This was a blessing to read on Christmas eve from where I'm spending it in London. Let us also be deeply contented and grateful for our sanctuary (crevice) within the Lord's sacred heart. Just imagine: God himself created a unique crevice entirely for you and him. Without him a "crevice" sounds dark and not that welcoming. With him, it is warm, glowing, wonderful and full of love: the only place in the world that I would wish to be. I wish you and all your family a happy and holy Christmas.
At the same time concrete and metaphorical, "In the bleak midwinter" evokes for me the experience of winter's actual cold and the thought that this world is a bleak place when not experienced in Christ.
Another 'hidden life' that has impacted the world for good, yet to those in each generation who are single and obscure, the same worldly scorn is poured forth...
I know the musical setting to 'In the bleak midwinter' very well - my family fell in love with it when we discovered it in my adolescence while my siblings and I were becoming church musicians. But all the hymnbook versions leave out the third stanza - I haven't even heard it sung in recordings:
"Enough for him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk,
And a mangerful of hay:
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore."
It reminds me of a very ancient hymn of the Nativity of the Byzantine rite, sung in this clip in Arabic:
I am going to listen to this clip this morning! Thank you, Holly. You know my theory of why that verse was left out by so many churches….grrrr…can’t mention the breast! (I don’t know for sure, but strongly suspect.)
I suspect the same, as the hymn was first published in the early 1906. Oddly, early Victorians were less prudish about the breast than later ones - Dickens describes children suckling at the breast in more than one book (David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities) and the accompanying original illustrations by Phiz depict the action quite clearly. But Dickens last novel, Our Mutual Friend, is much more euphemistic about breastfeeding, as is the accompanying illustration.
Thank you for this beautiful reading and reflection, Karen. Never having read Paradise Lost, I am so looking forward to the upcoming slow read. Is there a particular edition that you recommend?
I linked a couple times in previous posts to the Penguin edition I’m using for ease of holding. It’s notes are in the back, unfortunately. I do prefer footnotes to end notes. So I would say any addition that is easy on your eyes will work best.
This was a blessing to read on Christmas eve from where I'm spending it in London. Let us also be deeply contented and grateful for our sanctuary (crevice) within the Lord's sacred heart. Just imagine: God himself created a unique crevice entirely for you and him. Without him a "crevice" sounds dark and not that welcoming. With him, it is warm, glowing, wonderful and full of love: the only place in the world that I would wish to be. I wish you and all your family a happy and holy Christmas.
What a beautiful reflection, Christopher. It is sweet to receive greetings on this essay from London! May God bless you in your life and ministry.
At the same time concrete and metaphorical, "In the bleak midwinter" evokes for me the experience of winter's actual cold and the thought that this world is a bleak place when not experienced in Christ.
Yes, I think the poem beautifully captures that! Christ came in the bleak midwinter so as to bring us an eternal spring!
Another 'hidden life' that has impacted the world for good, yet to those in each generation who are single and obscure, the same worldly scorn is poured forth...
I know the musical setting to 'In the bleak midwinter' very well - my family fell in love with it when we discovered it in my adolescence while my siblings and I were becoming church musicians. But all the hymnbook versions leave out the third stanza - I haven't even heard it sung in recordings:
"Enough for him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk,
And a mangerful of hay:
Enough for him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore."
It reminds me of a very ancient hymn of the Nativity of the Byzantine rite, sung in this clip in Arabic:
https://youtu.be/MvjiVam2HO4?feature=shared
Should mention the clip has on screen translation into English.
I am going to listen to this clip this morning! Thank you, Holly. You know my theory of why that verse was left out by so many churches….grrrr…can’t mention the breast! (I don’t know for sure, but strongly suspect.)
Love the “hidden life” allusion. That is perfect.
I suspect the same, as the hymn was first published in the early 1906. Oddly, early Victorians were less prudish about the breast than later ones - Dickens describes children suckling at the breast in more than one book (David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities) and the accompanying original illustrations by Phiz depict the action quite clearly. But Dickens last novel, Our Mutual Friend, is much more euphemistic about breastfeeding, as is the accompanying illustration.
Wishing you a peaceful and joyous Christmas Karen!
Merry Christmas, Kathleen!
Thank you for this beautiful reading and reflection, Karen. Never having read Paradise Lost, I am so looking forward to the upcoming slow read. Is there a particular edition that you recommend?
I linked a couple times in previous posts to the Penguin edition I’m using for ease of holding. It’s notes are in the back, unfortunately. I do prefer footnotes to end notes. So I would say any addition that is easy on your eyes will work best.
Thank you for the kind words about this reading!
Thanks. After I posted, I realized that you had probably recommended an edition previously. I should have checked back.