Bryan Sherwood

Phos Hilaron: Hail Gladdening Light

From the Book of Common Prayer:

O gracious Light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,

O Son of God, O Giver of life,

and to be glorified through all the worlds.

The Phos Hilaron became a part of my vespers liturgy some time ago when I started using the BCP for daily prayer.  I always found this hymn to be quite beautiful but never really knew the history behind it until recently. Phos Hilaron is an ancient hymn prayer, dating back to the 3rd century or perhaps even earlier. Some attribute it to St. Athenogenes (died c. 305). He was a bishop and ultimately a martyr that was killed under the reign of Emperor Diocletian. Some say Athenogenes sang the Phos HIlaron with joy as he entered the flames.

The Phos Hilaron is to be sung in the evening at the lighting of the lamps and is sometimes referred to as the "Lamp-lighting hymn." Wikipedia states that:

At that time in Jerusalem a lamp was kept perpetually burning in the empty tomb of Christ, its glow a symbol of the living light of Jesus. As Christians gathered to worship the hymn was sung and, in a tradition known as the lighting of the lamps, a candle lit from the lamp was brought forth from the tomb, its bright, solitary flame calling the church to celebrate the Risen Lord.

This ancient hymn has been a regular part of evening prayer for Anglicans, the Eastern Church and Lutherans, to name a few.  I continue to pray it in the evenings and in so doing, I feel connected to the ancient church through the words of this beautiful hymn.

I'm glad to know a bit more of its history.  I hope you've found it helplful too.  Pax.

Glory Revealed

I've been listening to a great album called Glory Revealed: The Word of God in Worship. I've really enjoyed it over the last week or so. I purchased it on iTunes for less than $10 - that's hard to beat. Plus, the lyrics are Scripture which I really like. I've found it to be another way to help me pray without ceasing. Check it out.

How Can I Keep From Singing Your Praise

This song has come to mean a lot to me recently. The days when I feel pretty "down", it helps to listen to this old hymn from the 1800s. It's got a lot of great reminders in it I need to hear. I particularly like these lyrics:

. . . And though the storms may come
I am holding on
To the rock I cling . . .

. . . I will lift my eyes
In the darkest night
For I know my Savior lives . . .

. . . And I will walk with You
Knowing You'll see me through
And sing the songs You give . . .

Take a listen and I think you'll know what I mean.

Playing Now

We sang a new hymn at the Saturday vigil called See What a Morning. It's written by Keith and Kristyn Getty. It's my new favorite song. Here are the lyrics to See What a Morning.

See, what a morning, gloriously bright, With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem; Folded the grave-clothes, tomb filled with light, As the angels announce, "Christ is risen!" See God's salvation plan, Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice, Fulfilled in Christ, the Man, For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

See Mary weeping, "Where is He laid?"
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
It's the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty.
Honor and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned with pow'r and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!

Here Kristyn is singing In Christ Alone.

And here they are in an interview. It doesn't hurt they are Irish...I love that accent!

Vexilla regis prodeunt

Hail, O faithful Cross of Jesus,
Nobler than all other trees;
On your branches hung the Savior,
God's own justice to appease.

You, O Cross, became the balance
On which Jesus' body lay:
All our sins amassed together
Jesus' death did far outweigh.

Hail, O Cross, our only comfort,
Teach us patience, mercy, love;
Be a bout of inspiration
And of grace from God above.

To the Father, Son, and Spirit,
Equal praise be given now,
As we call to mind Christ's Passion,
And in deep repentance bow. Amen.

My prayer book has had wonderful hymns the last few days focused on the Cross. This one is attributed to Venantius Fortunatus, a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. I've not noticed these hymns during Holy Week in prior years. Good, good stuff.

Wednesday Links and Miscellaneous Info.

Wow, what a terrible long day. Sitting on the couch now, listening to some great Gregorian Chant. I'll definitely be listening to this at work tomorrow. It helps keep me sane. :-)

Thought I'd share a few links with you.

I've noticed that Phyllis Tickle is keeping a blog through Lent. Check out The Divine Hours of Lent.

The Library of Congress has uploaded photo collections on Flickr. Very cool stuff. If you want to see photos from the early 1900s, follow this link.

If you're interested in reading the The Great Canon of St. Andrew, check it out here.

Tomorrow is my dear wife's birthday (I'm not telling which birthday). Feel free to wish her a happy birthday.

Peace!