Notes on the Notes – December 15, 2019

Advent 3

To See God’s Glory

Isaiah 35:1-10        Luke 1:47-55

“There Was A Child in Galilee (Dreaming Mary)” (MV #134)

“There was a child in Galilee who wandered wild along the sea.
A holy child, alone was she, and they called her Dreaming Mary.
And she dreamed, rejoicing in her saviour;
She dreamed of justice for the poor.
She dreamed that kings oppressed no more
When she dreamed, that Dreaming Mary.

One holy day an angel came with voice of wind and eyes of flame.
He promised blessed would be her name when he spoke to Dreaming Mary.
Then she spoke, rejoicing in her saviour.
She spoke of justice for the poor.
She spoke that kings oppressed no more
When she spoke, that Dreaming Mary.

And did she dream about a son?
And did he speak, the angel one?
We only know God’s will was done in the son of Dreaming Mary.
Then she prayed, rejoicing in her saviour.
She taught him justice for the poor.
She taught that kings oppressed no more
When she taught, that Dreaming Mary.

Then Jesus grew in Galilee, they wandered wild along the sea.
Now he calls to you and me to dream with Dreaming Mary.
And we dream, rejoicing in our saviour.
We dream of justice for the poor.
We dream that kings oppress no more as we dream with Dreaming Mary.”

This song of the loves and dreams of Mary is rooted in the Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55. It was written by Janet Gadeski in 2005 and arranged by Patricia Wright in 2006.

“O Come and Join the Dance”

“O come and join the dance that all began so long ago,
When Christ the Lord was born in Bethlehem.
Through all the years of darkness still the dance goes on and on,
O, take my hand and come and join the song.

Come shed your heavy load and dance your worries all away,
For Christ the Lord was born in Bethlehem.
He came to break the pow’r of sin and turn your night to day,
O, take my hand and come and join the song.

Let laughter ring and angels sing and joy be all around,
For Christ the Lord was born in Bethlehem.
And if you seek with all your heart He surely can be found,
O, take my hand and come and join the song.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
O lift your voice and sing,
And open up your heart to welcome Him.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!
And welcome now your King,
For Christ the Lord was born in Bethlehem.”

This lively song was written by Graham Kendrick in 1988 and is a celebration of the birth of Jesus.

“Joy Shall Come” (VU #23)

“Joy shall come even to the wilderness,
And the parched land shall then know great gladness;
As the rose, as the rose shall deserts blossom,
Deserts like a garden blossom.
For living springs shall give cool water,
In the desert streams shall flow;
For living springs shall give cool water,
In the desert streams shall flow.”

Based on Isaiah 35:1-10, this hymn uses a traditional Israeli tune, arranged by Darryl Nixon in 1987.   A desert bloom is a dramatic climatic phenomenon that occurs when the rains finally come.  The rainfall reaches the seeds and bulbs that have been in dormant state, often for years, causing them to bloom and flower abundantly.   One can only imagine the joy of the ancient peoples experiencing this phenomenon after years of heat and dryness.   Through his words, Isaiah likens the coming of the future Messiah to this experience.

“Annunciation”

“Rejoice! Rejoice! Daughter of God;
The Father has shown himself faithful and true.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Don’t be afraid;
God’s favour is resting on you!

The Annunciation by Angel Zarraga

You will conceive and bear a son;
Salvation shall be his name.
The offspring of David for Israel’s throne;
No end will there be to his Reign!

‘How can this be? I know no man?
What can this greeting mean?’
The Spirit will overshadow you;
In your love will God’s love be seen!

‘I am the handmaid of the Lord;
Let it be then as you say;
With joy I shall bear the Holy Child;
And praise God for all of my days!’

Rejoice!…”

This song by Gordon Light (1985) is a retelling of the story of the Annunciation, the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit to be called Jesus (Luke 1:26–38). The angel’s pronouncement is met with Mary’s willing consent (“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word”), and thus precipitates the incarnation of Christ and his redemption of the world.

“She Walked in the Summer (The Visit)” (VU #12)

“She walked in the summer through the heat on the hill.
She hurried as one who went with a will.
She danced in the sunlight when the day was done.
Her heart knew no evening who carried the sun.

Fresh as a flower at the first ray of dawn,
She came to her cousin whose morning was gone.
There leaped a little child in the ancient womb,
And there leaped a little hope in every ancient tomb.

Hail, little sister, who heralds the spring.
Hail, brave mother, of whom prophets sing.
Hail to the moment beneath your breast.
May all generations call you blessed.

When you walk in the summer through the heat on the hill,
When you’re wound with the wind and one with Her will,
Be brave with the burden you are blessed to bear,
For it’s Christ that you carry everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.”

This song is a thought-provoking narration of the the encounter between Mary and her older cousin Elizabeth, when Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptist and Mary is carrying Jesus. The music is simple arising from the folk song revival in the late 1960s. Sister Miriam Therese Winter wrote the song in 1968 for the feast of the Visitation, then celebrated in the summer. The text was altered for more inclusive language and re-published in Woman Prayer, Woman Song (1987).

“My Soul Cries Out” (MV #120)

Mary’s response to her visit to Elizabeth is the song of praise known as the Magnificat.   It is one of the eight most ancient Christian hymn texts and perhaps the earliest Marian hymn.   The text below is a paraphrase of Luke 1:46-55 where it is spoken by the Virgin Mary upon the occasion of her Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.   In the narrative, after Mary greets Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist, the child moves within Elizabeth’s womb. When Elizabeth praises Mary for her faith, Mary sings what is now known as the Magnificat in response –  her “yes!” to God.

“My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight, and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?

Though I am small, my God, my all, you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame, and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
For the world is about to turn.

From the halls of power to the fortress tower, not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears every tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more for the food they can never earn;
There are tables spread, every mouth be fed,
For the world is about to turn.

Though the nations rage from age to age, we remember who holds us fast;
God’s mercy must deliver us from the conqueror’s crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard is the promise which holds us bound,
‘Till the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
Who is turning the world around.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn!”

“Light of the World”

“The world waits for the miracle.
The heart longs for a little bit of hope.
Oh, come.
Oh, come, Emmanuel.

A child prays for peace on earth and she’s calling out from a sea of hurt.
Oh, come.
Oh, come, Emmanuel.

And can you hear the angels singing?
Glory to the light of the world.
Glory to the light of the world.
It is here.

The drought breaks with the tears of a mother.
A baby’s cry is the sound of love come down.
Come down, Emmanuel.

Here’s the song for the suffering.
Here’s Messiah, the Prince of Peace has come.
He has come, Emmanuel.

For all who wait.
For all who hunger.
For all who’ve prayed.
For all who wonder.

Behold your King.
Behold Messiah.
Emmanuel,
Emmanuel.

The world waits for the miracle.
The heart longs for a little bit of hope.
Oh, come.
Oh, come, Emmanuel.”

This song was written by Lauren Daigle, Paul Mabury and Paul Duncan in 2013.

She recalled to Billboard magazine: “I was sitting there in Louisiana and Paul and Paul were in Nashville. As the writing process progressed, I was thinking about the 400 years between the Old and New Testaments in the Bible, when God was silent for 400 years. There was stillness in the world, people were searching.

I wonder how that longing was for people living then. To be honest, it kind of reminds me of today and the longing in people. As I think about those many years of silence, I think of the cry of a baby. We put these stories in a parallel position in the lyrics, connecting to our music and hoping for an ultimate connection with people, through God.”  (Source:  Songfacts)

“The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” (VU #73)

“The virgin Mary had a baby boy;
The virgin Mary had a baby boy,
The virgin Mary had a baby boy
And they say that his name is Jesus.

The angels sang when the baby was born…

The shepherds came where the baby was born,…

He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.
Oh, yes! believer! Oh, yes! believer!
He come from the glory,
He come from the glorious kingdom.”

This West Indian Christmas carol comes from the Edric Conner Collection of West Indian Spirituals (1945).  He collected it from James Bryce, who gave his age as 94, in 1942. The refrain may be older than the verse, perhaps coming from an African folk song.  It was arranged by John Barnard for Hymns for Today’s Church in 1982.

Hear the Kingston Trio at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A7zivz_XIqE

See the Gaither version at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wgO14-LGsHs

“You Shall Go Out with Joy” (VU #884)

“You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth before you,
There’ll be shouts of joy, and all the trees of the field
Will clap, will clap their hands!

And all the trees of the field with clap their hands,
The trees of the field will clap their hands,
The trees of the field will clap their hands
While you go out with joy!”

Our benediction response this week is a paraphrase of the words of Isaiah 55.  If was written by Steffi G. Rubin and Stuart Dauermann in 1975.

To ponder:

Where do you see God in the desert times of life?