Thoughts On a Friday in December

I enjoyed teaching bible study the past few Sunday mornings. The focus was on Piety (religious devotion) in the form of prayer, personal/family devotional time, fasting. I also tossed in a little Advent theme in the last session.

On aspect I emphasized was the practice of speaking out loud during your reading and prayer time. I have found it to be helpful. It was a bit awkward at first I guess because I was so used to reading and praying silently. I’ve found it a helpful practice. I tend to get more out of the prayers and readings when I speak them. When I read to myself, I have the tendency to zoom through the material. Speaking the words causes me to slow down. Hearing the words in my ear also adds another sense (i.e. hearing) for me to absorb the words.

Scripture is filled with out loudness. “Oh, Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise. Until recently, speaking prayers and scripture was nothing I had considered before, but it seems to have been the practice of the church from early on.

It’s not like there is anything magical about it. I have enjoyed it though. It’s like I’m actually taking to somebody (God, perhaps?). It kind of opens the doors of your personal worship. Instead of talking to yourself, pretend somebody might be listening.

I sometimes take it an extra step and sing the words. That’s what I love about the liturgy is that much of it is sung. I am able to sing the psalms with a simple chant tone. Also any of the collects (a specific type of prayer, usually ancient) and the Lord’s Prayer. I’ve been learning a few different Advent Hymns. They are great. “Lo, he comes with clouds descending,” “Savior of the nations, Come” Singing in your devotions is fun. It adds a bit of variety. It is cool to be singing words written and sung by Christians throughout the ages from around the world. Our hymnal is remarkable catholic (little c) as in universal in scope. Sure, it may be a bit German and Lutheran heavy. Obviously. But there is a wealth of treasures from the entire church. Hymns from the early centuries of the church, from the past century. From America, Africa, Asia, Europe. Translated from Latin, Greek, French, Spanish. It is cool to look down at the bottom of the page and see that I am singing a hymn written by St Patrick, or St Benedict. Along with that info, there are always references to the scriptures quoted or alluded to in the hymn. Some of the tunes can be a bit hairy to learn, but it seriously beats 3 chord, one verse choruses that I feasted on in the past. As one of my profs put it. Those songs are not terrible, just as potato chips are not terrible, in moderation. If you want to eat chips, do it every once in a while. Don’t make it your primary sustenance for every meal.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve been using “The Treasury of Daily Prayer” for devotions and it has been amazing. If you are looking for a devotional aid, it would be difficult to find a better tool. It has a psalm, O and NT reading for each day, along with a verse of a hymn, a collect, and a reading from one of the church fathers or someone cool like Luther. It also has simple orders of service for personal and family use for morning, noon, evening and night. It also has cool sung orders like matins, vespers, morning and evening prayer and Compline. It is the bizzlebomb.

Becca and I are enjoying Advent. We have a little advent wreath we light. I found info for making a Jesse Tree. You have a picture with scripture for everyday of advent leading you though the OT on the way to Christmas. (Creation, the fall, the flood, Abe and Issac, moses, etc). And it makes a tree. It’s pretty cool. I think I may adjust it in the future so the readings point more specifically to Christ, because he is everywhere in the OT:
Gen 1: God speaking THE WORD and “Let US make man in our own image”
Gen 3: crushing the heel of the serpent.
More Gen: Issac being sacrificed, Joseph in the pit
Ex: burning bush
Josh: angel of the lord before Jericho
Isaiah’s suffering servant
Daniel: fourth man in the furnace.
Etc etc.

We also have a little advent calendar with verses behind the windows from the Christmas story from Luke and Matt.

It is cool.

Word.