from the hand of all that hate us
From the Hand Of All That Hate Us
To my ongoing consternation, the time is gone when Anglicanism could be defined as a sound, a sound of worship and especially the sound of Anglican Chant, which is exquisite four-part harmony in singing canticles. Now I live with Alice in Wonderland where “you are old, Father William, the young man said” and who cares. Truth, even today’s best musicians are incapable of Anglican Chant that is not part of their being.
One of my favorite canticles in the old time was the Benedictus Dominus Deus (Song of Zechariah, Luke 1:68-79) which we sang in Morning Prayer on Sunday mornings, often enough that nobody needed a book. The tune and words are in my head this New Years Eve morning for particular reason that is particularly unholy.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, *
for he hath visited and redeemed his people;
And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us *
in the house of his servant David,
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, *
which have been since the world began:
for he hath visited and redeemed his people;
And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us *
in the house of his servant David,
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, *
which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, *
and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, *
and to remember his holy covenant;
To perform the oath which he swore to our forefather Abraham, *
that he would give us,
That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies *
might serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him, *
all the days of our life.
and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, *
and to remember his holy covenant;
To perform the oath which he swore to our forefather Abraham, *
that he would give us,
That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies *
might serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him, *
all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest, *
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people *
for the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God, *
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people *
for the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God, *
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us;
To give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Here we are at New Years Eve passing into 2014, the year in which I will turn 79, inshallah. Inshallah? Though we are far from innocent, and seriously need self-examination and repentance of which we are incapable, we need to be wary of the hand of all that hate us, and wariness is watchfulness. Yes, anyone who thinks Dystopia is an imaginary place is a fool, and anyone who has read 1984 and Darkness at Noon and Animal Farm is rightfully alarmed, and no one likes a data base being systemically accumulated on his/her every breath; but for all the rhetoric against NSA, they are out to stop those who hate us murderously.
We learned nothing about war from Vietnam, surely we will not learn nothing about terrorism from 9/11. Americans are in danger that is not diminishing, and I would rather know Big Brother is recording my thoughts than be afraid to go to the grocery store or movie theater or to put my child on the school bus in the anarchy that is on the horizon.
Although I watched the horrors of the Third Reich and the USSR, and Iraq under Saddam and Iran under Supreme Leader, I also lived through Pearl Harbor and am now living through 9/11, where I am more uneasy about the motives of those who would tear down our surveillance systems so nobody will know what they’re thinking and doing than I am about the satellite that goes over my house twice a day recording every keystroke and download. Yes indeed, as part of an ambitious Executive, NSA bears close Legislative and Judicial oversight so that we do not find ourselves in the cell with Winston and the Rats. But this is nothing new: watchfulness, oversight, is essential anywhere humans are in charge.
With thanks to Missie,
Immortal Lord God, you inhabit eternity, and have brought us your unworthy servants to the close of another year; Pardon, we entreat you, our transgressions of the past, and graciously abide with us all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
With thanks to Missie,
Immortal Lord God, you inhabit eternity, and have brought us your unworthy servants to the close of another year; Pardon, we entreat you, our transgressions of the past, and graciously abide with us all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
TW