Selected Reading, January 2, 2021

 

A few reading and listening suggestions for this first weekend of the new year. 

God

Three Ways God’s Fatherhood Is Different Than Ours
A good reminder that God’s fatherhood is unique. His fatherhood is not patterned after human fatherhood. It is “determined by God’s fatherhood alone and not by any external standard of fatherhood … . Unlike the fatherhood of creatures, the fatherhood of God is not dependent, not composite, not changing, not limited, and not temporal. It is self-existent, simple, immutable, infinite, and eternal. God’s radiant fatherhood is “above” all other forms of fatherhood … .”

The God Who Hears Our Lament
This is a post from earlier this year, but I didn’t read it until this week. It makes an important point: We need an impassible God: “It is only because God is blessed in himself—the sovereign fullness of life, peace, and joy—regardless of all the vicissitudes and pains of history, that he can communicate a blessedness that overcomes and restores that history.”

Words

Hallelujah and Amen
Barry Cooper of Simply Put podcast explains these two transliterations.

Sunday's Hymn: All Praise to Thee, Eternal Lord

All praise to thee, Eternal Lord,
Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood;
Choosing a manger for thy throne,
While worlds on worlds are thine alone.

Once did the skies before thee bow;
A Virgin’s arms contain thee now:
Angels who did in thee rejoice
Now listen for thine infant voice.

A little Child, thou art our Guest,
That weary ones in thee may rest;
Forlorn and lowly is thy birth,
That we may rise to heav’n from earth.

Thou comest in the darksome night
To make us children of the light,
To make us, in the realms divine,
Like thine own angels round thee shine.

All this for us thy love hath done;
By this to thee our love is won:
For this we tune our cheerful lays,
And shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.

—Martin Luther

Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

• Knowing You, Jesus at The Happy Wonderer

Sunday's Hymn: Of the Father's Love Begotten

Of the Father’s Love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore 1

At His word the worlds were framed;
He commanded; it was done:
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean
In their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun,
Evermore and evermore!

He is found in human fashion,
Death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam’s children,
Doomed by Law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish
In the dreadful gulf below,
Evermore and evermore!

O that Birth for ever blessed,
When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bare the Saviour of our race;
And the Babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred Face,
Evermore and evermore !

This is He Whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord; 
Whom the voices of the Prophets
Promised in their faithful word;
Now He shines, the long-expected:
Let creation praise its Lord:
Evermore and evermore!

O ye heights of heaven adore Him!
Angel-hosts His praises sing!
All dominions bow before Him,
And extol our God and King;
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert ring,
Evermore and evermore!

Righteous Judge of souls departed !
Righteous King of them that live !
On the Father’s throne exalted
None in might with Thee may strive:
Who at last in vengeance coming
Sinners from Thy Face shalt drive,
Evermore and evermore!

Thee let old men, Thee let young men,
Thee let boys in chorus sing;
Matrons, virgins, little maidens
With glad voices answering;
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the heart its praises bring,
Evermore and evermore!

Christ ! to Thee, with God the Father
And, Holy Ghost, to Thee!
Hymn, and chant, and high thanksgiving,
And unwearied praises be,
Honour, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory,
Evermore and evermore!

—Aurelius Clemens Prudentius

Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

• God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen at The Happy Wonderer
• The Person Christmas Celebrates — Hymn 4 at The Outspoken Tulip