3 Birds, though you long have ceased to build,
guard the nest that must be filled;
even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledging time has chosen.
People, look east and sing today:
Love the bird is on the way.
People Look East #9 Voices United
We are in a region where in-person worship is still permissible, so off we went to Trenton United yesterday for the third Sunday of Advent. Dianne, our congregational musician, and Rev. Ike, our kid, led us through the two hymns adeptly even though the rest of us are only permitted to hum, or mumble...humble?
The first was number nine in Voices United, an Advent hymn with a hopeful tune called People Look East. As Isaac sang I realized that I quite like it, even though it isn't included in services often. The lyrics by Eleanor Farejon are nearly a century old, with a French folk tune which goes back further. She was also also the lyricist for Morning Has Broken, which was written a couple of years after People Look East.
Because of the limitations of worship these days we don't usually sing all verses of our hymns, so I was glad Isaac included verse three (above), one I hadn't really noticed before. There is the wonderful imagery of birds in the grip of winter, yet this is God's fledgling time for the birth of Christ. Beautiful.
When we got home there were birds at our feeders, then they departed, as they often do. Then the red-bellied woodpecker which has graced our back yard in recent weeks, in all its colourful glory. It was a splash of joy in the these days of rather begrudging light.
As a earthbound Groundling I'm glad for our winged friends, and the promise of fledged faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment