Shaki Khan palace, Azerbaijan NAtional Art Museum, Usta Gambar Garabagi By Urek Meniashvili – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26760866

Lay Your Weapons Down

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
the mountain of the LORD’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths.”
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Isaiah 2:1-5

Come, lay your weapons down,
and plunge them in the soil.
The sword that was so sharp and proud
is humbled to our toil.
Now it shall plow the ground,
tear out the roots of war:
Prepare a place for seeds to sprout,
a harvest for our joy.

Unless the seed should fall
it would remain a seed,
but buried, it shall rise up tall,
a hundredfold to yield.
The scythe is at the stalk—
it once had been a spear—
come, now; the harvestmaster calls:
His day is drawing near!

Then let us climb at once
the mountain of the Lord,
and hand in hand declare a truce,
lay down the hungry sword.
Come, plow the fallow tombs
and let our roots take hold
to grow the grain our God shall use
to feed a hungry world!

Mosaic in the Beit Habad Gallery, Jerusalem, quoting Isaiah 2:4, with lion, spear and spade. By benito roveran from verona, Italia – IMG_4713, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36487009

St. Cecilia’s Day

Let there be music in my heart:
O Spirit, sing in me
resounding notes of peace unmarred
by my cacophany.

You sing in groans; let me have words,
and I will wake the dawn
with all the wrens and mockingbirds
who sing to raise the sun.

With whippoorwill and nightingale
I'll sing at midnight, too.
Your song in terror does not fail,
then let me sing with you.

For oh! The world seems bleak indeed,
and oh! The night is long.
In discord, grant me harmony;
in sorrow, give me song.

And when at last the morning comes,
give me to sing still more
with all the world as horns and drums,
your mercy to adore!

And you—no dove, but meadowlark—
sing loud, and louder still
'til music overflows my heart
and all the world is filled!

Lefthand side folio 132v and righthand side folio 133r from the Book of hours by the Master(s) of Zweder van Culemborg Illuminations on the left folio 132v The full-page miniature shows St. Cecilia of Rome holding two birds The virgin martyr cecilia of rome; possible attributes: falcon, musical instruments, organ, wreath of roses and lilies (11HH(CECILIA)) Birds (+ animals as attributes) (25F3(+13)) – This media file is from the collections of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, part of which is available on Wikimedia Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61225730

Christ, the King, Our Lord

For today’s feast of Christ the King, taken from the Collect:

Almighty, ever-living God,

whose will is to restore all things

in your beloved Son, the King of the universe,

grant, we pray,

that the whole creation, set free from slavery,

may render your majesty service

and ceaselessly proclaim your praise.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

Through him, all things created;
in him, all things restored;
with him, all elevated:
in Christ, the King, our Lord.

The first word ever spoken,
the last, resolving chord
forever scarred and broken
is Christ, the King, our Lord.

The notes forever echo,
resounding through the world;
the universe they beckon
to Christ, the King, our Lord.

Still wounded is the music,
yet beautiful the more,
transformed as God renews it
in Christ, the King, our Lord.

Then come and join the singing,
all voices in accord,
a new song ever ringing
to Christ, the King, our Lord.

O come, all you created;
all broken, be restored.
It's this that you were made for:
for Christ, the King, our Lord!

By Constantinople master – http://eib.xanthi.ilsp.gr/gr/icons.asp?cursort=iconTitle&selectFieldValue=&vpage=3, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43212715 Picture 015

Come, Thief

For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.
1 Thessalonians 5:2

I shut the doors left open,
lock them against the dark,
but locks can all be broken:
Come, thief, and wake my heart.

I thought my peace secure, then,
shut tight against the dark,
but still the doors creak open:
Come, thief, and wake my heart.

Too long has it been sleeping,
its shining lamps gone dark,
and shadows have come creeping:
Come, thief, and wake my heart.

My peace is merely silence;
my ease a blindfold dark;
my comfort numb to violence:
Come, thief, and wake my heart.

New flame in me enkindle
to pierce the heavy dark.
Your day let me remember:
Come, thief, and wake my heart.

To leave a life of hiding
and face in truth the dark;
to find a peace abiding:
Come, thief, and wake my heart.

Couvercle d’un coffret en ivoire d’éléphant portant la représentation du Christ en Majesté entre les quatre évangélistes. Cologne, première moitié du XIIIe s. Ivoire. By Anonymous – Marsyas 18:37, 6 March 2006 (UTC), CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=616980

The Day Is Coming In a Blaze

Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
Malachi 3:19-20a

The day is coming in a blaze,
as sure as stars will turn;
the sun will rise with healing rays,
and oh! How we will burn!

Our lives will kindle into flames
the Spirit's breath will fan,
devouring all our varied shames,
and how the sparks will dance!

But some shall burn for cruel rage,
and some love shall ignite,
yet all shall know themselves unchanged
within the furnace bright.

Christ Jesus, I don't want to burn,
for life is hurt enough,
but if I must to cinders turn,
then let it be for love!

Let me not kindle hatred's fire
or take delight in pain.
Let not an unjust thirst for ire
consume my heart again!

But when it comes, that day of days,
O Christ, when you return
to set the waiting world ablaze,
for love, then, let me burn!

An outdoor wood fire By Fir0002 – Originally uploaded to the English Wikipedia here by the author, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11904