Hush

The Word became flesh

and took up residence among us.

We observed His glory,

the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

John 1:14, HCSB

While I love the hymns and carols of Christmas, I treasure the wistful, yearning hymns of Advent too. "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is perhaps the best-known of these, but a different one washes over my heart these days. It unfolds quietly and unrushed, like snow descending. We need that in the bustle and noise of Christmas preparations, don't we? Or is that just me?

Ebony and I are slowing here today to nurse a nasty cold. (The cold is mine, the nursing his. See how hard he's working?) I encourage you also to press pause on your day for 5 minutes and savor this hymn about the glory and incomprehensibility of the Incarnation we celebrate. {If reading in email or RSS, you may need to access the post itself to view the video.}

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood,
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish
as the shadows clear away.

At his feet the six-winged seraph,
cherubim, with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry,
“Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia, Lord most high!”

paraphrased into English by Gerard Moultrie (1864) from ancient Syrian liturgy

Quietly thanking the Lord this morning 
for a day with my sister and nephews last week
for no major negative side effects so far from the new medicine
for the Lord's loud and clear message to hush
for sister's voice on the phone for a minute this morning
for her successful surgery
for my parents' ability and availability to help with her boys
for another, milder weather transition
for Ebony's obedience in dropping contraband into my hands
for rest in all its forms
for hope and joy in 1 Peter 1
(gratitude journal # 2461-2470)