Celebrate † Invite † Restore
NOTES FROM THE BALCONY
Summer 2008
Summer 2008
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My Beloved is the mountains,
And lonely wooded valleys,
Strange islands,
And resounding rivers,
The whistling of love-stirring breezes,
The tranquil night
At the time of the rising dawn,
Silent music,
Sounding solitude,
The supper that refreshes, and deepens love.
John of the Cross, 16th century
And lonely wooded valleys,
Strange islands,
And resounding rivers,
The whistling of love-stirring breezes,
The tranquil night
At the time of the rising dawn,
Silent music,
Sounding solitude,
The supper that refreshes, and deepens love.
John of the Cross, 16th century
We are now in the midst of our summer season - the long “green” season of the days after Pentecost. It is a time of rest and introspection. I love the summer months because at last I have time to reflect and retreat. We move through the summer with our worship - the lively 9:00 service and our radiant 11:00 liturgy, but there is a feeling of rest - of being home - of reveling in the familiar. Summer is a time to just BE - to listen, to watch, and to experience. We will sing all (or many) of our favorite hymns - ones that bring back memories of past times. We will learn some new songs - songs that will become our future heritage. We have time, at last, to sing together, pray together and to be still together.
Abraham Herschel writes in his book, Man’s Quest for God, that,``In a sense, our liturgy is a higher form of silence. It is pervaded by an awed sense of the grandeur of God which resists description and surpasses all expression. The individual is silent. We do not bring forth our own words. Our saying the consecrated words is in essence an act of listening to what they convey. Twofold is the meaning of silence. One, the abstinence from speech, the absence of sound. Two, inner silence, the absence of self concern, stillness. One may articulate words with the voice and yet be inwardly silent.”
The words of the hymns we sing speak to us if we can only make time to listen.
“Let all mortal flesh keep silence,’ (Hymn #324) reminds us to put into God’s hands both soul and body in quiet prayer. When we feel isolated and alone, it might be ‘Lord Jesus, think on me.” (Hymn 641) A joyous ‘Alleluia’ might express a time of happiness; ‘Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire’( Hymn #503) calls on God’s guidance and support. I love the phrase “lost in wonder, love, and praise,”( from Hymn 657 - “Love divine, all loves excelling” and is the title of our newest hymnbook) which is both a mantra and a perfect description of contemplative prayer itself.
I look forward to our two sessions exploring our hymnody on July 13th and July 20th at 10:00 and at our All Parish Worship and Hymnfest on July 27th. Be thinking of the hymns or songs that speak to you. We look forward to sharing memories and exploring new songs.
I wish everyone a blessed and peaceful summer. Make time to sing. Make time for play.
Make time for prayer.
“Nothing is more conducive to a communion with the living God than a meditative common prayer with, as its high point, singing that never ends and that continues in the silence of one’s heart when one is alone again.”
Brother Roger of Taize