TLH Hymn - God, Who Madest Earth and Heaven - #549

"God, Who Madest Earth and Heaven"
by Heinrich Albert, 1604-1651
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

Tune - Gott des Himmels - linked here

1. God, who madest earth and heaven,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
Who the day and night hast given,
Sun and moon and starry host;
Whose almighty hand sustains
Earth and all that it contains:

2. God, I thank Thee, in Thy keeping
Safely have I slumbered here;
Thou hast guarded me while sleeping
From all danger, pain, and fear;
And the cunning evil Foe
Hath not wrought my overthrow.

3. Let the night of my transgression
With night's darkness pass away.
Jesus, into Thy possession
I resign myself today;
In Thy wounds I find relief
From all sorrow, sin, and grief.

4. Help me as the morn is breaking,
In the spirit to arise,
So from careless sloth awaking,
That, when o'er the aged skies
Shall the Judgment Day appear,
I may see it without fear.

5. Lead me, and forsake me never,
Guide my wanderings by Thy Word;
As Thou hast been, be Thou ever
My Defense, my Refuge, Lord.
Never safe except with Thee,
Thou my faithful Guardian be.

6. O my God, I now commend me
Wholly to Thy mighty hand;
As the powers that Thou dost lend me
Let me use at Thy command.
Lord, my Shield, my Strength divine,
Keep me with Thee,--I am Thine.

Hymn #549
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 7:17
Author: Heinrich Albert, 1644, ab.
Translated by: Catherine Winkworth, 1855, alt.
Titled: "Gott des Himmels und der Erden"
Composer: Heinrich Albert, 1644
Tune: "Gott des Himmels"

Just Be Glad I Dropped the Pyramid Mysteries

 

I was watching some YouTubes on the Egyptian pyramids when I began to realize that their mysterious origins expanded exponentially. I gave up on that genre. 

Streaming videos seemed to one gigantic rummage sale until I found the BBC for $5 a month via Amazon. That channel depends on British castles, British gardens, and British gardens in British castles. In short - paradise. Although King Charles III has been mocked about gardening his entire life, he has accomplished a lot with a royal approach to Creation gardening. 

Charles is opposed to toxic gardening solutions; I decided chemicals were too expensive and ineffective. He discusses "organic gardening" while I stick with the original term based on Genesis 1 and Isaiah 55 - Creation Gardening.

My maternal and paternal grandfathers were farmers. I learned about God's Creation from my mother, an expert on birds, plants, herbs, insects, weeds, and flowers. I told her that shepherd's purse was not growing anywhere near, so she took me to the spot, smirking. She delighted her students in school by grabbing insects, explaining them, and telling them not to be afraid of them.

My mother-in-law mocked me for being a "dirt farmer," so I quoted President George Washington - "Of all the titles I have had, farmer is the one I am most proud of." (from memory)

 Crown Imperial

I go outside several times a day - mostly to observe what is currently growing. Yesterday, the last of the bulbs seemed to be finished, but Crown Imperial was just starting to show off. Soon people will be asking, "What's that?"

Clethra is called Sweet Spice or Cinnabon. Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds love it.

Clethra seems to have no life right now, but that is true of Joe Pye Weed and many others. Past failures are forgotten when so many plants are bursting out of the soil and crowding their bedmates.

 "The Calla Lilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower." Katherine Hepburn became famous with this line and movie. I have three bunches of them in the garden.

Quotation - From Luther's Sermon

 

Link - Luther's Sermon on the Unbelief of Thomas - The First Sunday after Easter 

And yet it is such horrible and dreadful wrath that all creatures are terrified by it. Therefore it is certainly true that no stone, steel, adamant, yea, nothing on earth is as hard as the impenitent heart of man.

7. On the other hand, if the heart loses courage and is terrified it is softer than water and oil, so that, as Scripture says, it is frightened at a rustling leaf. And when such a person is alone in a room and hears a little cracking of a rafter or a beam, he thinks thunder and lightning are striking him and he is in such anxiety and fear (as I have often seen), that no one can comfort or strengthen him, and all the preachers and all consoling proverbs are too few to calm him. So there is no moderation with the human heart; it is either entirely too hard like wood and stone, that it inquires about neither God nor Satan, or, on the other hand, it is entirely too timid, fickle and despondent.

8. Thus the apostles are here too scared and terror-stricken by the scandal they saw in their Lord being so ignominiously mocked, spit upon, scourged, pierced and finally crucified, so that they no longer had a heart in their bodies, who before while they had Christ among them were so bold and courageous, that James and John ventured to bid fire to come down from heaven and consume the Samaritans who would not receive Christ, Luke 9:54. They also knew how gloriously to boast that the devils were in the name of Jesus subject unto them; and Thomas admonished the others and said: “Let us go that we may die with him;” and Peter, more impetuous than the others, smites with the sword among the crowd when they wished to seize and take Christ captive. But now they lie prostrate in great fear and terror, locked up, and will let no one come to them. For this reason they were also terrified at the Lord when he comes and greets them, and they still think (which is indeed a sign that they are completely overcome by fear and despair) they see a spirit or a ghost. So soon they had forgotten all the miracles, signs and words they had seen and heard from him, that the Lord had enough to do during the forty days after his resurrection before he separated from them, in his appearances and revelations in various ways, now to the women, then to the disciples, both individually and collectively, besides eating and drinking with them; all for the purpose that they might be assured that he is risen. Yet it is so hard for this truth to enter their hearts.