Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. The Lord has made His salvation known and revealed His righteousness to the nations. He has remembered His love and His faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Psalm 98:1-3
Before we hear Caedmon’s song, read these keen comments that Edward Spencer, a faithful Daily Meditations reader, sent me after reading yesterday’s post.
Spencer writes, “I find it ironic that the song…it’s melody and words…were not revealed to Caedmon until he started to sing. God calls us to get up and walk into our infirmities before He reveals the pathway forward. He calls us to engagement with Him first, in faith and compelling trust, and then reveals the beauty of His full and eternal presence. Prevenient grace poured out in unlimited abundance. He stands at the door and knocks, but each of us must move to open the door, and then be transformed. Before we can fully give, we must fully receive. In the receiving, we learn how abundantly we can give – and never exhaust the abundance of what we have been given.”
Spot on, Edward! Now, as promised yesterday, here are the words of Caedmon’s song, entitled, “Prayers about becoming a voice for those who have no voice.”
“I cannot speak,
unless You loose my tongue;
I only stammer,
and I speak uncertainly;
but if You touch my mouth,
my Lord,
then I will sing the story
of Your wonders!
Teach me to hear that story,
through each person,
to cradle a sense of wonder
in their life,
to honor the hard-earned wisdom
of their sufferings,
to waken their joy
that the King of kings
stoops down
to wash their feet,
and looking up
into their face says,
‘I know–I understand.’
This world has become
a world of broken dreams
where dreamers are hard to find
and friends are few.
Lord, be the gatherer of our dreams.
You set the countless stars in place,
and found room for each of them to shine.
You listen for us in Your heaven-bright hall.
Open our mouths to tell our tales of wonder.
Teach us again the greatest story ever;
the One who made the worlds
became a little, helpless child,
then grew to be a carpenter
with deep, far-seeing eyes.
In time, the Carpenter began to travel,
in every village challenging the people
to leave behind their selfish ways,
be washed in living water,
and let God be their King.
The ordinary people crowded round Him,
frightened to miss
a word that He was speaking,
bringing their friends, their children,
all the sick and tired,
so everyone could meet Him,
everyone be touched and given life.
Some religious people were embarassed
— they did not like the company He kept,
and never knew just what He would do next.
He said,
‘How dare you wrap God up
in good behavior,
and tell the poor that they
should be like you?
How can you live at ease
with riches and success,
while those I love go hungry
and are oppressed?
It really is for such a time as this
that I was given breath.’
His words were dangerous,
not safe or tidy.
In secret His opponents said:
‘It surely would be better that
one person die.’
‘I think that would be better
if he could.’
Expediency would be the very death of Him.
He died because they thought it might be good.
You died that we might be forgiven,
Lord; but that was not the end.
You plundered death,
and made its jail-house shudder
— strode into life
to meet Your startled friends.
I have a dream
that all the world will meet You,
and know you, Jesus,
in Your living power
that someday soon
all people everywhere will hear Your story,
and hear it in a way they understand.
I cannot speak,
unless You loose my tongue;
I only stammer,
and I sopeak uncertainly;
but if you touch my mouth,
my Lord,
then I will sing the story
of Your wonders!
So many who have heard
forget to tell the story.
Here I am, my Jesus:
teach me.”
Caedmon of Whitby (? – 680) in Celtic Daily Prayer (New York: Harper Collins, 2002) 198-201.
Powerful and pointed is the song God put to His lips. Soak in it.
For those who want to grow in generosity, we must not miss the fact that the song is the gospel, and at the heart of the gospel is this truth: “How can you live at ease with riches and success, while those I love go hungry and are oppressed?”
Our living must demonstrate care for the hungry and oppressed.
In my work with GTP, God is opening my eyes to serve the spiritually hungry and culturally oppressed both near and far. I tend to attune to those crying for help from afar, and even forget the needs of family, friends, and voices close by.
God desires that we hear the story from those around us as this shapes our song.
Hild wanted everyone to hear Caedmon’s song. Likewise, we must learn from people near and far to know the gospel and to live it out in a way that shows the renunciation of cultural trappings and the embracing of the spiritually and materially poor. In so doing, I realize how poor I am.
Ironically, I find richness is only in sharing what God gives me, just like Caedmon.