December 7: This Blessed Hope
♫ Music:
Saturday, December 7
Title: THIS BLESSED HOPE
Scripture: 1 Peter 1: 3-4, Titus 2:11-13
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.
Poetry:
Joy and Peace in Believing
By William Cowper
Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing on His wings;
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
To cheer it after rain.
In holy contemplation
We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God's salvation,
And find it ever new;
Set free from present sorrow,
We cheerfully can say,
E'en let the unknown to-morrow
Bring with it what it may!
It can bring with it nothing,
But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing,
Will clothe His people too;
Beneath the spreading heavens
No creature but is fed;
And He who feeds the ravens
Will give His children bread.
Though vine nor fig tree neither
Their wonted fruit shall bear,
Though all the field should wither,
Nor flocks nor herds be there:
Yet God the same abiding,
His praise shall tune my voice;
For, while in Him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.
OUR LIVING HOPE
The letters of the Apostles Paul and Peter comprise a large portion of the New Testament and inform our understanding of the Christian life. Both Paul and Peter take time to encourage us and prompt us to consider how live day to day in light of the good news we have before us. These two different passages, merged together for today's reading, contain the same joyous message at their core: we are “born again to a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3) and look forward to our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Our hope is that we are born again by Jesus Christ’s resurrection (1 Peter 1:3), and we look forward to his future return (Titus 2:13). Indeed, we have an inheritance awaiting us (1 Peter 1:4). In our dark winter days, whether literal or metaphorical, these words from the Word of God spring off the page. Two separate passages, one unified hope.
Today’s poem, William Cowpers’ “Joy and Peace in Believing” is sometimes sung at my church. If you were here with me, I would convince you to join me in singing it, for “in holy contemplation/ We sweetly then pursue /The theme of God's salvation, / And find it ever new;” Cowper’s poem has a natural lilt and rhythm to it that lends itself to joyous song. And after all - praise shared together is a powerful tool for remembering that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men.” (Titus 2:11)
Building on Cowper’s poem, today’s music and art selections allow us to meditate on the future of our hope. Eriks Esenvalds’ “Stars” focuses on how the “wondrousness of a ‘heaven full of stars’ is evoked by a radiant chorale” and should remind us of our inheritance, reserved in heaven. (https://www.eriksesenvalds.com/works/stars) Nicora Gangi’s triptych “Kiss the Son” displays “the concept of worship and man’s rebellion against or obedience to God” in three different scenes. Gangi concludes “Yet, for those who ‘Kiss the Son’ with love, God is victorious over this inevitable and nightmarish end. So, let us be at peace with God in Christ who is our Peace.” (https://sparkandecho.org/illumination/kiss-the-son_nicora-gangi/) “Kiss the Son” prompts us to look forward to our blessed hope, the return of Christ. Until his return, let us wait and “run with endurance the race set before us, looking to Jesus…” (Hebrews 12:1)
Peter and Paul’s encouragement to the first century Church are the same words we need to hear today. We are to live “[sensible], [righteous], and godly” lives in our time on this Earth (Titus 2:12) as we wait for our blessed hope. We are reminded that the Christian life is an active one, not a passive one. How are you actively remembering your living hope this Christmas season?
Prayer:
Father God, may we remember that the gift of your Son is our ongoing daily hope that sustains us. Through your Spirit, give us your wisdom and your boldness to tell others about Jesus Christ, our living hope.
Amen
Stacie Schmidt
Reference Services Librarian
Library Liaison for Education, History, and Political Science
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Kiss the Son (overall image and details of each panel)
Nicora Gangi
2017
Multimedia collage on paper
21 in. x 33 in.
This work by artist Nicora Gangi was inspired by Medieval Last Judgment triptychs. The left panel shows humanity's various “golden calves,” those things that we worship but ultimately lead to death. This is contrasted with the right panel in which the lion and the lamb sit atop a space of life-giving glory and eternal peace. The bottom of the central panel features a city of destruction and above it is a sun that shines brightly, inviting all reconciled people into the loving presence of the Lord. Gangi states that, ”In my paper collages I aim to capture the movement and weight of color that are inspired from my readings in the book of Psalms from the Bible…...These pieces all express a deep truth through the means of colorful allusions, premeditated, conscious metaphors..…...In these lie implicit narratives and deeply symbolic communications humans instinctively seek: hope in the face of death, the possibility of genuine permanence, and the perseverance of meaning in spite of our weakness, brokenness, and failure.“
About the Artist:
Nicora Gangi (b. 1952) is an American artist educated at the Hartford Art School, Montclair State College, and Syracuse University where she was a professor of art for 29 years. In 2010, she also taught for Gordon College in Orvieto, Italy. Gangi’s work has been featured in Artist Magazine, Pastel Artist International Magazine, Design Magazine, American Art Collector, and CMYK Magazine. In 2001, she was awarded the highly prized and honorable Harris Popular Award from the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, New York. She also received the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award in the summer of 2006. Gangi has lectured regionally and nationally as a visiting artist at colleges, universities, and artist’s guilds.
Artist website: www.nicoragangi.com
About the Music:
“Stars” from the album Lux
Lyrics:
Alone in the night
On a dark hill
With pines around me
Spicy and still,
And a heaven full of stars
Over my head,
White and topaz
And misty red;
Myriads with beating
Hearts of fire
That aeons
Cannon vex or tire;
Up the dome of heaven
Like a great hill,
I watch them marching
Stately and still,
And I know that I
Am honoured to be
Witness
Of such majesty.
About the Performers:
Formed in 2005, VOCES8, an a cappella octet from the United Kingdom, has a diverse repertoire ranging from early English and European Renaissance choral works to their own original arrangements. The ensemble is dedicated to supporting promising young singers and annually awards eight choral scholarships through the VOCES8 Scholars Initiative where amateur singers of all ages are invited to perform with the ensemble. VOCES8 tours extensively throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, and their artistic collaborations have included the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, period ensemble Les Inventions, violinist Hugo Ticciati, and cellist Matthew Sharp.
http://www.voces8.com/
About the Poet:
William Cowper (1731-1800) was an English poet and hymnodist. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th century poetry by writing about everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge called him "the best modern poet." It was during a time of deep depression that Cowper wrote one of his most beloved hymns, “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” a hymn about the saving power of the blood of Christ.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-cowper
About the Devotion Writer:
Stacie Schmidt
Reference Services Librarian
Biola Library, Biola University
Stacie Schmidt has a B.A. in History from Cedarville University and a M.L.I.S. from UCLA. At Biola University Library, Stacie Schmidt is the Reference Services Librarian at the Biola Library, where she delights in answering mundane and complicated questions. Outside of the Library, she can be found reading Dorothy L. Sayers, analyzing film, and counting down the days until the next Star Wars movie.