†
A Greeting
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
(Psalm 61:1)
A Reading
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I;
for you are my refuge..
Let me abide in your tent for ever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
(Psalm 61:2b-3-4)
Music
Meditative Verse
From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.
(Psalm 61:2a)
A Poem
Lord, purge our eyes to see
Within the seed a tree,
Within the glowing egg a bird,
Within the shroud a butterfly,
Till, taught by such we see
Beyond all creatures, Thee
And hearken to Thy tender word
And hear its "Fear not: it is I"
A Greeting
Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
(Psalm 61:1)
A Reading
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I;
for you are my refuge..
Let me abide in your tent for ever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
(Psalm 61:2b-3-4)
Music
Meditative Verse
From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.
(Psalm 61:2a)
A Poem
Lord, purge our eyes to see
Within the seed a tree,
Within the glowing egg a bird,
Within the shroud a butterfly,
Till, taught by such we see
Beyond all creatures, Thee
And hearken to Thy tender word
And hear its "Fear not: it is I"
- from "Judge not according to the appearance"
Verse for the Day
So I will always sing praises to your name.
(Psalm 61:8a)
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| Detail from the mystery painting |
Pigeons are very closely allied with doves in Scripture and in some translations the words are used interchangeably. However, they are not only physically very different birds, they are also clearly being distinguished from each other in the biblical texts, most often in relation to size and age. "Two doves or a young pigeon" was the sin offering for the very poor (see Leviticus 1, 5, 12, 14 and 15) or as a substitute for another specified animal that could not be provided. Pigeons were the very first birds ever to be domesticated and their capacity to "home" made them invaluable as family property. They were allowed inside and were treated like members of the family. They bred all year long and wild pigeons occupied caves, plains and forests alike which meant there was never a shortage. Translators in all eras have sometimes preferred "dove" to the pigeon indicated because the cultural attitude towards pigeons in subsequent centuries would not survive its proper usage. A good example comes in Songs 2:14: "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely." The bird indicated is technically a pigeon but "O my pigeon,..." does not quite work as well! The pigeon has simply never been able to land the beauty and gentleness status of the dove.
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| "Liftoff" by Quinn Dombrowski |
LC† Psalms in the Stable is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
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Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto.
Join our Facebook page. Follow us @LuTConnect.
