Music and Meditation for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 20, 2020 | The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Music

Once in Royal David's City

• Words by Cecil F. Alexander (1848)
• Music by Henry J. Gauntlett (1849)
• Performed by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge (2017)

Text (selected)

Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed

Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed

Mary was that mother mild, Jesus Christ her little child

He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all

And his shelter was a stable and his cradle was a stall

With the poor and meek and lowly, lived on earth, our Savior holy

And our eyes at last shall see him through his own redeeming love

For that child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heaven above

And he leads his children on to the place where he has gone

Meditation

The theme of the Fourth Sunday of Advent is LOVE.

 

John writes:

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:9-11 ESV)

The Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent;

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared by himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever; Amen.

Music and Meditation for the Third Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 13, 2020 | The Third Sunday of Advent

Music

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

• Words by Charles Wesley (1744)
• Hymn tune is HYFRYDOL, original music by Rowland Prichard (c. 1830), adapted by Sara Groves (2019)
• Performed by Sara Groves on the album Joy of Every Longing Heart (2019)

Text

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free

From our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in thee

Israel's strength and consolation; hope of all the world thou art

Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing hear.

Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a king

Born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring

By thine own eternal spirit, rule in all our hearts alone

By thine own sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne

Meditation

The theme of the Third Sunday of Advent is JOY. Pope Francis writes:

Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace.

Luke records an angel saying to the shepherds outside Bethlehem:

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11 ESV)

The Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent;

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever, Amen.

Music and Meditation for the Second Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 6, 2020 | The Second Sunday of Advent

Music

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

• Words by Edmund H. Sears (1849)
• Music by Richard S. Willis (1850)
• Performed by Josh Groban on the album Noel (Tenth Anniversary Edition, 2016)

Text

It came upon a midnight clear, that glorious song of old

From angels bending near the earth to touch their hearts of gold

Still through the cloven skies they come with peaceful wings unfurled

And still their heavenly music floats over all the weary world

Peace on the earth, good will to men, from heaven's all-gracious king

The world in solemn stillness lay to hear the angels sing

Meditation

The theme of the Second Sunday of Advent is PEACE. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:

Celebrating Advent means learning how to wait. Not all can wait, certainly not those who are satisfied, contented, and feel that they live in the best of all possible worlds! Those who learn to wait are uneasy about their way of life, but yet have seen a vision of greatness in the world of the future and are patiently expecting its fulfillment. The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come. For those, it is enough to wait in humble fear until the Holy One comes down to us, God the child in the manger.

The prophet Isaiah wrote:

For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 ESV)

And John records Jesus saying to his disciples:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27 ESV)

The Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent;

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

Music and Meditation for the First Sunday of Advent

Sunday, November 29, 2020 | The First Sunday of Advent

Music

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

• Words are a 12th century hymn, translated into English by John M. Neale (1851)
• The hymn tune is VENI EMMANUEL, based on plainsong phrases; harmonization by Thomas Helmore (1854)
• Performed by Enya (first stanza only; sung once in English and once in Latin)

Text appears in the video

Meditation

Enya doesn't sing this stanza, but I add it here as it seems meaningful at the close of what for most of us has been a hard year:

O come thou Dayspring from on high

And cheer us by thy drawing nigh

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice, rejoice, O Israel

To you shall come Emmanuel

The theme of the First Sunday of Advent is HOPE. German theologian Eberhard Arnold wrote:

Advent hope is a certainty of faith that shows itself in action through mutual responsibility for the whole of life. The church of Christ is the fellowship of this hope. It believes so unreservedly that it is convinced that the divine must conquer the demonic, that love must conquer hate, that the all-embracing must conquer the isolated. Certainty tolerates no limitation. God embraces everything. When we trust in him for the future, we trust in him for the present. When we have faith in him, our faith holds true for everything that touches our lives.

And Paul wrote to the Romans:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13 ESV)

The Collect for the First Sunday of Advent:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now and in the time of this mortal life in which your son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

The Fight for Freedom Continues

Happy Birthday, America! It has now been 244 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

What does the lived reality of America look like 244 years on from those famous words about self-evident truths and inalienable rights? To be frank, the proverbial visitor from Mars probably would not look at America of 2020 and find those self-truths to be very evident. The struggle for all Americans to fully and equitably enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness continues.

The phrase "Freedom Isn't Free" is generally a nod to Americans in uniform, and for 244 years, our military has done the hard work of protecting our country against all manner of ever-evolving foreign adversaries. But the military is not the solution to all the barriers that might keep us from fully and equitably realizing our founding ideals. There is hard work to do within our borders, at all levels of government and in our schools, and in the private sector of workplaces, universities, places of worship, and at our kitchen tables. There are hard conversations to have about where the arc of history bends too slowly toward justice, about how the powerful in America use power for their own gain rather than to empower the oppressed. There are too many people in 2020 America who know that had they been standing outside Philadelphia's Independence Hall in 1776, the statement coming from inside about equality and pursuit of happiness would not have applied to them, and only because of their gender or skin color.

In the 244 years hence, America has made progress, often haltingly, often sporadically, and with much bloodshed along the way. We stand on the shoulders and legacy of Abraham Lincoln and of Martin Luther King Jr. and of countless, often nameless, other Americans who have fought and literally died doing the hard work of bringing freedom fully and equitably to all who call, and who want to call, this country home. Much work remains to be done.

And so: what can we do between now and America's 245th birthday to make our country a little more free? How can those of us who have freedom share it with others? How can we get closer to realizing our founding ideals? I include myself in that "we," because I know I want to be part of it. Each of us can do something. Each of us can be the change we want to see.

With malice toward none, with charity toward all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in...
Abraham Lincoln
Second Inaugural Address
March 1865

Responses from Chicago Organizations

It has been just two and a half weeks since the horrible death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of a now-former Minneapolis police officer. I am sure that you, like me, have in these last two and a half weeks received dozens of emails from brands and organizations denouncing what happened in Minneapolis (and to Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and too many others), stating their solidarity with their Black constituents and the Black community at large, and in most cases, describing their intended action steps.

As you all know, even though I currently live and work in Miami, I have deep roots in Chicago and still consider it my home. And Chicago is no stranger to racial injustice, so organizations there have the lived experience from which to process these newest chapters in the continuing tragedy that is racial injustice in America. Thus, I made a point to read in detail those communications from some of the Chicago-area organizations where I was formerly affiliated and/or am currently still a supporter. I have linked to them below, in the hopes that they might be useful to any readers who are part of developing their organization's response, or merely that they might provide some useful lines of thought as you continue to process.

One other thought: there is no such thing as a perfect statement, or a perfect response. If there was, the problems themselves might actually be resolved. The point is to add our voices to the chorus of individuals and organizations promising to listen, to learn, and to leverage whatever resources each has to move the needle in some way in our spheres of influence.

As many commentators have said, this time it feels different. May God make it so.

• Calvary Memorial Church of Oak Park, in addition to several pastors speaking to racial injustice in the last few Sundays' sermons, provided a list of resources (I grew up at this church and was a staff member for several years until I moved to Florida)
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra issued a statement along with a list of current programs that it intends to enhance in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion (I financially support this orchestra, and while living in Chicago volunteered in several capacities including a term on the young professional organization's executive committee)
• Chicago Voyagers issued a statement that includes a list of planned actions (I financially support this youth development organization, and my uncle is the executive director)
• Wheaton College made public its senior administrators' message to students and employees and in days since has made digital programming available (I financially support Wheaton College, am an alumnus of its Conservatory of Music, and was a staff member for several years until I moved to Florida)

Points, Miles, and Loyalty Programs: AMC Stubs Premiere

This is the first installment in what I hope will be on occasional series on various consumer loyalty and rewards programs. I follow a number of blogs on these topics and while I certainly do not anticipate competing with the folks who cover these programs full time, I hope to offer my own narratives as part of the conversation on these valuable consumer tools.

Naomi and I go to movies fairly frequently, probably our most frequent date option beyond a restaurant. I have been a fairly lackluster AMC Stubs Insider member for (as my account history tells me) three years, quite often not even bothering to scan my digital membership card to earn points, but only just two days ago, in advance of our latest movie date, decide to give AMC Stubs Premiere membership try.

There are four main benefits I see to the Premiere level over the Insider level, which are as follows in ascending order of their value to us:

1. Free size upgrades on popcorn and soda. Literally zero value to us, we hard pass on the salt and sugar overload and sneak in our own snacks!

2. Waived online ticketing fees. We almost always simply purchase tickets on arrival, but if we ever go to a highly popular movie at a highly popular showtime, it is nice to know we can get tickets advance, online, for no surcharge. Speaking of purchasing on arrival...

3. Priority lanes at box office (and concessions, but see #1). This would probably be the second most valuable benefit, simply for time saving at the theater. Not that either of us like getting into our seats to watch the pre-preview commercials, but I always prefer to get the "standing in line" part of the date behind me! Though of course, the first time we went after I upgraded to Premiere membership, this priority lane was unused...

My first time at an AMC after upgrading to Premiere membership and I was not able to experience the priority lane benefit...

4. Earn 100 points per dollar spent (not including taxes and fees), compared to 20 points per dollar. This is the most valuable benefit to Naomi and me as we will get to $5 rewards (earned every 5000 points) now five times faster. Over the course of a year we probably see about six movies, and with the ticket price at our closest AMC at $10.49, we will now get to two of those $5 rewards each year and halfway to the next one (compared to just halfway to one reward in a year).

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to find when I purchased the first tickets after upgrading my membership that I had a $5 reward posted to my account, so we already have brought our net cost of membership to $10.

Are you an AMC Stubs member at any level? There is also the A-List tier, have you experienced that and what do you think, of that or any other level?