Tuesday, October 28, 2014 I bind unto myself today the virtues of the star-lit heaven, the glorious suns life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even, the flashing of the lightning free, the whirling winds tempestuous shocks, the stable earth, the deep salt sea around the old eternal rocks. I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead, Gods eye to watch, Gods might to stay, Gods ear to hearken to my need, the wisdom of my God to teach, Gods hand to guide, Gods shield to ward, the word of God, to give me speech, Gods heavenly host to be my guard. -- I Bind unto Myself Today (tune: St. Patrick; Deirdre) trans. Cecil Frances Alexander from Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal Reflection In the first verse today, the author binds unto himself certain earthly images. In an ancient Celtic practice, the hands of a bride and groom are bound together during the marriage ceremony. This ritual is very moving. But what does it mean to bind oneself to an image? As I read these words, I call up visions of these earthly events, in order to bind them to myself in my imagination. I can see the star-lit sky. I am a young girl standing outside with my dad, listening to him describe the constellations. I tell him I can see them even though I cannot. I can hear his voice. I bind myself to that sound. In another image I can see the hymn writers whiteness of the moon at even. I am looking out the window of a cabin at the untouched, crystallized snow in Jackson, Wyoming. It is midnight. I cannot sleep for the brightness of the moon reflecting on the ice. I bind myself to the frozen moon. I, like the author, can bind myself to the images in todays first verse. Yet, in the next verse, the images do not immediately come. To bind myself to the images in that second verse, I need to visualize Gods eye, Gods ear, Gods might, Gods hand, and Gods shield. Binding myself to these images will provide protection, yet my minds eye is blind. I panic, fearing that I will be unable to connect to my God. Then I return to the images that I do have. I realize that God must be in those images. Gods spirit comes to us through our experience in his world. God is present. I bind myself to God. Prayer Dear God, with gratitude I realize that I have found you again. You are here. You have touched my mind with your Host as I live in and experience your world. Amen. -- Written by Katy Sinclair, Associate Director of Music for Children and Youth ( [email protected] )
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:37:35 +0000
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