The Seventh Day of Christmas - The Music of Gounod

Charles Gounod (181-1893), a quintessentially Victorian composer in style and aspirations, was thoroughly Parisian, though he did live in England for awhile to quiet a marital scandal. He won the Prix de Rome in 1837 and, like Rossini, was a trained singer having what was described as a small but sweet tenor voice. This training must have served him well as a composer for the voice.

Gounod fell in love with the story of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers at the tender age of nineteen, when he attended an orchestral rehearsal of Berlioz's dramatic symphony Romeo et Juliette. Decades later, in 1864, Gounod set out to create an operatic version that to this day never fails to inspire and move its audience.

While the second act of this great opera is my favorite, too long to play here; I offer on this Seventh Day of Christmas Juliette's entrance in Act One. The aria, "Je veux vivre", is sung in this performance by Anna Netrebko taken from a 2007 recital in Paris which she shared with Roando Villazon.



A prayer for the season of Christmas:

Good and gracious God, as we begin a new year, a new journey, a new opportunity to make a fresh start, help us bracket out all the noises of our past, all the noises of what people might say, all the noises of how others might measure our "worthiness," and embolden us to seek you out no matter what places it might take us, no matter what treasures it might cost, no matter what sacrifices might need to be made. Guide us by the light of your grace as we earnestly seek to follow. Amen.

Love One Another - Brian

The Sixth Day of Christmas - The Music of Mozart

I have never been a been an admirer of geese. So, on this Sixth Day of Christmas, instead of "Six Geese a Laying", I offer one of the most exquisite compositions that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ever wrote.

"Sull'aria...che soave zeffiretto" is a duettino, or a short duet, from the Third Act of Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492. In the duettino, Countess Almaviva (a soprano) dictates to Susanna (also a soprano) the invitation to a tryst addressed to the countess' husband in a plot to expose his infidelity. The duet is scored for oboe, bassoon, and strings. Its time signature is 6/8, its key is B-flat major, and it is only 62 bars long. During the first part of the duet (bars 1–37), the Contessa dictates the title and the three lines of the letter and, after a pause, Susanna repeats the lines as she writes them. In the second part, the contessa and Susanna read alternate lines with a slight overlap (bars 38–45) until they finish in a true duet with their conclusion.

Many of my readers may remember this piece because it was played at a crucial moment in the film The Shawshank Redemption.  Prisoner Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) defied Warden Sam Norton (Bob Gunton) by playing the duettino over the prison's loudspeakers. While the music was playing, Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman) remarked in his voice-over narration that, "I have no idea to this day what them two Italian ladies were singin' about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I like to think they were singin' about something so beautiful it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it. I tell you, those voices soared. Higher and farther than anybody in a gray place dares to dream."

The performance here is with Edith Mathis and Gundula Janowitz from a 1968 recording under the legendary Karl Bohm. It is indeed, "something so beautiful."

A Prayer for the First Sunday after Christmas

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.

Love One Another - Brian

The Fifth Day of Christmas - The Music of Rossini

Gioachino Rossini was the King of European opera for the first third of the nineteenth century. Then in one of the great musical mysteries of all time, at the ripe old age of 37, having produced 39 operas, his last being William Tell, Rossini simply quits writing and retires to a posh and comfortable life in Paris. The Master does not compose again for almost thirty years!

On this Fifth Day of Christmas, instead of Five Golden Rings, here is the Quintet from one of Rossini's masterpieces, The Barber of Seville. The Count, posing as a singing teacher, is trying to have some 'alone time' with Rosina, aided by Figaro. All is going well until the real singing teacher arrives. Lots of madcap fun in a spirited production.

A prayer for the season of Christmas:

Good and gracious God, it can be easy to forget, in the midst of this season which has become increasingly about abundance, that part of the reason for the season is a story about marginalization, displacement and a lack of a secure life. Help us reach out to folks who find themselves in those difficult places, both physically and mentally, and remind us that we are all refugees seeking shelter in this sometimes difficult life. Teach us to reach out in love to all people and to offer shelter to each other amidst the storms of life. Amen.

Love One Another - Brian

The Fourth Day of Christmas - The Music of Tchaikovsky

The inspiration for the Fourth Day of Christmas happened two days ago with the lovely snow fall here in Northeast Ohio. I was out shoveling my driveway and the darkness had settled in over Hudson. The snow was falling at a pretty good clip and there was that lovely silence that only a snowfall can bring. I looked up at the majestic evergreen trees on the property and they were covered in fresh snow. Immediately, I was transported in time to a memory of my childhood and a wonderful peace came over me.

Living in New York City, my family was fortunate to annually attend The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet at The State Theater at Lincoln Center. We always went to the 5:00 pm performance on Christmas Eve which was followed by dinner at the Howard Johnson's near Columbus Circle and then home to wait for Santa Claus. The George Balanchine version of this great ballet is still, for me, the ultimate production. Late in the first act, the Nutcracker Prince has defeated the Mouse King. The scene changes to a snowy forest, where the Nutcracker turns into a prince and leads Clara on an adventure of a lifetime. The action is set to some of the most romantic music ever composed by Tchaikovsky. Here is that moment; offered to you, my reader, with a grateful heart for childhood memories, moving performances, and glorious music.

A prayer for the season of Christmas:

Precious Spirit of God, thank you for for showing us new mercies every morning. Thank you for your faithfulness. Please help us to never forget it when we say something or do something that we may regret in the next minute, the next hour, the next day. As we are shown mercy, help us to extend that same mercy to those around us. Amen.

Love One Another - Brian

The Third Day of Christmas - The Music of Wagner

On the Third Day of Christmas, a father's love for his daughter set to the glorious music of Richard Wagner. This is Wotan's farewell to Brunhilde from the final moments of Die Walkure, the second of four operas known as The Ring of Nibelung. The opening few seconds of the passage below are amazing with the horns bursting forth as Wotan passionately says goodbye to his favorite child. What I admired about this particular production, taken from the MET in the early 90's, were the lovely portrayals of character by both James Morris as Wotan and the late Hildegard Behrens as Brunhilde. In a word: Brilliant!

A prayer for the season of Christmas:

O God, who welcomes us without fail in spite of our failings, strengthen us in your love and hospitality that we might welcome the stranger who scares us as well as the relative that annoys us. Teach us to make room for your love to be born in us, even if it makes a bloody mess of things. AMEN.

Love One Another - Brian

Second Day of Christmas - The Music of Puccini

During the Twelve Days of Christmas, instead of 'French Hens' and 'Lords a Leaping', it has been the custom of the John 13:34 Blog to offer music to my readers and listeners that will refresh the spirit, and revive the soul. This year, I decided to play my favorite selections by the great composers: Verdi, Brahms, Mozart, Gounod and the like.

We begin with Italian bliss - the love duet from the first act of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly. As a young ardent music lover, I was brought up listening to Renato Scotto who reigned as the 'prima donna' at the MET for many years. She was the consummate actress and powerful interpreter of all things Italian. I remember her Butterfly portrayals like they were yesterday: compelling, passionate, vibrant - are just a few of the words which come to my mind. I could not find a live performance with Scotto, so we must content ourselves with this brilliant duet recorded by Scotto and Carlo Bergonzi - both at the top of their game. Happy Second Day of Christmas to you and yours.

I will close each day with a prayer for the season.

Good and gracious God,

On Christmas your light shines.

On Christmas darkness is shattered.

On Christmas chaos is overcome.

Your light shines through the child that is given.

Your light shines in the son who is born.

Your light shines through his love and his teachings.

You are the light of the world...

and you call us to let your light shine through us.

Come, light of the world.

Come every day.

Come to us.

Come to all of us.

May we be the light to each other.

Amen.

Love One Another - Brian

Christmas Day

The Light shines in the darkness,

and the darkness has never mastered it.

~ John 1:5

Merry Christmas

to all of my wonderful readers

from near and very far!

God reigns!!

Love One Another - Brian

Monday of Advent IV

Lessons: Psalm 45, 46; Isaiah 35:1-10; Revelation 22:12-17,21; Luke 1:67-80

An Ordinary Woman

Accomplishing Extraordinary Things

The images of Mary are numerous in the Christian tradition and the nonsense that the institutional Church, and many Christians, have placed on this dear woman is exhausting. From “virgin” blue garments, to the esteemed title of “theotokos”, to the misguided belief that somehow Mary did not die but was assumed into heaven, to the silliness of the sixth century doctrine of her perpetual virginity, the Church has done its best to make Mary something she was not.

So, who was this young maiden who was called upon to participate in one of the greatest events in history?

From the Gospels, we have very little information to go by. In Matthew, Mary does not speak. The story centers all on Joseph and how he dealt with the issues of Mary’s pregnancy, the escape into Egypt and finally settling in Nazareth.

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The Gospel of Luke is our primary source for all things "Mary". It is a rich treasury filled with vivid imagery of a young girl who is clearly ahead of her time. While perplexed by the news from Gabriel, Mary willingly accepts her role in the drama. She joyfully greets Elizabeth, in one of the most charming moments in all of the Scriptures. Mary then proceeds to sing a song that is so revolutionary in character, The Magnificat, it makes me believe the adage that the “apple does not fall far from the tree” – Jesus was a lot like his mother in terms of message and belief system.

Mary was not some “sweet” little girl meekly playing her role in an obscure divine drama. She was a rebel proclaiming that the revolution had begun in earnest: “And God’s mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. He hath showed might in his arm: God hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. God hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.” There are not many rebels in today’s Church calling out the evils of this world and suggesting that the powers and principalities be overthrown.

For me, in this stage of life’s journey, I am deeply moved by Mary’s ordinariness: a simple young woman who believed in God and was looking for the Kingdom. God used this ordinary servant in the most extraordinary of ways. Her faithfulness, devotion, and willingness to speak truth to power is an example for us all.

Lord, your servant Mary offered herself to your call to bring into the world the child known as Jesus. Help us each and every day, by the power of your Spirit, to be “God-bearers” in our own time and place.  AMEN.

Advent Action Step: Mary’s ‘yes’ to God made all of the difference. Where are you saying yes to God in your life?

Love One Another – Brian

The Sunday Musical Offering - Magnificat in C by Stanford

Still trying to fight off the flu. So, I thought it was fitting to offer a Magnificat on this Fourth Sunday of Advent. The Gospel lesson from Luke this morning shared the joyful meeting of two expectant women, Elizabeth and Mary. After such a joyous greeting, Mary could not help but break out into song!

Love One Another - Brian

Saturday of Advent III

Lessons: Psalm 55; Isaiah 10:20-27; Jude 17-25; Luke 3:1-9

Learning from Our Losses

I have always been an admirer of the writings of Henri Nouwen. Recently, as I was working on issues in my own life, I came upon this insightful quote taken from Nouwen’s book, Finding My Way Home. My hope is that these words will assist you on your journey as they have in mine. Nouwen writes:

“Your losses remind you that all isn’t perfect, that you had hoped many events in your life would not have been so painful, but they were. You find yourself disillusioned with the irrevocable personal losses; your health, your spouse, your lover, your job, your hope, your dream.

“Your whole life is filled with losses, endless losses. And every time there are losses there are choices to be made. You choose to live your losses as passages to anger, blame, hatred, depression, and resentment, or you choose to let these losses be passages to something new, something wider, something deeper. The question is not how to avoid loss and make it not happen, but how to choose it as a passage, as an exodus to greater life and freedom.”

There is much wisdom in those words!

Be with me, Lord, in every moment of this day and in every place so that I may recognize and respond to your call to go to the broken, the lonely and the needy proclaiming the Kingdom of God. AMEN.

Advent Action Step: Take a moment today and read Luke 1:39-56 in preparation for morning worship at your local church. It is a wonderful story filled with hope and joy of two expectant mothers.

Love One Another – Brian

Friday of Advent III

Lessons: Psalm 40, 54; Isaiah 10:5-19; 2 Peter 2:17-22; Matthew 11:2-15

A Hidden Mystery in Suffering

While cleaning out my office a couple of weeks ago, I came across a collection of books written by Henri Nouwen that I have had in my library since well before my seminary days in New York. Placing many of them in a box headed for my home office, I paused and flipped through a couple of volumes coming across this quote: “All suffering has a hidden quality, a quality of strangeness. Our temptation is to look at suffering as big, spectacular, noisy, and very imposing. But, in the center of all the hunger, homelessness, violence, torture, war, there is a hidden anguish, a silent agony, and invisible loneliness, that nobody wants to touch. Jesus touched it, lived it. And carried it into the grave where he lifted it up to new life.” (Henri Nouwen, The Road to Peace: Writings on Peace and Justice)

Since last week’s shootings in Connecticut, which focused once again our Nation’s attention to violence and suffering, I have been pondering if we really know what we are doing when we, as a Nation and as individuals, respond to such a horrific event. Everybody wants to help; and there is nothing wrong with that. But in the seduction of wanting to provide relief and assistance, be a problem solver, there is always the chance of adding violence to violence.

Case in point, this morning at 9:30 am, there were church bells rung around the country in memory of those who were killed in Newtown. Twenty-six bells were tolled for each one of the children and their teachers. The media added to the emotional “pull” by showing a picture of each one of the victims. But weren’t there 28 persons who lost their lives last week? A mother was shot to death while sleeping in her bed. A young man, who clearly was struggling with life, and having destroyed the lives of many, took his own. Where were the bells for them? Where were their pictures?

If we are going to heal from these tragic events which seem to plague our culture, then we must embrace what Nouwen called that “hidden anguish”, that “silent agony”, that “invisible loneliness that nobody wants to touch.” Our Lord entered into those vulnerable places and showed us by his actions that pain and suffering can be transformed, that healing is possible, that new life can come out of death. The only way to accomplish such a tremendous witness is to enter fully into the moment and deal directly with that “hidden” quality. That was the example of our Lord played out time and time again in the Gospel stories. It must be our example as well.

Be with me, Lord, in every moment of this day and in every place so that I may recognize and respond to your call to go to the broken, the lonely and the needy proclaiming the Kingdom of God. AMEN.

Advent Action Step: Today is the shortest day of the year. Reflect on how Jesus Christ is the Light of the world.

Love One Another – Brian

Thursday of Advent III

Lessons: Psalm 50; Isaiah 9:18-10:4; 2 Peter 2:10b-16; Matthew 3:1-12

Christians Are Called To Be Fearless

Amid A Fearful World

Something happened to a friend of mine yesterday that really underscores how fearful are communities are becoming in the wake of all the senseless violence that has occurred in our Nation. My friend was getting out of his car and proceeding to go to work at the local cable television station located at the High School here in Hudson. Mike had on his winter cap which he wears every day when it is cold and was carrying a black fold-up umbrella because the skies were overcast and rain had been predicted.

Another employee in the school system noticed my friend from a distance and without asking or gaining any information, proceeded to inform the leaders of the school that there was a man on the school grounds trying to get into the building with a gun. Naturally, the school went into lock-down. The police were called. My friend was interrogated and finally the “all-clear” was given.

C’mon folks! Is this the way it is going to be from now on? If so, the agents of darkness have won and we might as well close up shop for there is little hope for the future of humanity.

What really ticks me off in this whole nonsense is that folks who call themselves Christians are summoned to live faithfully and fearlessly amid a fearful world. Where is that witness these days? When life all around us is in turmoil, the opportunity to witness to God’s love will never be greater. Someday, when we Christians finally embrace the concept and belief that “nothing” can separate us from God’s love, not even death, our witness will be irresistible.

The horrific events of last week in Newtown, Connecticut, the rise of terrorism over the last decade, the financial turmoil in our country that causes such distress for so many can easily pull us in all directions and make us lose our souls. Jesus calls us to live in a radically different way. His example, in a world that was much more dangerous than ours, was to be anchored in the heart of God, rooted in Yahweh’s love. In the midst of all the joy, pain and danger of his ministry, Jesus had the opportunity to boldly and fearlessly proclaim the Kingdom of God and its arrival. The days in which we live give the Christian the same opportunity. You and I are called to be fearless people living and bearing fruit in a fearful world.

Be with me, Lord, in every moment of this day and in every place so that I may recognize and respond to your call to go to the broken, the lonely and the needy proclaiming the Kingdom of God. AMEN.

Advent Action Step: Ponder these words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “Anybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”

Love One Another – Brian

Wednesday of Advent III

Lessons: Psalm 119:49-72; Isaiah 9:8-17; 2 Peter 2:1-10a; Mark 1:1-8

God Made the World Good –

Only Love Can Make It Better

John Bell is a hymn-writer, and a Church of Scotland minister. He lives in Glasgow where he studied Arts and Theology.  He lectures, preaches and conducts seminars across the denominations in Europe, North America, Australia, and more recently, in Southern Africa.  Bell is also a resource worker at the Iona Community which is an association of men and women, lay and ordained, fully ecumenical in membership, committed to the renewal of the Church and Society.

Over the past weekend, Bell penned these words for a BBC Radio 4 program entitled: Thought for the Day. Well worth your time, Bell writes:

“If I were an atheist, the killings in Sandy Hook would have confirmed me in my belief that religion was a fatuous, sentimental and dangerous distraction. If there is a loving God, where’s the evidence - particularly when innocents are massacred, and the dawning potential in children finds a hellish end?

“If I were a parent, I would probably hug my children tighter today and feel an uncanny empathy for mothers and fathers in Connecticut who are dealing with an unimaginable grief. If there is a loving God, where’s the evidence?

“It’s evidence, to some extent, which people are now looking for: evidence of the derangement of the gunman; evidence as to whether or not he was in a relationship of animosity with his mother or with the school; evidence of how he had managed to get into premises presumed to be secure; evidence of whether violence in films or video games encourages susceptible people to commit murder… not that such evidence will ever eradicate or mollify the pain of loss.

“But where is the evidence for God?

“There isn’t much really. And I don’t believe that the horrendous nature of Friday’s killings is made palatable by well intentioned nostrums such as: ‘These things are sent to try us,’ or ‘Suffering breeds good character,’ or, most insensitively, ‘This is the direct consequence of sin’

“No, there isn’t much evidence of God if we are looking for the missing piece to make sense of the jig-saw puzzle of life. God is not the instant answer to our quick request.

“Instead, three times in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures we find people of faith having to deal with infanticide - the slaughter of innocents. And in the collection of poems we call the Psalms we find repeated unanswered questions Why? When? How long? and Why?… it’s a vocabulary not for piety, but for pain.

“And then - as Christians believe - God comes in Jesus, flesh of our flesh, to share the pain, the uncertainty and the insecurity of human life, to enter into solidarity with all who suffer, and to bring to the mystery of unmerited agony the bigger mystery of unmerited love. And all this because nowhere does any religion profess that God made the world perfect. Instead we believe that God made the world good. And love, only love can make it better.”

(John Bell, BBC Radio 4 – Thought for the Day – December 17, 2012)

Be with me, Lord, in every moment of this day and in every place so that I may recognize and respond to your call to go to the broken, the lonely and the needy. AMEN.

Advent Action Step: Memorize these lines written by Desmond Tutu, etched on a window in a South African Cathedral: “Goodness is stronger than evil. Love is stronger than hate. Light is stronger than darkness. Life is stronger than death.”

Love One Another – Brian

Sabbath Rest

Today is the weekly Sabbath day at the John 13:34 Blog. Thanks for checking in. Back at it again tomorrow. Please come back and journey with me.

Monday of Advent III - Where Was God?

Lessons: Psalm 41, 52; Isaiah 8:16-9:1; 2 Peter 1:1-11; Luke 22:39-53

Where Was God?

In the letter to the Church in Galatia, Saint Paul writes: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

Where was God on Friday, December 14? Was God anywhere near the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut?

The answer to the question is that God was present in the midst of the terror, the suffering, and the heartache. The incarnation of God was made manifest on Friday in the heroic actions of teachers and administrators who confronted the evil and sacrificed their lives for the sake of the children in their charge. The courageous actions of that first grade teacher who placed all of her students in the closet, confronted the gunman, told him that the kids were on the other side of the building, and then her life was taken from her is no different in my mind than when Jesus confronted his enemies in the garden of Gethsemane and sacrificed himself for the sake of his disciples. Jesus was made visible in that classroom on Friday morning. The incarnation was real and tangible. The Light was shining in a moment of utter and complete darkness.

God can always be seen in lives of the poor, the hungry, the handicapped, and especially in this instance, the powerless. It is almost impossible for us to recognize God when our focus is constantly on success, and influence and power. Henri Nouwen wrote many years ago: “Our faithfulness will depend on our willingness to go where there is brokenness, loneliness, and human need.” I am reminded again by this horrific event that a nation, which claims to be less and less influenced by religion, returns in moments of crisis and suffering to spiritual resources in order to find solace and comfort. God is alive and very much present as residents of Newtown have reached out to one another, wept with each other, consoled one another, and offered words of hope and solidarity.

If we have finally had enough of the violence and pain that such a recurring event brings to our lives, than this Nation must move in a new direction embracing once again the ancient spiritual truths of the great religious traditions. God can be found, is alive, and well: not in the illusions of power and influence, but in the sacrificial actions we offer to one another and the random acts of kindness given to others in God’s Name.

Be with me, Lord, in every moment of this day and in every place so that I may recognize and respond to your call to go to the broken, the lonely and the needy. AMEN.

Advent Action Step: Read Psalm 139. It has alot to say about wherever you are in the journey of faith.

Love One Another – Brian

The Sunday Musical Offering - Beethoven's Birthday

Ludwig van Beethoven was born on this day in 1770. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western music, his compositions still have the power to transfigure the human spirit. With the horrific events in Connecticut this week, I thought the first movement from the Moonlight Sonata was in order: to remember the dead, to offer solace to those who mourn, and to bring about healing through the gift of music.

Leonard Bernstein said many years ago, “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, and more devotedly than ever before.” So be it! This is a 1956 recording by the incredible Vladimir Horowitz.

Love One Another - Brian

Jesus Loves the Little Children

Kevin Siers
Charlotte Observer

From the psalmist: "God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3).

Enough said for today.

Love One Another - Brian

Friday in Advent II - Jesus' Hidden and Ordinary Childhood

Lessons: Psalm 30, 32; Isaiah 8:1-15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-18; Luke 22:31-38

Jesus’ Hidden and Ordinary Childhood

A friend of mine is currently on pilgrimage to Israel/Palestine. This week, he posted from Bethlehem about the wonderful opportunity he had of spending the entire night locked in the Church of the Nativity. His experience called to mind my many excursions to that beautiful city. Usually, when I think of Bethlehem, I am drawn to the childhood of our Lord. What was Jesus like as an infant? Was he precocious or demure? Was he fussy or generally agreeable? As Jesus grew, what were his interests and passions? Who did he “hang out” with? What trouble did Jesus get into? Who was he “sweet” on?

Artist Unknown

It is astonishing how little we know about Jesus of Nazareth. The greatest part of his life, some thirty years or so, are for the most part hidden. From the limited amount of knowledge that we have in the Gospels, it appears that Jesus lived under the authority of his parents, Joseph and Mary. In Luke’s Gospel, we read that, as a child, Jesus grew and became strong, “filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him” (2:40).

I am beginning to believe that perhaps there is something marvelously revealing to the seeker in the silence regarding this period of Jesus’ life. Could it be that Jesus’ childhood was so ordinary that it was extraordinary? Could it be that incarnation, God with us, came to dwell in the ordinary of the daily human existence? Could Jesus have wanted to be known just as we are known? And isn’t there something marvelously comforting about that?

The extraordinary is given birth through the very ordinary things of our lives. A simple childhood in Bethlehem and Nazareth, surrounded by family, and the ability to grow and mature into the chosen vocation established before the foundations of the world, fueled Jesus on his way to a very public and life changing ministry. Perhaps, we Christians spend far too much time reflecting on those three years of Jesus’ adult life when we might discover greater truths hidden in the silence of Jesus’ ordinary life as a child.

In this season of expectation and hope, I hope you find extraordinary treasures hidden in the ordinary events of your daily life and our Lord’s.

Here I am Lord, It is I, Lord. I have heard you calling in the night. Take my heart and fill it with your love that I may live in you and you may live in me.  Amen.

Advent Action Step: Listen for ways to help others this season. Listen and respond.

Love One Another – Brian

Thursday of Advent II - The Hidden God Christians Worship

Lessons: Psalm 37:1-18; Isaiah 7:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Luke 22:1-13

The Hidden God Christians Worship

Why wasn’t Jesus born in Rome? Or Alexandria? Or Corinth? Or a place in the Roman World that would have brought immediate attention, glitz and glamour to his amazing birth and impressive pedigree? Why did God choose to dwell among us in a tiny, out of the way, village near the desert, in an oppressed land, to an oppressed people?

I believe the answer lies in the fact that when you read the Gospel stories, you come away with the sense that wherever the Gospel bears fruit, it happens in hiddenness. Think for example of Nicodemus and his midnight rendezvous with Jesus. Or what about the story of the healing of the Centurion’s son? Or the steward’s reaction when Jesus stepped away from the wedding feast in Cana and turned large containers of water into the finest Cabernet of its time? You see, the God whom we worship in the Christian tradition is truly a hidden God. That fact alone turns our addicted culture of pizazz and celebrity completely on its head.

My experience, over time, is that the initial reaction of a person who has had a transfiguring personal encounter with the living God does not mean immediately shouting from the rooftops like some crazed individual. On the contrary, when I have experienced God in the flesh or in the Spirit, I desire to have time to ponder the immensity of what has occurred. I think of the night when my son, John, was born; or the times when I stand on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and consider its grandeur; or when I hear the words of a friend when they say, “I forgive you.”

Henri Nouwen, in one of my all-time favorite spiritual works, Letters to Marc About Jesus, writes, “The greatest part of God’s work in our history could well remain completely unknown.” I think Nouwen is correct. But, that mystery is incredibly difficult for many in our society and culture to grasp. For the age in which we live places far too much emphasis on publicity, stardom, and status.

Where are you looking for God this season? In the glitz and glamor of the Holidays? Or in the hiddenness?

Here I am Lord, It is I, Lord. I have heard you calling in the night. Take my heart and fill it with your love that I may live in you and you may live in me.  Amen.

Advent Action Step: Christians believe in a theology of incarnation. Pray today for the places where Jesus lived. Pray for the men, women and children of the Middle East. Pray especially this day for peace among the Palestinians and Israelis.  

Love One Another – Brian

Wednesday in Advent II - That's Why We Call It Faith

Lessons: Psalm 38; Isaiah 6:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12; John 7:53-8:11

That’s Why We Call It Faith

“The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.” ~ John 5:36

Richard Rohr is one of my favorite theologians. Earlier in the week, I received the following post in the email account. This quote is taken from Rohr’s reflections entitled, Preparing for Christmas. He writes: “The Scriptures very clearly teach what we call today a ‘bias toward action.’ It is not just belief systems or dogmas and doctrines, as we have often made it. The Word of God is telling us very clearly that if you do not do it, you, in fact, do not believe it and have not heard it.

“The only way that we become convinced of our own sense of power, dignity, and the power of God is by actually doing it—by crossing a line, a line that has a certain degree of nonsensicalness and unprovability to it—and that’s why we call it faith. In the crossing of that line, and acting in a new way, then and only then, can we really believe what we say we believe in the first place. We do not think ourselves into a new way of living as much as we live ourselves into new ways of thinking. Lifestyle issues ask much more of us than mere belief systems” (page 48 and 49).

Good advice for a weekday in Advent as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Go out and live today for Christ and experience the power of God in your life.

Here I am Lord, It is I, Lord. I have heard you calling in the night. Take my heart and fill it with your love that I may live in you and you may live in me.  Amen.

Advent Action Step: Company and family visits can be daunting in this season. Try the Benedictine approach. Welcome all who come to your home as though they were Christ.

Love One Another – Brian

Sabbath Rest

Today is the Sabbath at the John 13:34 Blog. Back at it again tomorrow. Please stop back and join me on the journey.

Monday of Advent II - Discovering the God of Love

Lessons: Psalms 25; Isaiah 5:8-12, 18-23; I Thessalonians 5:1-11; Luke 21:20-28

Discovering the God of Love

I have been spending time, in the last few weeks, rereading the Epistles of John to assist in my upcoming teaching of the Fourth Gospel. The First Epistle, in particular, is an awesome testament to John’s overwhelming belief in the love of God found in the person of Jesus Christ. For the aging disciple, God is the source of all love and when we love one another God is made visible to us and becomes alive in us.

Our task as seekers of God, moving confidently along the spiritual journey, is to find this living Spirit of love in all that we do. I had the privilege recently of worshiping in a small congregation with a group of Christians who were clearly a living witness to this love. The love of which I write was tangible in the way they prayed together, read the scriptures, reflected on the Word, encouraged one another, in their desire to serve others – especially the poor, and in relationship to each other. God was very present in that congregation, namely in the way love was expressed and received.

We only have today. So I encourage you to claim the truth that God loves you and continues to love you with an everlasting love. If we affirm that Jesus is Lord, our mission and witness is to share the love that we have found with others – even those who wish us harm. Saint John puts it even more simply: “God is love and anyone who lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them.” Do you want to experience the power of God alive in you today? Go and love.

Here I am Lord, It is I, Lord. I have heard you calling in the night. Take my heart and fill it with your love that I may live in you and you may live in me.  Amen.

Advent Action Step: Socrates said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” The Church says that too. Take time this month to examine your life and your relationship to God.

Love One Another - Brian

The Sunday Musical Offering - The Dream Pantomine from Hansel & Gretel

I just completed a collection of lectures at the Tri-C Encore Series in Cleveland entitled Opera and the Holidays looking at compositions either composed with Christmas themes in them like Menotti's "Amahl and the Night Visitors" or works associated with the holidays like Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel". Can you name other operas that have Christmas or wintry themes associated with them? The list is relatively small.

Engelbert Humperdinck who lived at the end of the nineteenth century was a most gifted composer. After winning the Mendelssohn Prize in 1879, the twenty-five year old was off to Italy to study and learn from the masters. It was in Italy that Humperdinck had the good fortune of meeting an aging Richard Wagner. The two men became instant friends and Humperdinck assisted Wagner in the preparing the great maestro's last work Parsifal for the stage.

Opera lovers are indebted to Humperdinck's sister Adelheid Wette who asked her brother to write four tunes for a play that she was writing based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale Hansel and Gretel. The music received such enthusiastic support from the likes of Hugo Wolf and others, that Humperdinck decided to turn the work into a full fledged opera. The premiere took place on December 23, 1893 in Weimar, Germany with Richard Strauss conducting who considered the opera a "masterpiece of the highest quality."

The first performance is remembered for being somewhat of a flop due to the fact that many in the cast had come down with influenza; Hansel had sprained her ankle and was replaced by the Gretel; the second Gretel was young and had little experience on the stage; since there was a rush to get the opera on the stage, there was no money to construct the Witch's house; lastly, there was no overture(!) for the music was still at the copyist.

Lucky for music lovers, the opera was offered again in Munich and received tremendous success. It was the first complete opera to be broadcast on a radio from Covent Garden in London on January 6, 1923. The opera was also the first work to be transmitted live from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on Christmas Day 1931.

The selection I have chosen for the Sunday Musical Offering closes the first Act of the opera and was the portion of the work that Humperdinck originally sent to Herman Levi, director of the Opera  House in Munich for consideration to be placed on the stage. This is six minutes of glorious music. You can hear the influence of Wagner. As a matter of fact there is a thesis paper that could be written comparing this sequence with the transition music to the Grail scene in Act One of Parsifal. But we will leave that for another time. Enjoy this production from the Metropolitan Opera from 1982.

Love One Another - Brian

Friday of Advent I - Loved By An Everlasting Love

Lessons: Psalm 16 and 17; Isaiah 3:8-15; I Thessalonians 4:1-12; Luke 20:41-21:4

Loved By an Everlasting Love

I cherish the moment every time I take some Holy Oil and with my thumb mark the sign of the cross on a candidate’s forehead saying these words: “You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.” It is an awesome moment. Yet, I believe, after many years of participating in that ritual, there is something missing. There are words unsaid that need to be spoken. I would add, “Remember that you are the beloved of God. God loved you before you were born, and God will love you after you die.”

Jesus came up out of the waters of the Jordan and a voice from Heaven proclaimed, “This is my beloved, in whom I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Like Jesus, you and I are the beloved son or beloved daughter of God. This is truth, plain and simple. Yet, so many folks I have met on my journey have an impossible time grasping this reality. They sit in their own self-judgment unable to believe that God could love them with such unconditional love. During these weeks of Advent, the disciple of Jesus has the opportunity to enter into this enormous mystery.

Henri Nouwen, in reflections published after his death, commented: “In Scripture, God says, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3). This is a very fundamental truth of your identity. This is who you are whether you feel it or not. You belong to God from eternity to eternity. Life is just a little opportunity for you during a few years to say, ‘I love you, too.’” (Finding My Way Home, from The Estate of Henri J.M. Nouwen)

For today, simply embrace this awesome mystery that you are loved by an everlasting love.

Gracious Lord, call each one of us into your abundant light and life. Help us to see you daily, to know you confidently, to love you passionately, and to imitate you authentically every day of our life. Amen.

Advent Action Step: Get ready for Sunday by reading the Gospel Lesson. It is Luke 3:1-6 and it tells the story of John the Baptist, who apparently did not have a shyness problem!

Love One Another - Brian

Thursday of Advent I - Feast of Saint Nicholas

Lessons: Psalms 145:8-13; Proverbs 19:17, 20-23; I John 4:7-14; Mark 10:13-16

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Lean Your Ear This Way

Did you see the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade this year? You might have missed it; but, just before Santa made his way onto Broadway and 34^th Street one of the marching bands played a stirring rendition of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” What surprised me was, not the music, but the costumed extras that were marching along with the band – seven to ten different characterizations of Saint Nicholas, The Bishop of Myra: the “real” Santa Claus! I was amazed and delighted that Macy’s would take such a risk by portraying Santa Claus in such a varied and truthful way.

Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, and venerated saint of the Christian Church, was a native of Western Turkey. He was consecrated a bishop in the Church during the fourth century. There are numerous stories and legends about his miraculous actions that saved others and brought life to many. The best-known account involves a man with three unmarried daughters, and not enough money to provide them with suitable dowries. This meant that they could not marry, and were likely to end up as prostitutes. Nicholas walked by the man's house on three successive nights, and each time threw a bag of gold in through a window (or, when the story came to be told in colder climates, down the chimney). Thus, the daughters were saved from a life of shame, and all got married and lived happily ever after.

One year, a dear friend of mine, Randy Pope, agreed to play Saint Nicholas at our morning worship service. He was regally dressed from head to toe, looking every bit the part of a fourth century prelate. After educating the children and adults present that day, and distributing small pieces of chocolate in the shape of gold coins, Saint Nicholas and I exchanged heartfelt gratitude and farewells to one another. I ended by saying, “You know, Bishop, you have a remarkable resemblance to a Pope I used to know!” This statement received one of the longest laughs I have ever had in ministry.

If you want to show your children how Nicholas is remembered by Christians with a background different from your own, might I suggest attending an Eastern Orthodox service some year in your local neighborhood. Many Eastern Orthodox congregations have services on or before December 6 that feature a "visit from Saint Nicholas." He appears as a bishop, with no red suit. The faithful leave their shoes outside the church door (now there is an example of radical trust), and find in them afterwards gold coins (actually chocolate wrapped in gold foil) representing the gold dowries of the three daughters.

Most importantly on this day, remember Nicholas’ example of doing something good for another human being. Go and do likewise.

Almighty God, who in your love gave to your servant Nicholas of Myra a perpetual name for deeds of kindness on land and sea: Grant, we pray, that your Church may never cease to work for the happiness of children, the safety of sailors, the relief of the poor, and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Advent Action Step: Today, on the Feast of Saint Nicholas, give a gift to someone…. Something very simple like a visit or a phone call or a hug.

Love One Another - Brian

Wednesday of Advent I - "Can You Hear Me Now?"

Lessons: Psalms 119:1-24; Isaiah 2:1-11; I Thessalonians 2:13-20; Luke 20:19-26

Can You Hear Me Now?

I enjoy that television commercial featuring the Verizon telecommunication system that ends with the now famous tag: “Can You Hear Me Now?” I have often wondered if God does not pose the same question to the created world from time to time.

Advent is a season that encourages Christians to be waiting. It is an active waiting which means being alert and attentive to the Word of God that comes to us in sometimes obvious, but more often in very mysterious, ways. This focused concentration is based on the sure knowledge and belief that God wants to address us. Then again, are we listening? Are we ready to respond when God asks, “Can you hear me now?”

I was recently invited to attend a House Church near my home here in Northeast Ohio. There were eleven folks gathered early one Sunday morning. In the midst of those assembled was the Word – the Scriptures – the story of our redemption. During worship, in place of a formal sermon, there was a discussion of the assigned texts for that day. What amazed me, as we read the Bible together, and heart spoke to heart, was how the WORD became flesh and brought new life into our midst. There was a confident expectation that God would be present with us. “Can you hear me now?” Yes, Lord, I can hear you in the words of Scriptures, in the thoughts and reflections of other followers, and in the midst of authentic Christian community.

Simone Weil once remarked: “Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.”  Jesus, when speaking about the end of time, instructed his disciples about the importance of waiting. This discipline allows the believer to be an active listener in a very noisy and sometimes chaotic world. In addition, I believe, such an attitude makes it possible to spiritually survive and thrive in this fast paced culture in which we live.

God asks: “Can you hear me now?” What is your reply?

Gracious Lord, call each one of us into your abundant light and life. Help us to see you daily, to know you confidently, to love you passionately, and to imitate you authentically every day of our life. Amen.

Advent Action Step: Make peace with someone or something that is troubling you. WARNING: This is not simple. It will take prayer – lots of prayer!

Love One Another - Brian