Monday, Monday... OR How I killed the washing machine... OR The 32 frozen meals cooking challenge...Hi there, welcome back to the inanities of my life on maternity leave.
Yes, today is Monday. Yes, I am afeared that I might have killed the washing machine today. Yes, today I intend to cook and freeze approximately 32 meals. Well, that's more or less it, actually. Lucky I elaborated...
You would not believe how much our house is taking shape. It is very much all thanks to Jon the handyman who has been assembling furniture and moving things about and tidying and all kinds of other manly feats. Impressive!
Anyway, last night we sang one of those new versions of an old hymn in church. Allow me to sound like a nanna for a minute while I say that this kind of a venture does not always breed success. In fact, let me sound even more like a nanna and say sometimes a good hymn should just be left alone. Unfortunately, the new product, while having a very singable tune with some nice guitar pedal work, has two very stupid lines in it. This is because the chap responsible seems to have failed to respect the notion of context. Take some lines out of context and you find yourself jolted out of the experience of singing praises to God and instead thinking "what the heck are these lines supposed to mean?". Aaaanyway, while I am willing to forgive this very famous chap for being a bit of a himbo in this particular work, I'm going to type up the original for you because it is a very cool poem expressing God's presence and glory and provision in his creation.
O worship the King all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love,
Our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendour, and girded with praise.
O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunder-clouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.
The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old.
Hath stablished it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.
Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air; it shines in the light:
It streams from the hills; it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
Frail children of dust, as feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend!
O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to hymn Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall lisp to Thy praise.
Robert Grant, 1779-1838
I love this hymn because it describes creation not only in its role of revealing its Creator but also of bringing praise to its Creator. Yet another great reason for us to value, teach and encourage the careful and thoughtful stewardship of this earth.
"The seas have lifted up, Lord,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves." Psalm 93:3
"Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
Let all creation rejoice before the Lord..." Psalm 96:12-13
"His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim His righteousness,
and all peoples see His glory." Psalm 97:4-6
"Let the sea resound and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.
Let the rivers clap their hands,
let the mountains sing together for joy;
let them sing before the Lord..." Psalm 98:7-9
and then there's Psalm 104, which you just have to read for yourself.
Anyway, hope that you're having a good Monday, like the happy parts of The Mamas and the Papas "Monday, Monday" rather than the other parts. And let's hope that no one's having a Bangles "Manic Monday"... Though probably everyone is... :(
