Reflection

Reflection: “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

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This past January at the Calvin Symposium on Christian Worship we sang the hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”  at multiple services. This unplanned coincidence promoted me to reflect more deeply on the words of this song. I invite you to reflect on the chorus: Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!Morning by morning new … Read more

Reflection: “The Coventry Carol”

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In church tradition December 28 is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. This day remembers the infanticide committed by Herod in Bethlehem, a dark part the Christmas story that is sometimes forgotten. The Flight to Egypt (Matt. 2:13-23) Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and … Read more

Advent and the Death of Jesus

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I read hymns. I absorb hymns. I internalize hymns. I want to understand how good hymns invite us into the depths of human experience.  Sometimes I’m surprised when familiar texts give way to new spiritual insights that are hard to put into words. William Chatterton Dix’s 1865 hymn asks the rhetorical question, What Child is … Read more

Advent Reflection: “Savior of the Nations, Come”

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Advent (Latin for “coming”) is the 4-week season of the church year leading up to Christmas. Savior of the Nations Come is an Advent hymn originating from the ancient hymn “Veni redemptor gentium,” written by Ambrose, an important 4th century theologian and church doctor. The chant that accompanied this hymn particularly popular in Germany during … Read more