O Reader. Nothing but silence here of late. I apologize.
This will, in fact, change. Tonight is the last big push as I put the finishing touches on my students’ final exam, and then it will be grading, grading, grading for me ’til Christmas come. No, I expect it won’t take me so very long. My hope is to set the grading aside soon enough. And Christmas break starts on Friday. Rest– don’t you agree?– is Good.
But my heart and mind have been preoccupied over the last few days with grieving. Our friends’ sweet girl Eliza did indeed go home to her Heavenly Father’s arms last Friday, and thoughts of and prayers for her momma, daddy and big brother have consumed my mental and emotional energies since then. We visited them at the funeral home last night; we celebrated Eliza’s life with them at church this afternoon; most of their out-of-town family will head home tomorrow.
I have some thoughts to write about all of this, but will wait on it for now. Still, I wanted to give you something. So here is a song we listened to at the celebration service today. It is beautiful.
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, Alleluia
Alleluia, Lord Most High!
–Liturgy of St. James
