Psalm: Birdsong After Olivier Messiaen, “Catalogue d’Oiseaux” O praise the Lord from the earth… Beasts of the wild, and all cattle: creeping things and winged birds… (Psalm 148:7a, 10)
Category Archives: Poetry
Canticle (The Cornucopia of Heaven #3)
Canticle After Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, “Venite Exultemus Domino” So lift – lift high the horn of praise O praise – O come to praise the One who made the dawn and made the stars and gave the dawn to brighten hearts and praise the morning star of Truth, praise Him who hurls! the hailContinue reading “Canticle (The Cornucopia of Heaven #3)”
Call to Praise (The Cornucopia of Heaven #2)
Call to Praise After Gustav Holst, “Psalm 148: Lord, Who Has Made Us for Thine Own” His glory is above earth and heaven: and he has lifted high the horn of his people. (Psalm 148:14) Listen: what begins small soon grows… Let our voices rise – Continue reading “Call to Praise (The Cornucopia of Heaven #2)”
The Cornucopia of Heaven – Prayer of Preparation
Prayer of Preparation After Gustav Holst, “Psalm 86: To My Humble Supplication” Teach my dullness, guide my blindness (Joseph Bryan) We begin small – a seed, a pod, a bud, soon bursting, soon breaking out into light. Hear strings rise. Hear spirits lift their weary, slowing hands. See the sun open up the day. SeeContinue reading “The Cornucopia of Heaven – Prayer of Preparation”
Speech
If a lion could talk, we could not understand him. – Ludwig Wittgenstein If poets and statisticians ate together, would their talk make sense? What figures and what facts could they summon up then as they spoke? What heart would lie within each number? How might every number lie? The trends we graph are true,Continue reading “Speech”
Catechism 37
Catechism 37 How does the Holy Spirit help us? The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, comforts us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts and the desire to obey God; and he enables us to pray and to understand God’s Word. (New City Catechism) Dove: my best attempts are straw. My righteousness is dust,Continue reading “Catechism 37”
Hospitality
Well, poems have been few and far between at The Consolations of Writing recently, mostly because – I must admit – I’ve been slightly distracted by my recent engagement to an absolutely wonderful girl, Hannah. This week I have distractions of another kind: a week-long, short-term mission in my own city, Melbourne. Today’s poem isContinue reading “Hospitality”
Catechism 36
What do we believe about the Holy Spirit? That he is God, coeternal with the Father and the Son, and that God grants him irrevocably to all who believe. (New City Catechism) God’s wind blows wherever it wills – blows and leads the soul to life. The Spirit draws the dying spirit, draws and enters,Continue reading “Catechism 36”
Catechism 35
Since we are redeemed by grace alone, through faith alone, where does this faith come from? All the gifts we receive from Christ we receive through the Holy Spirit, including faith itself. (New City Catechism) Even faith’s a gift: the thought that I can stretch out my hand and take free giftContinue reading “Catechism 35”
“August Sabbath”, and eight years of poetry
Eight years ago today, I began writing poetry. It was a beautiful spring day – the promise of things to come. But, as is so often the case at the end of a Melbourne winter, the spring was fragile. Cool weather could return at any moment and snap up the new growth. I was aboutContinue reading ““August Sabbath”, and eight years of poetry”
The Consolations of Writing 