Silence the Demons

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
Mark 1:21-28

When I stand here, among the good and righteous,
and harbor things that I refuse to see,
come shine your light into my willful blindness,
and silence all the demons within me.

When I would use your name to take advantage
and praise your power for my vanity,
rebuke me, Lord, to turn my heart from danger,
and silence all the demons within me.

When I despise your image in another
and make an idol of yourself in me,
reveal the glory of our loving Father,
and silence all the demons within me.

And when I know myself the worst of sinners,
so shackled that I cannot be set free,
drive out what I cannot—O Lord, come quickly!
And silence all the demons within me.

Eleventh century fresco of the *Exorcism at the Synagogue in Capernaum*. By Unknown author – Scan aus: Rudolf Lehr –- Landes-Chronik Oberösterreich, Wien: Verlag Christian Brandstätter 2004 S. 79 ISBN 3-85498-331-X, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6633986

Follow Him

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
Mark 1:14-20

Come after me, now calls the Christ—
for this is he who walks our shores—
and you will seek a different prize
than any you have sought before.

The conquest of the sea in storm,
the freedom of the waves and wind,
the nets that fill 'til they are torn:
Leave these behind and follow him.

Go after him, and leave your nets;
leave all you've known upon the shore
and follow now through life and death:
He charts for you a brand-new course.

The jostle of the marketplace,
the hustle after every whim,
the vying for a name and place:
Leave these behind and follow him.

And after all is said and done,
he meets you on another shore:
You land beneath a rising sun
with nets that filled and never tore.

The sorrows of a broken world,
the wounds from every sharp-edged sin,
the hunger for a heart made pure:
Through all of these you followed him.

Now see! The nets you left behind
are filled beyond the hoping for.
And all you loved, you yet shall find
in Christ's own feast on heaven's shore.

*The calling of Peter and Andrew*. By James Tissot – Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2007, 00.159.56_PS1.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10195832

Here Is the Servant of the Lord

Thus says the LORD:
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
     my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;
     he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
not crying out, not shouting,
     not making his voice heard in the street.
a bruised reed he shall not break,
     and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
until he establishes justice on the earth;
     the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
     I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
     as a covenant of the people,
     a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
     to bring out prisoners from confinement,
     and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7

Here is the servant of the Lord,
God's chosen one who comes as king.
In victory he lifts no sword,
but everlasting peace he brings.

Instead of spears, he bears bruised reeds
and smold'ring wicks instead of flame.
Behold the army that he leads:
a vanguard of the blind and lame!

No weapon for his empty hands,
he leads the ones of little worth,
but nothing hinders their advance
until his justice fills the earth.

And as they go, they open doors:
Our dungeons empty in their wake,
and good news reaches all the poor,
as mercy's light upon them breaks.

This is the Lord's anointed one,
and shall we, too, lay down our arms
to follow God's beloved Son
into the kingdom that has come?

The covenant of God and world,
he calls us with a quiet voice
to leave our darkness and come forth
into a light where all rejoice.

By Arent de Gelder, c.1710 – http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6893009

In This is Love

Beloved, let us love one another,
   because love is of God;
   everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only-begotten Son into the world
   so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
   not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
   and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
1 John 4:7-10

In this is love: Oh, not that I have loved,
but love itself sent love itself for me.
A jailer followed everywhere I roved,
and when I let him bind me, I was free.

In this is love: That in a wounded world
a healer came to bleed where I was cut.
Both his and mine is now my every hurt,
and mine his healing flowing in my blood.

In this is love: That what I cannot see
arrays itself in everything I can,
and when this fails at captivating me,
strips off its plumes and comes as but a man.

In this is love: That I can strike his face
and pluck his beard and trample on his name
and turn again in that same second's space,
and find that yet in love I do remain.

For this is love: This all-encompassing,
where any love I have is love for him.
Though I am bound forever in this ring,
'tis as beloved in her lover's arms.

First Epistle By Presbyter John, a monk – Codex Harleianus_5537 (minuscule 104 in the numbering Gregory-Aland), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7984526

He Shall Be Peace

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
Isaiah 60:1-6

For Epiphany:

So long the clouds have covered us;
so long they hid the light,
but dawn is breaking over us.
Come, revel in the sight!

And see: The children lost to us
have set out on the way,
the sons and daughters taken once, 
returning with the day.

The deaf'ning thunder of our wars,
our sorrow's blinding tears:
They vanish when the rising morn
has touched our eyes and ears.

And all the riches of the earth
that glitter in the dawn
cannot outshine him at his birth:
The Sun of Justice comes!

Both king and shepherd, see him rise:
All nations now behold—
oh, brighter than the morning skies!—
the comfort long foretold.

Lift up your eyes, Jerusalem,
and shine at what you see:
A shepherd comes from Bethlehem,
and, oh! He shall be peace!

*Adoration of the Magi* by El Greco, 1568, Museo Soumaya, Mexico City – Museo Soumaya Plaza Carso, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35846297

The World We Know Is Changing

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested,
he withdrew to Galilee.
He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea,
in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,
that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled:
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles,
the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Matthew 4:12-17

The world we know is changing;
compassion's long defeat
is shifting, rearranging
the ground beneath our feet.

Now every step's a crossroads,
and endlessly we choose
to set aside our crossloads
or bear them through the gloom.

The sky is growing dimmer,
and hope slips fast away,
but there is yet a glimmer,
a light that shows the way.

This is the night we walk in
by faith, if not by sight,
and we are made the beacons
who never can be bright.

O Christ, the sun of justice,
come strengthen our poor eyes
to see you in each other
and see your morning rise.

Come, Son of God, renewing
the ground beneath our feet.
Help us each step we're choosing
that peace and justice meet.

The Light of the World – 1853-54 By William Holman Hunt – Web Gallery of Art: Image Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6452048

We Saw a Star

We saw a star that did not rise:
a comet in the night half-spent
that rested low within the skies,
and where it beckoned, there we went.

Night after night it led us on,
'til all the ways behind were lost.
Our childhood constellations gone,
new lights arose with every dusk.

How could we steer by unknown stars,
or taste what these new breezes blew?
We held our course through day and dark
by that, the only light we knew.

And soon we saw with our eyes closed
the star, a lodestone in our minds
that led us still down weary roads,
a path that ever onward winds

past temples built for gods long dead,
past hillsides drenched in angels' light,
past one child in a manger bed,
and on in us the star shines bright.

The more the pathway twists and turns, 
the more we seek to follow still;
the more we follow, more it burns
to lead beyond the cross-crowned hill.

It leads, as all roads lead, to death,
and there beneath the darkest sky
we'll stop at last and catch our breath,
then trail the comet rising high.

The three Magi (named Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior), from Herrad of Landsberg‘s *Hortus deliciarum* (12th century) By Made at the Hohenburg Abbey, France, 1185 by Herrad of Landsberg (c.1130 – July 25, 1195) These illustrations are from a reproduction by Christian Maurice Engelhardt, 1818 – Hortus Deliciarum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22578096

Tonight In Bethlehem

For Kara Dahl. To the tune ST. LOUIS (REDNER) (“O Little Town of Bethlehem”):

The rowdy streets of Bethlehem
are full of noise and light,
and no one in the crowded inn
gets any sleep tonight:
They dice and shout their winnings
while notes of pure delight
are lost beneath the raucous din
that overflows the night.

The doorways spill into the streets;
the cups spill over wine.
The alleys echo dancing beats;
steps stumble out of time.
The song gives way to bleatings
among the sheep and swine,
and that gives way to something sweet,
some music more divine:

Where angels sing above the hills
as shepherds stand in awe,
the startled flocks, they snort and mill
beneath the strangest star.
And then, the whole world stilling,
and infant wails afar,
'til all the night with music fills
that spills from every bar.

And over all the raucous noise
that pours from every inn,
as one the shepherds lift their voice
and shout above the din:
“Come with us! Come rejoicing
while angels sing 'Amen'!
For all the world is filled with joys
tonight in Bethlehem!”

Bethlehem’s southside at night By ShootingforStars – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12241321

O Lord, Now Let Your Servant Go

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
He came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus
to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,
he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Lord, now let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you prepared in the sight of every people,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.”
Luke 2:22-35

O Lord, now let your servant go in peace:
The day has come at last for my release.
I held the promise written in your word,
and now I hear the song my fathers heard.

For I have seen salvation drawing near;
my own eyes have beheld you dawning clear:
a light from us that all the world shall see,
at last your glory breaking over me.

Now, in my time, your hidden seed new sprouts,
and in my years, you break the ancient drought.
Among the living, I have seen your face,
and in my body stood within your grace.

Then take me, Lord, at last into your shade,
for you fulfilled the promises you made.
There will I wait 'til all have shared my sight
and entered into everlasting light.

*Simeon in the Temple*, by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1631 – http://www.mauritshuis.nl : Home : Info : Pic, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=157936

The Dreams of Joseph

For the Christmas season, to the tune AURELIA:

Though doubt and grief assail you
in dread of days to come,
though love seems all unfaithful,
yet take it to your home.
O Joseph, son of David,
they need your steadfast arms:
Fear not to welcome Mary
and keep her from all harms.

When every day's uncertain
and all is turned around,
when you are filled with worry,
take darkness as your shroud:
O Joseph, make this journey
from your ancestral ground,
for Herod's men are searching.
Let not the child be found!

When all our days are anxious
and hope is drowned in fear,
with all our Herods raging
and nightmares drawing near,
O Joseph, wise and wakeful
to words none else could hear,
help us to trust the angels
that whisper in our ears.

Someday there will be safety;
someday there will be peace
when we will hear the angel
speak comfort and relief,
O Joseph, ever faithful,
come build us space to rest
with Jesus and with Mary,
a home in Nazareth.