Prepare the Way - Advent 1

The church year has rolled around and, once again, we are celebrating the first Sunday of Advent. Today I am struck by the discipline of waiting and preparing.

Christmas music is definitely some of my favourite. It fascinates me that many carols we sing have been sung for several centuries already. We only sing them for a short time each year, yet we know and love them and look forward to singing them every season. The discipline part comes for me in not using carols (in worship) that speak of Jesus' birth before Christmas Eve. We are still preparing for His arrival. We sing the words of the prophets. Christ will be our Dayspring from on high, the Key of David, Emmanuel - God with us! We wait and anticipate Christ's coming. Will you wait with me this Advent?

Remembering Dad

Today I have been thinking of my Dad, Rev. Weldon Bull. He would have turned 89 today. I credit his (and my mom's) love for and knowledge of hymns with building that love in me. Not too long ago Brenda Martin and I traded CD's. One of the hymns she arranged and plays on "And Can It Be: Hymns and Songs of Faith" is one that was a favourite of Dad's, Arise, My Soul, Arise. As I have not sung it for several years, I had sort of forgotten about it until I heard it again on Brenda's CD. Dad seemed to particularly love the hymns of Charles Wesley. Here are the words.

Arise, my soul, arise; Shake off thy guilty fears.
The bleeding Sacrifice in my behalf appears.
Before the throne my Surety stands;
Before the throne my Surety stands;
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above for me to intercede;
His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead.
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears, received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers, They strongly plead for me.
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry;
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry;
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die."

The Father hears Him pray, His dear Anointed One;
He cannot turn away the presence of His Son.
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pard'ning voice I hear.
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear.
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And, "Father, Abba Father," cry.

Words: Charles Wesley
Tune: LENOX 666688 by Lewis Edson

So Much Music, So Little Time

I have had many ideas recently of things I could write about here. Unfortunately, as the title says, there doesn't seem to be enough time - and there's too much music. Music to learn; music to perform. Many musicians find Christmas to be the "feast" time. January will come soon enough and then it will be "famine"!

I wanted to post on November 1st, All Saints' Day, about my favourite appropriate hymn "For All the Saints" and I haven't been able to get a line of the words out of my head since. So even though I think this deserves a longer blog, let me just say that I can really identify with the line, "We feebly struggle, they in glory shine." I do feel feeble these days, not in a physical sense, but more in the sense that our efforts here on earth are always less than perfect in our attempts to praise God and give our life's work to God. As I said, there's much more that could be said, but I'll leave it there and maybe one of my readers will add to the thought.