#taken at the Liturgy show last week

[boobskin]

"so, like, are you some kind of goth?"

[ongolecharles]

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS (DSR) 📚 Group, Fri June 28th, 2024 ... Friday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time, Year B/Memorial of Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr

Reading 1 

----------

2 KGS 25:1-12

In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign,

on the tenth day of the month,

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army

advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it,

and built siege walls on every side.

The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah.

On the ninth day of the fourth month,

when famine had gripped the city,

and the people had no more bread,

the city walls were breached.

Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night

through the gate between the two walls

that was near the king’s garden.

Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded,

they went in the direction of the Arabah.

But the Chaldean army pursued the king

and overtook him in the desert near Jericho,

abandoned by his whole army.

The king was therefore arrested and brought to Riblah

to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him.

He had Zedekiah’s sons slain before his eyes.

Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters,

and had him brought to Babylon.On the seventh day of the fifth month

(this was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar,

king of Babylon),

Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard,

came to Jerusalem as the representative

of the king of Babylon.

He burned the house of the Lord,

the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem;

every large building was destroyed by fire.

Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard

tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.

Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,

led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city,

and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon,

and the last of the artisans.

But some of the country’s poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard,

left behind as vinedressers and farmers.

Responsorial Psalm

--------------

PS 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6

R. (6ab)  Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

By the streams of Babylon

we sat and wept

when we remembered Zion.

On the aspens of that land

we hung up our harps.

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Though there our captors asked of us

the lyrics of our songs,

And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:

“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

How could we sing a song of the Lord

in a foreign land?

If I forget you, Jerusalem,

may my right hand be forgotten!

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

May my tongue cleave to my palate

if I remember you not,

If I place not Jerusalem

ahead of my joy.

R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Alleluia 

-----------

MATTHEW 8:17

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Christ took away our infirmities

and bore our diseases.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

---------

MT 8:1-4

When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said,

“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”

He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,

“I will do it.  Be made clean.”

His leprosy was cleansed immediately.

Then Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one,

but go show yourself to the priest,

and offer the gift that Moses prescribed;

that will be proof for them.”

***

FOCUS AND LITURGY OF THE WORD

In today’s response, which is taken from Psalm 137, the people lament the dreadful experience of exile. They have been taken away from their homeland and their place of worship by their captors, who prod them to play their harps and sing a song from their tradition. It seems that the people could not bring themselves to play one of their songs. They hang up their harps on the poplar trees by the rivers of “Babylon”. This shows the importance of music and singing for the community. What a sad circumstance to suffer exile not only from the temple, but also from the gathered community glorifying God through music and song.

Last year, I made my annual retreat at the Trappist monastery, New Melleray Abbey, in eastern Iowa. I had visited in the past and always found the chapel to be a good place for contemplative prayer. This recent experience gave me a good opportunity to make retreat in a prayerful place, and to sing some of the Psalms with the community.  The Trappists—like other religious communities in the Benedictine tradition—put everything aside several times each day to gather in the chapel for liturgy and to pray the Hours. I joined them for most of these (I admit the 4:30 am vigils were a bit too early for me most days). Praying the Psalms in this way helped me reflect on the prayer of Jesus. He sang the Psalms with his disciples (Mark 14: 26), and also referred to the Psalms that spoke of him after his Resurrection (Luke 24:44).

While I was on retreat, and chanted some of the Psalms and prayers with the community, I was struck by the bond of music and prayer we have with our ancestors across the ages. And if we consider the Psalms, we see that they are filled with reference to music and song, as well as the instruments used by the community in the temple. It must have been an amazing experience to enter the temple thousands of years ago, and to hear—and sing—the songs of the community at prayer. Even more amazing, to my mind, is the notion of singing a “new song” to the Lord (as noted in Psalms 96 and 149). What might that have been like, to hear a new song with the community at prayer? I returned to my ministry after retreat with a deeper appreciation for the music and song that enriches our prayer and liturgy. What a gift we have to gather together and glorify God in song!

***

SAINT OF THE DAY

Saint Irenaeus

(c. 130 – c. 202)

Saint Irenaeus’ Story

The Church is fortunate that Irenaeus was involved in many of its controversies in the second century. He was a student, well trained no doubt, with great patience in investigating, tremendously protective of apostolic teaching, but prompted more by a desire to win over his opponents than to prove them in error.

As bishop of Lyons he was especially concerned with the Gnostics, who took their name from the Greek word for “knowledge.” Claiming access to secret knowledge imparted by Jesus to only a few disciples, their teaching was attracting and confusing many Christians. After thoroughly investigating the various Gnostic sects and their “secret,” Irenaeus showed to what logical conclusions their tenets led. These he contrasted with the teaching of the apostles and the text of Holy Scripture, giving us, in five books, a system of theology of great importance to subsequent times. Moreover, his work, widely used and translated into Latin and Armenian, gradually ended the influence of the Gnostics.

The circumstances and details about his death, like those of his birth and early life in Asia Minor, are not at all clear. However in 2022, Pope Francis named Saint Irenaeus a Doctor of the Church.

Reflection

----------

A deep and genuine concern for other people will remind us that the discovery of truth is not to be a victory for some and a defeat for others. Unless all can claim a share in that victory, truth itself will continue to be rejected by the losers, because it will be regarded as inseparable from the yoke of defeat. And so, confrontation, controversy and the like might yield to a genuine united search for God’s truth and how it can best be served.

***

【Build your Faith in Christ Jesus on #dailyscripturereadingsgroup 📚: +256 751 540 524 .. Whatsapp】

[stpaullutheranchurch]

march 5 2023

2023 Lent 2, March 5th

Old Testament: Genesis 12:1-9

Psalm: Psalm 121

Epistle: Romans 4:1-8

Gospel: John 3:1-17

Sermon Text: John 3:1-17

Sermon Title: “In This Way”

Grace to you and peace, from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

“Jesus answered him, truly, truly I say to you; unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God”. (John 3:3) As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up”. (John 3:14) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life”. (John 3:16)

The Gospel in a nutshell. That is what some have called one of the verses in our Gospel reading this morning. It is a verse that used to be seen quite frequently on signs/banners at athletic events. A team would be kicking a field goal/extra point and while the ball was going through the uprights, someone would hold up a sign saying JOHN 3:16. Of course, the assumption was that most people either knew what the verse said/meant or that they had enough knowledge and interest to look it up for themselves. While the signs are not as common as they used to be, and the television networks would rarely show them anyway, many athletes have taken up the slack; posting John 3:16 (or other Bible verses) somewhere on their uniform, shoes, or body.

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with such displays, after all, they just want to tell people that God loves them and Jesus died for them, right?  Or perhaps they are reminder to themselves of some of the promises in God’s Word. The ancient Israelites did something similar; putting verses of Scripture in a small box called a phylactery, and attached it to their foreheads. (See Exodus 13:9) But as far as being a public witness of our faith in Jesus, there is more to sharing the Gospel; more to the Christian life, than posting random Bible verses; verses which are often taken out of context anyway; and hoping people will understand. And for the record, John 3:16, like many other Bible verses, is frequently cited by itself, out of its context in the rest of John chapter 3.

So, perhaps we should begin by defining a key word from John 3:16; the word “love”; according to the rest of the Scriptures. In our world, love is most often defined in emotional terms; how someone makes you feel good or how you feel good about them but that is not how the Bible generally uses the word love. Jesus was not sent into the world because of the positive, emotional, good feelings He had towards sinful humanity; for we deserve nothing from Him except His eternal wrath and condemnation. This is what we confess at the beginning of the liturgy each week saying; I, a poor miserable sinner …

In the New Testament, the Greek word translated as love is “agape”; which means a committed, self-sacrificing love. “God so loved the world” (John 3:16a) by sending His Son to die a horrible death on the cross for it; not because He felt good about the world or to make the world feel good about itself; but to save the world from hell. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”. (1st John 4:10) We will talk more of this towards the end of the sermon.

Again, love, according to God’s Word, is being willing to sacrifice for others, to put the other person first, to do what is best for them, no matter how much it costs you personally. It is not about making them feel good no matter what they are doing; for we are never to affirm or approve people in their sinful behavior; and (for the record) the word “love” is used to describe all sorts of sinful behavior in our world.

In God’s Word, love is described as the perfect keeping of His Law and Commandments. As we heard in the Epistle last Sunday, “by one man’s disobedience (meaning Adam), many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience (Jesus’ perfect keeping of the Law for us) many will be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19) We are justified, made/declared righteous, by faith; “for what does the Scripture says? Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness”. (Romans 4:3)

Now, in our Gospel this morning, the Apostle John records, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs you do unless God is with him”. (John 3:1-2) Nicodemus was Pharisee and most Pharisees did not believe in Jesus, but he knew enough to know Jesus was at the very least, a good teacher. Still, he came to Jesus by night, not willing to talk to Him openly.

Jesus confronts his false belief rather quickly saying “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (born from above) he cannot enter the kingdom of God”. (John 3:3) Nicodemus seems to take Jesus quite literally saying “to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born”? (John 3:4)

Now, Jesus is clearly speaking of a spiritual rebirth that only God can grant and so He explains, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you, must be born again”. (John 3:5-7) Being born of water and the (Holy) Spirit reminds us of Paul’s words regarding Holy Baptism being a “washing of regeneration and a renewal of the Holy Spirit”; (Titus 3:5b) “A washing of water with the Word”. (Ephesians 5:26b)

Jesus continues, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit”. (John 3:8) Just as we cannot control or see the wind, so we cannot control or see the work of God in someone’s heart. This is why the Catechism speaks of a visible and invisible church.

(As a reminder) The visible church includes all those who publicly belong to a congregation and make regular use of the Word and sacrament. The true church, which is all those who truly believe in Christ Jesus, is invisible; since faith (in Christ) which makes people members of the church is invisible to human eyes.

This new birth, the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life, come not from within ourselves, but it is totally the work of God the Holy Spirit, working faith when and where He wills through the means of the grace; the Word of God and the waters of baptism. As John declared, “to all who did receive Him, who believed on His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”. (John 1:12-13)

Remember that Nicodemus is a Pharisee, and as such Jesus points out that he should have understood what Jesus was saying; but he clearly did not. “Nicodemus said to Him, how can these things be? Jesus answered him, Are you (the) teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things”? (John 3:9-10) Jesus loved Nicodemus enough to correct his misunderstanding of His Word. He doesn’t let him continue to struggle with what he doesn’t fully understand.

Jesus patiently continues to teach Nicodemus saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things”? (John 3:11-12) It would take the work of the Holy Spirit, using Jesus’ Word, to bring Nicodemus to saving faith, and we know from elsewhere in the Gospels that he became a believer.

Even though Nicodemus doesn’t yet understand, Jesus testifies of Himself, “No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven; the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life”. (John 3:13-15) His reference is to the account in the book of Numbers, where the Israelites were being bitten by poisonous snakes and as a remedy the Lord told Moses to “make a fiery serpent and set I on a pole, and everyone who is bitten when he sees it, shall live”. (Numbers 21:8b)

When Jesus speaks of being lifted up, He is speaking of the cross by which He would atone for the sins of the whole world; for all those have ever lived or will live in the future. When anyone looks upon the cross of Christ, by which He won the salvation of the world, and believe in Him will “have eternal life”. (John 3:15b)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son (into death on the cross) that whoever believes in Him should not perish (eternally) but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him”. (John 3:16-17) God loved the world so much that He willed His Son to die the death we deserved, so that we might have the hope and promise of eternal life.

Again, this was not done because of anything good in us, but because of the loving sacrifice of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. This is taught repeatedly in Holy Scripture. Isaiah wrote, “He was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities … by His stripes we are healed”. (Isaiah 53:4-5) Peter taught, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree (cross)”. (1st Peter 2:24a) John proclaimed, “Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins … and the sins of the whole world”. (1st John 2:2) Paul also wrote, “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them … making peace by the blood of His cross”. (2nd Corinthians 5:19, Colossians 1:20b)

To the world, the cross of Christ is utter foolishness. Paul said, “we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles … but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” (1st Corinthians 1:23b, 18b) We who have been “born again”; (John 3:3) “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5); “through the living and abiding Word of God” (1st Peter 1:23b) are a new creation in Christ.

Therefore, we no longer see the Word and Gospel of God as foolishness, but rather we say with the Apostle Paul “I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes”. (Romans 1:16) Amen.

The peace of God …

[taiwan3000]

2023

ALBUMS

Maps Billy Woods Kenny Segal (FaceTime, Year Zero, Hangman, NYC Tapwater)

Heavy Heavy Young Fathers (I Saw, Tell Somebody, Ululation)

Radical Romantics Fever Ray (Tapping Fingers, Even It Out, Shiver)

The Infinite Spine Lauren Auder (730kingfisher, 118-madonna, hawthorne81, we2assume2many2roles)

Erotic Probiotic 2 Nourished by Time (The Fields, Soap Party, Quantum Suicide)

Wallsocket underscores (Cops and robbers; Locals (Girls like us); Geez louise)

Javelin Sufjan Stevens (Goodbye Evergreen, Will Anybody Ever Love Me?, So You Are Tired)

10,000 Gecs 100 Gecs (Hollywood Baby, I Got My Tooth Removed, Mememe, Frog on the Floor)

Love in a Vicious Way Mother Tongues (Worm Day, Dance in the Dark)

Hellmode Jeff Rosenstock

Cartwheel Hotline TNT

After the Magic Parannoul

The Comeback Kid Marnie Stern

Aperture Hannah Jadagu

Live At Bush Hall Black Country, New Road (Dancers)

trip9love...??? Tirzah

Raven Kelela

Sundial Noname

The Ones Ahead Beverly Glenn-Copeland

12 Ryuichi Sakamoto

All of This Will End Indigo De Souza

Suntub ML Buch

SONGS

Strong; Enjoy Your Life; Loveher; She's on my Mind Romy

Pink Lemonade Blockhead RXK Nephew

Mindful Solutionism; Pigeonometry Aesop Rock

I See Myself; Mysterious Love Geese

Pet Rock L'Rain

It Must Change; Scapegoat ANOHNI and the Johnsons

Avalanche of Love WITCH

I've Got Me Joanna Sternberg

Can I Talk My Shit? Vagabon

Workin' on a World Iris DeMent

Vampire Empire Big Thief

Paint the Town Red Doja Cat

Oral Bjork + Rosalia

Mama's Eyes Mette

With the Other Hand Lost Girls

Scaring the Hoes Danny Brown + JPEGMAFIA

Redemption Tour Klein

Squid Pangaea

Halo Flip Vegyn Lauren Auder

Dickhead Blues Kara Jackson

Dreamliner / Sandrail Silhouette Avalon Emerson

So Hard to Tell Debby Friday

We Gon Eat Living Legends

Found Fucked Up

Make U 3 Me Alice Longyu Gao

What We Were That What Wept for the Sea Colin Stetson

Andy in Stereo Hand Habits

Blackbox Life Recorder 21f Aphex Twin

Quiet Moves Che Noir

Crumbs Rebecca Black

Lo Siento Princess Nokia

Djennaration Liturgy

FILMS / TV / VIDEO

Adrianne Lenker Ruined (music video)

***All Light, Everywhere

***American Factory

Arrested Development S4

***Barbie

The Bear S2 E6, E7, E10

The Beautiful Colors of Jeremy Sicile-Kira (short)

***Beef (TV)

Big Fish

***Black Mirror S3 E4 San Junipero

Bottoms

Bourne Ultimatum

***The Boy and the Heron

Caballerango

***Chewing Gum S1 & S2

***Colossal Youth

Contact

The Cow Who Sang a Song into the Future

***Creamerie S1 & S2

Crestone

A Dangerous Method

***Decision to Leave

***I Didn't See You There

Disintegration 93-96 (short)

Enjoy Your Life MV Romy

***The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase

***An Epistemological Analysis of RXK Nephew's "American Tterroristt" (YouTube)

Fogareu

Free Chol Soo Lee

Groundhog Day

***Hail Satan?

Harm Reduction Center Chapter 5 (YouTube)

***The Hole

***Horse Money

***How to Blow Up a Pipeline

***I May Destroy You

I Think You Should Leave S1-3

I Was a Simple Man

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia S16 E8

John Wick 4

Joy Ride

Killers of the Flower Moon

Last Week with John Oliver: Israel-Hamas War

Liquor Store Dreams

Live at Bush Hall by Black Country, New Road

Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx

Malni: Towards the Ocean, Towards the Shore

Nettles (short)

No Reservations S8 E5 Lisbon

October Country

Parts Unknown S9 S8 Porto

***Perfumed Nightmare

Puparia (short)

Robocop

Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy

Shortcomings

Somebody Feed Phil

Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse

The Square

Star Trek

Starfuckers (short)

***Survivor Australia S10 E7

Talk to Me

A Thousand and One

Three of Us (short)

***Time

TomDNYC (YouTube)

***Triangle of Sadness

Tuesday (short)

***underscores Wallsocket (album video)

Untold Story of Keetley Valley (short)

When You Left Me on that Boulevard (short)

WHOKILLEDXIX 9mm (music video)

A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here (short)

***The Wire

***Wisdom Gone Wild

The Worst Person in the World

You've Never Been Completely Honest (short)

Yox_Rick (IG)

***Zodiac

LIVE SHOWS

***Billy Woods Kenny Segal

Hiss Golden Messenger

***Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord

***Peter Pan Goes Wrong

1776

***Sloppy Jane

ART EXHIBITS

Cecily Brown

Luna Luna

VIDEO GAMES

Closing Doors

***Cohabitation

***Coming Out Simulator 2014

I Had Another Dream About You Last Night

Mimic

Opossum Country

Six Cats Under

Sofia?

Super Jacked Up Tomato Face Johnson

That Lonesome Valley

***Time Is Solid Here

BOOKS

Why Do I Get All the Kisses?

[tpanan]

My Saturday Daily Blessings

December 10, 2022

Be still quiet your heart and mind, the LORD is here, loving you talking to you...........    

Saturday of the Second Week of Advent (Roman Rite Calendar) Lectionary 186, Cycle A

First Reading: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11

In those days, like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace. Their staff of bread he shattered, in his zeal he reduced them to straits;

By the Lord’s word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire. How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Whose glory is equal to yours? You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses. You were destined, it is written, in time to come to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,

To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons, and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob. Blessed is he who shall have seen you and who falls asleep in your friendship.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19

"Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved."

Verse before the Gospel: Luke 3:4, 6

R: Alleluia, Alleluia

"Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: All flesh shall see the salvation of God."

R: Alleluia, Alleluia

**Gospel: Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

As they were coming down from the mountain,

the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

**Meditation:

God gives signs to show what he is about to do. John the Baptist is one such sign, who pointed to Jesus and prepared the way for his coming. John fulfilled the essential task of all the prophets: to be fingers pointing to Jesus Christ. John is the last and greatest prophet of the old kingdom, the old covenant. The Jews expected that when the Messiah would come, Elijah would appear to announce his presence. John fills the role of Elijah and prepares the way for the coming of Jesus Christ by preaching a baptism of repentance and renewal.

As watchful servants, we, too must prepare for the Lord's coming again by turning away from sin and from everything that would keep us from pursuing his will. Are you eager to do God's will and are you prepared to meet the Lord Jesus when he returns in glory?

Lord Jesus, stir my zeal for your righteousness and for your kingdom. Free me from complacency and from compromising with the ways of sin and worldliness that I may be wholeheartedly devoted to you and to your kingdom.

Sources:  

Lectionary for Mass for use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, copyright (c) 2001, 1998, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain (c) 1968, 1981, 1997, international committee on english in the liturgy, Inc All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner

**Meditations may be freely reprinted and translated into other languages for non-profit use only. Please cite copyright and original source. Copyright 2021 Daily Scripture Readings and Meditation, dailyscripture.net author Don Schwager.

[mjwood93]

Rhythms of Grace: How the Church’s Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel by Mike Cosper

Rhythms of Grace: How the Church’s Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel by Mike Cosper.

"The Story of the Gospel is all about Worship” (p. 73)

“Do you find yourself in God’s Gospel story week to week? How is the Gospel important to worship?” These are just a couple of the questions that Mike Cosper seeks to answer in his book Rhythms of Grace. Mike Cosper is one of the founding pastors at Sojourn Community Church, where he serves as pastor over the worship and arts ministry. He also writes for The Gospel Coalition. While I’ve never heard of Mike Cosper until reading this book, I had listened to a couple songs from a Sojourn Music worship album because of their association with Sovereign Grace Music.

At 212 pages or so, I flew through this book in about a week, and am able to say that I’ll be recommending this book to other worship leaders and musicians. It is perfect for the layperson as well as a pastor/elder who may be in need of more study on Gospel-Centered Worship. This book has a little something for everyone, with the first part of the book almost being a short biblical theology of worship, then moving into a short chapter dealing with church history, and then moving on at last to how do we apply all this to today with changes in worship styles, technology, and other complications.

Chapters 1-4 give a short biblical theology of worship in the Bible. Biblical Theology is a discipline of theology that traces a theme chronologically in history as it appears in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Biblical Theology is a good discipline to show how a theme or doctrine develops throughout the Bible and is fulfilled and consummated in Jesus Christ. We start right at the beginning (well, actually before the beginning) before the foundation of the world with God in perfect Trinitarian love. At it’s heart, the worship of God by His own self adoration is perfect worship and love. In the book of Genesis, it is out of this overflowing love that Adam is created as the first “worship leader”. Eden was a garden temple where God was able to completely dwell in the presence of Adam & Eve. Adam & Eve’s worship was not ritualistic or endless singing, but it was their whole lives devoted to God.  They were called to expand and subdue the rest of creation to the glory of God, but failed in their sin, and so perfect worship between God & man was ruined. Sin distorts the beauty and harmony that God created, and we see this in the contrasted worship of Cain and Abel and all down the line of humanity through when God calls Moses to lead the nation of Israel out of Egypt, where they sing a song of God redeeming them and giving them a new identity as His people. It is at Mount Sinai where the Priesthood and Tabernacle are established. Because God is a holy, perfect, and just God, He requires that life be taken as the punishment of sin, requiring atonement of sins through the sacrifice of birds, bulls, and lambs. As Adam represented humanity and creation, so the priesthood represents the people of Israel. Further in history these priests lead the people in false worship, and the people long for a King like other nations, who also end up representing the nation and leading the people astray.  The story of the Old Testament is one of utter failure, with God continually calling the people of Israel back to repentance. The Song of Jesus is one that is built up throughout the Biblical story and leads to his quotation of Psalm 22 on the Cross, facing God’s wrath and fury for the sins of His people. His song is one of redemption and through His death and resurrection became the center where it is possible to approach God the Father through a reconciled relationship. This is why Jesus is the True Temple, our True Priest, and our True Worship Leader. He has won and has restored what sin has broken. By union with Him and by His extension, we are called as the Church to do His work, being a light unto the nations, singing His praise and glorifying Him with our lives as living sacrifices.

Chapter 5 was one of the most helpful chapters to read titled “Worship One, Two, Three”. Cosper’s philosophy of worship is one that I’ll continue to use in the days ahead. His philosophy is that worship has one Object & Author, two contexts, and three audiences.

The Trinitarian God is at the center of our worship. He created us to worship Him, and even though sin corrupted our worship of Him, He makes us new creation in Christ so that our lives are completely offered to Him by Christ’s righteousness, who also brings glory to the Father. God is the One who put forward and directed His own sovereign plan, so that He is the author of not only our faith, but our worship.

Two contexts exist for our worship, one that is scattered, the other that is gathered. Scattered worship is how each Christian individually is able to worship God in their own private and public lives. It is important to note that we can only have this intimate living sacrifice of worship because of what Christ has done on the Cross. The fact that we can worship God while driving in our car is a huge deal, one that we should be continually thankful for! We cannot sustain ourselves and our relationship with God individually though. We are called to be with community and this is where Gathered Worship takes place. Because Jesus is the Cornerstone of the true Temple and fulfills the OT temple and priesthood, we become the dwelling place of God, even more so when we unite and worship Him together. Therefore this makes our gathering on Sundays completely unique. Little temples are making a greater temple that are united to the True Temple. The goal of all this is to proclaim the Glory of God, and to spur and encourage one another on so that we can go out back into the world to proclaim the Gospel and His Kingdom.

Three audiences exist: God, the Church, and the World. God is our audience as we come to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. We can worship Him fully because of Jesus interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. The Church is the second audience. We are called to sing to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, encouraging and teaching one another in this way. The last audience is the world. Through the Church’s song we are called to be a light and declare boldly through our singing the glory of Jesus Christ to the world. It is important to have a balance of audience direction from week to week. If not careful, a church could move to something more like a seeker-sensitive church, where the emphasis is on the audience of the world. “Worship that celebrates the gospel brings all three audiences together: the God who saves by the Gospel, the Church formed by the Gospel, and the world in need of the Gospel” (p.90).

Chapter 6 moves on to Worship as Spiritual Formation, mainly emphasizing why we gather as a Church and how we use the Word in worship to form our habits as worshippers going out into the world. Gathering itself is a habit that must discipline ourselves to do. Not only that, but how we gather, what we teach through our songs, and the language we use during this gathering all form our habits for how we express and articulate our worship. We need to make sure we are discerning and scriptural about all these things. Ultimately, our gathering is to encourage us in the Gospel and our hope-filled future of Christ returning and our uniting with Him.

Chapters 7 & 8 deal with Worship in the history of the church and liturgical aspects of worship. From the beginning of when the Church was created, the Gospel has always shaped it’s liturgy. Liturgy itself means “the work of the people”, and when the church gathers we have work to do. This means to Glorify God and to spur each other on to good works. But how we do these things, and how we view God and worship Him, is based on the content that we include in our services. “The words we hear, sing, and speak in worship help form our images of God,.... our understanding of what the church is and does,... and our practices of engaging with God, with each other, and with the world” (p.118). Everything we do in a service explicitly and implicitly teaches something. To help find ourselves in the story of the Gospel, we must frame our services by the Gospel. This includes the elements of:

Adoration

Confession

Assurance

Thanksgiving

Petition

Instruction

Charge

Blessing

or, can also be framed as:

God is Holy - Creation - Adoration

We are sinners - Fall - Confession/Lament

Jesus saves us - Redemption - Assurance/Thanksgiving/Instruction

Jesus sends us - Consummation - Communion/Charge/Blessing

From the early church, to the Reformation, to the Free Church, to age of Revivalism, all various church denominations have used these practices and framework to some degree when shaping their service. Much of the problem with a modern church service is that it is based on what’s called “The Temple Model” of a pilgrim traveling to Jerusalem. I include this next paragraph from Cosper’s book because I believe it is of importance, describing a large portion of churches today:

“The problem with this model is twofold. First, it’s developed backwards. The theology of the Temple Model is a theological interpretation of an experience, and it is divorced from any kind of historical perspective on the gathered church. Second, it ignores most of what the New Testament teaches us about worship, the presence of God, and the temple. instead of being led by Jesus through the inner curtain, we’re led there by a worship leader or a pastor - a pseudo priest. God’s presence is measured in emotional impact, and it’s mediated through music and preaching, displacing Jesus from his role as Mediator and worship leader” (p.113).

This type of worship can lead people astray, and into unknowingly thinking that they are just there to feed a spiritual/emotional high. Even in our worship, we should not look to ourselves, to a worship leader, to a pastor, but to Christ Himself to help us worship all the more.

Chapter 9 is all about singing. Singing is all throughout the Bible and usually has to deal with the redemption of God’s people. God sings over us and we as the people of God have sung to Him throughout the ages. We are to sing a “new song”. This does not mean a literal creative new song with some fancy new chord progression, but has to deal with the new song of Jesus Christ our Lord saving His people through the Gospel. Worship is so much more than an individual encounter with God, as much as the modern worship movement may make it seem, but it is about our song as the people of God to our God. As I have explained earlier in this review, singing should be about teaching one another, and we are told to do this through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. What we sing and how we sing are so important, because our song sung together is a testimony and declaration to the world about what we believe. This means singing and submitting to each other’s preferences as well, because, this shows love to one another, and continues to not hurt our witness to the world. Within all of this, the end goal of music should be to serve the congregation’s singing, in scriptural truth, but also in quality and other factors, such as a key that is suitable for them.

Chapter 10 places an emphasis on the role of a worship leader being a pastoral one. Those who lead are stewards of God’s Word, and should know it well. We as worship leaders place the thoughts and words used into people’s minds, mouths, and hearts. Worship leaders have the greatest opportunity to summarize doctrine and make the language of the Bible fresh and new to their congregation’s ears. We should make sure that what we sing should be rightly contextualized and understandable to our congregation. We should also be aware of who we have in our congregation, and what situations are arriving and have gone before us in the congregation, and should know the congregation’s needs and sufferings. This is an area where I personally need to grow in, so it was good for me to read.

I’ve read six books on worship this year, and this would probably take place at number three for favorite worship book that I’ve read; number two being Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chapell, number one being Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin (who also does the foreword for this book). I continue to learn and see that our theology shapes our doxology and vice versa, therefore one must be discerning with each, because they are of the utmost importance. Worship is what we were made for; to worship God through Jesus Christ, because of what he Has done on the Cross. He is our True Worship Leader, and may we ever look to and depend on His mercy and grace to help His name be glorified all the more. I thank God for Mike Cosper, his ministry and this much needed book.

[orthodoxgladness]

The Bridegroom Services of Holy Week

The first three days of Holy Week are referred to in the Church as "The End." Jesus was walking into the very midst of those who sought to take His life. He experienced deep anguish within Himself (John 12:27). Despite the triumph of the Palm weekend, which had confirmed the outcome of His Passion even before it had taken place, the Lord had already told His disciples that:

... he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Matt.16:21)

The moment of truth had arrived. No longer did Jesus speak to the people from boats or in the countryside. He spoke openly in Jerusalem itself. He confronted His enemies and publicly refuted them. He went directly to the Temple and cleansed it of the crooked moneychangers. He spoke to them sharply: "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers' (Matt. 21:13). He refuted all the questions which the leaders put to Him in order to "entangle him in his talk" (Matt. 22:15ff.) He condemned the fig tree which had not brought forth fruit. He spoke and acted with great urgency:

Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out. (John 12:31)

The moment of truth revealed that even in the supposedly most religious and righteous places, the world was under the sway of evil. The Messiah came to inaugurate a New Age.

On the first three "great and holy" days of this week, it is the Gospel read at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the "end" of each liturgical day - when "the light of Christ illumines all" - that the "theme" of the whole day is revealed. On Monday the theme is quite simply the End: "Heaven and earth shall pass away but My words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:3-35). On Tuesday we are minded of the vigilance and care required of all Christians as we hear Christ's parables of the ten virgins and of the talents, and we are filled with "holy fear" as we listen to Him prophesy the Last Judgment (Matt. 24:36-26:2). On Wednesday we hear about the harlot who anoints Christ's feet to prepare Him for His burial and of Judas who judges her, mercilessly condemning her act of mercy (Matt. 26:6-16). Indeed, "The Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). And this darkness brings judgment.

Judgment is the theme of the Gospel lessons read in darkness each evening at Matins. On Monday we hear of the barren fig tree which Christ curses and causes to be dried up (Matt. 21:18-43); on Tuesday, of the blind and hypocritical Pharisees (Matt. 22:15-23, 39); and on Wednesday, of the final rejection of Christ: "now is the judgment of the world" (John 12:17-50).

The two themes are darkness and judgment are combined in the troparion sung at Matins on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday:

'Behold! the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching; and again unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless. Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom. But rouse yourself, crying: "Holy! Holy! Holy! art Thou, O our God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us!"

Midnight is the time for us to keep vigil, to watch and pray. The night time of "this world" is when we look for the coming of the Kingdom of God.

The first three days of Holy Week are commonly called "The Bridegroom Service." This service is customarily served in anticipation on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings. Throughout the services we are never allowed to forget that Christ the Bridegroom who comes is God, the God who created man in the beginning and who now comes to do all things for his salvation in His love for mankind. He constantly demands that we return this love, and that we show to others the same mercy that He shows to us. On Great and Holy Thursday the last of the Bridegroom Services is celebrated, and there we see this vital Christian requirement of love to put to the ultimate test. For the last time we sing the exaposteilarion which forms the only link between all of the services of the first four days of Holy Week.

'Thy Bridal Chamber I see adorned, O my Savior, but I have no wedding garment that I may enter. O Giver of Light, enlighten the vesture of my soul, and save me.'

This hymn sung near the end of the Service tells us, in effect, that in our present state we are not ready to meet the Lord. There is no room for pride, callousness, or the recounting of our good deeds. We must repent, i.e., have an inner change of mind and heart before we can enter the Kingdom.

The first three days of Holy Week are concluded by the betrayal of Christ by one of His own disciples - Judas. On this day, the beginning of Great and Holy Thursday, as we enter Christ's chamber together with the glorious apostles to partake of His table, we see the impious traitor Judas indeed sitting at the table with no wedding garment. The troparion says:

'When the glorious disciples were enlightened at the washing of their feet before the supper, Then the impious Judas was darkened, ailing with avarice, and to the lawless judges he betrays Thee, the righteous Judge. Behold, O lover of money, this man who because of money hanged himself. Flee from the greedy soul which dared such things against the Master. O Lord who art good towards all men, glory to Thee!"

We realize that all of the things we have heard about and experienced this week, all the things we have been called to do and to be in order to partake worthily of the Master's table, are impossible without Christ's mercy and help. And now we stand in the lengthening shadow of Calvary. Judas has made his choice. He has hanged himself in remorse, and Christ is in the hands of lawless men.

The End becomes our "end" if we, too, join in rejecting the Light and Life of the world, or share in selling the Master of all in order to satisfy our own self-centered motivations.

Rev. Paul Lazor, Paul Garrett

[orthodoxydaily]

April, Sunday 21, 2019

Matins of Great and Holy Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday With the First Hour, Vespers and Divine Liturgy of Holy Thursday

The Bridegroom Service of Holy Week

Matins of Great and Holy Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday With the First Hour, Vespers and Divine Liturgy of Holy Thursday

Prepared by the V. Rev. Paul Lazor and Paul Garrett

As we stand in church on the evening of Palm Sunday, we are sunk in darkness. This is the end. We have seen the light: Christ has triumphed over the darkness of death by raising His friend Lazarus. He has sought—and received—the acclamation of His Kingship by His people Israel: "Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord." We have held high our palm branches and accepted His Kingdom. But now these palms lie at home, and we stand in darkness. The end has come.

The First Three Days of Holy Week

The first three days of Holy Week are referred to in the Church as "The End." Jesus was walking into the very midst of those who sought to take His life. He experienced deep anguish within Himself (John 12:27). Despite the triumph of the Palm weekend, which had confirmed the outcome of His Passion even before it had taken place, the Lord had already told His disciples that:

...he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Matthew 16:21)

The moment of truth had arrived. No longer did Jesus speak to the people from boats or in the countryside. He spoke openly in Jerusalem itself. He confronted His enemies and publicly refuted them.

Addressing Himself to the religious leaders and students of the Divine Law, the Pharisees, scribes, and elders, Jesus called them hypocrites, blind guides, murderers, and liars.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in. (Matthew 23:13)

He went directly to the Temple and cleansed it of the crooked moneychangers. He spoke to them sharply: "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you make it a den of robbers"(Matthew 21:13). He refuted all the questions which the leaders put to Him in order to "entangle him in his talk" (Matthew 22: 15ff.) He condemned the fig tree which had not brought forth fruit. He spoke and acted with great urgency:

Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out. (John 12:31) The moment of truth revealed that even in the supposedly most religious and righteous places, the

world was under the sway of evil. The Messiah came to inaugurate a New Age.

The Services of the Bridegroom

On Palm Sunday evening the Services of Holy Week begin. Long Gospel readings on the first three days divulge the entire content of the final discourses of Christ. In these discourses he is far from the "sweet Jesus" of popular imagery. He speaks with clarity concerning the end of this age.

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only... Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.(Matthew 24:36, 42)

Judgment and The End

We see the sin and darkness which triumph in "this world" loom before us as we follow Christ as He approaches the Cross. On the first three "great and holy" days of this week, it is the Gospel read at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the "end" of each liturgical day - when "the light of Christ illumines all" - that the "theme" of the whole day is revealed.

On Monday the theme is quite simply the End: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:3-35).

On Tuesday we are minded of the vigilance and care required of all Christians as we hear Christ's parables of the ten virgins and of the talents, and we are filled with "holy fear" as we listen to Him prophesy the Last Judgment (Matthew 24:36-26:2).

On Wednesday we hear about the harlot who anoints Christ's feet to prepare Him for His burial, and of Judas who judges her, mercilessly condemning her act of mercy (Matthew 26:6-16). Indeed, "The Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). And this darkness brings judgment.

Judgment is the theme of the Gospel lessons read in darkness each evening at Matins.

On Monday we hear of the barren fig tree which Christ curses and causes to be dried up(Matthew 21:18-43); on Tuesday, of the blind and hypocritical Pharisees (Matthew 22:15-23, 39); and on Wednesday, of the final rejection of Christ: "now is the judgment of the world"(John 12:17-50).

The two themes of darkness and judgment are combined in the troparion sung at Matins on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday:

Behold! the Bridegroom comes at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching; and again, unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless.

Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom.

But rouse yourself, crying: "Holy! Holy! Holy! art Thou, O our God. Through the Theotokos, have mercy on us!"

Midnight is the time for us to keep vigil, to watch and pray. The nighttime of "this world" is when we look for the coming of the Kingdom of God. The parable of the wise and foolish virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom forms the basis of this special troparion sung at the beginning of Matins each day. Ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. They were not sure when he would come. Five took sufficient oil for their lamps, five did not. The five who came unprepared had to return to buy more oil. At midnight, while these are gone, the bridegroom came and the virgins who were prepared entered the bridal hall with him to begin the marriage feast. The bridal hall is the Kingdom of Heaven. The Bridegroom is Christ. He comes at an hour when we least expect Him. We must "watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour" (Matthew 25:13).

In view of this special troparion, the Matins of the first three days of Holy Week are commonly called "The Bridegroom Service." This service is customarily served in anticipation on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday evenings. Throughout the services we are never allowed to forget that Christ the Bridegroom who comes is God, the God who created man in the beginning and who now comes to do all things for his salvation in His love for mankind. He constantly demands that we return this love, and that we show to others the same mercy that He shows to us. On Great and Holy Thursday the last of the Bridegroom Services is celebrated, and there we see this vital Christian requirement of love put to the ultimate test. For the last time we sing the exaposteilarion which forms the only link between all of the services of the first four days of Holy Week.

Thy Bridal Chamber I see adorned, O my Savior, but I have no wedding garment that I may enter. O Giver of Light, enlighten the vesture of my soul, and save me.

This special hymn, sung near the end of the Service, tells us, in effect, that in our present state we are not ready to meet the Lord. There is no room for pride, callousness, or the recounting of our good deeds. We must repent, i.e., have an inner change of mind and heart before we can enter the Kingdom.

The Supper and the Betrayal

The first three days of Holy Week are concluded by the clandestine betrayal of Christ by one of His own disciples - Judas. Even after His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Christ continued to withdraw from the city at night. Out of fear of the masses, the leaders did not arrest Him and He moved about the city during the day. It was necessary that one of His companions betray Him by revealing to the leaders the location of His nocturnal abode as well as His identity in the group. Judas filled this need.

On this day, the beginning of Great and Holy Thursday, as we enter Christ's chamber together with the glorious apostles to partake of His table, we see the impious traitor Judas indeed sitting at the table with no wedding garment. The troparion of this day says:

When the glorious disciples were enlightened at the washing of their feet before the supper,

Then the impious Judas was darkened, ailing with avarice, and to the lawless judges he betrays Thee, the righteous Judge. Behold, O lover of money, this man who because of money hanged himself. Flee from the greedy soul which dared such things against the Master. O Lord who art good towards all men, glory to Thee!

We realize that all of the things we have heard about and experienced this week, all the things we have been called to do and to be in order to partake worthily of the Master's table, are impossible without Christ's mercy and help. And now we stand in the lengthening shadow of Calvary. Judas has made his choice. He has hanged himself in remorse, and Christ is in the hands of lawless men.

What motivated Judas to commit this terrible act? In the mind of the Church, the motive is the greed for money and a general love for the choking pleasures of this world. Judas had the same opportunity to be with Jesus and to learn at His feet, but he "refused to understand," as the Church hymns say. He exchanged all this for thirty pieces of silver. The question remaining to be answered by us is this: What is Christ worth in our lives? Do we take proper advantage of all the opportunity given to us to live in Him and learn of Him in the Church?

The End becomes our "end' if we, too, join in rejecting the Light and Life of the world, or share in selling the Master of all in order to satisfy our own, self-centered motivations.

[a-corndog-named-schibbs]

Fangs, Fur, and Phantoms - Chapter 5

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Next Chapter

Back at it again with more spooky fun.  Coran finds weird uses for a communion wafer.  Lance accepts an offer he’d rather refuse.  Answers are finally found.

Note: Contains religion (Note within a note: author was raised Protestant. If you’re familiar with Catholic liturgy and notice she got something wrong, please let her know so she can fix it)

Enjoy!

“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself  and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

“Amen,” Lance murmured.

“May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all the saints, whatever good you do and suffering you endure heal your sins, help you to grow in holiness, and reward you with eternal life. Go in peace.” Coran said from the other side of the screen.

“Already got the eternal life bit, thanks,” said Lance, under his breath.

“Do we need to do this again so you can confess to sassing a prophet?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Lance stepped out of the confession booth.

“How about Mass?  When was the last time you had that?” Coran asked, also exiting the booth.

“I think I can go without tonight.”

“Well, let’s test that, shall we?” said Coran, reaching over to the altar and picking up a communion wafer from the dish.  He approached Lance and pressed the wafer to his forehead.

Lance winced.  When Coran pulled the wafer away, a slight pink mark appeared where it had been.

“Better to be safe than sorry.  I’ll get the blood bag.”

“It didn’t hurt that much…”

“It’s not supposed to hurt at all,” Coran pointed out, “If you want to take care of your immortal soul then you’ve got to take the treatments.”

Lance sighed, “Oh, all right.”  He certainly understood why he took Mass.  He was the one who had asked Coran to help him find a way to do so, his family’s faith one of the few ties to his past he had left.  That didn’t mean it wasn’t frustrating, having to take Mass nearly every night just so he could walk past a crucifix without fear of getting a headache.

Lance watched as Coran retrieved the cup used specifically for vampire-friendly Mass (no need for the other congregants to drink wine from a cup that had had blood in it the night before) and poured blood from a blood bag into it.  He then recited the invocation and presented Lance with the cup.  Lance drank it down.

“There,” said Coran, “Let’s try this again.”  He picked up the communion wafer and touched it to Lance’s forehead once more.

“Nothing,” said Lance, “Now you’re just a guy holding a cracker up to another guy’s forehead.”

“Good.  That means it worked,” Coran set the wafer down and patted Lance on the shoulder, “I’m glad you stopped by tonight, Lance, it’s always nice to see you.  Tell Keith I said hi and try not to get into too much trouble.”

Lance smirked, “But you’d be out of a job if I didn’t.”

“I’m serious, son.  If you come in here next week and tell me that you’ve…I don’t know…eaten a five-year-old or something—“

“Coran!  I would never!  Five-year-olds aren’t nearly ripe enough to eat.”

Coran raised an eyebrow.

“Kidding, just kidding,” said Lance, “You take care of yourself, Coran.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As Lance exited St. Groggery’s, he noticed a man across the street, standing by a rather expensive-looking car and illuminating the pavement with his phone’s flashlight.

The man looked up and noticed him, “Excuse me, do you think you can help me with something?”

Lance crossed the street, “What do you need, man?”

“I seem to have dropped my keys, could you help me find them?”

Lance almost didn’t catch the man’s words.  Up close, he was strikingly attractive.  Tall as hell and slender, but not without muscle.  His facial features were an elegant, refined sort of handsome and his long platinum-blond hair showed signs of being well cared-for.

“Sure,” said Lance, “Sure, let me just…” He knelt down and peeked under the car while the stranger held the flashlight, not that he needed it to see in the dark.  After a moment, he spotted the keys and fished them out.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you so much.  I was worried they’d gone down a storm drain.  I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.”  The man put his hand on Lance’s arm.  Lance had mixed feelings about the gesture, though he couldn’t seem to bring himself to shake the other man off.

“Oh, it was nothing really.”

“Still, I’d like to show my gratitude in some way.  How about I get you a drink?”

“I, uh, I don’t drink…alcohol.”

“I know,” said the man, pulling the collar of his shirt down slightly to reveal his collarbone.

Bad idea, said Lance’s brain, even as his arms reached for the man and his legs carried him forward.

The man pulled him into a nearby alleyway and pressed him against the wall.  Lance’s head spun.  He could already smell the man’s blood, could practically taste it on his tongue.  It would taste so good to have blood straight from the source for once.  The last time he had had a fresh meal was…

That snapped Lance out of his trance.  The only person he did this with anymore was Keith.  You just got out of confession and already you’re trying to eat from a stranger, what’s wrong with you? ��Lance took a step back, “I’m sorry, I really shouldn’t.  I need to get home—“

His words were cut off as the man shoved him backwards against the wall, a hand wrapped around his throat.  Lance tried to shake him off, but the stranger only pushed him harder into the bricks, lifting him off his feet with astonishing strength.  Lance squirmed against the man’s grip.  It would take more than choking to kill him, but the lack of oxygen was making his head spin.

Something hard and pointed pressed against his chest, right above his heart.  Lance looked down.  The man was holding a wooden stake, poised to stab him with it.

“I assume you know what that is.  If you so much as scream, it’ll be the last noise you ever make.”

The man set Lance back on his feet.

“What do you want?” Lance hissed, rubbing his throat.

“You’ve encountered two individuals by the names of Agents Shirogane and Prince, yes?”

“Yeah…” said Lance, remembering the agents that had come to Keith’s house the other day.

“They work for an organization known as the Paranormal Bureau of Investigation.  An organization that hunts down creatures like you and me.”

“What’s your point?”

“I want you to kill them for me.”

Lance’s lip curled in disgust, “Let’s assume I have any intention of humoring you.  Give me one good reason why I should do this.”

“Besides the fact that they would hunt you down and throw you in a cage if they knew what you are?”

Lance shrugged, “Plenty of people have tried to hunt me down before.  No one’s caught me yet.”

“I figured you’d need a bit of extra motivation,” the man pulled out his phone and pulled up an image, “How about this, then?”

Lance’s stomach dropped.  A picture of Keith filled the screen.

“He’s your lover, isn’t he?  Such a handsome boy…It would certainly be a shame if anything unfortunate happened to that lovely face.”

“Listen,” Lance growled, “If you think you can scare me…”

“Not good enough?  How about this, then,”  The man swiped across the screen and an image of two children playing in a backyard slid into view.  The picture was slightly blurry, as though it was taken covertly.

“These are your…oh, what was it?…great-great-grandchildren?  I don’t know how you keep track.  Their names are Nadia and Sylvio, aren’t they?”

“You wouldn’t dare…” whispered Lance.

“You don’t want to know what I would dare to do.”  The man let Lance go.  “You have until Saturday.  If Agents Shirogane and Prince are not dead by then, I will personally track down and kill everyone you love.  Oh, and one more thing,” the man turned and faced Lance once more, “When you do kill those agents, be sure to tell them Lotor sent you.”

***

In addition to its quality coffee and friendly customer service, Mochas & Magic also sold second-hand books.  Allura figured that was as good a place as any to do research on local folklore.

She had decided to perform this particular task solo.  Shiro was busy interviewing Mr. and Mrs. Griffin about the incident and Allura figured she might get better results if she went alone anyway.  If this Colleen woman’s daughter really had information on New Altea’s supernatural population, she might benefit more from a girl-to-girl chat.

As Allura pushed open the door to the coffee shop, she heard Colleen’s voice ring out, “Welcome to Mochas & Magic!  Come on in!”

Colleen was stationed behind the register today.  Beside her was a rather large young man in an apron, sliding trays of blueberry scones into the display case.

“Oh, I remember you,” said Colleen, as Allura approached the counter, “You and that young man were in here yesterday, talking about vampires.”

“Yes, that, uh, that was me,” said Allura, trying to keep her voice down.  The young man in the apron was giving her a strange look.  “You mentioned your daughter knowing a lot about folklore.  I was wondering if I could talk with her for a bit.”

“Well, I’m sure she’d be happy to discuss it with you.  Hunk, do you know where Katie is?”

“I think she’s shelving books right now,” said Hunk, still not taking his eyes off of Allura.

“Thank you,” said Allura, “That’s very helpful of you.”

“Are you writing a YA novel?” said Colleen.

“Hm?”

“Is your research for a YA novel?  We get a lot of authors in here doing research for novels they’re writing.”

“It’s just for a personal project,” said Allura, before making her way to the bookstore section of the shop.

A young woman in her early twenties was stocking the shelves, climbing a stepladder to reach the highest ones.  She had short, brown hair and large, round glasses.

“I’m almost done,” the woman said, “One moment.”

“Are you Katie?” asked Allura.

“Yeah, but you can call me Pidge,” the woman said, stepping down from the ladder, “What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping you could help me find some books on a certain subject,” said Allura, casually scanning the bookshelf nearest to her.

“Depends on the subject, I guess,” said Pidge, “What were you looking for?”

Allura picked up one of the books off the shelf.  The cover was emblazoned with the word Beowulf.  She flipped through the pages idly.  “I’m just looking for information on some of the creatures in this area.”

“Like what?  Foxes and raccoons?”

“More like werewolves and vampires.”

There was the barest flicker of worry on Pidge’s face, but it soon disappeared.  “I hate to disappoint you, ma’am, but creatures like that don’t actually exist.”

“But your mother said people came here to research the subject all the time.”

“Well, yeah, but not like actual researchers.  Cryptid hunters and teen romance novelists, those kinds of people.”

“So you’re saying supernatural beings aren’t actually real?”

“That’s absolutely what I’m saying, yes.”

Without warning, Allura tossed the book she was holding directly at Pidge’s head.  Pidge yelped and held up her hand and the book stopped just short of her face, hovering in midair.

“Are you sure?” said Allura.

Pidge lowered her hand and the book dropped to the ground, falling open, “Well, shit.  You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“Well, now that we’re done with the playacting, we can get straight to business.  What can you tell me about the werewolves in this area?”

But Pidge didn’t seem to be in a cooperative mood at the moment.  “You’re one of the agents who interviewed Keith, aren’t you?” she said.

“So you know Mr. Kogane, do you?  Can you tell me anything about his whereabouts on the night of James Griffin’s death?”

“I knew it!” said Pidge, ignoring her question, “I knew there was some sort of men-in-black thing for supernatural beings.  Are you part of the government?”

“Now who’s being a conspiracy theorist?”

“It’s not a conspiracy theory if you’re right.”

“Look,” said Allura, “I don’t want to accuse your friend any more than you do.  If there’s anything, anything at all you can share with me that might help clear his name, it would go a long way toward helping him.”

Pidge sighed, “Listen, I can’t give you any hard evidence, but whatever you’re looking for, whatever killed Griffin, it’s not a werewolf.”

“I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” said Allura, “but how do you know this?”

“Because I did some scrying.  We went to the place where the body was found and I contacted Griffin’s spirit and saw what he saw when he died.  And let me tell you, it wasn’t a werewolf that killed him.”

“Well, what was it, then?” said Allura, “Can you describe it?”

“It was dark, so Griffin didn’t get a good look at it.  But it was big.  Bigger than a werewolf, that’s for sure.”

“So, a bear?”

Pidge shook her head, “Bigger than that, even.  And it had these horns…”  She held up her hands near her head to illustrate, “And these eyes that glowed and it looked like…like a…”  She glanced down to think and froze.

“Like what?” said Allura.

“Like that.”

Pidge pointed down at the book on the floor by her feet.  It was open to an illustration depicting a huge, horned creature with a human grasped in its enormous hand.  The caption on the page read, “Grendel carrying his prey to his lair”.

For a moment, Pidge and Allura could barely move.  Then, Pidge scooped up the book.  “I have to show this to Hunk.”

“I have to make a phone call,” said Allura as Pidge left the room.

Allura pulled out her cell phone and called Shiro.  “Come on, please pick up, please pick up, it’s important.”

After the second ring, Shiro answered, “Allura?  Something wrong?”

“Shiro, you owe that Kogane kid an apology.”

“Hmm?  Why’s that?”

“Because I think I just figured out what actually killed James Griffin.”

[kayla1993-world]

William and Harry joined Kate and Meghan and royals for dinner after receiving the Queen's Coffin

Buckingham Palace after receiving their grandmother's coffin last night, as the boys continue to show their support for their father in the aftermath of the Queen's death.

Kate and Meghan attended the meal as the Queen spent her penultimate night in the palace's Bow Room before being transferred to the Palace of Westminster today afternoon to lie in state for four days.

It is the latest hint that the brothers have set aside their rocky relationship to show a unified face as the Royal Family mourns Her Majesty's death, according to Page Six.

As the royals waited behind the gates, tens of thousands of people lined the streets of central London to clap and pay their final respects as the new state hearse approached the palace.

People yelled 'hip hip hooray' as the coffin drove beneath the arch, with many laying down their umbrellas in respect. Others were spotted wiping away tears as phone camera lights illuminated the throng lining the streets of downtown London.

It comes as the brothers stood with their wives Kate and Meghan today, putting aside their old enmity to honour the Queen as she was brought to Westminster.

In images reminiscent of their mother Princess Diana's burial 25 years ago, William and Harry walked side by side during the sombre 38-minute procession from Buckingham Palace.

Meghan was escorted by the Countess of Wessex, while Kate was accompanied by Camilla, the Queen Consort. Four days ago, William and Harry set aside their differences for an unexpected unified front with their respective spouses on a walkabout outside Windsor Castle--as their mother's death appeared to have paved a road towards healing their troubled relationship.

On Monday, Harry paid an emotional tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, thanking her for her "wise counsel" and "infectious grin." He also referred to her as a "guiding compass" because of her passion for devotion and duty.

Their presence at Windsor was the first time the two spouses had all been seen together in public since Commonwealth Day on March 9, 2020, only weeks before the Covid shutdown.

The brothers have temporarily set aside their disagreements caused by Harry and Meghan's departure to the United States and resignation from royal responsibilities.

They marched beside the Queen as she was taken from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster today. Following her arrival, the Fab Four formed a line facing the coffin during a later service.

The Sussexes were at the back of the royal entourage, with Harry straight behind William and Meghan behind Kate. The emotional occasion was the first time the spouses had been seen together since their surprise walkabout at Windsor Castle on Saturday, and it was a rare display of togetherness.

When the Queen's coffin arrived, Charles, William, and Anne saluted. Harry and Prince Andrew, who are not permitted to wear military uniforms, instead lowered their heads.

The Archbishop of Canterbury then read the opening prayer, which was followed by the King and the royals. The family remained silent throughout the brief liturgy organized by the late monarch with the Church of England before her death at the age of 96.

After the congregation was dismissed, screams of 'God save the King' could be heard as the King and the Queen Consort exited Westminster Hall as Big Ben rang out at 3.30pm.

Royal couples exited the building together, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex holding hands and the Princess of Wales reassuringly patting her husband's arm.

Mourners began flowing past the casket at 5 p.m. to pay their respects to the Queen. The line is currently more than three miles long, spanning from Victoria Tower Gardens near Tower Bridge.

[stpaulbulletins]

January 23, 2022

ST PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH, LCMS

1608 E 800 AVE, SHOBONIER, ILLINOIS

REVEREND DAVID HOEHLER, PASTOR

January 23, 2022

OUR ORDER OF WORSHIP

PRELUDE, RINGING OF THE BELL, WELCOME

HYMN OF INVOCATION #615

“When in the Hour of Deepest Need”

LITURGY Divine Service Setting Three p. 184

SCRIPTURE READINGS:

Old Testament Reading: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10, (11-12)

Psalms Psalm 19:1-14

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Holy Gospel: Luke 4:16-30

APOSTLE’S CREED p. 191

HYMN OF THE DAY #784

“Take My Life and Let It Be”

SERMON –Nehemiah 8 & Psalm 19

“Gathered Around the Word”

OFFERTORY p. 192

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

BENEDICTION

CLOSING HYMN #917

“Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise”

ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK

Today’s offering is designated to General Fund.

Offering plates are located in the narthex.

10:15AM – BIBLE CLASS

NEXT SUNDAY 9:00AM WORSHIP SERVICE

OFFERING – General Fund

10:15AM  BIBLE CLASS  

THE LUTHERAN HOUR

Words have power to catch the listener, the power of

Jesus’ words and story, even more so. (Luke 4:38-5:16)

Hear Speaker of The Lutheran Hour:

Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler’s Message:

“Caught”

On WPMB at 12:05 or KFUO at 12:30 or 5pm.

PRAYERS: Zoe, Ron, Brenda, Braden, Sherrie, Luella,

Rodger, Joe Deppe, Melody, Bruce Robb,

  all those ill or recovering from Covid-19

POINSETTIAS may be taken home.

SCRIP Gift Card Order

The next SCRIP gift card order through St. Peter’s Lutheran School will be placed on Tuesday, February 8th. Orders are due no later than Monday, February 7th. Order forms are on the table in the narthex.  Orders may also be placed by contacting Larry Urban at 618 267-3235 or email at urban6@frontiernet.net. Thank you to those who placed

orders in December.  The school showed a profit of $240

on the December order.

Motion was made and seconded to accept the bid of Carolyn Wodtka for janitor for church and parish hall at $325.00 per month.

Motion was made and seconded to accept the bid of Arnold Martin for $7,100.00 for brickwork around the ramp. It is

to be paid for out of the Building Fund.

Motion was made and seconded to switch the church’s

internet service to Frontier.

Motion was made and seconded to adjourn.

The meeting was closed with the Lord’s Prayer.

Charles Oertwig

Secretary

Nehemiah 8:11—12

11So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12And all the people went their way to eat, and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

TRIVIA NIGHT FUNDRAISER AT IMMANUEL,

ALTAMONT PARISH HALL

Mark your calendars for February 11th! The LCMS Gathering youth will be holding a trivia night fundraiser. Doors open at 6:30, trivia starts at 7pm! $10 per participant. Max 10 people in a group. Come with a group or come by yourself! $2 per person discount will be given to those who sign up on or before Feb.1st. Text Sara Ruding 618 704-8510.

ANNUAL VOTERS MEETING – JANUARY 9, 2022

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Kent Riedle.

Pastor Hoehler had a reading from Matthew Chapter 18 concerning forgiveness.

Motion was made and seconded to accept the bid of LDJ Lawn Care (Jeff Curry) for mowing at $350.00 per mowing, which includes trimming every other time.

Motion was made and seconded to accept John Lipsey as a voting member.

Motion was made and seconded to accept the secretary’s minutes of the last quarterly meeting and two special meetings.

Motion was made and seconded to accept the treasurer’s report. 12-31-21 balances: General fund - $13,913.90;

  Together In Missions Fund -   $876.59;

Building Fund - $1,615.62

Motion was made and seconded to accept the Mission treasurer’s report.

Total offerings for the year in envelopes - $16,620.00;

Lent & Easter -             $711.00;

Advent - $363.00;

Special Offerings for the year -          $2,609.00.

Motion was made and seconded to accept the Cemetery Fund report. 12-31-21 balance $5.880.52. $2,500.00 will be transferred to the General Fund to help offset the cost of mowing. It was voted to do this in the April, 2021 meeting,

but it was not done.

Pastor Hoehler presented his report.

There was a considerable amount of discussion concerning the elders and chairman recently asking Pastor Hoehler to resign. He declined to do so. The matter will be discussed again in the April meeting. Pastor plans to begin talking with our members who have not been attending our church services.

[lawrenceop]

HOMILY for the 4th Sunday of Lent (B) 2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23; Ephesians 2:4-10; John 3:14-21

Do you feel exiled? Or poisoned? A key difference between us and the people of Israel that we hear about in the Bible is that they experienced real exile into Babylon, and they had actually suffered the poisonous effects of snakebite in the desert under Moses. But we? Do we experience this? Or, as I heard in a health conference once, there is such a thing as the “death experience”. So, have we experienced death? For St Paul says that we are all “dead through our sins” (Eph 2:5). But do we feel dead because of our sins? Or do our sins, which we seem to enjoy, make us feel more ‘alive’; more in touch with the experience of being human?

It seems to me that the problem with today’s readings, and a problem with Lent, is that neither makes sense until we’ve really recognized the effects of sin. Because, as the writer Francis Spufford put it, the problem with the word ‘sin’ is that, often, in our mindset and among our contemporaries, it now “basically means ‘indulgence’ or ‘enjoyable naughtiness’”. Or, among Catholics, maybe it’s thought to mean ‘going against official Church rules’. But that’s not what sin does, or at least, not in the full sense that it has in today’s readings.

If we look in 2nd Chronicles, we find that sin causes our whole world to implode, and we’re exiled and become slaves. Sin is the world-altering havoc that is being wreaked in Syria for some eight years now, and the physical ruin that we see there show us the spiritual ruin that is sin, and that is at the origin of wicked and destructive actions. In west London this week there were flyers being put about that encouraged violent activities against Muslims – this too is evidence of sin, and its divisive, corrosive effects on a person and on society. And if we look at today’s Gospel, we find that sin is like snakebite, and the venom eats at us and corrupts us and leads to fatality. And so, St Paul says to the Ephesians that sin kills: Mankind is “dead through our sins”. So, sin is real, biting, existentially shaking stuff.

Francis Spufford describes our experience of real sin rather well. He says: sin “has got very little to do with yummy transgression. For us, it refers to something much more like the human tendency, the human propensity, to [mess] up”.  Sin, therefore, he says, “is bad news, and like all bad news is not very welcome, especially if you let yourself take seriously the implication that we actually want the destructive things we do, that they are not just an accident that keeps happening to poor little us, but part of our nature; that we are truly cruel as well as truly tender; truly loving and at the same time truly likely to take a quick nasty little pleasure in wasting or breaking love, scorching it knowingly up as the fuel for some hotter or more exciting feeling”.

And I think, if we’re honest with ourselves, we all know what he means. Sin is a reality of our fallen human condition, and it destroys lives and exiles us from our homes, from where we really want to be just as the people of Israel were captives in Babylon. Sin poisons our loves and our relations, and it deprives us of healthy relationships. Sin keeps us from life in abundance: the kind of life that brings lasting joy and satisfaction and deep celebratory rejoicing. Sin, in other words, condemns humanity to a living hell. And this is the situation we inherited from Adam: we call it original sin.

Now, all this sounds rather gloomy on a Sunday when the Church exhorts us to “rejoice [and] be glad” (cf Introit). But of course, the Church does not deal in bad news. However, we need to appreciate the deprivation of sin and its deathly effects if we want to begin to make sense of today’s readings and the Liturgy’s call for rejoicing. We need to recognize what kind of life sin condemns us to; sin is far from trivial and fun. Rather, a sin-filled world is already condemned; already reeling from exile, with its inhabitants poisoned by sin, doomed to eternal death. Hence, St John says: “he who does not believe is condemned already” (Jn 3:18), for the unbeliever thinks he has no need of a Saviour. Or he places his trust in politics, or healthcare, or science as surrogate saviours, but this utopian hope is, ultimately, futile. Or, even more tragically, the unbeliever might say there is no saviour, and so we remain hopelessly doomed in a sinful world. To be found in this situation, helplessly lost to sin and its futility is what the Bible means when it uses the phrase “the wrath of God”. It does not mean that God is angry with us – for he always loves us – but it means that, because of our own stubbornness and our own excessive love for sin, we are left to suffer the effects of our own free sinful choices.

But the Christian who can face up to his sinful stupidity and admit the wrong-headedness of sin can truly rejoice. For at the heart of the Gospel are these well-known sentences: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (Jn 3:16f). Here is the Good News for which the Church exists! The good news is that sin does not have the final say. It is God, who speaks his eternal Word into creation, who thus speaks his “I love you” to Mankind, who has the final Word.

This Word, we believe, is Jesus, whose name means, ‘God saves’. Jesus, therefore, comes as the remedy for our fundamental human dis-ease; the antidote for the poison of sin; the cure for death. So, no matter how much we’ve messed things up, we can go to Jesus for forgiveness, for healing grace, and a new start. He saves us from ourselves, from the fundamental chaos resulting from Adam’s sin, and Christ, the new Adam, graciously transforms us into himself. Our joy, therefore, is founded in Christ, our one universal Saviour who has brought us to life through grace.

Therefore, let us make this grace, this joy, visible in our world. A Nigerian Cardinal, John Onaiyekan, recounts a visit to a dismal and dirty prison in Nigeria where he suddenly heard singing, and in the gloom he saw the prisoners all had rosaries around their necks. “How come you are all Christians in here, he asked, a little taken aback, since Nigeria is fairly evenly divided between Christians and Muslims? Many of us were Muslims, he was told, but when we saw the Christians singing – even in a place like this – we asked for the secret of their joy and discovered how Jesus can bring peace out of even the deepest places of pain and suffering”. Yes, Jesus heals the snakebite of sin and even of the pains of this world, and he gives us the joy of being raised up and drawn heavenwards to God the Father.

This Lent, and especially in this coming Easter, may we experience this joy and this truth, and so that we can proclaim, with St Paul, “we are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it”!

[pamphletstoinspire]

Tenebrae - Spy Wednesday Services

With Image:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tenebrae-spy-wednesday-services-harold-baines/?published=t

The candles are extinguished one by one but Jesus our light is not extinguished. This is signified by the candle which is momentarily placed behind the altar; it symbolizes our Redeemer suffering and dying on Calvary... The noise begins; the earth shook, the rocks were split, the dead came forth from their tombs… (Caption for image of story)

***

Roman Catholic practice of Tenebrae

Tenebrae (Latin for 'shadows' or 'darkness') is a Christian religious service celebrated in the Western Church on the evening before or early morning of Maudy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, which are the last three days of Holy Week. The distinctive ceremony of Tenebrae is the gradual extinguishing of candles while a series of readings and psalms are chanted or recited. In the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church the Tenebrae readings and psalms are those of Matins and Lauds.

***

Tenebrae services differ, in many things, from the Office of the rest of the year. All is sad and mournful, as though it were a funeral service; nothing could more emphatically express the grief that now weighs down the heart of our Holy Mother the Church. Throughout all the Office of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, she forbids herself the use of those formulas of joy and hope wherewith, on all other days, she begins her praise of God. Nothing is left but what is essential to the form of the Divine Office: psalms, lessons and chants expressive of grief. The tone of the Office is most noticeably mournful; the lessons taken from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, the omission of the Gloria Patri, of the Te Deum, and of blessings etc., so the darkness of these services seems to have been designedly chosen to mark the Church’s desolation. The lessons from Jeremiah in the first Nocturn, those from the Commentaries of St. Augustine upon the Psalms in the second, and those from the Epistles of St. Paul in the third remain now as when we first hear all them in the eighth century.

The name “Tenebrae” has been given because this Office is celebrated in the hours of darkness, formerly in the evening or just after midnight, now the early morning hours. There is placed in the sanctuary, near the altar, a large triangular candlestick holding fifteen candles. At the end of each psalm or Canticle, one of these fifteen candles is extinguished, but the one which is placed at the top of the triangle is left lighted. During the singing of the Benedictus (the Canticle of Zacharias at the end of Lauds), six other candles on the altar are also put out. Then the master of ceremonies takes the lighted candle from the triangle and holds it upon the altar while the choir repeats the antiphon after the Canticle, after which he hides it behind the altar during the recitation of the Christus antiphon and final prayer.

As soon as this prayer is finished, a noise is made with the seats of the stalls in the choir, which continues until the candle is brought from behind the altar, and shows, by its light, that the Office of Tenebrae is over.

Let us now learn the meaning of these ceremonies. The glory of the Son of God was obscured and, so to say, eclipsed, by the ignominies He endured during His Passion. He, Light of the world, powerful in word and work, who but in a few days ago was proclaimed King by the citizens of Jerusalem, is now robbed of all is honors. He is, says Isaiah, the Man of sorrows, a leper (Isaiah 53:3, 4). He is, says the royal prophet, a worm of the earth, and no man (Psalm 21:7). He is, as He says of Himself, an object of shame even to His own disciples, for they are all scandalized in Him (Mark 14:27) and abandon Him; yea, even Peter protests that he never knew Him. This desertion on the part of His apostles and disciples is expressed by the candles being extinguished, one after the other, not only on the triangle, but on the altar itself. But Jesus, our Light, though despised and hidden, is not extinguished. This is signified by the candle which is momentarily placed on the altar; it symbolizes our Redeemer suffering and dying on Calvary. In order to express His burial, the candle is hidden behind the altar, its light disappears. A confused noise is heard in the house of God, where all is now darkness. This noise and gloom express the convulsions of nature when Jesus expired on the cross; the earth shook, the rocks were split, the dead came forth from their tombs. But the candle suddenly reappears; its light is as fair as ever. The noise is hushed, and homage is paid to the Conqueror of death.

Music

The lessons of the first Nocturn at Matins are taken from the Book of Lamentations, as previously noted, and are sung to a specific Gregorian reciting tone. They have also been set to music by many composers, of whom the most famous Palestrina, Lassus, Tallis, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, François Couperin, Ernst Krenek (Lamentatio Jeremiae prophetae, op. 93) and Stravinsky (Threni). In addition, the responsories have been set by Lassus, Gesualdo, Victoria and Jan Dismas Zelenka.

The lessons of the second Nocturn are taken from the writings of St. Augustine, and the lessons of the third Nocturn from the epistles of Paul the Apostle. These are chanted to the ordinary lesson tone and have been relatively neglected by composers, though there are a few settings by Manuel Cardoso and sets of responsories by Orland di Lasso and Mac-Antoine Charpentier.

Recent revisions

The celebration of Matins and Lauds of these days in the form referred to as Tenebrae in churches with a sufficient number of clergy was universal in the Roman Rite until the reform of the Holy Week ceremonies by Pope Pius XIl in 1955. At that time, the East Vigil was restored as a night office, moving that Easter liturgy from Holy Saturday morning to the following night; the principal liturgies of Holy Thursday and Good Friday were likewise moved from morning to afternoon or evening, and thus Matins and Lauds were no longer allowed to be anticipated on the preceding evening, except for the Matins and Lauds of Holy Thursday in the case of cathedral churches in which the Mass of the Chrism was held on Holy Thursday morning. The 1960 Code of Rubrics, which is incorporated in the 1962 typical addition of the Roman Breviary, did not allow any anticipation of Lauds, though Matins can still be anticipated to the day before later than the hour of Vespers. Even at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, where the need to observe a timetable that did not disturb the established rights of other churches forced the timetable of Roman Catholic Holy Week services to remain unchanged, the Office of Tenebrae was abandoned in 1977. But the special rubrics of Tenebrae that once accompanied the celebration of Matins and Lauds, including the ceremony of extinguishing the candles on the hearse, are now sometimes applied to other celebrations, even if these do not consist of a nine-psalm Matins and a five-psalm Lauds.

Summorum Pontificum (2007) permits clerics bound to the recitation of the Divine Office to use the 1962 Roman Breviary, a permission availed of by several religious and secular institutes and societies of apostolic life; but the 1955 and 1960 changes exclude the anticipation of Matins and Lauds to the previous evening, whether celebrated with or without the Tenebrae ceremonies However, some places hold something similar to the original Tenebrae celebration as an extra-liturgical, devotional service.

The candle suddenly reappears; its light is as fair as ever. (Caption for linked image)

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Records show fervent Trump fans fueled US Capitol takeover (AP) The mob that showed up at the president’s behest and stormed the U.S. Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, members of the military and adherents of QAnon. The Associated Press reviewed social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records for more than 120 people either facing criminal charges related to the Jan. 6 unrest or who, going maskless amid the pandemic, were later identified through photographs and videos taken during the melee. The evidence gives lie to claims by right-wing pundits that the violence was perpetrated by left-wing antifa thugs rather than supporters of the president. Steven D’Antuono, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington field office, told reporters that investigators had seen “no indication” antifa activists were disguised as Trump supporters in Wednesday’s riot. The AP found that many of the rioters had taken to social media after the November election to retweet claims by Trump that the vote had been stolen.

Parler, Free Speech, and bans (NYT) From the start, John Matze had positioned Parler as a “free speech” social network where people could mostly say whatever they wanted. It was a bet that had recently paid off big as millions of President Trump’s supporters, fed up with what they deemed censorship on Facebook and Twitter, flocked to Parler instead. On the app, which had become a top download on Apple’s App Store, discussions over politics had ramped up. But so had discussions that the election had been stolen from Mr. Trump, with users urging aggressive demonstrations last week when Congress met to certify the election of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. By Saturday night, Apple and Google had removed Parler from their app stores and Amazon said it would no longer host the site on its computing services, saying it had not sufficiently policed posts that incited violence and crime. Early on Monday morning, just after midnight on the West Coast, Parler appeared to have gone offline. Parler’s plight immediately drew condemnation from those on the right, who compared the big tech companies to authoritarian overlords. Parler has now become a test case in a renewed national debate over free speech on the internet and whether tech giants such as Facebook, Google, Apple and Amazon have too much power.      (Worldcrunch) The moves by the tech giants didn’t sit well with many, including critics of the president. “We understand the desire to permanently suspend [Trump] now,” Kate Ruane, a lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, wrote in a statement on Friday. “But it should concern everyone when companies like Facebook and Twitter wield the unchecked power to remove people from platforms that have become indispensable for the speech of billions—especially when political realities make those decisions easier.” French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire went further, telling France Inter radio this morning that he was “shocked” that the social networks could take such action: “The regulation of the digital [space] can’t be carried out by the digital oligarchy itself. The digital oligarchy is one of the threats that weighs on our nations and our democracies.”

Presidential Disqualification (NYT) If the House impeaches President Trump this week, it will still have almost no effect on how long he remains in office. His term expires nine days from now, and even the most rapid conceivable Senate trial would cover much of that time. But the impeachment debate is still highly consequential. The Senate has the power both to remove Trump from office and to prevent him from holding office in the future. That second power will not expire when his term ends, many constitutional scholars say. A Senate trial can happen after Jan. 20. And disqualifying Trump from holding office again could alter the future of American politics. There is a significant chance he could win the presidency again, in 2024. He remains popular with many Republican voters, and the Electoral College currently gives a big advantage to Republicans. If he is not disqualified from future office, Trump could dominate the Republican Party and shape American politics for the next four years.

As spending climbs and revenue falls, the coronavirus forces a global reckoning (Washington Post) Costa Rica built Latin America’s model society, enacting universal health care and spending its way to one of the Western Hemisphere’s highest literacy rates. Now, it’s reeling from the financially crushing side effects of the coronavirus, as cratering revenue and crisis spending force a reckoning over a massive pile of government debt. The pandemic is hurtling heavily leveraged nations into an economic danger zone, threatening to bankrupt the worst-affected. Costa Rica, a country known for zip-lining tourists and American retirees, is scrambling to stave off a full-blown debt crisis, imposing emergency cuts and proposing harsher measures that touched off rare violent protests last fall. Around the globe, the pandemic is racking up a mind-blowing bill: trillions of dollars in lost tax revenue, ramped-up spending and new borrowing set to burden the next generation with record levels of debt. In the direst cases—low- and middle-income countries, mostly in Africa and Latin America, that are already saddled with backbreaking debt—covering the rising costs is transforming into a high-stakes test of national solvency. Analysts call it a “debt tsunami”: National accounts are sinking into the red at a record pace. “I consider the risk to be very high of an emerging-market debt crisis where a lot of countries run into problems at once,” said Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund. “This is going to be a rocky road.”

Schools shut as Madrid clears record snow (AP) Schools in Madrid were closed on Monday while most trains and flights resumed as the Spanish capital tried to return to some form of normalcy after a huge snow storm on the weekend. While many in Madrid enjoyed the rare snow fall, skiing right at the heart of the city and holding mass snowball fights, a cold spell was set to turn the snow into slippery ice this week, and authorities rushed to clear more streets. With most streets still covered in snow, many workers stayed home. A Reuters reporter saw a number of empty shelves at several central Madrid supermarkets.

Pope, in new decree, allows more roles for women in Church (Reuters) Pope Francis, in another step towards greater equality for women in the Roman Catholic Church, on Monday changed its law to allow them to serve as readers at liturgies, altar servers and distributors of communion. In a decree, the pope formalised what already has been happening in many countries for years. But with the change in the Code of Canon Law, conservative bishops will not be able to block women in their diocese from those roles. But the Vatican stressed that the roles were “essentially distinct from the ordained ministry”, and were not an automatic precursor to women one day being allowed to be ordained priests. In a big shift last August the pope appointed six women, including the former treasurer for Britain’s Prince Charles, to senior roles in the council that oversees Vatican finances. Francis has already appointed women as deputy foreign minister, director of the Vatican Museums, and deputy head of the Vatican Press Office, as well as four women as councillors to the Synod of Bishops, which prepares major meetings.

Populist, Prisoner, President: A Convicted Kidnapper Wins Kyrgyzstan Election (NYT) A populist politician and convicted kidnapper won a landslide victory on Sunday in a snap presidential election in Kyrgyzstan triggered by a popular uprising against the previous government. Sadyr Japarov, the winning candidate, got nearly 80 percent of the vote, according to the central electoral commission of the mountainous country, the only democracy in Central Asia. More than 80 percent of voters also supported Mr. Japarov’s proposal to redistribute political power away from Parliament and into the president’s hands. In September, Mr. Japarov, 52, was still in jail, serving a lengthy term for orchestrating the kidnapping of a provincial governor, a charge he denounced as politically motivated. A violent upheaval that erupted in October over a disputed parliamentary election sprung Mr. Japarov from a prison cell to the prime minister’s chair. A few days later, he assumed the interim presidency before resigning to run for that office. The country’s main investigative body quickly canceled Mr. Japarov’s conviction. A landlocked former Soviet republic of 6.3 million people, Kyrgyzstan has suffered recurrent political strife. Three of its presidents, including Mr. Japarov’s immediate predecessor Sooronbay Jeenbekov, have been toppled in violent revolts since the country’s independence from Moscow in 1991.

A Year After Wuhan, China Tells a Tale of Triumph (and No Mistakes) (NYT) At a museum in Wuhan, China, a sprawling exhibition paints a stirring tale of how the city’s sacrifices in a brutal 76-day lockdown led to triumph over the coronavirus and, ultimately, rebirth. No costs appear to have been spared for the show, which features a hologram of medical staff members moving around a hospital room, heart-rending letters from frontline health workers and a replica of a mass quarantine site, complete with beds, miniature Chinese flags and toothbrush cups. But the exhibition is also striking for what is not included. There is no mention of the whistle-blowing role of Ai Fen, one of the first doctors to sound the alarm in Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated, or the decision by Zhang Yongzhen, a Shanghai doctor, to share its genome with the world against official orders. Visitors are invited to lay a virtual chrysanthemum at a wall of martyrs that includes Li Wenliang, the ophthalmologist at a Wuhan hospital whose death from the virus led to nationwide mourning. But missing from his brief biography is a crucial fact: that Dr. Li was reprimanded by the government for warning colleagues about the virus from which he later died. China has spent much of the past year trying to spin the narrative of the pandemic as an undisputed victory led by the ruling Communist Party. The state-run news media has largely ignored the government’s missteps and portrayed China’s response as proof of the superiority of its authoritarian system, especially compared to that of the United States and other democracies, which are still struggling to contain raging outbreaks. Those efforts have taken on new urgency as the Jan. 23 anniversary of Wuhan’s lockdown draws closer. In recent weeks, the government has deployed an army of censors to scrub the internet of critical coverage of the Wuhan outbreak.

Daily Low Flying Israeli Jets Over Lebanon Spreading Jitters (AP) Israeli military jets carried out several low flying flights over Beirut as reconnaissance drones also buzzed overhead Sunday in what has become a daily occurrence. Israel regularly violates Lebanon airspace, often to carry out strikes in neighboring Syria. On Christmas Eve, Israeli jets flew low late into the night, terrorizing Beirut residents who are no strangers to such flights. They were followed by reported Israeli strikes in Syria. The frequency of low flying warplanes over the capital has intensified in the last two weeks, making residents jittery as tensions run high in the region on the final days of President Donald Trump’s administration. “Of all types of panic I experienced in life in Beirut, the panic that accompanies the Israeli warplanes flying this low in Beirut is very special,” Tweeted Rudeynah Baalbaky, who said it brought back memories of the 2006 war with Israel. “When the drone leaves, the warplanes come. When the warplanes leave, the drones return. They have seen us in our PJs, filmed us in our PJs and surveilled us in our PJs. Now what,” quipped Twitter user Areej_AAH.

Lebanon tightens lockdown, imposes 24-hour curfew, as hospitals buckle (Reuters) Lebanon announced a tightening of its lockdown on Monday, introducing a 24-hour curfew from Thursday as COVID-19 infections overwhelm its medical system. The new all-day curfew starts at 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Thursday and ends at 5 a.m. on Jan. 25, a statement by the Supreme Defense Council said. Lebanon last week ordered a three-week lockdown until Feb. 2 that included a nighttime curfew from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. But tighter measures were now necessary as hospitals run out of capacity to treat critically ill patients, President Michel Aoun said in the statement.

In Trump’s final days, Netanyahu orders more settler homes built (Reuters) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered construction plans advanced on Monday for some 800 Jewish settler homes in the occupied West Bank, anchoring the projects in the final days of the pro-settlement Trump administration. Palestinians condemned such construction as illegal. The timing of the move appeared to be an attempt to set Israel’s blueprint in indelible ink before Joe Biden, who has been critical of its settlement policies, becomes U.S. president on Jan. 20. Moving ahead with the projects could help shore up support for Netanyahu from settlers and their backers in a March 23 election, Israel’s fourth in two years, in which the conservative leader faces new challenges from the right.

Saar, longtime Netanyahu ally, emerges as his top challenger (AP) For years, Gideon Saar was one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most loyal and vocal supporters, serving as Cabinet secretary and government minister. Now, the telegenic Saar, armed with extraordinary political savvy and a searing grudge against his former boss, could prove to be Netanyahu’s greatest challenge. After breaking away from the Likud Party to form his own faction, Saar is running against Netanyahu in March elections and has emerged as the long-serving leader’s top rival. A secular resident of culturally liberal Tel Aviv with a celebrity news anchor wife, Saar, 54, is a hard-line nationalist long seen as an heir to the Likud Party leadership. After unsuccessfully challenging Netanyahu in a leadership race and then being denied a government position as retribution, Saar last month broke out on his own. He said his aim was to topple Netanyahu for turning the Likud into a tool for personal survival at a time when he is on trial on corruption charges. Saar’s chances of becoming prime minister in the next elections are far from certain and polling forecasts his New Hope party coming in second place after Likud. But his entry into the race reconfigures the playing field and could complicate Netanyahu’s task of forming a coalition government, perhaps sidelining the Israeli leader after more than a decade at the helm.

Pompeo Designates Houthis as Foreign Terror Organization (Foreign Policy) The U.S. Department of State designated Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist organization on Sunday, potentially complicating efforts by an incoming Biden administration to bring an end to a war that has become the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Because the Houthis don’t appear to have foreign bank accounts, a terrorist designation will do little to affect the group’s operations. The designation is likely to complicate and at best delay humanitarian relief efforts, however, with charities and international groups wary of facing prosecution for working in Houthi-controlled territory. Pompeo’s statement attempted to head off humanitarian concerns surrounding the designation, adding that the U.S. Treasury Department is “prepared” to issue licenses for “certain humanitarian activities conducted by non-governmental organizations in Yemen” and “certain transactions and activities.” Scott Paul, Oxfam America’s humanitarian policy lead, is skeptical that the State Department has done its homework. “No responsible humanitarian agency or private business can afford to rely on these assurances. We’ll need to prepare for the worst,” Paul wrote on Twitter.

[developurself]

The Truth About Christmas And why celebrates on December 25th

The Truth About Christmas And why celebrates on December 25th

The Truth About Christmas And why celebrates on December 25th

Have you ever wondered about Christmas? Since you first realized that there really isn't any Santa Claus, have you ever thought about other aspects of this extraordinary vacation? Ever wondered where Christmas came from? Why have a Christmas tree? Where did Santa's idea come from? Why is today celebrated on December 25? What do all these symbols and celebrations mean? What is God's view of these things? If you are surprised when you discover the truth about Santa, you will be even more surprised than the rest of the story.

Christmas is not Christian!

Although it sounds surprising, there is nothing Christian about Christmas. It was people who coined the word "Christmas" from the phrase "the liturgy of Christ". In this way the name of Christ is associated with this holiday and millions of people believe that it is Christian obedience. The truth is that this festival was practiced with the same symbols and ceremonies centuries before Jesus was born. In fact, it did not become a confession of Christianity until hundreds of years after the Savior's crucifixion and ascension.

This truth is confirmed by the statement of religious and secular authorities. The 1911 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia shows that Christmas did not come from Palestine, but from Egypt.

Christmas is not one of the earliest church holidays 

 the first evidence of the holiday comes from Egypt ... Customs centers around the January calendar are directed for Christmas.

Christmas celebrations were not anchored in the days of the apostles or in the Old Testament church. Consider the words from the 1944 Americana Encyclopedia, which read:

According to many writers, Christmas was not celebrated in the early centuries of the Christian church because Christian use was generally used to celebrate the death of extraordinary people, not their birth.

The origin of Christmas

Bible writers and secular historians all agree that the celebration of Christ's birth did not enter the Church hundreds of years after Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. It was only in the fifth century that the Roman Catholic Church ordered that this day be celebrated. The church celebrates the same day as an idol worship festival dedicated to worshiping the sun god.

The relationship between Christmas and various pagan practices is well documented. Not only that day, but also its symbols are closely related to the religious practices of the pagan world. William Walsh, a recognized authority at Christmas, wrote:

... Christmas ... is a gradual development from times long before Christian times ... It ended on pagan holidays and much of its obedience was merely an adaptation of the pagans to Christian ceremonies. 

... On or around December 21, the ancient Greeks celebrated Bacchanalia or a holiday in honor of Bacchus, the god of wine. During this holiday, people enjoy songs, dances, and other entertainment that often goes beyond the limits of politeness and order. (Santa Claus History, p. 65)

... Saturnalia to honor the gods when Saturn began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. They also often end in chaos and disorder. Therefore the words of Bacchanalia and Saturnalia have earned a bad reputation later on. (Santa Claus History, p. 65)

Why on December 25th?

Today, most of the world celebrates Christmas on December 25th. Werner Keller writes as history in the Bible:

December 25 was mentioned in the document for the first time as Christmas Day in 324 AD. Under the Roman emperor Justinian [in the 500's] it was recognized as an official holiday. The ancient Roman festival played an important role that day. December 25 in ancient Rome was "Dies Natali Invictus", "invincible birthday of the sun", the winter solstice day and at the same time in Rome the last day of Saturnalia ... one unmistakably carnival week ... (p. 331))

Historical records show that Christmas began in pre-Christian times and was celebrated by the pagan world centuries after Christ's death. That day was later taken over by the Roman Catholic Church in the fifth century. Where did the Gentiles come from with their ideas for such a festival?

Through his policies and the use of the name of his son Nimrod, Semeramis became the Queen of Babylon, the Chaldean mystery house. She is also considered the "Queen of Heaven" and "Mother of the Divine Child". After generations of these pagan practices and traditions, Nimrod was considered the son of Baal, the sun god. He and his mother became the main prayer topics as Madonna and Child.

This belief and practice spread in Egypt, where the names of the gods were Isis and Osiris. Osiris's son was born on December 25th. In Asia, this is Cybele and Deonis. In Rome they are called Fortuna and Jupiter. Throughout the world we still find remnants of mother-child worship. Not surprisingly, the same system still exists at the end of time. This is called "The Mystery of Babylon" (Revelation 17: 5). It is surprising that he was disguised as Christianity and is still practiced at Christmas.

From paganism to Christianity

The great historian Will Durant described how paganism took over Christianity and made it pagan.

Christianity does not destroy paganism. he accepted it ... The idea of ​​the Divine Trinity came from Egypt ... [and] the worship of mother and child ... From Phrygia came the veneration of the Great Mother ... to create this equality with a mind that was weakly deceptive. Christianity is the last great creation of the ancient pagan world. (History of Civilization, p. 595)

It is clear that the various practices of idol worship are equated with the Roman Catholic Church. He began by celebrating the birthday of the sun god and set the date for this celebration to December 25.

It is interesting to note that the practice of sun worship began in early Egypt. There the priests made round discs to represent the sun. The celebration of eating waffles, symbolizes the life of the sun god and preserves the human soul.

It is clear that the Church is committed to paganism to increase its numbers and win it to an unbelieving world. In fact, the Church is overwhelmed by those who have practiced beliefs that are completely contrary to Christianity. Alexander Hislop described it in his book The Two Babylons as follows:

Long before the fourth century and long before the Christian era itself, a festival among Gentiles was celebrated at this time of the year to honor the birth of the son of the Babylonian Queen of Heaven; and it can be assumed that, to reconcile other nations and increase the number of Christian followers, the same festival was accepted by the Roman Church and only gave it the name of Christ. The tendency of Christians to face paganism is half-developed ... 

In the end, the Church took on various idolatrous ceremonies and brought them together to complete the modern Christmas and New Year's practice that we experience today.

Related topics:  _ Go to the Mesothelioma law firm on time to apply for compensation 

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[justforbooks]

I’ve been trying to remember, was it The Sorrow And The Pity they were lining up for when, sick to death of the medium-is-the-message windbaggery of the pseudo-intellectual – now there’s a term to blast me back – in front of him, Alvy actually produces Marshall McLuhan from behind a lobby card? The association strikes me as a natural one, since I’m about to gather with the other acolytes in an art house cinema. Will anyone in the queue reference or be moved to imitate the McLuhan moment, I wonder?

And where were they? Was it at the Regency at 68th street? (Was it even called the Regency? It hardly matters, since it’s gone now, like the New Yorker at 88th, the movie house at 72nd and Broadway, the Thalia {{which does show up at the very end of the movie, when he runs into Annie after they’ve stopped dating and introduces her to a young, young Sigourney Weaver, fresh out of Yale}}, the Metro, the Bleecker and, of course, Theater 80. With all the rep houses having ceded their real estate to condos and their authority to Netflix, who is curating the tastes of the city’s undergraduates? How will they even know about The Sorrow And The Pity? Mondo Cane? How can the budding homosexual flower without the occasional force-feeding of a double feature of Now Voyager and All About Eve? To wit – and to extend this parenthetical yet further: in senior year, at the last meeting of our Japanese literature seminar before Spring break, the professor – ageing, erudite, one of the few, perhaps only, Western recipients of countless Japanese cultural laurels – asked us our plans for the coming week. I allowed as how I would be staying in town in order to write my thesis. ‘Well then, of course you’ll be going to the Bette Davis festival every day down at the Embassy.’ He said it as if stating an obvious prescription, like recommending medical attention for a sucking chest wound, or ‘You’ll want to call the fire department about those flames licking up the front of your house.’ Only a self-destructive lunatic would think he could survive the week by missing the Bette Davis festival. I took his advice and went every day. Did it help my thesis any? Hard to say. It was a long time ago.)

The time when a Woody Allen retrospective would have evoked that kind of fierce cinéaste devotion seems long gone, having been tempered out of us not just by the years (such performative loyalty is really the province of the youngsters who nightly go to Irving Plaza right near my apartment, passing the hours sitting on the pavement singing the songs of the artists they are about to see), but by Woody Allen himself. The tsunami of mediocrities like Hollywood Ending and Melinda And Melinda effectively obliterates why Manhattan mattered so much. I can’t help feeling like he’s dismantled the very admirable legacy of his earlier work by his later, overly prolific efforts. It’s a more benign version of Ralph Nader (with the key difference that I hate Ralph Nader, whereas Woody Allen simply makes me a little bit sad).

Then again, no one worth a damn doesn’t make the occasional bit of bad work: there are episodes of The Judy Garland Show that are absolute train wrecks of creaky squareness, made all the more ghoulish by the presence of an aphasic gin-soaked Peter Lawford, and I take a back seat to no one in my love for Judy Garland, the most talented individual who ever lived (ladies and gentlemen, my Kinsey placement); I read a lousy late Edith Wharton novel this summer, The Children, that was a tone-deaf, treacly muddle; I don’t care for Balanchine’s Scherzo à la Russe and I’ve said it before, even though it is considered a cinematically signal moment by the Cahiers du Cinema crowd (zzzzzzz), I’m no great fan of the movie Kiss Me Deadly.

Perhaps taken as a whole, the twenty-eight films will start to exert their own internal logic and I will see and delight in how Allen mines his themes over and over again. Or perhaps it will be like the Broadway show Fosse, where a surfeit of the choreographer’s vocabulary made all of it suffer and the entire thing looked like the kind of shitty entertainment that takes place on a raised, round, carpeted platform at a car show. I’ll see, I guess.

As one might expect for the 1:30 p.m. showing on the Friday before Christmas, there are only about a dozen of us waiting. Our ranks swell to about thirty people closer to show time, but at first it’s just me and more than a few men of a certain age (whose ranks I join with ever greater legitimacy each day), about whom it might be reasonably assumed that we spend an inordinate amount of time fixating on when next we might need to pee. Thoughts of age stay at the forefront in the first few minutes of the film, when Woody Allen himself (who, it must be said, in later scenes, stripped down to boxers, kind of had a rocking little body in his day) addresses the camera directly and tells us that he just turned forty. I’m older than that by two years.

How many times have I seen this, I wonder? Unquantifiable. The film is canonical and familiar and memorized, almost to the point of ritual. Perhaps this is the spiritual solace the faithful find in the formulaic rhythms of liturgy. It’s as comforting as stepping into a warm bath. Diane Keaton is enchanting, there is no other word for it. She comes on the screen and you can hear the slightest creaking in the audience as corners of mouths turn up. There is Christopher Walken, a peach-fuzzed stripling. And there, doe-eyed, with drum-tight skin: Carol Kane playing Alvy’s first wife, Allison Portchnik.

Allison Portchnik. Oy. I am generally known as an unfailingly appropriate fellow. I have very good manners. But when I fuck up, I fuck up big time. Suddenly I am reminded of how, three years ago, I was on a story for an adventure magazine, an environmental consciousness-raising whitewater-rafting expedition in Chilean Patagonia (about which the less said the better. It’s really scary. Others may call it exhilarating, and I suppose it is, the way having a bone marrow test finally over and done with is exhilarating. And Patagonia, Chilean Patagonia at least, while pretty, isn’t one tenth as breathtaking as British Columbia). On the trip with me were Bobby Kennedy, Jr., hotelier André Balazs and Glenn Close, among others. Everyone was very nice, I hasten to add.

After lunch one day, my friend Chris, the photographer on the story, came up to me and said, ‘I’d lay off the Kennedy assassination jokes if I were you.’

I laughed, but Chris reiterated, not joking this time. ‘No, I’d really lay off the Kennedy assassination jokes. The lunch line . . .’ he reminded me.

And then I remembered. I had been dreading this trip (see above about how totally justified I was in my trepidation) for weeks beforehand, terrified by the off-the-grid distance of this Chilean river, a full three days of travel away; terrified of the rapids and their aqueous meatgrinder properties; terrified of just being out of New York. All of this terror I took and disguised as an affronted sense of moral outrage, that such trips were frivolous, given the terrible global situation. I explained it to Glenn Close thusly:

‘I was using the war in Iraq to try and avoid coming down here,’ suddenly, unthinkingly invoking the part of Annie Hall where Alvy breaks off from kissing Allison because he’s distracted by niggling doubts: if the motorcade was driving past the Texas Book Depository, how could Oswald, a poor marksman, have made his shot? Surely there was a conspiracy afoot. Then, with Bobby Kennedy, Jr. helping himself to three-bean salad on the lunch line not five feet away, I switched into my Carol Kane as Allison Portchnik voice and said, ‘You’re using the Kennedy Assassination as an excuse to avoid having sex with me.’ Then I followed that up with my Woody Allen imitation and finished out the scene. Nice. No one pointed out my gaffe or was anything other than gracious and delightful.

Despite how well I know the material, the film feels so fresh. All the observations and jokes feel like they’re being made for the first time, or are at least in their infancy. By later films they will feel hackneyed (in the movie Funny Girl, the process of calcification is even more accelerated. You get back from intermission and Barbra Streisand already feels like too big a star, a drag version of herself ), but here it’s all just terrifically entertaining. And current! Alvy tells his friend Max that he feels that the rest of the country turning its back on the city – It’s the mid-70s. Gerald Ford to New York: Drop Dead, and all that jazz – is anti-Semitic in nature. That we are seen as left-wing, Communist, Jewish, homosexual pornographers. And so we remain, at least in the eyes of Washington and elsewhere, a pervy bastion of surrender monkeys. There was an Onion headline that ran after a sufficient interval of time had passed post-9/11, that essentially read, ‘Rest of country’s temporary love affair with New York officially over.’

Rest of the country’s perhaps, but mine was just beginning when I saw the film at age eleven. By the time the voiceover gets to the coda about how we throw ourselves over and over again into love affairs despite their almost inevitable disappointments and heartbreak because, like the joke says, ‘we need the eggs,’ (if you need the set-up to the punchline, what on earth are you doing reading this?) I am weepy with love for the city. Although, truth be told, it doesn’t take much to get my New York waterworks going.

Walking out, my friend Rick, thirtyplus years resident said, ‘I had forgotten how Jewish a film it is.’ I really hadn’t noticed. But I’m the wrong guy to ask. It’s like saying to a fish, ‘Do things around here seem really wet to you?’ I wrote a book that got translated into German a few years back. There was a fascination among the Germans with what they perceived as my Jewish sensibility; a living example of the extirpated culture. I’ve said this before, but I felt like the walking illustration of that old joke about the suburbs being the place where they chop down all the trees and then name the streets after them. At least a dozen of the reviews referred to me as a ‘stadtneurotiker’, an urban neurotic, a designation that pleased me, I won’t lie. Especially when I found out the German title for Annie Hall.

Der Stadtneurotiker.

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