December 18: The Messiah as Ruler
♫ Music:
Day 20 - Friday, December 18
Title: THE MESSIAH AS RULER
Scripture: Micah 5:2
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Poetry:
A Christmas Hymn
by Richard Wilbur
"And some of the Pharisees from among the
multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.
And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that,
if these should hold their peace, the stones would
immediately cry out."
-St. Luke XIX, 39-40
A stable-lamp is lighted
Whose glow shall wake the sky;
The stars shall bend their voices,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
And straw like gold shall shine;
A barn shall harbor heaven,
A stall become a shrine.
This child through David's city
Shall ride in triumph by;
The palm shall strew its branches,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry,
Though heavy, dull, and dumb,
And lie within the roadway
To pave his kingdom come.
Yet he shall be forsaken,
And yielded up to die;
The sky shall groan and darken,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry
For stony hearts of men:
God's blood upon the spearhead,
God's love refused again.
But now, as at the ending,
The low is lifted high;
The stars shall bend their voices,
And every stone shall cry.
And every stone shall cry
In praises of the child
By whose descent among us
The worlds are reconciled.
ON THE WAY TO BETHLEHEM — A REMINDER
Big things happen in small towns. We forget that. Entertainment and news media can give the impression that excitement, glamor, and wealth only come amid towering concrete-and-steel buildings laced with glutted, blaring traffic and elbow-to-elbow crowds. There are songs about all that — suggesting an enduring magic downtown; but it’s mostly fiction. The truth is that most of the real action in cities happens when outsiders crowd in for big events — stadium sports, concerts, parades, protests. People come, then they go.
A 2018 Pew Center study shows the vast majority of people in the U.S. live in small towns and suburban areas (places with about 100,000 residents). In years past, before the notion of suburbs grew in the mid-1800s, most in the U.S. lived in tiny towns connected by narrow roads.
Bethlehem was a town like that. Ancient census records suggest that at the time Jesus was born, there might have been between 300 and 1,400 people living there, depending on events.
Bethlehem was a six mile walk from Jerusalem — roughly a two-hour trip. And like many small towns, it had a momentous history. It was the city where David, King of Israel, was born and where the prophet Samuel anointed him as God’s chosen leader. Boaz and Ruth had lived there, and trudging the rocky soil around it, the boy David had tended sheep. Its name can be translated “house of bread,” and Bethlehem was known for some of the purest water in the region.
Our Scripture passage is like a tender word to a neglected child. “And you Bethlehem” it begins, then mentions size and comparisons. There were bigger towns and cities from which God could have brought us a Savior. But God loves confounding common sense and expectation — our “we’ve always done it that way” mindset.
The Apostle Paul had to remind the church at Corinth about this. When they first believed in Jesus, not many of them were wise, not many were influential, not many of noble birth. God’s approach, he said, was to choose “the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of the world and the despised — the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him” (1 Cor. 1:27-29).
There is a certain power in the remoteness and solitude of small, far-flung cities and towns; introspection and soul-searching are somehow easier there, particularly if one has just escaped the noise and sidewalk fictions of a metropolis.
The voices of the choir in our music today rise like a gentle echo through quiet mountain passes and river valleys. The eyes of the mosaic Christ grip ours with a look that is both somber and expectant, beckoning us to come near, to come away to the stillness where He can speak and where we can hear all He has to say.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to us in a lowly place, in poverty, in a way so few understood or expected (though you had been promised centuries before). Thank you, King Eternal, for showing us what humility looks like, from the moment you emerged from the womb to the day you hung on a cruel cross, suffering in our place. Thank you, today, for the gift that is music — blended voices in echoing harmony — and for visual expression, form and face, which bring solace to our souls in this time of worldwide sickness and peril. You are Immanuel, and you have come. We are not alone. We welcome you again. Hold us in your strong, nail-pierced hands until the storm has passed.
Amen
Dr. Michael A. Longinow
Chair, Department of Digital Journalism and Media
Adviser, Print Journalism; Adviser, Chimes
Co-Adviser, Media Narrative Projects
Department of Digital Journalism and Media
School of Fine Arts and Communication
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:
Christ Pantocrator (overall and close-up views)
The Aidan Hart Mosaic Studio
2013
Mosaic
St Martin’s Church of Wales
Cardiff, Wales
Produced in 2013 for St Martin’s Church of Wales in Cardiff, Wales, this exterior mosaic of the Christ Pantocrater sits above the church’s north door. The Greek term “Pantocrator,” usually translated as “All Powerful,” also means “to hold all things.” This mosaic, based on the Deesis Mosaic of Christ Pantocrator from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, features the face of Christ with different facial features on either side of his face that are intended to emphasize Christ's two natures: one side representing Christ as fully God and the other side representing him as fully human. Christ’s left hand holds a closed book, which represents the Gospels and has a richly decorated cover featuring the Cross. The name of Christ is written on each side of the halo, as IC and XC. The nuance of expression and spiritual sensitivity in this depiction of Christ is drawn from the ancient traditions of Christian iconography across both the East and West. The painstaking selection of tiny bits of colored and gilded glass, the subtle shading of color in the eyes and beard, and the exquisite details all show the care taken by the artisans to set the pieces in the mortar so they perfectly reflect the light.
https://www.stmartininroath.co.uk/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Pantocrator
About the Artist:
Aidan Hart (b. 1957) is a British artist who grew up in New Zealand and worked there as a full-time sculptor after completing a degree in English literature and a diploma in Secondary Education teaching. In 1983 Hart became a member of the Orthodox Church, returned to England, and began work as a professional iconographer. While continuing to work as an iconographer from 1988 to 2000, he also spent two years as a monk on Mount Athos, Greece, and six years as a hermit in Shropshire, UK. This intense life of prayer profoundly affected his life and work. Hart is now married with two children and has developed expertise in a wide range of media and techniques including egg tempera, panel painting, fresco painting, stone and wood carving, illuminated manuscript painting, church furniture design, and mosaics. Hart has published two books: Techniques of Icon and Wall Painting, widely regarded as the foremost work on the subject, and Beauty Spirit Matter, a collection of essays. In 2009 he founded The Certificate in Icon Painting, a three-year part-time program that he continues to teach and which is run by The Prince's School of Traditional Arts, London.
https://www.aidanhartmosaics.com/
Music:
“And You Will Sleep”
Lyrics:
The walls of a stable are not worthy of a king.
You come, little one,
borne on the songs of angels,
the echoes of prophets,
and the light of a strange star.
Do not cry, though you must lie
on this rough, unforgiving wood.
You will be wrapped in lengths of linen,
and you will sleep.
Being found in human form,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
yes, the death of the cross.
Though you must lie
on this rough, unforgiving wood,
you will be wrapped in lengths of linen,
and you will sleep.
These walls are not worthy of a king, little one,
but your kingdom is not of this world.
Performers:
The St. Olaf Choir, with 75 mixed voices, is a premier a cappella choir in the United States. For over a century, the choir has set a standard of choral excellence and remained at the forefront of choral artistry. Conducted since 1990 by Anton Armstrong, the St. Olaf Choir has set a standard in the choral art, serving as a model for choirs of all levels. The ensemble’s annual tour brings its artistry and message to thousands of people across the nation and around the world. The St. Olaf Choir has taken 14 international tours and performed for capacity audiences in the major concert halls of Norway, France, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and the Twin Cities.
https://wp.stolaf.edu/choir/
Composer:
Philip Biedenbender is a recipient of the Richard Hillert Award in Student Composition from the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and the Center for Church Music at Concordia University Chicago. As a pianist, he has collaborated with numerous ensembles and organizations including the St. Olaf Choir, the Florida State University Chamber Choir, and the College Light Opera Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in theory/composition from St. Olaf College and a master’s degree in choral conducting from Florida State University. Philip Biedenbender with Laurie F. Gauger created the Selah Hymnary, an all-digital hymnal for today’s church. The hymns take inspiration from the readings of the Revised Common Lectionary, with the long-term goal being a complete cycle of hymns for each Sunday and festival in the lectionary.
https://www.philipbiedenbender.com/about/
https://www.philipbiedenbender.com/selah-hymnary/
Lyricist:
Laurie F. Gauger has written and published hymns, devotions, religious curriculum materials, and hundreds of magazine articles. She has worked as an English and music teacher at Shoreland Lutheran High School in Wisconsin and as a curriculum writer and editor at Northwestern Publishing House. She currently serves Martin Luther College as the campus writer/editor, producing two magazines, several newsletters, and various other publications. Her hymns have been published by Northwestern Publishing House, Concordia Publishing House, and Faith Alive.
https://hymnary.org/person/Gauger_Laurie
About the Poet:
Richard Purdy Wilbur (b. 1921-2017) was an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987 and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1957 and 1989. Continuing in the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Less well-known is Wilbur's foray into lyric writing. He provided the lyrics for several songs in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical, Candide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wilbur
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/richard-wilbur
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Michael A. Longinow
Chair, Department of Digital Journalism and Media
Adviser, Print Journalism; Adviser, The Chimes
Co-Adviser, Media Narrative Projects
Department of Digital Journalism and Media
School of Fine Arts and Communication
Biola University
Dr. Michael Longinow is the former chair of Biola's Department of Journalism and the advisor of Biola’s The Chimes student newspaper. Longinow attended Wheaton College, earning a BA in Political Science, and completed a PhD at the University of Kentucky. He has not only been an educator but has also worked as a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. He was a founding adviser member of the Association of Christian Collegiate Media (ACCM) and now serves as its national Executive Director. Longinow is a frequent workshop presenter and panelist at national conventions and has written chapters for five books dealing with journalism, history, media and religion, and the popular culture of American evangelicalism. Longinow lives in Riverside, California, with his wife Robin and their three children: Ben, Matt and Sarah.