Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

I heard this tune playing the other day and stopped to think about the words. Sometimes we lose the meaning of the songs in their festivity as much as we lose sight of what Christmas truly means in the business of the season. Charles Wesley wrote these words in praise of our Lord for what He has done and is doing in us. Christmas really is about God reconciling sinners to Himself through His sacrificial work.

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Refrain

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

Refrain

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Refrain

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

Refrain

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.

Refrain

When geeks bake

Today a group of us at work are having a "Thanksgiving dinner" for lunch, potluck style. My contribution:

And I haven't posted any of these in the past month or so (what a bad Mommy!):

What's cooking

1. In the crock pot right now: Pork roast, assorted fingerling potatoes, apples, seasoned with a touch of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves. An experiment, so we'll see how it turns out. I do like those potatoes because they are small and cost the same at the local grocery store as Russets. Also, there are usually 3-4 varieties in one bag, so they each have slightly different flavor (which, of course, makes the flavor of the whole meal more interesting). They work really well in stews, too.

2. I think I found a place to take Lucy over Christmas. It's in a home and won't cost an arm and a leg, and it's on the way to the airport so I can drop her the morning I leave instead of the night before. The person is also a groomer, so she'll be in good hands.

3. Bible Study is going well. We are looking at the apostles, using Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur as a guide. So far we've gotten through Peter, Andrew, James and John.

4. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours helping out in the church office. This is going to be a regular Monday afternoon activity for me now.

5. This past Sunday I observed the elementary program at church and will observe the 6th grade program this coming Sunday, after which time I will pick one to serve with.

6. I am thankful for people who are smarter than I am when it comes to certain things in the Bible. For instance, when Jesus is coming into Jerusalem and is feeling a bit hungry then curses the fruitless fig tree (which happens to be out of season), I had to read some commentary notes to figure out what He was doing. It looks superficially like an irrational act, but Jesus didn't do things without a reason. He had a reason, and it was to teach a spiritual lesson.

You know you're a geek when...

This morning I spoke with a technician who was at a customer's home. The house number was 404. I really wanted to ask the tech if he was actually at the house, and if he was, how he ever found it. I almost wish that I made this up, but it is the truth.

If you don't get it, you're not a geek ;).