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Friday, December 31, 2010

Art for the Last Day of the Year

I closed up 2010 with a bit of culture. My dad (baldy at the left) brother (not seen), and sister in law (at the right) went to the Art Institute of Chicago.   (That's me in the center, by the way.)

We saw many of my favorite works by some of my favorite artists.  I enjoyed just about everything (though I do think that some of the the European Decorative Arts exhibit starts to look like a display from the Renaissance Bed Bath and Beyond. 

My dad seemed increasingly frustrated as we moved through the modern art exhibits.  "I can't believe they'd waste space on this," was a frequent comment. He didn't like Pollock or DeKooning.  He didn't like Balthus or Magritte. 

He did ask about the Chagall and Dali paintings - since he knows that those are among my favorites.  He was trying, I suppose.  I tired to help by telling him things I knew about the various artists and the techniques they used and he seemed a little more interested... but not much. "A four year old could paint that," he muttered.

Ah well... what can you do?

I enjoyed it. My brother enjoyed it.  My sister in law would have enjoyed it except for the headache she developed through the afternoon. 

You can see me carrying my sketch pad in the photo above.  Here's a video my brother filmed over my shoulder as I sketched a sculpture by Henry Moore.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Foggy Trees

My son helped me manipulate this one in Photoshop.  He likes the way it turned out.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

For our Christmas vacation we drove down from a little town in south-western Minnesota to the crowded city of Chicago to visit my family (parents, brothers, sisters in law, and aunt). The drive through most of Minnesota was through a thick white fog hanging heavy over snow encrusted tree branches.  It was a beautiful drive (at least until Wisconsin....)

I snapped this photo through the window of the van as we drove. It has, of course, been fixed up a little bit with Photoshop...

We've spent the first couple of days of our break playing games - Risk, Zombies!!, Quiddler, Catchphrase, etc...  The girls have gone shopping (of course).  And I think that today we're going to go to one of the Museums. Our son is hoping we'll go to the Field Museum.  He likes the dinosaurs. 

Hope you're enjoying whatever free time you have during this week.  Happy Christmas.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Christmas Books

This year I was given a couple of Barnes and Nobel gift certificates for Christmas.  I can't think of a better gift.  I live by Desiderius Erasmus' quote "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes."

Last night I placed my order and have already received confirmation that, at least some of, my books are already on their way.  They probably won't make it here by Christmas, but that's okay.  I'll have plenty to read in the new year.

Here's my list:

The Human Faces of God: What Scripture Reveals When It Gets God Wrong (And Why Inerrancy Tries to Hide It) - by Thom Stark   (thanks to my friend Stephen Douglas at Undeception for this recommendation.)

What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity - by N.T. Wright

Early Narrative Christology  - by Rowe Kavin

Preaching Mark's Unsettling Messiah - by David Fleer

                      and for some fiction:

Tuck (Volume Three of the King Raven Trilogy) - by Stephen Lawhead

That should keep me busy...

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

When Silver Moon is Lost

When Silver Moon is Lost

When silver moon is lost
and midnight stars are dimmed
by falling snow
by blizzard wind
and heavy winter frost

we will remember this:
that the sun will return.
The night will pass;
the dawn will come
with light and warmth for Christmas.





I'm not one for sending out Christmas cards, and I usually have only scorn for anything that smells even remotely of hallmark sentimentalism but you can, if you like, consider this my Christmas card to you, my blog reader and my friend.

Merry Christmas, move along!

Like a Bird on a Napkin

I've been spending a lot of time at the grocery store recently - not shopping, but playing my horn at the kettle stand, raising money for the Salvation Army here in Fairmont, Minnesota.

Every so often I step inside to warm up.  Last week as I sat down and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee, I looked out the window and saw about twenty of these little birds perched on a row of grocery carts.  They were enjoying the last of the afternoon sun's warmth.

I drew a quick sketch of one of them on a napkin before they all flew away.



There's still time, of course, to donate to the Salvation Army. 

Monday, December 20, 2010

It's Snowing Again



If you don't want to go outside in the snow and wind and cold, you can still make a donation to the Salvation Army from right where you are using this handy-dandy online red kettle.  You can donate to the Salvation Army of Fairmont, or to your own local unit. 
Thanks for thinking of us.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Evergreen


Me and the trees, loosing our leaves
falling like blood on the cross
I want to be evergreen.

Everything dies, I know last night
part of me wasn't around
I want to be evergreen.

...
Holiday end, I'm here once again
and I'm left alone on the bus with my
head on the ground,
in hopes that I'm found by you
this time around.
lyrics from Evergreen by Switchfoot

Friday, December 17, 2010

I Wonder

I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
To save lonely people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all
But high from God's heaven, a star's light did fall
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing
A star in the sky or a bird on the wing
Or all of God's Angels in heaven to sing
He surely could have it, 'cause he was the King

I wonder as I wander out under the sky
How Jesus the Saviour did come for to die
To save lonely people like you and like I;
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

 
Though there is only a week of bell ringing left, you still have plenty of time to make a donation. But why wait?  You can do it right now without having to brave the wind and cold.  You can use this handy-dandy online kettle to donate to The Salvation Army of Martin County Minnesota (or your own local unit).  Thank you.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Jesus Christ s'Habille en Pauvre


Winter Cold (abstract)
 I've been reading and singing through a number of older, obscure Christmas carols in recent days, trying to expand my repertoire. Here's one that I've discovered. And though, I haven't yet started to play it, I will add it immediately

Ballade de Jesus-Christ

Jesus came in garment lowly:
"Give to me thy charity."
Jesus came in garment lowly:
"Give to me thy charity.
On the crumbs that leave thy table,
I shall dine most gratefully."

"Lady, standing by your window,
Give to me your charity.
Lady, standing by your window,
Give to me your charity."
"Come in from the cold, my poor one -
I will find a meal for thee."

As he softly stepped o'er the threshold,
round him hovered angels bright.
As he stepped o'er the threshold,
round him hovered angels bright.
"Lady, pray do not be fearful -
it is but the moon's soft light."

It's a traditional French carol  (Jesus Christ s'habille en pauvre) - sung to the haunting minor key tune Picardy.

Would we, with our glut of consumer oriented Christmas traditions recognize this Jesus? Doubtful.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Indochinaland - Fun for the Whole Family

I had a strange dream last night.

I dreamt of a oddly inappropriate amusement park:  Indochinaland - a Vietnam War themed park with rides and attractions for the whole family.

You could ride the riverboats, watch the napalm demonstrations three times each day, ride the B-66 Destroyer or F105 Thunderchief roller coasters, and Climb to the roof to ride the evacuation helicopter.

Costumed Ho-Chi-Minh and Uncle Sam characters would delight the children with punch-and-judy style shows.

And located adjacent to the park were two smaller parks.  Admission to these parks was included with the ticket to Indochinaland  (Though, technically, you should have bought separate tickets...)

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

We'll Speak Very Softly on This, Another Snowy Day


Another Snowy Day in my backyard
 I've found a new (to me) Christmas carol.  It's called Falade Ben Baixo (We'll Speak Very Softly).

It's a traditional Galician carol (northwestern Spain - with a language from the same roots as Portuguese).

We'll speak very softly
and lower our voices
before the dear Savior
who Heaven rejoices.
O my beloved,
could I but hold thee,
how great my gladness,
holiest rapture!
How great thy blessing,
falling upon me!

My beloved, my heart's joy,
my beloved, how are you?
From the cold I see you trembling,
and it grieves me through and through;
from the cold I see you trembling
and it grieves me through and through.



Here's a short sample of it - #9

Though of course, it's unlikely that Jesus was born in the cold of winter. If we're to take literally that the shepherds were out in the fields with their flocks then it was probably lambing season - in the spring...
and not in December (which is the rainy season in Israel).

Thank you to those who have contributed to the Salvation Army kettles - especially to those who've donated online via this handy-dandy virtual kettle.  

Monday, December 13, 2010

A Snowy Night

This is a combination of photos I've taken in recent days.

1) the trees in our back yard

2) snow
3) my dog's back

yep.  That's what gives the picture that texture in the sky, and makes it look a bit like Van Gogh's Starry Night painting.


We're coming to the final days of our annual red kettle / bell ringing fundraising.  If you haven't made a donation to the Salvation Army of Martin Co. Minnesota (or to you own local unit) you can do that right now with this on-line kettle.  Thank you.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

A Snowbound Sunday Morning

We were quite unable to get out of the house this morning for church services. There were huge drifts of snow filling the driveway and the roads were yet unplowed. And even if we had somehow managed to escape the confines of our snowbound home, I think the four members of our family would have been the only ones to make it.

So when the wind finally quit blowing the snow around (or had mostly stopped) I went out with the trusty snowthrower to clear the driveway.

I also spent some time this morning painting, something I haven't had much time to do recently. So that was nice.

It's mid-afternoon now, and the city crews have been out plowing all morning. It looks like we can escape, so I think we're going to head out to visit some nursing homes to share a devotional and a Christmas gift with the residents.

And, though I know you're probably tired of seeing it here in my blog, I am going to repeat my request: If you haven't yet made a donation to support The Salvation Army of Martin Co. Minnesota (or your own local unit) please consider using this handy-dandy virtual kettle. You don't even have to brave the cold wind and snow to do it. Thanks again.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

See Amid the Winter's Snow

See, amid the winter's snow,
Born for us on Earth below,
See, the tender Lamb appears,
Promised from eternal years.

Hail, thou ever blessed morn,
Hail redemption's happy dawn,
Sing through all Jerusalem,
Christ is born in Bethlehem.


-From the carol "See, Amid the Winter's Snow" by Edward Caswall .



Please consider making an online donation to The Salvation Army of Martin Co. Minnesota (or to your local unit.) Thank you.

Blizzard Conditions have Killed My Kettles


It's a winter wonderland, I suppose, but it's doing no favors to our fundraising.  Blizzard conditions, ice, snow, and strong winds have pretty much shut us down today.

Since no one is out at the stores (or should be) I suppose it doesn't matter that my volunteers are all staying home. But just because the kettles aren't out, doesn't mean you can't make a donation.

You can use this virtual on-line kettle to make your donation to The Salvation Army of Martin County, MN or to your own local unit (but really, please... send it here, eh?)

Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Snow Lay on the Ground

The snow lay on the ground,
the star shone bright,
when Christ our Lord
was born on Christmas night.
Venite adoremus Dominum.
Venite adoremus Dominum.


(The Snow Lay on the Ground -trad. Irish/English Carol)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

All I Can See is the End




All I Can See is the End - Download it here.




The Freesound Project is one of my favorite places.

Dropped Spanner -
IntroStartFx -
When Robots Attack -
Organic -
Bounce Seq1 -
House Beat -
Violet Sea -
All I Can See is the End –

This Endris Night

This endris night I saw a sight,
a star as bright as day;
and e'er among a maiden sung,
"Lullay, bye bye, lullay."

This lovely lady sat and sung,
and to her child did say,
"My son, my brother, father dear,
why liest thou in hay?"

The child then spake in his talking,
and to his mother said:
"Yea, I am known as heaven king,
in crib though I be laid."

"For angels bright down to me light,
thou knowest 'tis no nay,
and for that sight thou may'st delight
to sing 'bye bye lullay.'"


This Endris Night is a lullaby carol.  The title means "the other night" or "several nights ago."  The words come from the late Middle Ages.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

This is where I work.


This is where I work.

Two Kings

(Psalm 72 & Matthew 2: 1 – 17)

About seven miles south east of Jerusalem – not far from the birthplace of the prophet Amos who declared, “Let justice stream flow like water ” in the Judean wilderness lay the remains of the Herodium – site of the fortified palace of King Herod the Great who ruled over Judea from 37 – 4 B.C. He wasn’t especially known for letting justice flow.

No. Herod the Great was known as a paranoid evil king. A murderous evil king. “Herod was constantly on guard against threats to his rule from any side and did not hesitate to take vigorous, harsh, and ruthless action to eliminate them. Neither did he shrink from having anyone murdered who might possibly become a personal danger to him as an opponent of his kingship.” *1   He murdered those who got close enough to threaten him – three of his sons, his favorite of his ten wives (when he became convinced that she was stepping out on him), her uncle, her mother, and her brother, as well as his own uncle.

When Herod the Great was laying in his deathbed, on the verge of passing out of this life, the king ordered one last act of depravity. He knew that the people of Judea did not love him, that they did not like him and that they would not mourn his passing. He ordered that all the notables and wealthy people of Judea be rounded up and executed when he finally died so that the country would, indeed, morn his death. The order was, fortunately for the people of Judea, ignored.

The Herodium, now in ruins, was once the fortified palace of the cruel king. It soared 100 feet above the ground and was surrounded by double concentric walls with towers at the four cardinal points. It was a secure place in the desert.

King Herod liked secure places. He built several of them all over the country; he built castles and forts and secure palaces like the Herodium in order to defend the country from foreign invaders and from revolutionary groups within the country. He rebuilt towns that had been destroyed during the Roman invasion, built entire new cities, built one of the largest harbors on the Mediterranean Sea, various temples to Roman gods, theatres, amphitheatres, stadiums for games, amazing sewer systems and aqueducts, and perhaps his grandest project was the restoration of Jewish temple (though he didn’t live to see it completed) which eventually eclipsed the glory of the previous temple built by King Solomon. He lowered taxes several times, and even went so far as to melt down his own gold and silver to purchase grand and food from Egypt to feed the people during a famine in 25 – 24 BC.

But for all that King Herod was still a murderous and evil king. He’s not really remembered for his building projects. He’s not remembered for the magnificent harbor that he built in Caesarea, nor is he remembered for his sewer systems, amphitheatres, or even for his restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. He’s not remembered for the employment and prosperity be brought to the region. He’s remembered for his ruthlessness and cruelty. He’s remembered for torturing his enemies – those he perceived as enemies whether or not they really were enemies. And most of all, King Herod the Great is remembered for one monstrous act of cruelty.

When the magi from the east came following the star that announced the birth of a newborn King of the Jews Herod reacted badly. He ordered the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem and surrounding villages.

One tradition, from Greece, asserts that 14,000 boys were murdered in this campaign against the newborn king of the Jews. Others say 64,000 children were slaughtered, and some Medieval writers claimed as many as 144,000 died. This is, of course, extravagant and unreasonably outrageous. Bethlehem was only a small hamlet of little importance. Few people would have lived there at that time. Perhaps only 200 or so. Modern estimates of the number of innocents killed by Herod range from 6 to 20 boys. But that does not in any way diminish the cruelty of King Herod the Great, the evil genius of the Judean nation. Even one state sponsored murder is one too many.

When the Magi came to Jerusalem seeking the child born that would be the King of the Jews King Herod was furious and afraid. His entire reign had been spent rooting out one conspiracy against his throne after another. He strangled and drowned and poisoned those who threatened him and his seat on the throne of Judea. The murder of a few inconsequential boy children in a minor village wasn’t even a matter of conscience for him.

King Herod had power, great power. He had the power to enact his will. If he wanted a building, he ordered its construction. If he wanted a monument, he gave plans for its design. If he wanted someone dead, they died. Herod was a powerful king, but he was not a good king.

The magi had traveled from the east to find the ideal king who birth had been announced by that strange star that moved across the sky and hovered over a specific house. But what kind of king would that newborn king be?

Psalm 72 describes the ideal king of God.

God, endow the king with your own fair judgment,
the son of the king with your own saving justice,
that he may rule your people with justice,
and your poor with fair judgment.

Mountains and hills
bring peace to the people!
With justice he will judge the poor of the people;
he will save the children of the needy
and crush their oppressors.

Psalm 72 was either written by or for King Solomon – the Hebrew preposition is a bit ambiguous and has caused a fair bit of debate… but either way – written by King Solomon or written for King Solomon, Psalm 72 is a prayer that the newly crowned king (whoever he was) would be a king after God’s own heart, an ideal king. Psalm 72 is a prayer that the new king would rule in the justice and righteousness of God for the benefit of God’s people, a prayer that he would rule as the Ideal King.

The extravagance of this ideal king’s rule has led many interpreters to believe that the Psalm should be interpreted Messianically – with the understanding that it must have been written specifically and prophetically about the Messiah, about the Christ; that it was written about that newborn King of the Jews whom the Magi had travelled across burning wastelands to find.

And though it may or may not have been written with a specific Messianic intent, Psalm 72 certainly lends itself to a Messianic interpretation. It is King Jesus who is the perfect judge, who gives justice to the poor and the oppressed, who rules with righteousness, who comes down “like rain on mown grass, like showers moistening the land.”

In his days uprightness shall flourish,
and peace in plenty till the moon is no more.
His empire shall stretch from sea to sea,
from the river to the limits of the earth.

We celebrate Christmas as the birth of the “Heaven-born Prince of Peace,” we hail him as the Son of Righteousness. And even though the Magi were probably not kings or royalty, we sing of them as the “three kings” which lends itself back to Psalm 72 which says,

The kings of Tarshish and the islands
will pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Saba
will offer gifts;
all kings will do him homage,
all nations become his servants.

This is the glorious rule of the King of Kings – King Jesus. Dominion has been laid on his shoulders and he extends his rule in boundless peace, making it secure and sustaining it in fair judgment and with integrity, from this time onward and forever.

I like the last verse of Isaac Watt’s hymn, “Jesus Shall Reign” wherein all creatures are enjoined to “rise and bring peculiar honors to our king.” His old fashioned English phrase sounds peculiar in our ears, but we are encouraged to give a gift of our worship to this newborn King of the Jews, this one who was born to bless every people, and tribe and race and nationality – born as King of the Jews, yes, but not for them alone, born for all of us. “May his name be blessed for ever, and endure in the sight of the sun.”

This Ideal King, the Messianic King, this King of Kings rules and governs in peace and righteousness. This Ideal King is a powerful king. But unlike King Herod the not-so-great, this king uses his power to rescue the poor and the oppressed. This King uses his power to rescue anyone who calls to him, and those who have no one else who will help. Instead of inflicting cruelty and violence upon the people, this king redeems the people from oppress and violence, because their blood is precious in his sight.

This King is everything that King Herod was not. The difference is their attitude toward power. The difference is in the way they use power.

Herod the King, in his raging, used his power to kill and to destroy – even when he was building something it was with a mind towards death, death to those who would oppose him. His power was never used to help the lowly. His power was never used to heal the broken, or to give comfort to the distressed. He had a mind for empire, but he would not have been a benevolent emperor. It’s true that there was a measure of security and prosperity during his rule – but there was no peace, and that prosperity didn’t trickle down to the poor. Like today, that wealth and prosperity was concentrated among the privileged few who could secure the government contracts and who could curry favor with a well placed bribe.

But the Ideal King, the king whom the magi ventured to find, his rule is characterized by an altogether different set of priorities. He is not concerned with violence. He is not interested in scheming and plotting. He is, instead, focused on the peace and well being of his people. He is devoted to their good. He raises them up. He blesses them. He receives them. He welcomes them. He heals and comforts. He has pity and promises salvation. He rescues.

One king murdered and hated and feared.
One king saves and loves and blesses.

One king raged and burned.
One king blesses and soothes.

One king ruled with force and violence.
One king rules with integrity and without violence.

One king attempted to drag everyone down into death with him.
One king brings everyone up from death with him.











*1  Lohse, Eduard, The New Testament Environment, Abingdon Press, Nashville TN, 1987. pg. 39

Friday, December 3, 2010

Snow

The snow is coming down now, thick and fluffy. The voice on the radio tells me that it will continue well into tomorrow. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow - as long as the kids will shovel the driveway.

If you haven't yet made an online donation to the Salvation Army would you consider making a gift today? You can use the handy-dandy widget here on my blog to make that gift to the Salvation Army of Fairmont, Minnesota (or to your local unit.)  Thanks.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Ice on the Lake 2


Yesterday I posted a photo I took of the sun setting over the icy lake near my house. I left that picture relatively untouched by photoshop manipulations. (I did do a little color correction, but that was it.)

This is another photo I took at that same time. This one has been subjected to various kinds of folding, twisting, spindling, and mutilating.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Ice on the Lake

Most of my recent photo postings have been subjected to a fair amount of 'adjustment' with the wonder that is photoshop. I've added layers of color and texture and have made some interesting pictures out of the simple (and largely uninteresting) pictures I've snapped around town.

This one, however, has had very little by the way of photoshop, just a tiny bit of color correction.

Nothing more was needed.
I started out to add layer upon layer, but soon realized that it wasn't necessary. So I deleted them and returned it to this.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Lights in the Sky

In the Bleak Midwinter


Click to see the picture enlarged
In the bleak midwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter,
Long ago.


In the Bleak Midwinter is one my favorite Christmas carols. The lyrics were originally written by English poet Christina Rossetti and later set to music by a number of composers, including a setting by Gustav Holst.




I think of the fourth verse as I look at this picture.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But his mother only,
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.



Monday, November 29, 2010

Sunday, November 28, 2010

God is Cold

click the picture to see it enlarged
God is Cold

like the air when there is only white
and the narrowing perspective lines
of the highway’s surface blur into space,

when ice encrusted branches -
frozen in an empty twilight grasp – lean
over lonely fence posts,

and the weight of that slate-grey sky
lays upon heaps of snow
blown into alien landscapes by the wind.

God is cold but is not cruel,
there is beauty in his frost.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Monday, November 22, 2010

The Friendly Beasts




I made this track to accompany myself on guitar - for an ecumenical thanksgiving service last night.
You can download it here.

Sounds from the Freesound Project:
Berber Farmyard
Tubular System E5
Jingle Bells One Shot

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Too Solid Flesh



O, that this too too solid flesh would melt
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!

(Hamlet -Act I, Scene ii)

Psalm 122 - Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem


According to the Torah - the Jewish law delivered by God through his servant Moses to the Jewish people - the men of Israel were required to make a pilgrimage for three annual festivals.

Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.
Deuteronomy 16:16-17 (NIV)

These three festivals celebrated and actualized the three great salvation events in Israel’s history – the Exodus from slavery in Egypt, the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai, and the Entrance into the Promised Land. 

Three times a year, every year, the men of Israel were required by the law to make a journey from their homes to the place of God’s choosing in order to make a sacrifice and to participate in worship led by the priests.  They were obligated to leave their homes and to make the difficult and, often times, dangerous journey to the festival celebration.

Before the construction of the Temple in the city of Jerusalem by King Solomon the pilgrims may have traveled to the city of Gibeon where the Ark of the Covenant was sometimes kept.  Gibeon was the “great high place” for worship and sacrifice before the construction of the temple.  This is where King Solomon offered his sacrifices and where God appeared to him in a dream to offer him anything he desired. (1 Kings 3:4 – 15)

But when Solomon built the Temple in the city of Jerusalem and consolidated the political and religious centers of the nation Jerusalem became – not just the capital city – Zion, the mountain of God, the city of God, the very dwelling place of the Living God. 

God shines from Zion, the perfection of beauty.
Psalm 50:2 (GW)
It was the holy city, a light to the nations, and the center of the world. The temple on Mt. Zion was the epitome of the concept of “sacred space.”  It was the place where earth and heaven met, the place where the human and the divine could intersect, none other than the house of God, this is the gate of heaven (Genesis 28: 11 – 18).  As the intersection of the cosmic and the earthly, the temple was a picture of the universe in miniature, incorporating heaven, land, and sea within its walls.  There the Israelite worshipper would sing, “The Lord built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever.” (Psalm 78:69) In his temple everything says “Glory!” (Psalm 29:9)

And three times a year for the three annual festivals required by the law, the men of Israel would travel to Jerusalem with their offerings.  This would not have been a simple trip. It would not have been a matter of throwing an overnight bag in the car and driving a few hours.  To make the pilgrimage up to Jerusalem (and it was always up to Jerusalem) the Jewish man would have to leave his home and fields or flocks or business for days or even weeks, would have to travel across unpaved roads.  There was the danger of wild animals and predatory thieves and bandits.  He couldn’t expect to stay in a comfortable hotel along the way.  He might have been welcomed to spend the night with a hospitable home along the way, but if not he would have to rough it. 

The pilgrimage to Jerusalem was a difficult expedition, not taken lightly.  I can imagine that there may have been, at times, grumbling and complaining about these annual festivals, grumbling about the expense of it, about the lost time at work or in the fields, grumbling at the danger and difficulty, grumbling at the overcrowded streets and lack of rooms, and the heat and the stink and the, and the, and the …

But not the psalmist.  No.  The psalmist rejoiced when those around him said, “Let us go up to the House of Yahweh.”  It’s that time again. 

“I rejoiced among those who said to me,
we will enter the House of Yahweh.”
Psalm 122: 1 – Anchor Bible

 I’m one who grumbles at holidays. I know. I know; I’m a terrible person. You’ve heard me say “I don’t like Christmas,” and I probably seem like a bit of cantankerous old scrooge, but I am truly fascinated by the Psalmists attitude here. He rejoiced at this celebration.  He celebrated the obligation to visit the holy city. His enthusiasm stirs something in my three sizes too small heart.  I can hear the delight in his words, and I want to know something of that feeling.

I rejoiced among those who said to me,
‘we will go up to the house of Yahweh!’
My feet were standing
within the gates of Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, which was built as his city,
which was compacted by him alone.

122: 1 -3 Anchor Bible
More than the capital city, Jerusalem was the place for the Psalmist to come together with his brothers and friends and with all the members of this faith to worship their God together and to celebrate the salvation of God together.  There was a unity in this city. It was a “compacted” city or “seamless.” Everything was in its right place, not a stone or brick left out.  The walls around the city were firmly built.  The towers were strong.  The Temple The city was well built because it had been built by God himself.

Obviously were not just talking about bricks and mortar here.  There’s something more than just the physical city.  There is an expectation about this city, a hope.

This city, this idealized Jerusalem, built by God and closely compacted by him alone, is the place where tribes of Israel go up, the place where they all came together in unity.  Together they were the city, closely compacted by God. This was where God dwelt, in the praise of his people

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalm 22:3 (KJV)

Jerusalem.  Jerusalem. The city of God.  The city of peace.  In Hebrew the name itself means “foundation of peace.” It is the ideal city of peace between men and peace between men and God.  It is the place where relations are restored and wounds are healed.  It is the place where divisions are put away and the people of God are united in praise and worship and love.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.
Psalm 122:6 (NASB)

There is a beautiful rhythm and rhyme in these verses that is lost when translated from the Hebrew.  The words: pray (shaal) peace (shalom), Jerusalem (Yerushalayim), and prosperity (shalavah) ring together in a pleasing assonance that we just don’t hear in the English translation.    It’s a unity of sound that verbally echoes the compacted and well built unity of the city itself.

We are to pray for peace and prosperity for the people of this ideal city – but what is peace, and what defines prosperity, and who are the people of this city?

Shalom is more than the absence of war, though that definitely is within its definition.  Shalom is not the absence of conflict.  Conflict is inevitable, but combat is a choice.  If we choose to fight then we are choosing against peace because war divides us. War separates us into opposing armies, us verses them.  War destroys the unity and wholeness that defines true peace.  Shalom is an undivided wholeness, unbroken and undivided.  Shalom is unity.

War destroys our unity and destroys our prosperity.  It consumes our resources – the money, food, and materials that could be used to heal and feed and save are foolishly squandered in destruction. The Hebrew word for prosperity (shalavah) also includes the sense of leisure and quiet.  To have prosperity in this sense is to be relaxed, quiet because all is well.  But War destroys this prosperity. We cannot relax during wartime. No. We have to keep up our guard, forever on the watchful, forever vigilant. There is no calm, only fear.  There is no prosperity, only the destruction of resources and security.

May they pray for your peace, Jerusalem,
may they prosper who love you.
Let there be peace within your walls
prosperity within your citadels.
For the sake of my brothers and friends
I firmly say, ‘Peace be within you.’
Psalm 122: 6 – 8

I like that particular translation, “I firmly say, ‘Peace be within you.’”  Firmly.   Sometimes non-violent, pacifist, peaceniks are derided as being soft or weak.  But I am convinced that choosing peace – choosing non-violence – choosing love over hate is the more difficult choice.

It is easy to curse or to swing a fist, or to fire a gun.  What strength does it take to wage war – particularly today when so much of it can be done by pressing a button from a distance?  That is easy.  Peace is hard because Peace is the deliberate adjustment of my life to the will of God. (Anonymous)  Peace is hard because it doesn’t come naturally. 

Peace is hard because it doesn’t come at all unless we ask for it.  The “Pray” in that verse “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” really is just that – ask. Ask for peace.  It’s not a formal word. It’s not a ritualized word.  It’s not a fancy word. Ask.  Ask for peace. Ask for security. Ask for it.

But lest we mistakenly think that being a nonviolent, peace-loving, pacifist means being soft and passive the last verse of this morning’s psalm says, “For the sake of the House of Yahweh, I will seek your good.”   I will do what is good. I will do what is best.  I will do.   This is an active non-violent peace making.  If you want peace, work for justice.” (Pope Paul VI) Making peace is hard work, harder than fighting a war – but the rewards are incomparable.  The rewards of peace are security and wholeness, unity and leisure.  The rewards (such as they are) of war are division, destruction and poverty – poverty of material goods and a crushing poverty of spirit.

So I will do what is good.  For the sake of that beautiful city – the holy city – the place where God dwells, I will seek peace. I will pray for peace and I will work for justice and equity and equality.  I will do what I can to make sure that people are fed and clothed.  I will work to comfort the broken hearted and to bind up the broken.  For the sake of that unity among God’s people I will love the unloved.  And, what is more, for the sake of that house of God that is the unity and praise of his people, I will love even my enemies.  

This is not easy. True pilgrimages aren’t.  They are long and dangerous and difficult. But we rejoice to make that journey.  Let us go up to the house of Yahweh!


Saturday, November 20, 2010

Winter Stars

It's Winter After All

Snow on the ground.
Temperature 19 degrees F.
Wife digging out the Christmas decorations.
Salvation Army Bell Ringers at the grocery store.
It's winter after all.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Meditation in a Glass of Water

There may or may not be truth in the popular idea that we need to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day (see article here)  but perhaps one good medititation in a glass of water would do us some good.




You can download the meditation here.

I used the following sounds from the Freesound Project:
Pouring Water
Gloom spring
Abandoned coil
Simple drone
CO2 Gas Bubbles
The Cloud in A
Solo Study 2a
I also used my own voice in a small way.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

An Actual Conversation

Yesterday:


and we're Christian too...

Woman 1 - "I got a phone call the other day, and I don't know what they heck they were saying. They were speaking in Spanish or something. So I told them "I don't speak your language. I speak English." And then I hung up."

Woman 2 - "What did they want? Was it a telemarketer or something?"

Woman 1 - "Well I don't know, that's the point, I couldn't understand what they were saying."

Woman 2 - "I don't know why they just can't speak English, they're in America after all."

Me - "Actually, the United States of America doesn't have an official language..."

Woman 1 (interupting me) - "I know. We're not even Christian any more!"

Me - ?


Sunday, November 14, 2010

I Rather Like It.

This is a little piece of nothing much - a few photos of concrete walls and cloudy skies run through the digital blender.

But I rather like it.

Friday, November 12, 2010

On Stephen King and Whistling and Writing



I should not read Stephen King.  Not when I'm attempting to write. 

I bought his newest collection of stories, Full Dark, No Stars, the other day and I've already read it through. If nothing else, Stephen King knows how to tell a story.  I am pulled so easily, (so willingly?) into his tales.

And I am envious of the -apparent- ease with which he does this to me. He makes it look so easy, like whistling.  You know how to whistle don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow and out comes the story. After I've read just a few pages of his books, I want to burn everything I've ever written. 

And I know, of course, that even for the master of the popular novel writing is not simply a matter of whistling down the words, but involves hard work - maybe not the manual labor of blue collars and calloused hands - but real work none the less.  The ease is only apparent. Because he is good at what he does, he makes it look easy.

I've been asked several times in the past 11 days what my NaNoWriMo novel is about.  And my answer so far as been, "about 18, 5000 words..." (or whatever my current word count happened to be at the time.)  I've not even told my wife.  I'm afraid that if I do I'll loose the story, that I'll have "wasted" my words explaining the story instead of using them to tell the story. 

So, if you've been one to ask me about my story and I've dismissed your question with a bit of a joke, I apologize.  It's not you. Its' me.   

Now I'm going to quit wasting my time and my words in writing about writing and I'm going to go back to writing ...

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Scientific Discovery

Here's another new song I've put together. You might like it.



You can download it here.
Once again I used a number of sounds from The Freesound Project:
 
I also used some of Zepho's 100 Ambient Tones at the Internet Archive
#35 – Bizarro Bleep
#38 – Long Time Coming
#74 – Generator Reunion

And even further I used some sounds from SampleSwap and Loopmasters


And, just as a reminder, I am still seeking some sponsors to bail me out of jail as a fundraiser for the March of Dimes Foundation.  Those contributing $50 or more will have a song crafted especially for them.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

A Few Things Melancholy

A few things melancholy
On smiling and sadness: twelve theses

<--Solitary Androids
Winter Wind -->



More melancholy

Monday, November 8, 2010

Update, Photo, and Plea

Update:
I am once again participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).  The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November - that works out to about 1,667 words each day. So far I'm pretty well on target.  I did fall a little behind on Saturday when I spent the day writing Sunday's sermon and attending a wedding in the Twin Cities.  You can see my current word count in the NaNoWriMo widget in the top right corner.



Photo:
The photo above is probably one of the last autumn tree photos I'll be posting this year.  We've had some incredibly nice weather the past couple of days, but I'm sure that it can't last.


Plea:
I'm still looking for sponsors to "bail me out of jail" - as a fundraiser for the March of Dimes foundation.  I know that for most of us the money tree has already been picked over, but if you can help it is appreciated. As an incentive, I'm offering to craft a song for anyone who can donate $50 or more.  Details are here.
Jeff Carter's books on Goodreads
Muted Hosannas Muted Hosannas
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