Emmanuel

"O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God."

So this is the last of the O Antiphons. Everybody, probably, has heard the Advent carol O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. And this antiphon is its origin. It pretty much sums up what the antiphons have been leading us to pray for days -- You, who have all these characteristics, and merit all these titles, come! Because we are eagerly awaiting that awe-inspiring mystery God-with-us!

I made it! The presents are wrapped; we are at Arwen's house, where she is in charge of the cooking (though I did bring tamales for Christmas day.) I have today and tomorrow to quiet my heart and prepare for Christ's coming, and also to cuddle grandchildren. What a blessing that those two things are not mutually exclusive!

Have a very merry and blessed Christmas!!

King and Keystone

" O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart: O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust."

The O antiphons are coming to an end! Every year when they start, and it's clear that Christmas is soon, seven of them still sounds like a large number, that will take a while to get through. But this is number six. And I am "not ready". This means that the wrapping is not all done, and a few more things should be bought, to fill in holes in my list that I didn't realize I had.

But that's my Martha side coming out. The antiphon doesn't refer to "the day everything has to be done by." George came home last night, a day earlier than I expected him! (Apparently the whole rest of the family was in on it.) And even though he was early, and everything wasn't ready (like making Tommy clear his stuff off George's bed) I was overjoyed to see him. How much more should I welcome "the only joy of every human heart"!

This year all the shopping is done -- I'm out of money! But the wrapping is not even begun. We are all hanging out at Arwen and Bryan's, and they have set up a designated "wrapping room" in the basement. I'm going to be down here all day. But it's going to be a joy, because all of my family is here. And that doesn't begin to measure up to the joy of the coming king!

Radiant Dawning

" O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death."

The references to "darkness and the shadow of death" in yesterday and today's antiphons are quotes, from the prayer of Zechariah after the birth of John the Baptist. (It's found in Luke 1:68-79.) In the translation I know best, the end of it goes:
In the tender compassion of our God
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.

In the last few days I've learned about a number of people who are literally living "in the shadow of death" -- the son of a friend who has melanoma on his liver (discovered through an X-ray for pneumonia!), an elderly friend who's been on oxygen for years but now can't keep his blood levels up, a woman whose elderly father (who lived with her) just died who has such an intense job that she has no time to grieve. All of these people know and love God, but that doesn't stop them from bearing the weight of the darkness. But God has tender compassion for all of them, and us, and the "dawn from on high" will break. No wonder we await His coming!

I really needed the reminder of last year's wisdom! My trials are smaller -- a cat who no longer is litter trained (he likes my bed), repeated changes of plans, fatigue. But all of this is small stuff, if I can remember the glorious light and power of God. Come, O Radiant Dawn!

Key of David - Shadow of death

"O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom."

I had never noticed before I started this posting on the O Antiphons just how much they refer to freedom. I think we all tend to forget, because our lives are so comfortable (especially compared to most people through most of history), how bound we are. I'm bound by customs that have become law in my head, and by my own pre-judgements of things and situations, and by choices I've made in the past, and many other things I'm rarely aware of. Just because there are no chains on my ankles doesn't mean I don't need the Lord to come and set me free!

This year I am aware of several friends and relatives who stand in the shadow of death, both physical and spiritual. Some are despondent and gloomy, but some evidence joy, because they have been set free from the darkness. Event though they still live in the shadow, they can see the light of freedom. Would God we all possessed this key!

Flower of Jesse -- in the snow

"O Flower of Jesse's stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid."

Wednesday is never my favorite day of the week. I do too many of my least-favorite chores on Wednesday. But if I get them all done, I get to go to the Barnes and Noble cafe, sip a decaf mocha, and read for a while. Fortunately, Christ's coming doesn't depend on my working hard. I just have to be ready to stand silent in his presence.

This year this antiphon falls on a Friday. And there is so much snow that Christmas vacation began a day early! I have been doing a lot of running, but today I am housebound. And I need to find the silence and awe just as much here.

Lord of Might (and Freedom)

"O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free."

Obviously this is out of date; Maggie's been home for a year! But I certainly could use some heavenly freedom. This has been an Advent (and for that matter a year) of spiritual stretching for me. I can (sometimes) handle problems and challenges that would have caused me to melt down even a year ago. I'm glad to be stronger, but it makes me long even more for the freedom to see all of it from God's perspective.

The title I gave this post is a phrase from O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Because I've known that longest, I tend to remember the antiphons in its phraseology. But it's really more about freedom. I could sure use some strength and freedom these next two days. I have all my regular chores, plus wrapping still to do and a few final decorating touches. And Maggie is even now in an airplane, winging home from her semester in Austria!

I am very excited to see her, but since her best/cheapest flight package was from Chicago -- a six hour drive -- Roger has already left to pick her up, and they won't be home until tomorrow. They'll be stopping to spend the night at Arwen's house, which is almost 2 hours closer to Chicago, and then swinging over in the morning so Maggie can see Rosie and Daniel. So tomorrow afternoon! And George flies in on Saturday. Christmas is coming!!

Wisdom, Again

I ran this series of posts on the O Antiphons last year, and I'm going to publish them again with additional reflections.

"O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, You govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation."

Today is something our family has been waiting for all year -- the first of the "O Antiphons". For our family evening prayers (and also some people's personal morning prayer) we use the Liturgy of the Hours, the official daily prayer of the Catholic church. (Bet you thought that was the Rosary! Nope, that's considered a "private devotion", --which is of course how we use the LotH ;-D ) Every day at evening prayer we recite the Magnificat, Mary's song of praise in response to the greeting of Elizabeth. Each day of the liturgical year has its own antiphon, a sentence or so which is traditionally recited between sections of the prayer. We just read them at the start of it.

Some of the antiphons are simply quotes, from Scripture or from the Magnificat itself. But starting on December 17 and running through the 23rd (because evening prayer of Christmas Eve is the start of Christmas), the antiphons are translations of very old (fifth century AD?) Latin ones. The Wikipedia article I linked to above has an excellent analysis. But you've certainly heard them; the verses of O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and many other Advent hymns repeat them.

For our family, the O Antiphons are many things. For the kids (especially when they were younger), they just mean Christmas will be here soon. But for someone like me, who is always struggling to balance the "Mary" and "Martha" parts of Advent, they give a "theme of the day", something to meditate on while running at full tilt. So I'm going to post them here each morning, and with an effort maybe I"ll be able to slow down and prepare my heart.

"O Wisdom . . . " Wow am I grateful for God's wisdom this year! I have been relying heavily on it to get me through this holiday season, and I promise you I would be jibbering without it. My carefully-thought-out schedule has been shot to pieces so many times, but everything is still getting done. I'm glad it's not just my own wisdom available!

UM

I have no idea why the caramel popcorn post looks like that. But it should still taste good!

Tasty Tuesday -- Caramel Popcorn

Right along with everyone else, we are feeling a budget crunch this year. We won't overspend on Christmas, because we set aside money each month all year, and when it's gone, it's gone. I bargain-shop like crazy, and we will have a very nice celebration. But with higher prices and a somewhat reduced amount of money, I was briefly stuck about what to give people like the grandparents -- people who already have more than enough "stuff", but who rate a present. (Actually, they will also be getting copies of our latest family picture, which hasn't been taken yet. George, who is becoming an awesome photographer, will be taking it when he's home on leave next week.)

I was scuttling through T*rget on my way to get a roll of extra-wide wrapping paper (for which I comparison-shopped six stores) when I saw a big display of what I call "gifts for people you think you should give something to but don't know what to get." Among them were some undersized and overpriced jars of stale-looking caramel popcorn. My first response was "Ugh!", but my second responses was "I can do much better than that!" Because I have this recipe, which I got from my friend Betty many years ago, and which is always wonderful!

Caramel Popcorn

Preheat oven to 250°. Place in a large roasting pan 20-24 cups popped popcorn. (From my popper this is about 3/4 c. unpopped.) Combine and boil for five minutes: 2 c. brown sugar, 2 sticks (1 c.) margarine, 1/2 c.corn syrup, and 1/2 t. salt. (I do this in my microwave; it takes about 3 minutes to melt the margarine and heat it up. I stir it after three minutes, and then set the microwave for 6 minutes more, watching carefully. If you do use the microwave, make sure you use a large enough bowl -- my 8-cup Pyrex is barely big enough; 10 cups would be much better.)

Remove from heat (or microwave) and add: 1t. vanilla, 1/2 t. soda, pinch cream of tartar. (It will bubble like crazy when you put in the vanilla -- it's the alcohol boiling away.)

Pour immediately over the popcorn, stir, and place pan in oven (uncovered.) Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool (I do this on a couple of rimmed baking sheets) and store in air-tight containers. (Plastic bags are fine.) Makes about 5 quarts.

I tried a couple of variations this year, both of which worked well. To some batches (I made 6 total!) I added about 3 cups of raw nuts. I used a mixture of almonds and pecans, but anything you like would work, even peanuts. Just make sure the nuts are raw; already toasted nuts will taste burned by the time the popcorn is done.

The other thing I tried was doing the baking in my turkey roaster. It has a non-stick pan insert, which saved a lot of washing time between batches. It worked very well, but I found I had to stir the popcorn very thoroughly or it got over-brown on the bottom. I also found that turning the insert 180 degrees after half the time helped -- apparently my roaster is slightly hotter at one end. This was all completely worth it for me, though, because I set the roaster on the counter and didn't have to bend over to stir. (I'm old -- sigh!)

This recipe is actually very easy, because after the popcorn is baking you can do other things, just coming back to stir every quarter hour. Also, if it works better for you, the popcorn can be popped and set aside in advance. It doesn't matter if it's a little stale -- the time in the oven takes care of that.

So this is my solution to the don't-know-what-to-buy problem. (Of course I had to make some for us, too!) Let me know if you try it, and have a very merry and tasty Christmas!

Home for Christmas!

Actually, of course, we won't be "home" for Christmas, since we're celebrating in Arwen and Rosie's town so that Arwen doesn't have to travel anytime near her due date (she learned her lesson the last time!) But Katie arrives on a plane tonight. Maggie will be home on Sunday; she's also done with her semester, but is in Texas being a bridesmaid for a dear friend. And a week from tomorrow George flies home. We may have transplanted the celebration a hundred miles, but we'll all be "Home" for Christmas!

Sewing and Singing -- Updated!

I have been doing a lot of sewing recently, most of it secret (because after all Christmas is coming!) and this evening I finished one major part of it. I also finished a Christmas project that wasn't a secret -- Matthew's Christmas stocking.

Back when Arwen was a baby a friend and I went to a crafts extravaganza sponsored by the local Home Extension Agency. It was not a "craft show", where crafters sell their wares, but a "you can do this!" showing, with about 50 different projects featured, and a handbook with how-to's and patterns included in the price of admission. I discovered one for a sewn fabric stocking with a counted-cross-stitch band for the name. Since Roger and Arwen had no stockings, and mine was totally dilapidated, I made three.

That was 26 years ago, and since then I've made five more for children (oops, six -- we lost one somewhere), two for sons-in-law, four for assorted relatives and friends, two for Daniel and Camilla, and now one for Matthew. And I already have the one for Arwen's new baby cut out; I just need a name before I can put it together. These stockings are not all "matchy-matchy" -- the adults have solid red or green or white, -- these are Arwen and Bryan's; Arwen sent the picture for the update-- with assorted prints for trim. The grandkids have print ones with solid trim. They are fun to do, but I'm sure glad to be done for now!

The singing part refers to our church choir. Instead of doing the same mass every week, we do 5PM, 8AM, 9:30 and 11:30 in rotation, and then have a week off. This week was 8AM; nobody's favorite, but the little old ladies love us! (That is, the ones who aren't singing with us.) Anyway, it was almost worth getting up at 6:30 because we got to sing this:


On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry
Announces that the Lord is nigh;
Awake and hearken, for he brings
Glad tidings of the King of kings.

Then cleansed be every heart from sin;
Make straight the way of God within,
Let every heart prepare a home
Where such a mighty Guest may come.

For you are our salvation, Lord,
Our refuge and our great reward;
Without your grace we waste away
Like flowers that wither and decay.

To heal the sick stretch out your hand,
And bid the fallen sinner stand;
Shine forth and let your light restore
Earth's own true loveliness once more.

All praise the Son eternally
Whose advent sets His people free;
Whom with the Father we adore
And Spirit blest for evermore.

(If you go here you can hear the MIDI and see the original words)

This 'n' That

This is by way of being a catch-all post, keeping me in the habit of semi-regular posting. First, another Advent song:

1. O come, divine Messiah!
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.

Refrain:
Dear Savior haste;
Come, come to earth,
Dispel the night and show Thy face,
And bid us hail the dawn of grace.
O come, divine Messiah!
The world in silence waits the day
When hope shall sing its triumph,
And sadness flee away.

2. O Christ, whom nations sigh for,
Whom priest and prophet long foretold,
Come break the captive fetters;
Redeem the long-lost fold.
Refrain

3. You come in peace and meekness,
And lowly will Thy cradle be;
All clothed in human weakness
We shall Thy Godhead see.
Refrain

(MIDI of tune here)

Then, a tasty tip I should have added to this: The recipe calls for one tablespoon of tomato paste. You can buy tomato paste in toothpaste-like tubes, but it's pricey and some of it usually goes bad. I buy cheap store-brand cans, shove the leftovers in the fridge, and it usually still goes bad but I'm not out as much. But I ought to put the leftover part in 1T blobs on a sheet, freeze, and then bag them. Keeps longer, and is pre-measured for when you need just one tablespoon.

Third, a reading update: I'm still working through the same stuff, although I took back Who's Afraid of Virginia Ham without reading more than half a chapter because the main character had what I considered a blatantly sinful lifestyle. Obviously one can't read mystery novels without encountering sinful behavior, but I have a bias that says it should belong to the "bad guys", not the hero. That's what I like about the Phoebe Atwood Taylor books -- they're from the thirties, when most people agreed with me!


And finally, a
BIG CONGRATULATIONS
to Jen, my most regular commenter, who just had a beautiful baby girl. Congratulations Jen and Matt!

"Spiritual Sunday #5" -- Advent Begins

So this is fitting, I guess. It is the beginning of Advent, and the end of NaBloPoMo. Although only one of those things obviously fits my theme of the day, actually they both do. Because I started this blog, and have done NaBloP, as a friend calls it, for two years now, as part of a self-and-God devised plan of self-discipline and growth.

When I turned 50 (in early 2001) I took a look at my life, and all the things I was going to do "someday", and decided that I had better get started. Some of them were purely physical, like a regular exercise routine. Some of them were purely spiritual, like daily Scripture and prayer, and a several-times-a-week spiritual journal. Some of them were in between.

I don't mean to imply that at 50 I suddenly became fully disciplined. I don't think I'm better than average even yet. But each year or so I've been able to add -- and stick to -- something. Currently my "weekly disciplines chart" has lines for ten different things I need to do, with check boxes for each day of the week, and projected goals. (I only "have" to walk four days a week, though sometimes I do five. And this week I didn't walk at all, to rest an injured knee.) And one of those things is blogging.

According to the chart I'm supposed to blog (or write an extended letter or email to somebody) at least twice a week. I haven't been entirely successful. But I stuck with NaBloP, and came up with daily themes, and that gives me hope for the next year. And I'd say I'm about 93% successful in my spiritual disciplines, which have observably made me a better and more godly person. (My kids will tell you they were very pleasantly surprised over Thanksgiving, when none of the stresses and disasters led to a melt-down on my part. Even I was surprised.)

So NaBloP is over and Advent begins, a season when Christians traditionally search and prepare their hearts to celebrate again the Lord's coming. Since I won't be posting here tomorrow (unless it's a snow day, which may happen,) I'll leave you with a hymn which both lifts my spirits and encourages me to do just that.

People Look East
words by Eleanor Farjeon

1. People, look east. The time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the guest, is on the way.

2. Furrows, be glad. Though earth is bare,
One more seed is planted there:
Give up your strength the seed to nourish,
That in course the flower may flourish.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the rose, is on the way.

3. Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
Guard the nest that must be filled.
Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the bird, is on the way.

4. Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as sun and moon together.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the star, is on the way.

5. Angels, announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth.
Set every peak and valley humming
With the word, the Lord is coming.
People, look east and sing today:
Love, the Lord, is on the way.

(If the tune is unfamiliar, the MIDI is here.)

Sloppy Saturday #4 -- Sleepover Report

Well, it went as well as could be expected for a couple of two-year-olds who have never spent a night away from both parents at the same time. There was a melt-down at bed time, but all was saved by the combined efforts of Aunt Maggie and a judicious application of Davy Jones singing "Personal Penguin" combined with the iTunes visualizer. About 8 hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep was enjoyed by all. (The parents, at least the ones without the four-month-old, enjoyed even more! ;-D )

We will definitely do it again. And everybody, grandparents included, will probably take a nice long nap this afternoon!

Family Friday #4 -- Grandkids!

I'm taking a lazy day today. Partly because Roger is doing a bread-baking marathon in the kitchen (he's shooting for five six-loaf batches, most of which will go home with our kids), and partly because I'm not quite sure how much sleep I will get tonight. We are having a first-ever event: a grandchildren sleep-over!

Both Daniel and Camilla (and Matthew for that matter, but he's too young to participate) have slept at our house before, with their parents. Both of them pretty much consistently sleep through the night in their own beds. But neither of them has ever slept overnight anywhere without at least one parent nearby.

So this may be almost a non-event, in which case it will become a regular thing. Or it may be a cause of major "trauma", including middle of the night calls to parents. (Because Maggie and Katie are both home, the married kids are staying elsewhere this trip.) What is for sure is that both couples are going to get some alone time, with Rosie and Anthony retrieving Matthew after a couple of hours. And I will have a chance to read approximately 142 Dr. Seuss books, with two two-year-olds on my lap. Or maybe just Fox in Socks 142 times. Lovely!

Tip-Line Thursday #4-- Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope all your days have been as peaceful and blessed as mine has. We had an "early" dinner -- 1 PM -- so that Arwen and her family could eat again at six at her in-laws. Everything was done on time, everything was delicious, our daughters (Maggie and Katie) who are away at college made it home, albeit with a "lost luggage" delay and well after midnight. Furthermore, Arwen and Rosie, who had a stomach bug yesterday, were recovered enough to enjoy the feast.

And so here's my Thanksgiving tip, for every year: NOT every year will be like mine this year! The turkey will cook too fast, or too slow. Somebody's flight will be canceled. Somebody else will have the flu. Some years this will happen all at once!

But all the things throughout the year that we have to be thankful for are not negated by that. Even if the turkey burns to a crisp, we can be thankful that our week's nutrition wasn't depending on that turkey. A flight that's canceled beats a flight that crashes! And if the illness is severe or even terminal, we can rejoice in the good things that person has brought into our lives. In other words, we can choose to look at the doughnut, not the hole!

Happy THANKSgiving!

Whatcha Readin' Wednesday #4

Short and sweet -- I'm reading recipes! My daughters who were going to help with the cooking came down with a stomach bug, so I'm running solo. I'm just Sooooo glad that for various reasons we are have Thanksgiving here this year, and not in their town, which was the original plan. Catch ya tomorrow!

Tasty Tuesday #4 -- Cranberry Relish

This recipe has been kicking around in my family forever. My sister-in-law was thrilled when I gave it to her, because my brother, who is the world's greatest adherent of all things traditional, was grumpy without it. Although Roger and the kids are fans of Ocean Spray jellied sauce in a can, I have an aversion to the texture (I don't like Jell-O, either.) So every year I make this just for me, and any guests who are brave enough to give it a shot.

Cranberry Relish

1 (12 or 16 oz.) bag fresh cranberries
1 apple (red preferred)
1 orange (seedless preferred)

Wash and pick over the cranberries. Quarter the apple, and core but do not peel. Quarter (and remove seeds if needed) the orange. Put all through a meat grinder, alternating berries and quarters of other fruit. Sweeten to taste with sugar (I use about 1/4 cup, but I prefer it tangy.) Stir well, and chill until needed.

My sister-in-law doesn't have a meat grinder, so she throws everything in her food processor. My brother hasn't noticed. And I know that my grandmother, who was diabetic, made it with sweetener instead of sugar. Also, I adjust the size of the apple and orange based on the amount of cranberries -- medium for 12 oz., larger for 16 oz.

And that's it -- a homemade Thanksgiving recipe that's easier than pie!

Musical Monday #3 -- More "King" Hymns

I hope nobody minds, but today's post is simply a continuation of yesterday's. :-D I really like the hymns I'm posting today, and I was hoping we'd sing one of them yesterday so I could feature it. But we were attending Arwen and Bryan's parish, which has some awesome musicians, and they did a combination of traditional Latin chant and some original things. All of it was wonderful, but I didn't get to sing ANY of these:

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

To Him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown His head;
His Name like sweet perfume shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His Name.

Blessings abound wherever He reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blessed.

Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!

Plenty more verses at CyberHymnal, plus the best-known tune of Duke Street. I also like it to Truro.

And then there's this one--

Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.

Crown Him the virgin’s Son, the God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose, as of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows, the Babe of Bethlehem.

Crown Him the Son of God, before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where He hath trod, crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known that wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own, that all in Him may rest.

Crown Him the Lord of life, who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife for those He came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of peace, whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease, and all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end, and round His piercèd feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown Him the Lord of love, behold His hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye at mysteries so bright.

Crown Him the Lord of Heaven, enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to Whom is given the wondrous name of Love.
Crown Him with many crowns, as thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns, for He is King of all.

Crown Him the Lord of lords, who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word, for ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light, where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night, their God, Redeemer, King.

Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail throughout eternity.

I've never sung all the verses at once, but I've sung most of them here and there. Definitely to Diademata.

And this one:

Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope! Our Lord the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

To Darwall's 148th, although I think I've heard another tune somewhere.

And finally:

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all.

Let highborn seraphs tune the lyre, and as they tune it, fall
Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face Who tunes their choir, and crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye morning stars of light, who fixed this floating ball;
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, and crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye martyrs of your God, who from His altar call;
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod, and crown Him Lord of all.

Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, ye ransomed from the fall,
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all.

Hail Him, ye heirs of David’s line, whom David Lord did call,
The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all,
The God incarnate, Man divine, and crown Him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget the wormwood and the gall,
Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your trophies at His feet, and crown Him Lord of all.

Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all.
To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all.l.

O that, with yonder sacred throng, we at His feet may fall,
We'll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all,
We'll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all!

To Diadem, with organ and/or trumpets, although Coronation is acceptable.

"Spiritual Sunday"#4 -- Christ the King!

This is one of my favorite feasts of the church year; as I said last week, even though it's still technically ordinary time, I feel like it has a season all its own. That's probably influenced by the fact that I love so many of the hymns and songs that speak of Christ's Kingship. So you get some today, and more tomorrow.

This first one is supposedly quintessentially Catholic, but frankly I can't see why. Follow this link and listen to the MIDI; the tune makes it even better.

To Jesus Christ, our Sovereign King
To Jesus Christ, our Sov'reign King,
Who is the world's salvation,
All praise and homage do we bring,
And thanks and adoration.

Refrain:
Christ Jesus Victor, Christ Jesus Ruler!
Christ Jesus, Lord and Redeemer!

2. Thy reign extend, O King benign,
To ev'ry land and nation,
For in Thy kingdom, Lord divine,
Alone we find salvation.
(Refrain)

3. To Thee and to Thy Church, great King,
We pledge our hearts' oblation,
Until before Thy throne we sing,
In endless jubilation.
(Refrain)

Then there's this one, that really goes better with guitars. But it's so peppy I'll sing it however I can. (I know, I know, it's been a subject of scorn ever since Stephen Colbert did a distinctly odd version last year. But I can't help it -- I knew it first.)

The King of Glory

Refrain The King of glory comes, the nation rejoices. Open the gates before him, lift up your voices
.
1. Who is the King of glory; how shall we call him? He is Emmanuel, the promised of ages.

2. In all of Galilee, in city or village, He goes among his people curing their illness.

3. Sing then of David’s Son, our Savior and brother; In all of Galilee was never another

4. He gave his life for us, the pledge of salvation, He took upon himself the sins of the nation.

5. He conquered sin and death; he truly has risen, And he will share with us his heavenly vision.


I'd like to post a picture, too, but the only one I really like is here, and I can't seem to get it inserted. All glory to Christ the King!!