When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling […]
“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118:22–23 Psalm 118 is in Book V of the Psalms and is the last psalm of the ‘Egyptian Hallel’, Psalms 113–118, a group of psalms used at Passover. Derek Kidner wrote: […]
Tonight was the first Passover seder. – Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply […]
The libretto of Messiah is taken from numerous books of the Bible: Job, Psalms, Isaiah, Lamentations, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Matthew, Luke, John, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, Hebrews and Revelation. If you’re not familiar with the passages selected by Jennens, you can read them at the above link. The first five verses of Isaiah […]
When I was growing up we attended a church with a large music program, and I first sang in a choir as a young child. In December our minister of music had all the choirs sing the “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel’s Messiah. The adult choir was at the front of the church behind the ministers, […]
Several days after Thanksgiving of 2010 I wrote the post, Gratitude. I’ve since slightly edited it and reposted it as Giving Thanks and Grateful Hearts. Here it is again. November 28, 2010 ◊ Gratitude Thursday is the American holiday of Thanksgiving, and for some of you giving thanks to God will be easy because of […]
A couple of years ago I came across an article by Dr. John S. Uebersax, National Days of Prayer: A Historical Comparison, in which he makes this significant observation: Since 1952, the President of the United States has, by law, annually issued a proclamation recommending a National Day of Prayer. This seeks to revive a […]
Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands so that the […]
As Jesus talked with His disciples the night before He died on the cross (John 13–16), He spoke to them about who He was, their relationship with God, and their work as His disciples. He reassured them of His con- tinuing presence and care in His sending of the Holy Spirit even as He told […]