Sunday, June 10, 2007

Handel's Messiah

Here is a comment received from a friend who was checking out our new website: www.unashamedofthegospel.org . He had come across the piece about Handel's Messiah which appears in "Tapestry". As an archivist he can often supply interesting additional information:

One detail that you probably knew, but which I will pass on just in case, concerns the article by Grant Dexter re the Messiah. And that detail is that the statue of Handel in Westminster Abbey has him holding a music score. It is often assumed that the Hallelujah Chorus is on
the score. But this is not the case. What's chipped into the open stone page of the score is the text and music for "I Know that My Redeemer Liveth."

A thought for today.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Why Copts of Egypt Fear Friday

“Why Do the Copts of Egypt Fear Fridays?”

Author: Jacob Thomas on Jun 03, 2007

On 17 May, 2007, while glancing at the website of the online daily, Elaph, I noticed a very intriguing title of an article on the plight of the Christian community in Egypt: “Why Do the Copts of Egypt Fear Fridays?” The writer, himself an Egyptian now living in France, gave a realistic explanation that should stir our thoughts, and make us fully aware of the suffering of this brave minority. I share with the readers of FFI excerpts from the article, and follow with my analysis and comments.

“Islamists have taken upon themselves the responsibility to stoke the fires of religious discord and civil strife whenever they had been extinguished. The result is that Egypt becomes the victim, and both Muslims and Christians end up being the losers. It is quite evident that Islamists don’t want the attacks against the Copts to stop......

To continue reading this article please go to the following URL:

http://www.news.faithfreedom.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1327

Here is a heartfelt comment regarding this matter of Friday sermons which incite harmful actions:
"You will not believe the anguish I feel when I read the news that you list. I remember my childhood and the painful lessons I learned about Islam. Friday was a particularly difficult day to get through and hence your last article literally hit home. If my shoulder provides even the tiniest of comfort, then it is I who am honored. The only thing that keeps me going is that I really believe that finally the nightmare of 1430 years is about to be over, and I just may live to see its end."

Sunday, June 03, 2007

A Sunday Blog

The sermon title was: "All Scripture is God-breathed"

Leading up to the Scripture reading of 2nd Timothy 3: 10-17 we sang the following appropriate words, from the hymn titled "O Word of God Incarnate". A hymn written in 1867 by William Walsham How.

O Word of God incarnate, O Wisdom from on high
O truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky;
we praise thee for the radiance that from the hallowed page,
a lantern to our footsteps, shines on from age to age.

The Church from her dear Master received the gift divine,
and still that light she lifteth o'er all the earth to shine.
It is the golden casket, where gems of truth are stored;
it is the heav'n drawn picture of Christ, the living Word.

It floateth like a banner before God's host unfurled;
it shineth like a beacon above the darkling world.
It is the chart and compass that o'er life's surging sea,
'mid mists and rocks and quick-sands, still guides, O Christ to thee.

O make thy church, dear Savior, a lamp of purest gold,
to bear before the nations thy true light, as of old.
O teach thy wand'ring pilgrims by this their path to trace,
till, clouds and darkness ended, they see thee face to face.

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