WAITING FOR BABY JESUS

My mother made the Nativity set in her ceramics class more than twenty years ago, so it's one of my treasures.  I have Magi and camels, too, but I need such a large space to display them all, and by the time Epiphany comes, Christmas is over.  Facebook friends suggested placing the Magi and camels elsewhere in the house and slowly moving them closer to the Nativity figures.  The figures are breakable, so I'd have to think of places to put the future visitors that would be safe.  I broke the fingers off the shepherd with his hand extended, but I mended the break, and I'm grateful the fix has held together for years.  One of the camels is sitting down, but I could move him along in his lazy position.

Since churches are having Lessons and Carols services, here is my pre-Christmas carol, a lovely version of  "The Wexford Carol" with Yo Yo Ma and Alison Krauss.
 

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT

Psalm 80

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
   you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
   before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
   and come to save us!

Restore us, O God;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.

O Lord God of hosts,
   how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
   and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbours;
   our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.

But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
   the one whom you made strong for yourself.
Then we will never turn back from you;
   give us life, and we will call on your name.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   and they shall name him Emmanuel’,

which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

O REX GENTIUM

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 22

O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum,
lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:
veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O King of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof!
O Corner-stone, that makest of two one,
come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth!

Isaiah 9:7

His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onwards and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 2:4

He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.

Text from Fish Eaters.

O ORIENS

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 21

O Oriens, splendor lucis æternæ, et sol justitiæ:
veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light,
Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!

Isaiah 9:2

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.

Text from Fish Eaters.

Reposted from last year, and the year before, and the year before...

ST JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH EVENSONG AND ORGAN REDEDICATION

 

This past Tuesday evening I attended a beautiful service of Evensong to rededicate the pipe organ at St John's Episcopal Church.  The 1893 Ferrand & Votey organ was repaired and restored by Redman Pipe Organs.  The pipes in the loft of the church were moved forward to give them a more prominent placement.

The organ console is old but new to St John's.  The original console was not salvageable, so the first restoration included a newly-built console.  In the latest restoration, the working parts are enclosed in the antique console, which was originally painted white and only in need of a new coat of paint.  The style of the piece fits perfectly with the architectural style of the church.

Fr Ron Clingenpeel, our interim priest-in-charge for two years, returned to St John's to take the service which was all-around wonderful.  Our very own organist, LaDonna Alexander, played beautifully, along with Carol Britt, Head of the Department of Music at Nicholls State University.  Dr Britt's Postlude performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's "In Dulci Jubilio" was splendid, indeed.
 

Funds for the renovation of the organ came from a grant by the Lorio Foundation in memory of long-time St John parishioner, George Dickie, pictured at left.

The organ, along with the people who attended the service, made a joyful noise unto the Lord Tuesday evening. 

O CLAVIS DAVID

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 20

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel;
qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit:
veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel,
that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth,
come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

Isaiah 22:22

I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David;
he shall open, and no one shall shut;
he shall shut, and no one shall open.

Text of antiphon from Fish Eaters.

Prayer for Mission

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Reposted from last year, and the year before and....  The O Antiphons are now a tradition at Wounded Bird.

JINDAL ON THE SUSPENSION OF PHIL ROBERTSON FROM "DUCK DYNASTY"

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) rushed to the defense of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson after he was suspended from the reality show by A&E Wednesday for a series of remarks he made about gays and non-Christians in an interview with GQ Magazine.
....

“Phil Robertson and his family are great citizens of the State of Louisiana. The politically correct crowd is tolerant of all viewpoints, except those they disagree with...."

Here's our governor with more mutterings that seemingly pass out of his lips before filtering through his Rhodes Scholar brain.

Please forgive me for never having heard of "Duck Dynasty" and not knowing who the hell Phil Robertson was before the brouhaha. When I say I seldom watch TV, I speak truth. Plus, few people exist who know less about pop culture and celebs than I do, but anyway here's our guv for ya.

Jindal appears to be reinforcing his anti-gay creds, because he plans to run for president and hopes for Tea Party support.  It seems to me that Jindal will say almost anything if it will gain him political advantage, but he may truly believe the words he spoke in defense of Robertson.  If the governor was smart, he'd know he has no chance of becoming president or vice-president, but he chooses to live in fantasy land.

O RADIX JESSE

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 19

O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum,
super quem continebunt reges os suum,
quem Gentes deprecabuntur:
veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people,
at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths,
Whom the Gentiles shall seek,
come to deliver us, do not tarry.

Isaiah 11:1, 11:10

A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
....

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Text from Fish Eaters.

Reposted from last year, the year before, and the year before...as a tradition.

CARDINAL BURKE REMOVED FROM CONGREGATION FOR BISHOPS

Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American prelate and a divisive leader of the Catholic Church's conservative wing, was today removed from a prestigious Vatican congregation that helps the pope select new bishops.

The Congregation for Bishops takes lists of names of potential candidates for bishop and whittles them down to a short list that's then sent to the pope for final approval. According to John L. Allen Jr. of the National Catholic Reporter, while the pope is technically not bound by the congregation's recommendations, he nonetheless usually selects their top choice when a position opens up. Consequently, the group plays a huge role in shaping the direction and ideological makeup of the Catholic hierarchy.

Cardinal Burke is still Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest judicial body in the Roman Catholic Church, but his conservatives proclivities are likely to be curbed by Pope Francis.  The pope has counseled simplicity in liturgical dress to Roman Catholic clergy and shown by example that he is serious, so the elaborate and flamboyant vestments may be relegated to the dustbin of history. Still, I won't hold my breath.  As you view the series of pictures of the cardinal in silk and lace at the link above, remember I had them first in my long-running series of posts with pictures here on "Wounded Bird".  Google search conveniently gathered the posts together into one link.

What other changes are in the offing?  Who knows if liturgical fashions will be never be the same?  What a loss!  I shall dress in mourning black...with a bit of lace and matching black gloves.  

Read more at http://www.bilerico.com/2013/12/vatican_fashion_leader_removed_from_influential_po.php#HGTst2ZfxCY6qcBY.99

Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American prelate and a divisive leader of the Catholic Church's conservative wing, was today removed from a prestigious Vatican congregation that helps the pope select new bishops.
The Congregation for Bishops takes lists of names of potential candidates for bishop and whittles them down to a short list that's then sent to the pope for final approval. According to John L. Allen Jr. of the National Catholic Reporter, while the pope is technically not bound by the congregation's recommendations, he nonetheless usually selects their top choice when a position opens up. Consequently, the group plays a huge role in shaping the direction and ideological makeup of the Catholic hierarchy.

Read more at http://www.bilerico.com/2013/12/vatican_fashion_leader_removed_from_influential_po.php#HGTst2ZfxCY6qcBY.99

Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American prelate and a divisive leader of the Catholic Church's conservative wing, was today removed from a prestigious Vatican congregation that helps the pope select new bishops.
The Congregation for Bishops takes lists of names of potential candidates for bishop and whittles them down to a short list that's then sent to the pope for final approval. According to John L. Allen Jr. of the National Catholic Reporter, while the pope is technically not bound by the congregation's recommendations, he nonetheless usually selects their top choice when a position opens up. Consequently, the group plays a huge role in shaping the direction and ideological makeup of the Catholic hierarchy.

Read more at http://www.bilerico.com/2013/12/vatican_fashion_leader_removed_from_influential_po.php#HGTst2ZfxCY6qcBY.99

FLEAS NAVIDOG

It's way too early, but anyway...