Epiphany: We All Win!

On this Feast of Epiphany, we celebrate with the English hymn, "Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning;" 

lyrics by Reginald Herber (1783-1826), music, "Morning Star," by Joseph Harding (1850-1911).

The hymn was first published in 1811 and found its way into the hymnal in 1827, the year after Herber's death. Apparently, the hymn caused some controversy in its opening line, with "sons of the morning" being changed to "stars of the morning" in some hymnals, and still troubling some who thought the hymn was worshiping a star. There is a certain poetic quality in the phrase "sons of the morning" in reference to the stars in the sky -- perhaps an echo of Job 38:7: "When morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy."

The second verse is quite masterful in it's humble setting and mythic expanse:

               Cold on His cradle the dewdrops are shining;

               Low lies His head with the beasts of the stall;

               Angels adore Him in slumber reclining,

               Maker and Monarch and Savior of all!

"Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning" was written specifically for the feast of the Epiphany by Herber, and did indeed become one of the most frequently used hymns for this day of the liturgical calendar. And why not? The story proclaims that from the highest star to the lowest estate, we all win!

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Amazing Grace: A Unitarian Perspective

A theological choice

You may have heard the joke that Unitarians are poor singers because they are always reading ahead to see if they agree with the next line.  A friend sent me a link from the Unitarian publication UU World that talks about one particular hymn that actually gives singers a couple of options. It’s the beloved hymn, “Amazing Grace.” It seems that rather than forcing worshippers to sing about amazing grace “that saved a wretch like me,” there is an asterisk to indicate that one may sing, “that saved a soul like me.” The article asks the question, do you feel wretched or soulful today? Is your theology one of confessing “your own wretchedness and even our common condition as a fallen, faulty species,” or do you affirm that you are “a nice, well-rounded, fully individuated, sin-free, guilt-free humanist soul?”

The author of the brief article, Virginia Stafford, makes this point about Unitarians: “We sing our song in different keys and cadences. We are on our own to make a faith out of nothing, which is to say, out of everything we have. That is daunting, lonely work, demanding and relentless work, the work of a lifetime, and I suspect it is the very scope of it that keeps our tiny movement small. Not everyone wants to stop singing in the middle of the song and consider once again and all alone the nature of the human soul and God, infinity within and infinity without.”

Are you a wretch or a soul?

There were a few comments to the online article. I had to add my perspective that we sit in our niceties of society and discuss the polarities or "wretch" or "soul." We should not lose sight of the fact that this beloved hymn was written by English evangelical John Newton, who had once been a slave trader. Little wonder that he chose the word "wretch" to describe his former life. If we accept our own humanity, we must accept that we ourselves possess all the potential goodness and evil that exists within the human spectrum.

My friend who shared the article with me later said that he was listening to a recording of the famous African American singer, the late Paul Robeson, singing “Amazing Grace.” He found it interesting to note that Mr. Robeson chose to sing “a soul like me.” Here again, I think I can understand why the singer made that choice. Perhaps both perspectives can be true on any given day. Perhaps both are simultaneously true on any given day. How do you feel today?

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A Musical Interlude "With Heart and Voice"

I had to go in to work last Sunday at the hospital. It was not my usual weekend duty, but I was working to allow a colleague the day off for her family. It would not be one's chosen activity to get up early to be at work by 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. I know I like having some slow leisure time to enjoy the day on Sunday. One of the good things about Sunday duty at the hospital for me is that at 6:00 a.m., our local NPR station airs With Heart and Voice. I always enjoy listening to the classical hymns and choral arrangements presented on that program as I drive in to work. As a rule, however, I don't get up early enough to hear the program if I'm not going to work.

Last Sunday was an especially rich one as the program highlighted the work of Ralph Vaughan Williams, the British classical composer who was called upon to work on the hymnal for the Anglican Church. His musical compositions remain some of the best that continue to be offered in current church hymnals.

I was able to hear a few of the selections on my way to work that morning, and it helped my day to begin in gladness. The entire program can be heard online. I was able to find another rendition of Vaughan Williams fine hymn, "Come Down, O Love Divine" on YouTube and have included it below: