December 9: Christmas Prophecies of Peace
♫ Music:
Monday, December 9
Title: CHRISTMAS PROPHECIES OF PEACE
Scripture: Luke 1: 68-79, Luke 2:14
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant—as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; to show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is well-pleased.
Poetry:
Poem 50 ("I lost my way, I forgot ...")
from "Book of Mercy"
by Leonard Cohen
I lost my way, I forgot to call on your name. The raw heart beat against the world, and the tears were for my lost victory. But you are here. You have always been here. The world is all forgetting, and the heart is a rage of directions, but your name unifies the heart, and the world is lifted into its place. Blessed is the one who waits in the traveller's heart for his turning.
CHRISTMAS PROPHECIES OF PEACE
As we amble on towards Christmas, today’s devotional selections call us to consider how we search and wait for Christ. They have in common the notion that we are wanderers, searching for the paths of peace.
But what does it mean to wander? And what might wandering have to do with peace? We might quickly think of wandering as aimlessness, of someone who has lost their way, perhaps even hopelessness. But today’s scripture, art, music and poetry evoke a different sort of wandering: a leisurely searching, a focused exploration.
Luke gives us prophecies of rescued wanderers who are guided onto the paths of peace. The visual art is a modern icon depicting the wandering messenger St. John the Forerunner. The song is an Irish tune about a wandering warrior that loses a treasure but in its place finds hope. The poem is a modern Psalm spoken by a wanderer who realizes he is not alone and learns to trust that each step is guided.
In each, we might say that the wanderers have been rescued, set secure on their path of seeking. And for us, they become trailblazers. Their wandering becomes pilgrimage, intent towards their hope and final home.
Those who wander in this way have open eyes, ears, and hearts. Light shines in the darkness, and they quickly move toward it. Birds sing and they stop to listen. Heart shudders and they turn around. Wandering in this way provides a kind of presence, opening the senses in subtle ways so that response is free and nimble. Wanderers like this are willing to discover lots of things along the way, even as they keep journeying forward.
John the Forerunner, as he wandered through the wilderness, always kept his eyes, ears, and heart open. He called others to join him in his steady attention: “Prepare the way for the Lord.”
This call to repentance is, at its heart, a call to remember. It is a call to remember that we are always forgetting, that our hearts are a “rage of directions.” But there’s good news for the dull-sensed, aimless wanderers among us. John, the wandering trailblazer, the gaunt-winged messenger singing songs of repentance, was shown the path of peace. His steady wandering was rewarded with sight: “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Have you been an aimless wanderer? A hopeless wanderer? If so, can you open your eyes and heart to meander on this pilgrimage in a new way today? In this age of anxiety and overload, embrace a slow but steady certainty that you are guided. Take time to listen to birdsong. Take time to quiet your heart. God has always been here; are you able to listen?
Let’s ask God to incline our hearts to wander this way, toward the path of peace.
Prayer:
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. It rings in our ears like birdsong, but we so quickly forget. Our hearts are a rage of directions and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son, our Rescuer, forgive us. Unify our hearts. Help us to hear your voice. Guide our feet into the way of peace that we may walk home with you.
Amen
Rachel Glazener
Alumna of the Conservatory of Music, Biola University
CCCA 2019 Advent Project Music Curator
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:
St. John the Forerunner, Angel of the Desert
Lyuba Yatskiv
2019
Acrylic and gold on gessoed panels
This three-panel depiction of John the Baptist succinctly illustrates his life and calling. The left panel shows John preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins as he prepares the gathered crowd for the coming of Jesus. In the middle panel, John is depicted as a gaunt ascetic wearing a camel hair garment. In his lap sits a scroll inscribed with Ecce Agnus Dei, or Lamb of God, a title for Jesus that appears in John 1:29: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." John is portrayed with wings that symbolize his role as a messenger. He holds a platter on which his severed head was presented to Princess Herodias. In the right panel, Jesus prepares for his public ministry on earth by having John baptize him in the Jordan River.
About the Artist:
Lyuba Yatskiv (b. 1977) is a Ukrainian artist. She attended the Lviv National Academy of Arts, Department of Sacral Art, where she is currently a professor of art. Yatskiv works in a style conforming closely to the traditional Byzantine iconographic manner. She is an intuitive artist who begins with highly expressive sketches that she then adapts to historic and traditional prototypes. Yatskiv is leading a new wave of sacred artists who are expanding the iconic traditions of Byzantine art into new contemporary representations of the Gospel.
http://iconart.com.ua/en/artists/artist-4/lyuba-yatskiv
About the Music:
“The Wanderer/Fáinleog/The Holly Bush” from the album The Gloaming 2
Lyrics:
Tháinig fáinleog, fán bhFéinn
Is rug an fáinne, fán loch.
D'imthigh an fáinne, ó shin anuas,
Gan a thuairisc anocht.
Éan ruadh na sciathán riabhach
Is éan beag eile thuas 'na bhéal
Ag gabháil mágcuaird ós ár gcionn
Ag seinm na bhfoinn san aer,
San aer...
Translation:
A swallow came by a wandering Fiann
That held a ring, wandering a lake.
In went the ring, and ever since it dropped,
There's been no sound tonight.
A red bird of brindled wing,
Higher than other birds with his voice,
Going all around our heads,
Playing his melody in the air,
In the air...
About the Composer:
Traditional Irish arranged by The Gloaming
About the Performers:
The Gloaming is a contemporary Irish/American music group formed in 2011 and comprised of fiddle player Martin Hayes, guitarist Dennis Cahill, vocalist Larla O Lionáird, fiddle player Caoimhín O Raghallaigh, and pianist and producer Thomas Bartlett. They have headlined at major venues including the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican, the Lincoln Center, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Kennedy Center, and the Walker Art Center, all the while maintaining an annual residency at Dublin's National Concert Hall. The group has been credited with a retake on traditional Irish music through a modern prism via elements of post-rock, jazz, contemporary classical, chamber, and minimalism. Lyricist O Lionáird often uses motifs, poetic verse, and whole songs from the ancient Irish canon, with some lyrics dating back centuries.
http://www.thegloaming.net/
About the Poet:
Leonard Norman Cohen (1934–2016) was a Canadian singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist. His work explored many topics including: religion, politics, isolation, sexuality, and romantic relationships. Cohen was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2008). Cohen pursued a career as a poet and novelist during the 1950s and early 1960s and composed and released folk-rock and pop songs in the mid-1960s. One of his most famous compositions is "Hallelujah," a song released on 1984's Various Positions album and used in the 2001 computer-animated film Shrek. Cohen received a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement in 2010.
https://www.leonardcohen.com/
About the Devotion Writer:
Rachel Glazener
Alumna of the Conservatory of Music, Biola University
CCCA 2019 Advent Project Music Curator
Originally from Arizona, Rachel Glazener transplanted to California to attend Biola in 2006 to study flute and piano performance. From 2012 to 2016, Rachel served as Networking Coordinator for the Conservatory of Music. Rachel has selected all the music for the Advent and Lent Projects for the past several years. The Glazeners have been married since 2011 and have three beautiful children, Madeleine, Lucy, and Henri.