Readings (Click the links to see the readings)

Isaiah 11.1-10 | Psalm 72.1-7 | Luke 10.21-24 |

First Coming
Madeleine L'Engle

He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait

till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

Prayer

O Lord our God,
make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that, when he shall appear,
he may not find us sleeping in sin
but active in his service
and joyful in his praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Tree of Jesse, from the Ingeborg Psalter (c. 1195), Musée Condé of Chantilly, France.

"A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots." Isaiah 11:1

Piet Baarssen (baritone) and Jan Loosman (tenor), soloists from the Christelijk Urker Visserkoor Crescendo sing from Psalms 72 and 122, accompanied by Harm Hoeve playing the Bolsward organ. This amateur choir from the town of Urk in the Netherlands was founded in 1953 and is made up mainly of local fishermen.