Tag: poetry
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The Darkest Evening of the Year
science, and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” for the Winter Solstice
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Summer Solstice Day
For the height of summer: a song, and a poem. The lyrics, and another version of the song here. An analysis of the poem here. Image: “Midnight sun” (cropped), Yan Zhang, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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“Writing in the Sand” by Christian Wiman
On religion and poetry, being and meaning, and on God’s … being in the world as poetry is in the poem, a law against its closure. Beautiful. Image: “Pre School lesson writing in sand,” Menschensindanders, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Help with Annotation
Originally published August 12, 2016. It seemed timely once again, alas. Context is everything. “I need your help with annotation.” “What do you have to annotate?” “English.” “What’s the assignment?” “Just to take notes. On Beowulf.”
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Studying Job 8 1-10, 20-22
We are being asked to think about a conventional – and not only ancient – understanding of cosmic justice this week. We are studying Job 8:1-10 and 20-22 – so, really, Job 8 – for Sunday, February 20. This is Bildad’s first speech challenging Job’s lament over his innocent suffering. Spending time with it will…
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The Darkest Evening of the Year
According to timeanddate.com, sunset tonight is 5:27 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, after 9 hours, 30 minutes, and 22 seconds of daylight. That’s 15 seconds more daylight than we had last year on the same momentous occasion. I’m grateful for every extra second. I get this way every year, feeling a deep kinship with those ancient…
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Reflecting on Psalm 107
What does it mean to be among “the redeemed”? We are studying Psalm 107 for Sunday, October 17, which develops several detailed images of “the redeemed.” How, we might ask, do any of these images resonate with our own experience – or do our own images of “redemption” differ from those in the psalm? [Some…
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Studying Psalm 100
We will get to “make a joyful noise unto the HOLY ONE,” or at least think about what that might include, as we are studying Psalm 100 for Sunday, October 3. It’s World Communion Sunday, too, so the Psalmist’s invitation to “all ye lands” seems particularly timely. This will be the first in a series…
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Studying Exodus 15 11-21
Who is like You among the gods, O YHWH?Who is like You, mighty in holiness? Fearsome in praise, worker of wonders. Exodus 15:11 We are studying Exodus 15:11-21, a portion of the “Song of the Sea” for Sunday, September 5. This is the poetic celebration of God’s victory after the children of Israel have escaped…
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Reflecting on Lamentations 5
We are studying Lamentations 5, the concluding poem in the book of Lamentations, for Sunday, April 25. [Some notes on the text are here.] Here are a few questions we might want to consider, and perhaps discuss, as we study this text: How do we ourselves read the text? For instance, do we read it…
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Studying Lamentations 5
We are studying Lamentations 5 – the whole poem – for Sunday, April 25. This is the concluding poem of the cycle that forms the book of Lamentations, which is a lament for the suffering of the people of Jerusalem and Judah after the destruction by the Babylonians. [Some questions on the text are here.]…
Matters of Interpretation 