A Little E.E. Cummings for a Sunday Morning

E.E. Cummings, Poet and Artist

I came across this poem which I posted to my blog nearly thirteen years ago. I had completely forgotten about it, and now I just have to share it with you (again). 

At Sunday services at Blessed Trinity Church (Anglican), I usually read aloud a hymn from the hymnal as a poem, but I think that I will share this poem instead. E.E. Cummings is my favorite poet, and one of my prized possessions is a copy of Complete Poems: 1913-1962 by E.E. Cummings published by Harcourt Brace and given to me by a co-worker at the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (HBJ) Bookstore in 1989. It's long out of print, and Tam covered the book jacket with a library-quality protector, and it now graces the prized position at the exact center of my poetry bookshelf. 

Here is the poem; I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I do:

                                     77

i am a little church(no great cathedral)
far from the splendor and squalor of hurrying cities
-i do not worry if briefer days grow briefest,
i am not sorry when sun and rain make april

my life is the life of the reaper and the sower;
my prayers are prayers of earth's own clumsily striving
(finding and losing and laughing and crying)children
whose any sadness or joy is my grief or my gladness

around me surges a miracle of unceasing
birth and glory and death and resurrection:
over my sleeping self float flaming symbols
of hope,and i wake to a perfect patience of mountains

i am a little church(far from the frantic
world with its rapture and anguish)at peace with nature
-i do not worry if longer nights grow longest;
i am not sorry when silence becomes singing

winter by spring,i lift my diminutive spire to
merciful Him Whose only now is forever:
standing erect in the deathless truth of His presence
(welcoming humbly His light and proudly His darkness)

E.E. Cummings

In addition to enjoying Cummings' poetry, I have also come to appreciate his paintings; this one is my favorite thus far: The Artist's Mother:

And this was the first painting by Cummings that I encountered: Patchen Place:

 And this one I saw for the first time tonight as I draft this post: Bouquet in White Vase:

 Wishing you a lovely and peaceful Sunday,

Welcome to Eastertide: Easter Lasts 50 Days!

 

Throughout the 50 days of Eastertide, Anglican Churches substitute The Venite (Psalm 95:1-7; Psalm 96:9,13) with a series of three Scriptures prayed one after the other, followed by the Gloria Patri. These form a "Call to Worship" at the beginning of Morning Prayer which I love to pray as they truly celebrate Christ's Resurrection with great joy. Here they are from the 2011 Book of Common Prayer (with ESV Scriptures):

Alleluia. Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival; Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia. (1 Corinthians 5:7b-8)

Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Alleluia. (Romans 6:9-11)

Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever; Now and always. Amen.

The Collect for the First Sunday after Easter, from the 2011 Book of Common Prayer:

ALMIGHTY Father, you gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification; Grant that we may remove the leaven of malice and wrongdoing from our lives, so that we may always serve you in righteousness and truth; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (References: 1 Corinthians 15.3-4; Romans 4.24-25; 1 Corinthians 5.7-8; Matthew 5.8).

In case you're interested, the 2011 BCP Epistle reading for this day is 1 John 5:4-12 and the Gospel reading is John 20:19-23. We are also reading Psalm 81.1-4 or Psalm 118.22-25, plus the historical reading of Acts 2.14a, 22-32. If you happen to live in the San Diego area, you are welcome to join our weekly worship at Blessed Trinity Church. We meet in the SCAIR office on East Main in downtown El Cajon at 10:00 AM. (Just look for SCAIR in Google Maps.)

Also, note the quotation for the week in the sidebar of this blog: 

"Every commandment is about love, and all of them add up to one commandment."

~St. Gregory the Great

A Joyous First Sunday after Easter to you all! Remember, Eastertide lasts all the way until Pentecost (that's what Pentecost means: 50 days), so we have lots of time to celebrate the Resurrection ... not that we should ever stop celebrating the pivotal fact of our faith, but now's the time to really, really make a big deal over Christ's Resurrection from the dead! 

Wishing you a joyous Eastertide,

Quotation of the Week: Vision

 

 "Vision is the art of seeing the invisible."

~Jonathan Swift

Vision is a word of significance. It's used in business, in personal and church mission statements, and, of course, the physicality of sight. The satirist Jonathan Swift defines vision as insight -- "the art of seeing the invisible" -- in other words, the ability to see beyond the present and into the realm of future possibilities, beyond what our eyes can see and our minds can know. 

I hate being asked to write a personal vision statement. The future is too amorphous, too beyond, to commit to paper, much less to share with others.

But I still like the heart of this quote.

Another thing I am trying this year, hopefully more successfully than my "go to bed by 11 PM" goal (she writes at 12:30 AM), is to try to not work (on Brave Writer or my grading business tasks) on the Sabbath. There will be times when I will need to, but I am going to try to get as much done on Saturday as I possibly can and try to leave Sundays for three activities: church, Dungeons & Dragons, and relaxing family time. 

D&D Session 84 Update: our intrepid party of storm sorcerer, rogue/ranger, light cleric, eldritch knight fighter, and a battle master fighter, killed the adult green dragon named Son Iru the Sly who has been trying to kill us since we killed her wyrmling (baby dragon) in self-defense in Session Five, almost exactly two years previously in our time, but about three months in-game. Son Iru has sent many assassins after us, and we managed to fight them off without too much trouble. My light cleric presented the party with a Heroes' Feast the previous night, a sumptuous spread of savory meats, succulent and exotic fruits, fresh bread still warm from the oven, decadent desserts, and rich red wines. Our sorcerer's pet (adjustable-sized) cockatrice Hei-Hei was presented with sparkling rock quartz in a bowl to consume since he eats rocks only.  

The Heroes' Feast provided our party with 24 hours of immunity against Poison and becoming Frightened, and gave us extra hit points. Considering that a green dragon's main weapons are poison and fright, the Heroes' Feast helped greatly. However, when our battle master fighter walloped her something fierce, the dragon killed him. Not merely unconscious -- he was dead. Fortunately, my light cleric had the required diamond and spell slot at hand, cast Revivify, and our fighter returned to the living. My cleric also cast Heal and added her Healing Hands, giving him 82 hit points so that he could continue the good fight. And it was a fight we won. Now what to do with a dead green dragon? 

Have a wonderful Sunday and week ahead!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Christ Is Risen! Alleluia!

The Resurrection of Christ and the Women in the Tomb (c. 1440-1442) by Fra Angelico

He Is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!! 

The liturgical greeting for Eastertide is one that goes back centuries. But my favorite Resurrection Day hymn goes back only to the eighteenth century. Written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley the English church reformer, I miss singing this hymn today with great gusto and joy as it is being sung at churches around the world. These words and the soaring music truly expressed my Easter joy in a Risen Saviour!

1. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! 
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! 
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! 
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! 

2. Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! 
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! 
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! 
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia! 

3. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! 
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! 
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! 
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia! 

4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! 
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! 
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia! 
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! 

Last night's Holy Saturday Vigil was so powerful. Lighting the Pascal fire from flint and steel, then lighting the Pascal Candle which is embedded with five small nails representing the five wounds of Christ, then praying together before Father Acker and Alice processed into the darkened chapel singing "The Light of Christ! Thanks be to God!!" They stopped to sing this three times, each time lighting more candles; we at home on Zoom lit our candles, too. Then we prayed by candlelight as Father Acker sang the ancient Holy Saturday liturgy in plainsong--it's soooooo beautiful!! 

The Paschal Candle, with the Greek letters "Alpha" and "Omega", the year, and the nails representing the Five Wounds of Christ

Then we read several long Scripture passages which tell our salvation history as God's people. We then re-affirmed our baptismal vows and celebrated the First Evensong of Eastertide!! With what joy did we greet the end of this amazing vigil, definitely my favorite service in the Anglican tradition. The candles, the incense, the Scripture passages, the vows, the prayers, and the joy of the Resurrection after the sorrow of Good Friday. Thanks be to God, indeed!! 

The Good Friday liturgy was equally powerful, but it was filled with sorrow rather than the impending joy of the Vigil. To read the Passion of the Christ from the Gospel of Saint John aloud ... to be crying out "Crucify Him!! Crucify Him!!" with the crowd. My heart was so heavy as I imagined His suffering so greatly ... for us! For me! For those whom I love! For every person ever created on this earth and every person who will be created in the future! His Love is that big!! Alleluia!! Thanks be to God!! 

The Crucifixion with Saints by Fra Angelico (141-1442), fresco  

 

The Collect for Easter Sunday from The Book of Common Prayer 2011:

EASTER SUNDAY or THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

This Collect is prayed daily through the octave (Easter Week).

THE COLLECT:

ALMIGHTY God, who through your only eternal Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life; Grant that, by your mighty power going before us, we may die daily to sin and live with him forever in the glory of his resurrection; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. (References: Acts 2.24; John 9.25; 1 Peter 1.3; Hebrews 2.14-15; James 1.4)

He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!! 
Happy Easter!

Collect of the Week: Sixteenth Sunday After Trinity

 

Christ the King Sunday!!

Today is the final Sunday of the Christian Year, the celebration of Christ the King. 

And this daily devotional at Life for Leaders is superb in explaining this observance. I have copied the devotional in its entirety:

Make a Joyful Symphony to Christ the King
by Mark D. Roberts
Psalm 98:1-9

Sing your praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song,
with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Make a joyful symphony before the LORD, the King!
(Psalm 98:5-6)

Today is a special holiday in the Christian year (sometimes called the "liturgical year" or the "Church year"). It is Christ the King Sunday. This holy day is not as well-known as other celebrations such as Christmas or Easter, but it holds a unique place in the Christian year as the last Sunday of the year. On Christ the King Sunday, we celebrate the coming reign of Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords. We delight in the fact that when Christ reigns, the world will be restored, peace shall reign, justice shall be established, and all people will live in the fullness of the kingdom of God.

In the providence of God, our chapter from the Psalms for today perfectly fits the themes of Christ the King Sunday. If you’re new to the Daily Reflections, I should mention that on the weekends I focus on the Psalms, working psalm by psalm through the entire collection of 150. Today “just happens” to be the day for Psalm 98. This whole psalm resonates with the victory celebration. God has won. It’s time to rejoice. Verses 5 and 6 focus our praise: “Sing your praise to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and melodious song, with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn. Make a joyful symphony before the LORD, the King!”

Every Sunday, Christians gather to celebrate the victory of God through Jesus Christ. The one who was crucified was raised on Easter Sunday, thus defeating sin and death. On Christ the King Sunday, we shout to Christ the Lord with gratitude for his sacrifice. We announce his victory to the world, inviting them to join us in our celebration: “Shout to the LORD, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!” (98:4).

On Christ the King Sunday, we complete the cycle of the Christian year. It began almost one year ago with Advent. In that season prior to Christmas, we set our hope upon God, yearning for our Savior, as did the Jews so many centuries earlier. Today, we celebrate the fact that the Savior came, born in a manger. That he lived among us, proclaiming the kingdom of God. That he died, taking upon himself the sin of the world. And that he was raised from the dead, breaking the power of sin and death itself. Christ rules today as King of kings. This we celebrate, even as we look forward to the time when we will fully enjoy the life of his kingdom.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Do you live as if Christ is the King of kings? What would it mean for you to acknowledge his kingdom each day? How can you celebrate Christ the King in your life today? How can you celebrate Christ the Kind in your daily work this week?

PRAYER:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

The kingdom of this world
Is become the kingdom of our Lord,
And of His Christ, and of His Christ;
And He shall reign forever and ever,
Forever and ever, forever and ever,

King of kings, and Lord of lords,
King of kings, and Lord of lords,
And Lord of lords,
And He shall reign,
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings, forever and ever,
And Lord of lords,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
And He shall reign forever and ever,
King of kings! and Lord of lords!
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Amen.

In England, this Sunday Before Advent is called "Stir-Up Sunday" for two reasons. The first may be seen in the Collect from the Book of Common Prayer 2011 below as we pray for the Lord to "Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people...." The Collect from the British 1662 Book of Common Prayer which would have still been in use in Jane Austen's time, as well as the Collect from the American 1928 Book of Common Prayer, begin the prayers with "Stir up, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people...."

Secondly, "Stir Up Sunday" also marked the day that the Christmas puddings were stirred up and set to soak in brandy until Christmas Day when it was lit afire. We can read about this tradition in a fan fiction story written by Maria Grace from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice in which the Bennet family (including the odious Mr. Collins) prepares the Christmas pudding with all of the various familial and religious connotations of each step at Austen Variations: Pride and Prejudice Behind the Scenes: Stir-It-Up Sunday. Enjoy!!! 


And from the Book of Common Prayer 2011:

Propers for the Sunday Before Advent: Christ the King:

THE COLLECT:
ALMIGHTY and eternal God, who restores all things in your Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords; Stir up, O Lord, the wills of your faithful people, so that we may abundantly produce the fruit of good works and be abundantly rewarded in your eternal kingdom; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

THE READINGS:
Jeremiah 23.5-8; John 6.5-14; Psalm 85; Hebrews 7.1-7 

So we pray the old Christian Year out in thanksgiving and praise as we welcome in the new Christian Year beginning next Sunday with the First Sunday in Advent!! 

Wishing you a blessed day of victory in Christ Jesus our Lord,