Sunday's Hymn: Joy to the World!

Joy to the world! the Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns:
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.

Isaac Watts, 1719
Tune: Antioch C.M., Lowell Mason, 1836
Based on George Frederick Handel, 1742

Its the day after Christmas...

...and its been snowing pretty much all day here in Chicagoland! This is the view out the front door of the cottage now as Andy works on snow removal.



The light on the other side of the house outside the screen porch doesn't have quite as much evening to it but I love how that little tree looks draped in snow.



How's the weather in your part of the world this 26th of December?

Merry Christmas!

May the light of Christ our Saviour shine brightly in your life this Christmas Day.

Seven Vegetable Soup

We enjoyed a lovely dinner with a dear friend and her husband Saturday evening and on the menu was this delicious vegetable soup, a new recipe for me, one shared by our daughter, Emily. Its so much fun sharing recipes and cooking ideas with her...especially when they turn out this good!

1 quart chicken stock
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.)
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups 1/2 inch potato cubes
2 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 package frozen creamed spinach (10 oz.), thawed
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

This is a slow cooker recipe and the directions say to combine all ingredients except the spinach and cheese in the slow cooker, cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low until the potatoes and carrots are tender. My slow cooker never really got the potatoes and carrots tender, not even on high. So I ended up transferring the soup to a stock pot to cook on the stove. Either way, once those potatoes and carrots are tender, increase the heat to high and stir in the thawed creamed spinach. Cook another 6-10 minutes until the soup is slightly thickened. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Sunday's Hymn: Good Christian Men, Rejoice

Good Christian men, rejoice,
With heart, and soul, and voice;
Give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ is born today;
Earth and heav'n before him bow,
And he is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!

Good Christian men, rejoice,
With heart, and soul, and voice;
Now ye hear of endless bliss:
Jesus Christ was born for this!
He hath op'ed the heavenly door,
And man is blessed evermore.
Christ was born for this!

Good Christian men, rejoice,
With heart, and soul, and voice;
Now ye need not fear the grave:
Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all
To gain his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!

Medieval Latin
Translated by John Mason Neale, 1853
Tune: In Duldi Jubilo, 14th century melody, har. by W.D., 1918

15 Words or Less Poem

Chocolate soldiers march in perfect rows
Except me
Third row, fourth back
Always slightly askew.

More poems at Laura Purdie Salas's site.

Sunday's Hymn: Lift Up Your Heads,Ye Mighty Gates

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates!
Behold, the King of glory waits;
The King of kings is drawing near,
The Saviour of the world is here.
Life and salvation he doth bring,
Wherefore rejoice and gladly sing:
We praise thee, Father, now,
Creator, wise art thou!

A Helper just he comes to thee,
His chariot is humility,
His kingly crown is holiness,
His scepter, pity in distress.
The end of all our woe he brings;
Wherefore the earth is glad and sings:
We praise thee, Saviour, now,
Mighty in deed art thou!

O blest the land, the city blest,
Where Christ the Ruler is confessed!
O happy hearts and happy homes
To whom this King in triumph comes!
The cloudless sun of joy he is,
Who bringeth pure delight and bliss.
We praise thee, Spirit, now,
Our Comforter art thou!

Georg Weissel, 1642
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1855
Tune: Macht Hoch Die Tur, Johann A. Freylinghausen, 1704

Morning After

I love the way my part of the world looks the morning after a snowstorm! And the best view in the morning is from our upstairs bathroom window. Its something about the way the sun strikes the snow-covered branches and the play of light and shadow it creates. The beauty outside that window makes up for the shock of looking at the outdoor thermometer on the dresser and seeing that its -1.3 degrees F. out there! And windy!

Snow!

Our first serious snow storm of the season hit yesterday and continued overnight. More snow is expected today but there was a lull when I took Charlie out early this morning.

Sunday's Hymn: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height,
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny;
From depths of hell thy people save,
And give them victory o'er the grave.

O come, thou Dayspring from on high
And cheer us by thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

O come, thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

Latin antiphone, 12th century, Latin hymn, 1710
Translated by John Mason Neale, 1851
Tune: Veni Emmanuel, Ancient plain song, 13th century
Adapted by Thomas Helmore, 1856