O Sabbath rest by Galilee!
O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with thee
The silence of eternity
Interpreted by love!Drop thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of thy peace.
This portion of Whittier’s poem holds a special place in my heart, dating from my childhood at our family’s Presbyterian church, when I sang a Charles Ives setting of this text as a boy chorister.
“The beauty of thy peace.” I sure feel the need to confess that ineffable peace right now, and I suspect this is true for many of us.
From the blather and posturing of our current political scene to the many life transitions in which I find myself, life seems to be loaded with opportunities for anxiety and what-ifs. While consciousness and attention to all aspects of my life — including cultural annoyances — is important, sometimes a certain focus can become a distraction from what is truly important.
This Lent, my meditation and prayer is to center myself into the “still dews of quietness.”
Hi James!!
I find your letters very interesting. The format is beautiful. The combining of personal concerns, career, work and the life of church tells of an attitude and depth of spirit proper of an artist that handles the instruments such as the organ and choirs, at the highest level of artistry. Life, with all its complications is right there, and we, musicians, become healers of others as we also heal ourselves.
Like they say: More power to you!!!!