Sunday Hymn:

Original Trinity Hymnal, #12
Psalm 135:1-7, 21

Exalt the Lord, his praise proclaim;
All ye his servants, praise his name,
Who in the Lord's house ever stand
And humbly serve at his command.
The Lord is good, his praise proclaim;
Since it is pleasant, praise his name;
His people for his own he takes
And his peculiar treasure makes.

I know the Lord is high in state,
Above all gods our Lord is great;
The Lord performs what he decrees,
In heaven and earth, in depths and seas.
He makes the vapors to ascend
In clouds from earth's remotest end;
The lightnings flash at his command,
He holds the tempest in his hand.

Exalt the Lord, his praise proclaim;
All ye his servants, praise his name,
Who in the Lord's house ever stand
And humbly serve at his command.
For ever praise and bless his name,
And in the church his praise proclaim;
In Zion is his dwelling place;
Praise ye the Lord, show forth his grace.

Sunday Hymn: Praise My Soul the King of Heaven

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
To his feet thy tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me, his praise should sing?
Praise him, praise him,
Praise him, praise him,
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favor
To our fathers in distress;
Praise him still the same for ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless;
Praise him, praise him,
Praise him, praise him,
Glorious in his faithfulness.

Father-like, he tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame he knows;
In his hands he gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes;
Praise him, praise him,
Praise him, praise him,
Widely as his mercy goes.

Angels, help us to adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Praise him, praise him,
Praise him, praise him,
Praise with us the God of grace.

Trinity Hymnal #70

Quote: Richard D. Philips

Hebrews 9a Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace

Unless a system of religion relies utterly on the work of Christ in his substitutionary work of atonement, it is alien, it is foreign, to the true religion of Scripture, which is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and especially in his redeeming blood.

Hebrews Commentary, Richard D. Philips

Spring. Just in time for summer.

Finally, it feels like spring in Illinois.  Our crabapple tree is finally blooming, the blooming trees in the front of the house are budding and will be blooming by this afternoon, and our Mama Robin is sitting on the nest outside my living room window.  It was 86 degrees yesterday afternoon and the air conditioner is humming this morning.  The trees and flower beds are about three weeks behind schedule--my hostas are up and finally starting to unfurl.

It was a long winter.  In a lot of ways.  I'm going to clean my studio this morning and then go out and do yardwork--weeding and edging and planting and praying. No calligraphy for me today.  I'm going outside!

Sigh. . .spring is good.

Baby You Can Drive My Car

Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah!

Sunday prayer: Valley of Vision

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou has brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights;

   hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold

   thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox

   that the way down is the way up,

   that to be low is to be high,

   that the broken heart is the healed heart,

   that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

   that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

   that to have nothing is to possess all,

   that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

   that to give is to receive,

   that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,

   deepest wells,

   and the deeper the wells the brighter

   thy stars shine;

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

   Thy life in my death,

   that every good work or thought found in me

   thy joy in my sorrow,

   thy grace in my sin,

   thy riches in my poverty

   thy glory in my valley.

Sunday Hymn:

Round the Lord in glory seated,
Cherubim and seraphim
Filled his temple, and repeated
Each to each the alternate hymn:
"Lord thy glory fills the heaven,
Earth is with its fulness stored;
Unto thee be glory given,
Holy, holy, holy Lord!"

Heaven is still with glory ringing,
Earth takes up the angels' cry,
"Holy, holy, holy," singing,
"Lord of hosts, the Lord most high."
With his seraph train before him,
With his holy church below,
Thus conspire we to adore him,
Bid we thus our anthem flow:

"Lord, thy glory fills the heaven,
Earth is with its fulness stored;
Unto thee be glory given,
Holy, holy, holy Lord!"
Thus thy glorious Name confessing,
We adopt thine angels' cry,
"Holy, holy, holy," blessing
Thee, the Lord of Hosts most high.

Trinity Hymnal #42