A Thought Before Sunday

This simple building just might catch the eye
Of the curious as he's passing by.
And if the day and the hour are right,
A strain of music or a voice just might
Tickle his ear before he turns to go,
And continuing on he'll never know
That what he scarcely heard had matchless worth:
The sacred meeting of heaven and earth.
Or if by chance he should open the door
His earth-dazzled eyes will see nothing more
Than four bare walls and a few graying heads,
A wooden cross, carpet showing its threads.
His blind eyes won't see the glorious throne
Topped by a rainbow like a precious stone.
His deaf ears won't hear peals of thunder,
The voice that would make him bow in wonder.
In place of the carpet, a sea of glass,
Flaming creatures one sees if one looks past,
Or perhaps around, the bowed heads of gray;
He'll take lightning's flash for the light of day.
As our curious seeker turns to go,
Uncomprehending, it's to his own woe
His ears did not hear, nor his blinded eyes see
He was in the presence of Majesty.

Music of Christian Hymns

Recently, I've been reading a book, The Music of Christian Hymns, by Erik Routley. It was recommended to me some time ago by my good friend Rob. It's a sort of musicologist's look at the development of Christian hymn music from the Gregorian chant days onward. I read (the term "waded through" comes to mind) the first 3 chapters awhile ago, and just picked it up again recently. Parts of it are interesting, parts are dull, and I know I'll never retain 99% of what I'm reading. But, it makes me feel like I'm not operating in a constant state of intellectual stagnation. Anyway, I found this quote:

The tune...is affected by the four-bar form, so that in its second phrase it has to spread a syllable over a long series of notes, while in the last it requires the repetition of two syllables. We associate this most with the later evangelicals, who could hardly ever manage without repeated words, but it appears at this early stage as a consequence of music's new freedom and confidence. It is becoming less a mere servant of the text, more as it were an adult person having conversation on equal terms with the text (and later on an overbearing creature positively drowning the words).

It made me laugh a bit because it seems like the intellectual retelling of the joke about the farmer who goes to the big, new church in town... Anyway, the author, who is British, seems to look down his nose a bit at evangelicals. This is not at all uncommon among French Protestants of the historical sort (think French Reformed Church), who often see themselves as being much more cultural and much smarter than evangelicals. One could ask the question, "What is an evangelical anyway?" but we're not going to go there.

Do we need to guard against letting poorly-written music with mindless repetition creep into our worship services? YES! But do we also need to guard against empty intellectualism and a smarter-than-thou attitude? YES! Honestly, if we read the psalms, there are certain psalms that are repetitive. Sometimes human beings need repetition to let a concept really sink in.

In any case, this quote made me laugh, and I thought I'd share. If anyone would like an explanation of the developments in the Scottish psalter throughout the 17th century...well...you'll have to ask someone else.

Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas, everyone, from the Constantini household! Since we can't share it moment-by-moment with you all, here are some of the highlights:

First, starting off a couple of days before Christmas, here was our Advent wreath as it appeared at our dinner table. Why are the lights off? Well, partially to show off the candles, partially to remind us of the darkness people walked in before the birth of Jesus, and partially because our 2 fluorescent lights in our kitchen went out. Unfortunately, since the electricity in our house is kind of outdated, those particular kinds of light bulbs are a bit hard to come by. The hardware store expected to get some in a shipment last Thursday. (They didn't.) Maybe they'll have some next week sometime. Meanwhile, we stole the bulb out of the bathroom so now at least we have some light in the kitchen. And Thomas's desk light now illumines our bathroom.

Moving right along, we had a Christmas Eve service last evening it was well-attended (between 30 and 40 people). The preacher and the violinist were excellent, and the little girl who sat in the back with her grandparents absolutely adorable! After the service, one of the deacons of our church slept at our house so he could go to his sister's in Niort today without having to make the 2-hour drive back home twice. Here he is with Alina on Christmas morning.

And here's the movie star herself:

And with her new kitchenette set.

After the fun and festivities at our house, we went to Thomas's grandma's to have Christmas lunch with her and Thomas's parents. Here is Alina opening one of her (many ) presents she received there. Obviously, opening a package requires a certain amount of concentration:

Here is the table all set and Alina making the goofy face she made every time I asker her to smile today:

If you recall our post from last Christmas, Christmas lunch at the Constantini's is a 5-course affaire. I actually skipped out on 2 of those courses this year, as they revolved around foods not recommanded for pregnant women. But never fear, I still got plenty to eat! Here is Alina enjoying her cheese course:

And here was the last course, a cake made by our local baker:

We hope that everyone's Christmas was merry and filled with joy!

Pony Ride

The other day in Melle, they had a special Christmas market with activities for kids. Here was one of the activities:
She was a bit scared to get on at first, but I think she had a great time, and she keeps talking about it, so at least it created a somewhat-lasting memory!

Good News/Bad News

Good news: We planned a children's Christmas party for kids from our church!

Bad news: We weren't sure they would come.

Good news: I called the parents and they all sounded positive about it!

Bad news: None of them RSVP'd.

Good news: When I called them back, 2 said they would come.

Bad news: 2 said they couldn't come.

Good news: Another friend I invited said she would come!

Bad news: Only one little boy and his mom actually came.

Good news: A good time was had by all!

Even better news: For unto us a child is born, Unto us a Son is given, and the government shall rest on His shoulders and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace.

Christmas cookies and truffles

Sick of pictures of Alina yet? I think this new-found energy is also translating itself into more blogging.

Anyway, this week, we made Christmas cookies as well as chocolate truffles. We had a blast, and here is the evidence:

I've never seen a person with chocolate in their eyelashes until today.

Actually, I wanted to try out these 2 recipes this week for a reason. On Sunday the 14th, we're planning on having a Christmas party for the children of our church. There are actually 4 families besides ours who are officially members of our church and who have children between the ages of 2 and 10. We never see any of them at church on Sundays. Maybe on Easter or Christmas Eve, if we're lucky. Anyway, I called and talked to 3 of the 4 moms a couple of weeks ago and proposed the idea of a Christmas something for the kids. All of them sounded enthusiastic at the idea. I then sent home-made invitations addressed to each of the kids. They have until tomorrow to RSVP, and so far we have heard nothing from anyone. We're really praying that these kids will all come and that this will be a chance to re-connect with these families and talk to them about the idea of having some sort of ongoing Sunday school program. I've also invited a family from Melle that we know with 2 boys (no answer from them yet, either), and a mom that I've met recently is going to come over next week to help me bake cookies for the event! Please pray for each one of these individuals, that this Christmas will be a significant time for them. Thanks!

Inspired by Alina

A cry in the night.
Heavy eyes
Sleep-laden fog.
Maybe it will stop.
Please not again.
Such a warm bed
Such good sleep.
Cold floor
Stumbling
Little arms outstretched.

A prayer in the dark.
A smile
Delight in My child.
Why didn’t you call sooner?
You know I never sleep
You never bother Me.
Cast your cares on Me
I care for you.
I’m always waiting,
My arms outstretched.