"Love one another"

             

Monday musical meditations on God's good news






















An opening prayer:

    Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
    The strife is o’er, the battle done;
    Now is the victor’s triumph won;
    Now be the song of praise begun. Alleluia!

    Death’s mightiest powers have done their worst,
    And Jesus has his foes dispersed;
    Let shouts of praise and joy outburst. Alleluia!

    On the third morn he rose again
    Glorious in majesty to reign; 
    Oh, let us swell the glad refrain. Alleluia!

    He closed the yawning gates of hell;
    The bars from heaven’s high portals fell.
    Let songs of praise his triumph tell. Alleluia!

    Lord, by the stripes which wounded you
    From death’s sting free your servants too,
    That we may live and sing to you. Alleluia!
    Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.

John 13:31–35

  • When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

  • 33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

    34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

       
      

Good news questions

  • Jesus lives! Where he was going (to the cross and the empty tomb) nobody could follow.
  • The hideous cross, of all things, was his glorification.
  • In what ways? With what results, for you and yours?

For others pray

  • That God spreads the good news of the kingdom of the Son he loves in Botswana

J.S. Bach's beautiful music for today

  • BWV 95 (YouTube, "Christ Is My Life")
  • The cantata begins by echoing Paul's words to the Philippians (1:21).
  • How can we die confidently? Jesus lives again. Death has become our sleep.
  • The second-to-last part of the cantata argues from lesser to greater: "If a shepherd looks for hs lost sheep, surely Jesus will find me again."
  • Freed from fear, we can love everyone else with patience and forgiveness.

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