O Clap Your Hands
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
Every Sunday the BBC carries a church service from somewhere in the United Kingdom. This morning (June 29) was a choral matins service from the heart of the Anglican Communion, of which my church, an American Episcopal Church, is a member. The service and the music of Orlando Gibbons and of William Byrd, himself an unreformed Roman Catholic, is perfect. Listen here www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/ or follow the text below, which speaks for us here today and, indeed, for all time.
CHAPLAIN: Good morning and welcome to Sunday Worship from the Chapel of The Queen’s College Oxford. I’m the Chaplain, The Reverend Alice Watson.
CHOIR: O Lord make thy servant (Byrd)
CHAPLAIN: In 1627, a Queen’s College fellow recorded in his diary that he attended a performance of Gibbons’ music for stringed instruments, perhaps in a similar recital to the ones which we enjoy weekly to this day.
Gibbons hailed from an Oxford family and was baptised on Christmas Day 1583 in St Martin’s Church, the surviving part of which is now known as Carfax Tower.
He studied in Cambridge and became a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1605, serving as one of the two organists of the Chapel Royal and as a composer and keyboard player in the household of Charles, Prince of Wales. He also became organist of Westminster Abbey.
Our first hymn is Eternal Ruler of the Ceaseless Round, set to a tune by Gibbons.
CHOIR/ORGAN/CONGREGATION: Eternal Ruler of the Ceaseless Round (Song 1)
CHAPLAIN: As I lead us in prayer, we give thanks for those who enhance our worship with their many gifts, especially the gift of music. Let us pray:
Lord, you have taught us, that all our doings without love are nothing worth: send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for your son Jesus Christ’s sake, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
CHAPLAIN: We return to the year 1625: Charles became king in March, at the death of James I. On 31 May the King left London to greet his wife, Henrietta Maria, who was travelling from France. A large number of the royal musicians, including Gibbons and the other members of the Chapel Royal travelled with him, and stayed in Canterbury, where the king’s entrance into the city was marked with celebratory music.
While the king was at Dover awaiting his queen on Whitsunday, the 5th of June, Gibbons died suddenly after attending a service in Canterbury Cathedral; and he was buried, with some haste, the next day, in the cathedral. The people of Canterbury were somewhat afraid that he had died of the plague, for the year saw the worst plague in living memory, and these anxieties accompanied the new King and Queen as they returned to London.
Our service of matins continues with the preces, followed by the first four verses of Psalm 145, both set to music by Gibbons.
CANTOR/CHOIR: Preces (Gibbons)
Cantor: O Lord, open thou our lips;
Choir: And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Cantor: O God, make speed to save us;
Choir: O Lord make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:
and to the Holy Ghost
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen.
Praise ye the Lord.
CHOIR/ORGAN: Psalm 145:1-4 (Gibbons)
I will magnify thee, O God, my King : and I will praise thy Name for ever and ever.
Every day will I give thanks unto thee : and praise thy Name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and marvellous worthy to be praised : there is no end of his greatness.
One generation shall praise thy works unto another : and declare thy power.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
CHAPLAIN: The first lesson is taken from the book of Deuteronomy, the fifteenth chapter, beginning at the first verse. This part of the law code focuses on the remission of debt, and the assurance of God’s blessing if the commandment is observed.
READER 1: Deuteronomy 15:1-11
Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts. And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbour, not exacting it from a neighbour who is a member of the community, because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. From a foreigner you may exact it, but you must remit your claim on whatever any member of your community owes you. There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today. When the Lord your God has blessed you, as he promised you, you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.
If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your needy neighbour. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near’, and therefore view your needy neighbour with hostility and give nothing; your neighbour might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land.’
CHOIR/ORGAN: Jubilate, Second Service (Gibbons)
CHAPLAIN: The second lesson is taken from the Acts of the Apostles, the twenty-seventh chapter, beginning at the thirteenth verse. This reading describes the great storm off the coast of Crete, which shipwrecked Paul and his travelling companions.
READER 2: Acts 13:13-26
When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and began to sail past Crete, close to the shore. But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete. Since the ship was caught and could not be turned with its head to the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. By running under the lee of a small island called Cauda we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. After hoisting it up they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea-anchor and so were driven. We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard, and on the third day with their own hands they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss. I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.” So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we will have to run aground on some island.’
CHAPLAIN: The anthem ‘O clap your hands’ is a setting of words from Psalm 47 by Orlando Gibbons.
CHOIR: O clap your hands (Gibbons)
CHAPLAIN:
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Orlando Gibbons’ anthem “O Clap your Hands” is amongst his best known pieces and almost certainly is his grandest work. It takes its text from psalm 47, one of a subgrouping of the royal psalms known as enthronement psalms – songs which call others to praise God in the light of his kingship. Because of this they have become connected with earthly ruling and monarchy also. This is the same psalm of which a section was sung at our own King’s coronation – clap your hands together all you people, rejoice, for the Lord is high and greatly to be feared. Its themes are those of power and kingship; both earthly and heavenly.
But how do we conceive of this power? How do we untangle that power which is earthly and that which is divine? The last 400 years have given a great shift in our conception of kingly power, one which was ultimately played out in the life of Charles I, one with more facets and debates than this homily could ever capture. But today, our current King portrays a more gentle kingship, and following in the path of his mother, our late Queen, one which offers a sense of stability and unity among all people, of many backgrounds and faiths. But as we look across the world we see a spectrum of ruling styles and philosophies, earthly kings of many flavours. And above this bustling throng, this anthem reminds us, God reigns.
We see earthly powers rise and decline, ideologies and philosophies of rule come in and out of fashion. We witness the great harm done by unjust leaders, and see that history sometimes shines unexpected lights on some. We do not know how this era of ours will be remembered. Many words have been written with the aim of defining power, of capturing its essence, of laying out how to rule; in whatever sphere of life, from Machiavelli to management tomes.
But God is beyond these myriad human conceptions. God’s power is beyond our searching, his Kingship above our ideologies: In our psalm, 145, the choir sang: ‘Great is the Lord, and marvellous worthy to be praised : there is no end of his greatness’ – ideals of Kingship or methods of power will change here on earth, but God remains – for his rule is not one of any power as we are able to conceive it.
His power is the type of power made real, made flesh, evident in the cry of a newborn baby, in the touch extended to those in need, or the struggle of a dying breath at the hands of empire. But also in the raising of the dead and the judgement that is to come. We worship a God who is as comfortable, as intimate, with the mess of the manger as with the throne of heaven.
Four hundred years ago, as today in many places around the world, life seemed one full of change and often fraught with confusion or danger. Most of us know these feelings on some level from our own lives. But through the many storms of life; through the greyness of grief, or the tumult of political uncertainty, conflict, or personal illness and pain, God’s presence and God’s love remain unchanging. For God is a great King, as merciful and tender as he is awe inspiring, and in His sure ways we can ever place our trust.
So rejoice, and clap your hands.
CHOIR: Three-fold Amen (Gibbons)
READER 3:
Let us pray:
God of justice we pray for your will to be done in the world around us. As we reflect upon your commands in Deuteronomy, we pray for those held in bondage or any kind of debt. For those struggling with financial burdens, those worn down by the cost of living or gnawing poverty. For those who today are forced into lives of servitude, those who are trafficked or controlled. We pray for a world in which all are seen with their created dignity, and where power is not cruelly wielded over others.
Loving God, whose arms are sanctuary and whose paths are peace, we pray for those cast upon the storms of our own world. For those living with the effects of natural disaster, or human-made conflict. We pray for peace in our world today, for those with the power to bring peace, and for those called to political leadership of any kind. We pray for King Charles and the royal family, giving thanks for his gentle rule.
We lift to you those in need of any kind, those who are anxious or despairing, those who are unwell, in mind, body, or soul. Comfort those who mourn and make your presence familiar to those who feel alone. We pray for those who long to know more of you, those approaching baptism or ordination, and those pondering your call upon their lives.
We wrap these, and the prayers of our own hearts, in the words of the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come;
thy will be done; in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.
CHAPLAIN: Our final hymn is Forth in thy name O Lord I go.
CHOIR/ORGAN/CONGREGATION: Forth in thy name O Lord I go (Song 34)
CHAPLAIN: The peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. And the blessing of God almighty; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
ORGAN: VOLUNTARY: Voluntary in A minor (Gibbons)
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writers and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by: Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
The day after the Summer Solstice, Fr. Will Drosos, the Assistant Rector at my church, preached on this passage from I Kings:
But [Elijah] himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” 8 He got up and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
This reminded me of a song by Alanis Morissette, which is on the playlist I’ve prepared for my funeral (it’s too long, and I keep adding to it, and I won’t be there, so I often listen to it in the cool of the morning on my patio).
Song by
How ’bout getting off of these antibiotics?
How ’bout stopping eating when I’m full up?
How ’bout them transparent dangling carrots?
How ’bout that ever elusive kudo?
Thank you, India
Thank you, terror
Thank you, disillusionment
Thank you, frailty
Thank you, consequence
Thank you, thank you, silence
How ’bout me not blaming you for everything?
How ’bout me enjoying the moment for once?
How ’bout how good it feels to finally forgive you?
How ’bout grieving it all one at a time?
Thank you, India
Thank you, terror
Thank you, disillusionment
Thank you, frailty
Thank you, consequence
Thank you, thank you, silence
The moment I let go of it
Was the moment I got more than I could handle
The moment I jumped off of it
Was the moment I touched down
How ’bout no longer being masochistic?
How ’bout remembering your divinity?
How ’bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out?
How ’bout not equating death with stopping?
Thank you, India
Thank you, Providence
Thank you, disillusionment
Thank you, nothingness
Thank you, clarity
Thank you, thank you, silence
Yeah, yeah
Oh, oh, oh
Yeah, oh, oh
Yeah, oh, oh, whoa
Yeah, no, oh, oh
No, oh, oh, oh
No, oh, no, oh
No, oh, no, no
No, oh
No, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Ooh
Thank you
Everybody, thanks
Alanis Morissette
We love you
The parallels are obvious. I’m not sure at this stage in his journey Elijah understood what God was saying, but I think Alanis pretty much nails it, For those with Spotify, here’s the link, and a You Tube site as well:
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Lois Herr: First Church of Christ, Scientist, McLean
Many people set aside time in their day for prayer, reflection, or meditation. As a Christian Science practitioner, I often find inspiration in daily audio reflections presented by members of our church, called the Daily Lift.
A recent Daily Lift by Madelon Maupin, from Scottsdale, Arizona, is entitled, “The antidote to extremism.” In this segment, Madelon explains how she has come to use Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount – specifically, the Beatitudes as a way to think and pray about countering extremism. In her remarks, Madelon reminds us, “We all live at the same address and it is called the kingdom of God,” which offers mercy, healing and love.
The Daily Lift is comprised of audio presentations contributed by Christian Science church members worldwide – with the majority coming from the U.S. This particular Lift will remain on the website for thirty days before being retired.
May this segment bring you peace and encouragement.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
The Jewish festival of Shavuot, occurred June 1-3. According to Rabbinic tradition, this celebration marks the revelation of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
Amidst the ongoing violence in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Cameroon, and anti-Jewish attacks and other religious-based assaults against peace-loving civilians in the United States and elsewhere, let’s listen to the thoughts of Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg, who shared this recording on the BBC recently.
“’I’m your God, don’t abuse me or one another.’ I hear these words with sorrow and shame but also hope. I’m horrified by how we hurt each other, the wars, the cruelty and hunger, yet the world remains intricately and inspiringly beautiful. That’s why I cling to the deeply imaginative interpretation rooted in Jewish mystical thought by the rabbi of Ger, a popular Hasidic teacher who died in 1905.
When God said, I am your God, every creature experienced those words as spoken directly to them. For an instant, every living being, humans, donkeys, birds, understood that their deepest nature, their innermost spirit, comes from and belongs to God. They heard those words, I am your God, not just from the mountaintop but from inside their hearts. Afterwards, everything returned to normal, each human and animal to its separate consciousness, its own reality, in this material world which conceals from us the deepest truth of who we are. But in that moment, we understood that one life, one consciousness, fills us all and that something sacred, something deeper than all divisions, unites us.
For that brief interval, said the rabbi, we were incapable of harming one another. This was long ago, but he maintained, if we listen deeply, we can still catch the after-echo of God’s voice in all creation. If we could be attentive to that voice in our fellow humans and in all life, we would instinctively hold back and, in Isaiah’s words, not cruelly hurt or destroy any living being, but instead do our utmost to bring healing to our world. Maybe it’s that after echo we hear when, in a heartfelt conversation, we reach a pause and sit silently together, knowing that something words can’t reach has touched us.”
Our Rector, the Rev. Fran Gardner-Smith on Easter Sunday used a similar metaphor: we are the after-image of God’s photograph, taken at the time of creation, like the image on your retina after a photograph. And yesterday, on Ascencion Day in the Christian tradition, our parish administrator added in his sermon, quoting the Book of Revelation: we are a “pre-image” of heaven on earth, a shining city.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by: Yerusalem Work
May is International Muslim History Month (IMHM). To celebrate, I’m sharing a poem with Islamic themes. The message is universal. The original version I wrote in English and Arabic. By God’s grace, it was translated into Spanish through the arduous work of Norma Margulies, an ardent supporter of interfaith dialogue.
A masjid is a mosque. According to a Hadith (a collected saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him), “the entire earth is a masjid.”
Norma and I met at a mosque during an interfaith gathering called Solidarity Cup of Tea. And these are the fruits of our labor. I hope you enjoy the poetry below. May it inspire you to search the world over for friendship and love, beauty and peace.
With faith,
Yeru
LINK TO POEM: INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM HISTORY MONTH (MAY)
Yerusalem Work, a creative writer and the membership director of the Congregational Library Association, has a heart for interfaith dialogue and is a passionate community builder. A holder of a master’s degree in library science and prolific author, she regularly blogs and self-publishes her writing. Her short stories and poetry have been published in Muslim Matters and Tysons Interfaith. She considers it an honor and a pleasure to write on Islamic themes.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by: Rev Dr Trish Hall, Centers for Spiritual Living
Maria Popova declared some time ago, “These days I am less certain I will see the rosy outcome I would like, but I am more determined to meet the future with the best version of myself.”
What if each of us released our attachment to how we want others to be and how we think they ought to be, and consciously showed up as our very best version of ourselves? If all of us were to do that, there would be enough of us that our behavior would “go viral” – be highly contagious – and all manner of challenges would disappear.
In 365 Science of Mind, Dr Holmes is quoted as having said, “New arts, new sciences, new philosophies, better government, and a higher civilization wait on our thoughts. The infinite energy of Life, and the possibility of our future evolution, work through our imagination and will. The time is ready, the place is where we are now, and it is done unto all as they really believe and act.”
Affirming that we really believe Dr Holmes’ statement, and are willing to act on our belief, I pray …
There is only One Indescribable Infinite creating all that is from Its own Divine self. It is the One Life Common to all creation. It is simultaneously the Absolute Creator and Itself as Creation – truly the All-in-All, the All-AS-All. All Creation is sacred. All of us are expressions of the Divine.
It is from this inseparable state of being that I speak my word today. I know this is the time that every person leans-in and expresses their very best version of themselves in every moment. I see all pre-judgments (prejudices) left behind. What remains is all people seeing only God expressing as one another compassionately inviting others to express their best version of themselves. Everyone is now recognizing interconnectedness and interdependence. All relationships are consciously grounded upon loving-kindness and generosity. Peace prevails.
Boundless gratitude arises within me as I embrace the transformative power of prayer.
And so, It is!
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
As we join our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers to mourn the passing of Pope Francis, let us remember that Francis was the first pope ever to visit the grounds of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque, where he signed a joint declaration together with Muslim leader Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar: Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024 — Fostering Religious Harmony for the Sake of Humanity. Named for the mosque, the document addresses the crises of “dehumanization and climate change.”
They noted: “It is particularly worrying that religion is often instrumentalized in this regard, causing suffering to many, especially women, children and the elderly. The role of religion, however, should include promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every human life.”
And they agreed: “ The human exploitation of creation, our common home, has contributed to climate change, leading to various destructive consequences such as natural disasters, global warming and unpredictable weather patterns. This ongoing environmental crisis has become an obstacle to the harmonious coexistence of peoples.”
In response they called for the following:
i. The values shared by our religious traditions should be effectively promoted in order to defeat the culture of violence and indifference afflicting our world. Indeed, religious values should be directed towards promoting a culture of respect, dignity, compassion, reconciliation and fraternal solidarity in order to overcome both dehumanization and environmental destruction.
ii. Religious leaders in particular, inspired by their respective spiritual narratives and traditions, should cooperate in responding to the above-mentioned crises, identifying their causes and taking appropriate action.
iii. Since there is a single global human family, interreligious dialogue ought to be recognised as an effective instrument for resolving local, regional and international conflicts, especially those incited by the abuse of religion. Moreover, our religious beliefs and rituals have a particular capacity to speak to the human heart and thus foster a deeper respect for human dignity.
iv. Acknowledging that a healthy, peaceful and harmonious living environment is vital for becoming true servants of God and custodians of creation, we sincerely call on all people of good will to take decisive action in order to maintain the integrity of the natural environment and its resources, for we have inherited them from past generations and hope to pass them on to our children and grandchildren.
Resquiescat in pace.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
Every time I want to have my education and intellect humbled – humiliated even – I tune into BBC Radio 4, and Good Friday morning was no exception. Melvyn Bragg explored “typology,” a method of biblical interpretation that aims to meaningfully link people, places, and events in the Hebrew Bible, what Christians call the Old Testament, with the coming of Christ in the New Testament. BBC Radio 4 – In Our Time, Typology Old Testament figures like Moses, Jonah, and King David are regarded as being ‘types’ or symbols of Jesus, a way of thinking that became hugely popular in medieval Europe, Renaissance England and Victorian Britain, as Christians sought to make sense of their Jewish inheritance – sometimes rejecting that inheritance with antisemitic fervor if not violence.
My wife, who is Jewish, felt the full force of this when she sang with my choir that evening. On the way home after a powerful service, she said she felt like apologizing: “John really had it in for the Jews!” The Passion narrative, of course, is meant to be a history, and the typological elements sometimes emerge only subtly. At other times the Gospel writers make it explicit in a parenthetical note. And the other have the same effect. Isaiah (52:13-53:12), where the servant is “despised and rejected…wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” And Psalm 69, where the poet reports “They gave me gall to eat, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.”
The stunning Radio 4 discussion between Bragg and his guests, Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London; Harry Spillane, Munby Fellow in Bibliography at Cambridge and Research Fellow at Darwin College; and Sophie Lunn-Rockliffe, Associate Professor in Patristics at Cambridge is mostly devoted to the positive sides of typology.
But then there are the nastier bits of historical and contemporary antisemitism, which the authors of the Book of Common Prayer seem to have realized when they add this line the portion of the service devoted to prayers for “all who have not received the Gospel of Christ.”
“For those who in the name of Christ have persecuted others.”
If you are interested in further reading, the BBC provides a daunting list:
A. C. Charity, Events and their Afterlife: The Dialectics of Christian Typology in the Bible and Dante (first published 1966; Cambridge University Press, 2010)
Margaret Christian, Spenserian Allegory and Elizabethan Biblical Exegesis: The Context for ‘The Faerie Queene’ (Manchester University Press, 2016)
Dagmar Eichberger and Shelley Perlove (eds.), Visual Typology in Early Modern Europe: Continuity and Expansion (Brepols, 2018)
Tibor Fabiny, The Lion and the Lamb: Figuralism and Fulfilment in the Bible, Art and Literature (Palgrave Macmillan, 1992)
Tibor Fabiny, ‘Typology: Pros and Cons in Biblical Hermeneutics and Literary Criticism’ (Academia, 2018)
Northrop Frye, The Great Code: The Bible and Literature (first published 1982; Mariner Books, 2002)
Leonhard Goppelt (trans. Donald H. Madvig), Typos: The Typological Interpretation of the Old Testament in the New (William B Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1982)
Paul J. Korshin, Typologies in England, 1650-1820 (first published in 1983; Princeton University Press, 2014)
Judith Lieu, Image and Reality: The Jews in the World of the Christians in the Second Century (T & T Clark International, 1999)
Sara Lipton, Images of Intolerance: The Representation of Jews and Judaism in the Bible Moralisee (University of California Press, 1999)
Montague Rhodes James and Kenneth Harrison, A Guide to the Windows of King’s College Chapel (first published in 1899; Cambridge University Press, 2010)
J. W. Rogerson and Judith M. Lieu (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Studies (Oxford University Press, 2008)
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Andra Baylus, Regional Director of the Meher Baba Spiritual Community
April 14th in Sikhism marked the creation of the “Khalsa” by Guru Gobind Singh. This is celebrated as Vaisakhi. Vaisakhi is a major festival for Sikhs and is also a harvest Festival in the Punjab region of India.
On Vaisakhi of 1699, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, established the Khalsa, a community of baptized Sikhs who adhere to strict codes of conduct and wear the Five Ks.
The Five K’s:
The 5 K’s (Panj Kakkars) are five symbolic articles of faith in Sikhism worn by initiated Sikhs (Khalsa) to represent their commitment to the faith and its principles. These are :
- Kesh (uncut hair):
This signifies submission to God’s will and rejecting artificiality. Men wear their hair long and cover it with a turban, while women may also choose to keep their hair uncut and wear a turban. - Kangha (wooden comb):
This is a symbol of cleanliness and self-discipline. Sikhs use it to comb their hair daily and maintain its neatness. - Kara (steel bracelet):
This is a continuous steel bracelet worn on the right wrist, representing the oneness of God and the cyclical nature of life, without beginning or end. - Kachera (cotton undergarment):
This symbolizes self-control and adherence to moral principles. It’s worn as an undergarment, typically white cotton shorts. - Kirpan (small sword):
This symbolizes courage, justice, and the duty to defend the weak and oppressed. It’s a reminder of a Sikh’s commitment to fighting against injustice and tyranny.
Vaisakhi is a time of joy and celebration with Sikhs participating in religious services, Nagar Kirtan (parades with devotional singing) and other communal activities. It is also a time to reaffirm commitment to the principles of Sikhism.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
We had finished rehearsing the anthem for Palm Sunday, “Love Bade Me Welcome,” when the diminutive and pleasant soprano sitting next to me turned and whispered: “I really hate this piece.” I said: “Not the music, right? It’s great. You must not like George Herbert.” She nodded.
George does not fit everyone’s taste. As the Poetry Foundation tells it (George Herbert | The Poetry Foundation) the Anglican clergyman is “nestled” squarely (or maybe roundly) in the age of Shakespeare and Milton, though his poetry would have later influence on the likes of Coleridge, Emerson, Dickinson, Hopkins, Eliot, Auden, Bishop, Anthony Hecht, and, “perhaps Robert Frost—although these later poets are more abstract in their devotion to Herbert than were his 17th-century followers.” They attribute much of Herbert’s early popularity—there were at least 11 editions of his major work, published ironically, after he died—to the carefully crafted persona of “holy Mr. Herbert” put forth by his custodians.
The most famous musical setting of this poem — the last in the compilation known as The Temple — is by Ralph Vaugh Williams (https://youtu.be/JcmkXuZyRz8). We sang an even more modern setting last Sunday, and I don’t know about you, but in this Passover/Easter/Ramadan season, the last line packs a wallop, especially for Episcopalians like me. It is so difficult for modern folks to understand, that the Poetry Foundation has even included a guide! Love (III) | The Poetry Foundation. Here is the poem.
LOVE bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack’d anything.
‘A guest,’ I answer’d, ‘worthy to be here:’
Love said, ‘You shall be he.’
‘I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.’
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
‘Who made the eyes but I?’
‘Truth, Lord; but I have marr’d them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.’
‘And know you not,’ says Love, ‘Who bore the blame?’
‘My dear, then I will serve.’
‘You must sit down,’ says Love, ‘and taste my meat.’
So I did sit and eat.
Here’s some of what the “guide” says about it, ending with one of my favorite words, “ambivalence.”
The poem’s last line, “So I did sit and eat,” seems unequivocal: Herbert has found his place at God’s table. Herbert’s almost interchangeable use of “Love” for “Lord” in this poem is worth noticing: “Love (III)” is the ultimate poem in a triptych on the subject. The earlier poems attempt to reclaim the term “love,” which has been sullied by secular usage. “Love (I)” opens by praising “Immortal Love, author of this great frame,” and mourning that “mortal love doth all the title gain”; “Love (II)” also addresses itself to “Love,” distinguishing between God’s “Immortal Heat” and the “usurping lust” we mortal humans mistakenly call love. As the culminating poem in the series, “Love (III)” seems to firmly settle which kind of “Love” Herbert intends to celebrate. But the poem also purports to show how God is Love—through its emphasis on God’s role as host.
Herbert’s portrait of God-as-Love has long been admired as the crowning achievement of The Temple. The philosopher Simone Weil famously had a religious experience as she recited “Love (III): “Often, at the culminating point of a violent headache,” she wrote in her Spiritual Autobiography. “I make myself say it over, concentrating all my attention upon it and clinging with all my soul to the tenderness it enshrines… It was during one of these recitations that, as I told you, Christ himself came down and took possession of me.” Yet despite the “tenderness” Weil noted, much of the poem remains equivocal, even stubbornly so. A reader looking for a tidy—or happy—ending to Herbert’s project might end up troubled by the poem’s surprising and insistent ambivalences.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.