Hosanna! The Lamb of God has Come

HOSANNA, LOUD HOSANNA
hymn by Jennette Threlfall, 1873
to the tune of Ellacombe (I Sing the Mighty Power of God)

1.     Hosanna, loud hosanna, 
 the little children sang, 
 through pillared court and temple 
 the lovely anthem rang. 
 To Jesus, who had blessed them 
 close folded to his breast, 
 the children sang their praises, 
 the simplest and the best. 

2. From Olivet they followed 
 mid an exultant crowd, 
 the victor palm branch waving, 
 and chanting clear and loud. 
 The Lord of earth and heaven 
 rode on in lowly state, 
 nor scorned that little children 
 should on his bidding wait. 

3. "Hosanna in the highest!" 
 that ancient song we sing, 
 for Christ is our Redeemer, 
 the Lord of heaven our King. 
 O may we ever praise him 
 with heart and life and voice, 
 and in his blissful presence 
 eternally rejoice!

St. Patrick's Hymn of the Week from the 5th Century

I Bind Unto Myself Today
words: Patrick of Ireland

I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever,
by power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
his baptism in Jordan river;
his death on cross for my salvation;
his bursting from the spicèd tomb;
his riding up the heavenly way;
his coming at the day of doom:
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
of the great love of cherubim;
the sweet "Well done" in judgment hour;
the service of the seraphim;
confessors' faith, apostles' word,
the patriarchs' prayers, the prophets' scrolls;
all good deeds done unto the Lord,
and purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
the virtues of the starlit heaven
the glorious sun's life-giving ray,
the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,
the whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea,
around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
the power of God to hold and lead,
his eye to watch, his might to stay,
his ear to hearken, to my need;
the wisdom of my God to teach,
his hand to guide, his shield to ward;
the word of God to give me speech,
his heavenly host to be my guard.

Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort
and restore me.
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of
all that love me,
Christ in mouth of
friend and stranger.


I bind unto myself today
the strong Name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same,
the Three in One, and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation,
eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Surely Christ is exalted and our hearts rejoice with the words of this hymn. I had not heard of it until I found it in my hymnal last year.  What a resolution from an amazing missionary for Christ.

Huzzah!

Ten days ago...

We had below zero weather and lots of snow on the ground!

Today...

68 deg. F. and all the snow is melted off after a week of warm weather!

Spring has sprung! G used Martha Stewart's cupcake recipe with toasted coconut nest and fondant eggs that G invented.

Hymn of the Week: My Favorite from Junior High

The Solid Rock

Sung by Benny Hester

This song inspired my older sister and me so much that we performed it in church as teenagers with one of our youth leaders, Melanie, accompanying us on guitar.  My sis had this hymn in her wedding.  In moments of despairing self-introspection and guilt, The SOLID Rock words flood my mind and heart with HOPE.  When legalism rears its ugly head, these words reveal the only hope we have, Christ Jesus, our all-sufficiency.  My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.  I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

The Solid Rock, words by Edward Mote, 1834

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Spring?

After this weekend, it feels like spring.  Two our our kids had Strep Throat last week along with such COLD weather (below zero). Weather in the 40s and 50s draws us all out of our shells and into the yard! We got sticks burned, the trampoline cleaned off and used, the garage cleaned out, a bike ridden (PJ, of course!), a scooter ridden (AJ), and a walk around the neighborhood.  Glory!!!

Hymn of the Week

Since watching a documentary on Joni Eareckson Tada on Day of Discovery by RBC Ministries, I have been captivated by the hymn, Man of Sorrows.  Mrs. Tada is a Christian who became paralyzed from the neck down after a diving accident in the Chesapeake Bay while only a teenager.  She has spent her life ministering to people who suffer, especially those with disabilities.  She has many talents including singing, drawing with her mouth, speaking, and writing books.  Mrs. Tada told a story about how a friend helped her while she was suffering by singing this hymn.

One night my high school friend Jackie, with whom I shared boyfriends, milkshakes, and hockey sticks, came into the hospital late one night, like 2 in the morning, past visiting hours. The nurses were on break. No one was in the hallway. She crept up the steps of the hospital, snuck in the back way, came into my six-bed ward. I was with five other spinal-cord-injured girls who were all asleep. My friend came sneaking into the room, crawling on her hands and knees. She came over to my bed, stood up slowly, and lowered the guard rail of the hospital bed. Just like high schoolers will do on pajama sleepovers, she climbed into bed next to me, snuggled real close, and softly began to sing: “Man of sorrows, what a name. For the Son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah, what a Savior.” ~Joni Eareckson Tada, World Magazine interview by Marvin Olasky, Jan. 12, 2013

Last year I taught the Sunday School kids this hymn that they sang for Easter Sunday. It tells us the story of Jesus Christ who died and rose again to save us from the penalty for our sins through faith in Him.  Here are the words:

Man of Sorrows

words by Philip P. Bliss, 1875

Man of sorrows what a name
for the Son of God, who came
ruined sinners to reclaim:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned he stood,
sealed my pardon with his blood:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Guilty, helpless, lost were we;
blameless Lamb of God was he,
sacrificed to set us free:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

He was lifted up to die;
"It is finished" was his cry;
now in heaven exalted high:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

When he comes, our glorious King,
all his ransomed home to bring,
then anew this song we'll sing:
Hallelujah, what a Savior! 

Sung by Joni Eareckson Tada

Make-Ahead Cooking

The Lord blessed us with a lot of meat this past week.  Our local market store had ground beef for $2.99 per pound, Pork Shoulder Roast for $1.69 per pound, and I was given ten pounds of turkey thighs. (Thanks, sis.)  Aldi had chicken breasts on sale for about $1.60, so I picked up six pounds.  My fridge was full!  What to do?  Time to divide the meat out into different meals to freeze. It has taken me some convincing to try this by my full-time night nurse sisters who cook a whole month's meals in advance and then freeze them (Once-A-Month-Cooking).  But after being blessed by Freezer Meals from K the month before we moved last year, I got hooked.  In addition to the abundance of meat, I had a LOT of mashed potatoes and some Vidalia Dressing from Ruby's Pantry, a food-share program that I participate in.  This program is not based on financial need, but rather is an economical way to distribute food that is being thrown out by companies or overstocked.  Each person pays $20 for a share of food.  It is always such a blessing.  Every month, the food distributed is different, so it is an adventure in what recipes to make out of the abundance.

So, I looked at what I had, and I prayed for God to give me wisdom about what to make and how to spend my time.  After two days of cooking, I made about thirty Potato Buns, two loaves of Potato Bread, four meals of Meatballs, two meals of mexican bean & veggie Hamburgers, one beef/salami Penne meal, three meals of Vidalia marinated Chicken, one mashed potato Shepherd's Pie, one Curry Chicken & Broccoli Rice meal from leftover roasted chicken, two meals of Turkey Tetrazzini, and one BBQ turkey thighs Crock-Pot Meal.  Fifteen meals!   Tomorrow I hope to tackle the Pork and make some Hungarian Goulash and Pork and Veggies.  My sisters can make 28 meals in about 10 hours.  With what I have on hand, it is taking me about three days to make about 18 meals!  I have a long way to go to catch up to their speed, but I am thankful for this technique and its creative process while making good use of our time and resources.