January 5: Rejoice and Be Exceeding Glad
♫ Music:
Day 40 - Thursday, January 5
Title: REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDING GLAD
Scripture #1: Acts 7:54–56, 59–60
When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” . . . And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Scripture #2: Matthew 5:11–12
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Poetry & Poet:
“What Are Years”
by Marianne Moore
What is our innocence,
what is our guilt? All are
naked, none is safe. And whence
is courage: the unanswered question,
the resolute doubt—
dumbly calling, deafly listening—that
in misfortune, even death,
encourages others
and in its defeat, stirs
the soul to be strong? He
sees deep and is glad, who
accedes to mortality
and in his imprisonment, rises
upon himself as
the sea in a chasm, struggling to be
free and unable to be,
in its surrendering
finds its continuing.
So he who strongly feels,
behaves. The very bird,
grown taller as he sings, steels
his form straight up. Though he is captive,
his mighty singing
says, satisfaction is a lowly
thing, how pure a thing is joy.
This is mortality,
this is eternity.
REJOICE AND BE EXCEEDING GLAD
When Stephen delivers his Holy Spirit inspired sermon to his prosecutors (Acts 7), he provides a compact history lesson on the ways in which God had used adversity to ultimately bless His people. He speaks of the "enslavement and mistreatment" of the people of Israel (Acts 7:7), and their protection through the reign of oppressive Pharaohs who sought their destruction. Stephen wants to show how God uses adversity to bless, a point of view that requires eyes of faith, and not human understanding. Stephen infuriates the crowd by revealing their own complicity in the death of Christ, and their betrayal of God's Son. God allows Stephen to see God's glory at the same time his earthly life is being taken away. Echoing the words of Christ on the cross, Stephen asks that the misguided crowd be forgiven for their role in his death. Stephen's martyrdom provides a glimpse into the ways suffering and persecution for Christ are to be expected, and the ways they are to be rewarded (Matt 5:11-12).
Shiota Chiharu's art installation, Hope, sought to gather the hopes of thousands who had been discouraged during the global pandemic, asking them to tell her those things they still desired and longed for in the face of an international health crisis. The stunning red strings and fragments from 10,000 letters written by fellow artists, which hang from the ceiling and are suspended in midair in a flaming explosion of emotion and spiritual longing, encapsulate the dreams of those whose hopes have also been suspended during a time of global lock down and confusion. Shutting off the world's clock threw us collectively into the arms of God, who transcends our mortal limitations, and is the only One who saw it coming, was there in the midst of it, and knows the higher purpose for which such travails are designed. God is our true hope.
Marianne Moore's "What Are Years" explores the paradoxes inherent in a world in everyone is vulnerable, where we are "dumbly calling" and "deafly listening" in our ignorant innocence, where "defeat" can ultimately inspire us to be strong. Moore's "bird" acknowledges that in our expression of hope, our captivity to Christ is what sustains us. Concluding the poem with a chiasmus that asks us to equate "satisfaction" (that "lowly thing") with "mortality," and "joy" (that "pure" thing) with "eternity," the poet highlights how true freedom can only be found when lives are given to God, and not to our own selfish desires.
The music for today's devotional, "Behold Our God," brought to us by the Praise and Harmony singers, acknowledges that every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord.
"Behold our God, seated on his throne
Come, let us adore him
Behold our king, nothing can compare
Come, let us adore him."
This joyous chorus declares the truth that we can have eternal hope in the midst of trials when we praise the One who sustains and comforts us despite the painful realities of mortal life.
Prayer:
Lord, you promise to never abandon us, no matter the circumstances. In this world of turmoil and change, You are the steady Rock of Ages that will not be moved.
Dr. Marc Malandra
Professor of English
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:
I Hope…
Chiharu Shiota
2021
10,000 letters, red fibers, paper, steel
König Galerie
Berlin, Germany
I Hope… by artist Chiharu Shiota is an immersive thread installation that was installed at the nave of St. Agnes, a monumental former church that now serves as König Galerie’s exhibition space in Berlin, Germany. The large-scale piece gathers the 10,000 letters sent in response to the artist’s invitation to people across the globe to write down and send her their hopes. Printed on red paper, the letters were attached to millions of lines of red thread that interconnect them, while metal boat frames were suspended in between. The installation transformed the letters into an ocean of collective wishes. Enriched with these messages, the red threads reveal people’s inner worlds and recall human blood vessels and the interconnectivity of the thoughts and expectations of people from all over the world. In the midst of this sea of hope float two metal boats on their way to an unknown future, en route in pursuit of other boats—metaphors for the ups and downs of life, whose trajectory we do not know.
About the Artist:
Chiharu Shiota (b. 1972) is a Japanese artist who lives and works in Be and is known the world over for her immersive installations that incorporate everyday objects into networks of fabric threads. Confronting fundamental human concerns such as life, death, and relationships, Shiota explores human existence throughout various dimensions by creating an existence in the absence either in her large-scale thread installations that include a variety of common objects and external memorabilia or through her drawings, sculptures, photography, and videos. Her solo exhibitions across the world include Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2019); Gropius Bau, Berlin (2019); Art Gallery of South Australia (2018); Yorkshire Sculpture Park, UK (2018); Power Station of Art, Shanghai (2017); K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2015); Smithsonian Institution Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington DC (2014); the Museum of Art, Kochi (2013); and the National Museum of Art, Osaka (2008), among others. She has also participated in numerous international exhibitions such as Oku-Noto International Art Festival (2017), Sydney Biennale (2016), Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale (2009), and Yokohama Triennale (2001). In 2015, Shiota was selected to represent Japan at the 56th Venice Biennale.
https://www.chiharu-shiota.com/biography
https://mymodernmet.com/chiharu-shiota-i-hope/
https://www.designboom.com/art/tour-chiharu-shiota-immersive-thread-installation-former-church-berlin-03-11-2021/
About the Music:
“Behold Our God” from the album Wonderful God
Lyrics:
Who has held the oceans in His hands
Who has numbered every grain of sand
Kings and nations tremble at His voice
All creation rises to rejoice
Who has given counsel to the Lord
Who can question any of His Words
Who can teach the One who knows all things
Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds
Chorus:
Behold our God seated on His throne
Come let us adore Him
Behold our King nothing can compare
Come let us adore Him!
Who has felt the nails upon His hands
Bearing all the guilt of sinful man
God eternal humbled to the grave
Jesus, Savior risen now to reign!
Tag
Men: You will reign forever!
Women: Let Your glory fill the earth!
About the Performers:
Praise and Harmony Singers is the ministry of Keith Lancaster, Sharon Lancaster, and Acappella Ministries. Since its inception, the aim of the project has been to equip congregations for excellence in worship by training leaders and inviting all of God's people to sing and worship the Lord.
https://sovereigngracemusic.org/about/
https://acappella.org/praise-and-harmony/praise-and-harmony-recording/
About the Composers:
West Coast Revival - Ryan Baird, Meghan Baird, Jonathan Baird, with Stephen Altrogge
West Coast Revival is a family worship band made up of Ryan Baird (writer, worship leader, producer, piano, and lead vocals) Meghan Baird (writer, vocals) and Jonathan Baird (writer, producer, vocals, guitars, percussion). They have written and performed music for Sovereign Grace Music. Stephen Altrogge is a songwriter and author. His most recent book is entitled Untamable God: Encountering the One Who Is Bigger, Better, and More Dangerous Than You Could Possibly Imagine. https://www.patreon.com/westcoastrevival?fbclid=IwAR3K2KhzwjuTk9un3cPZKEGGIUrXtc5WfK70CUHrtgCfnXT5vXue4ItFk6A
https://www.instagram.com/westcoastrevival/?hl=en
https://www.invubu.com/music/show/artist/Ryan-Baird.html
https://www.desiringgod.org/authors/stephen-altrogge
About the Poetry & Poet:
Marianne Craig Moore (1887–1972) was an American modernist poet, critic, translator, and editor. Her poetry is characterized by linguistic precision, keen and probing descriptions, and acute observations of people, places, animals, and art. She frequently used animals as a central image to emphasize themes of independence, honesty, and the integration of art and nature. After graduation from Bryn Mawr College, she studied at Carlisle Commercial College and, in 1921, Moore worked at the New York Public Library. Her Collected Poems (1951) won both the Pulitzer Prize in poetry and the National Book Award, and in 1953 she was awarded the Bollingen Prize. In addition to poetry, Moore wrote a significant number of prose pieces, including reviews and essays. Moore was highly regarded as a poet during her lifetime and even became somewhat of a celebrity, famous for her tricorn hat and cape. She was featured in magazines such as Life, the New York Times, and The New Yorker. Moore’s honors and awards included the Poetry Society of America's Gold Medal for Distinguished Development, the National Medal for Literature, and an honorary doctorate from Harvard University.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/marianne-moore
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marianne_Moore
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Marc Malandra
Professor of English
Biola University
Marc Malandra is a professor of English at Biola University. Malandra teaches courses in American literature, composition, and creative writing. His poetry and scholarship have appeared in over three dozen publications. He attends EV Free Fullerton Church and lives in Brea, California, with his wife, Junko, college-aged children, Noah and Sasha, and their cat, Tora.