December 13, 2019

Breaking with Christmas nostalgia


All of my life, I have loved my family’s tradition of traipsing through the woods to cut and decorate a real tree that filled our home with the fragrance of evergreen. Strings of lights wrapped warm colors around the branches and a wealth of ornaments (each with a story) dangled in the glow. In the shade beneath the tree, carefully chosen gifts gradually appeared, while carols played on the radio.

For many years, I’ve truly enjoyed that tradition. But this year, after I’d recorded, briefly watched, and deleted “Christmas specials” on television, the false gaiety made me sad as one show after another was neither special nor relevant to the annual mass for Christ – The One for Whom this holy day is named.

Even Santa Claus aka Saint Nicholas (an actual Christian Bishop in the fourth century) doesn’t seem to get top billing, but uniformly decorated trees grow on every channel as do commercials that bulge -- bigger and bolder every day.

And so this year, we set aside the fake tree and boxed ornaments in favor of a nativity set with large ceramic figures placed in or around a wooden stable with non-carnivorous animals alongside the scene.  The set sits on a wooden bench in our living room with colorful gifts placed way off to the side to keep the focus where it belongs.

What a difference this change of emphasis makes! Instead of walking through the room, wondering if I’d forgotten anyone or worrying about whether they’ll like the gifts I bought, I see the beautiful reminder of that first holy night when Jesus Christ was born.

May we never forget Christ in Christmas.




November 12, 2019

How public is the public domain?


After publishing the Book of Bible Prayers, which I’d collected from many translations of the Bible and prayerfully paraphrased (prayer-a-phrased) into everyday English, I became aware of the need for another version of the prayer book in KJV only. For many people, the King James Version is the only Bible to read.

Since King James of England commissioned the KJV translation in 1604 (published in 1611), we’ve been assured in recent decades that this beloved version is in the public domain and, therefore, can be quoted as much as we like as long as we identify the source. That’s almost true! But we’ll get back to that.

Contemporary translations have usually been commissioned, too, often by a Bible society or a Bible publisher, who holds the copyright. Generally, you can quote X number of verses (usually 250, but sometimes 500) without having to get the publisher’s permission. (The front matter of the edition will specify.)  Then you just have to acknowledge the copyright date and publishing company in your credits or on your title page.

I didn’t need to obtain permission with the Book of Bible Prayers because the text is an original compilation in my paraphrase with the exception of the Lord’s Prayer from the Gospel of Matthew, which I quoted and acknowledged as being from the KJV. However, the KJV version of the book having those same Bible prayers turned out to be another matter!

Come to find out, the KJV is indeed in the public domain – in the United States! If, though, your work profusely quotes the King James Version, as the Book of KJV Prayers does, for publication in the United Kingdom, guess what! You have to get permission from the crown!

After King James commissioned this translation into English, the British crown continued to renew the copyright as needed over the next 400 years! So, to avoid getting in trouble with the queen, the Book of KJV Prayers will be available in the United States only. Lord willing, I’ll occasionally post prayers from that book on the Bible Prayers site – but with an acknowledgement, of course.


Mary Sayler, ©2019



October 7, 2019

Tell a writer. Tell the world.


With easy-to-do yourself book publishing through Amazon Kindle and easy-to-do blogs via Google’s Blogger aka Blogspot, poets and writers have become more and more likely to publish their own work. Equally enticing, both forms of self-publishing are free!

A big obstacle arises though in getting out the word about the words written. With none of the advertising or publicity help that traditionally published poets and writers can rely on, the self-published author counts on you the reader to let friends, fellow readers, and social media followers know which books and blogs might be worth their reading time.

You don’t have to be a writer yourself to help the publishing community or literary world! Just tell people what you like as though you’re talking to them in person. Be specific about the unique aspects you found especially appealing or why you’re drawn to the work of a particular poet or writer.

If, however, you run across a “bad read” you wouldn’t recommend to anyone, don’t say a word – at least not in public! Instead send a note to the poet or writer if there’s something you feel strongly about; otherwise, let it go. It could be that the work hit a nerve or that whatever bothered you simply conflicts with the personal preferences or beliefs to which you’re both entitled.

As you review and laud 5-star books on Amazon and other sites, you add your voice to the literary community. You influence other readers, and your show appreciation for work well doneYou may never know for sure, but your reviews can encourage a poet or writer enough to give momentum for the next book. At least, that’s what happened to me.

After decades of researching what the Bible says and shows about prayer, I “suddenly” knew I wanted a book that collected Bible prayers into a contemporary prayer book we can use to refresh, deepen, and empower our prayer lives. The immediate responses to the Book of Bible Prayers were so positive, I began the next book right away before my enthusiasm waned.

Maybe that’s why I’m up, writing this appeal before daybreak! Of necessity, poets and writers spend much of their time in solitude in order to get any work done, so your encouraging words matter a lot! And, who knows? Your positive review might give the momentum needed for the next manuscript that inspires and encourages you!




September 11, 2019

A poem of comfort: 9/11


Jesus walked through flames for us.

He brought calm
to the terrorized planes.

The Twin Towers came down
around Him, 

holding
your husband, your wife, your child.


Mary Harwell Sayler©2018/09/11

...

May 22, 2019

Making all things new


New Testament Reading: Acts 11:1-18
Psalm: 148, page 861
Second NT Reading: Revelation 21:1-6
Gospel: John 13:31-35

One of my favorite prayers is King David’s prayer in Psalm 19: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, o Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”

Isn’t that what we all need? Strength and redemption!

Peter thought so. As we learned in the New Testament scripture reading from Acts, the Jewish Christians called Peter on the carpet! He didn’t overreact or get all defensive and offended though. Instead, he responded by listening to what they had to say. Then he addressed their concerns by providing them with facts – new information they’d never heard of before and, most likely, never considered.

Step by step, Peter carefully described the vision God had given him – not once but three times – to show he no longer needed to be concerned about Kosher foods because everything edible was now to be included on the menu! This was a big deal! For many centuries, food choices, food preparations, and menus for meals had been a major obstacle between Jews and Gentiles. The differences were so huge, in fact, they could never come together for a meal.

Sharing food and eating together is what we do after church services every third Sunday because dining together is a great way to welcome people, show acceptance, and get to know one another better as we chat and laugh and grab a desert before they’re gone!

Jews and Gentiles had never been able to do this, and so misunderstandings, snide remarks, and hostility had resulted over the years. Now, with Peter’s message, the Jewish Christians heard him saying that God had changed the dietary rules.

As often happens when we’re learning something new, we need to hear the same thing three times before it begins to sink in. God knows this about us, of course, so Peter received the same message from God again and again! Three times Peter received the same vision about the Jewish diet being made new – and much more inclusive of food choices! If Gentiles could eat it, so could he!

The Jewish Christians, however, were not convinced. So Peter told them how the Holy Spirit had fallen on the Gentiles, just as it had on them! What a shock this was! The people fell silent, which is an appropriate response to an “Oh? or Aha” moment!

This episode in Acts 11 teaches the importance of clearly communicating a viewpoint, especially if it’s unlike what people expect to hear – a view that makes all things new as perspectives begin to change and our embrace widens to include ideas and people unlike ourselves.

As this new information began to sink in, the Jewish Christians realized God was making all things new – for the Gentiles and for themselves. Once Peter had carefully explained to them why he’d dined with pagans, the early Christians realized that God had included in His plan of redemption the very people they’d thought were hopeless and beyond saving! They believed it! And they began praising God for including – not just more food in their diet but more people empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We, too, can praise the Lord whenever God brings us into the company of people who have different ways of doing things – people who don’t fit in at first. We, too, can give praise for God’s extended family, which brings to mind this poem from my book Praise:

Praise Christ our Body
Who holds us together
in cell and membrane,
tissue and blood,
tendon and tears.

Praise Christ Whose Body
embraces
each part of us –
an ear, an eye, a knee,
a scalp, a head of hair
with each curl counted.

Praise Christ Who gave
His body and
welcomes each one of us –
into the Body of Christ,
the Church –
to work, to play,
and pray together,
to love and forgive,
to worship as One Being
the Lord we adore.

Everyone needs saving! We could make a long list of things that come to mind – and perhaps we should as those very areas of aggravation or concern are usually the ones in most need of prayer and praise. Our own need to change some things is also nothing new!

After the fall in the Garden of Eden, the whole world fell prey to pain, suffering, and death. Everything God created had been placed under our care, but as care-less care-takers, we often left the air, land, water, living plants, and animals to fend for themselves! Then, along came the poet who wrote Psalm 148, which we read in the scriptures today, and heard its overriding theme of praise – praise that includes every created thing! Similar to the way Peter welcomed Gentiles into the family of Christ, the psalmist long before him had welcomed all creation into a new relationship with God and humankind.

Now we might think we have nothing in common with angels or the moon and stars or sea monsters or fire and snow and storms. We might think we have nothing in common with flying birds or wild animals, and yet, this psalms shows we’re connected with God and one another – not through missing links but through our ability to praise God and, indeed, the biblical instructions that we ALL need to praise. We are all connected through the earth itself as I hope this next poem shows:

Praise Our Playful God –
Who created us
from dirt and earth-mud –
like a Holy Child
molding
modeling clay,
loving the results,
but wanting more:
Wanting joy
to mobilize us,
wanting love
to propel us,
wanting us
to respond to Him.

Even if we don’t feel like it, praising God is a way we show our trust in the Lord. Praising God – regardless of what’s happening – is a way we submit to God’s will. And, even if stars fall and fires sweep through town and snow covers the roads or the temperature outside gives us a sunburn in ten minutes or less, praising God shows we know that God knows what He’s doing.

So? What is He doing?



God is making all things new!

Praising God shows we believe that. It reconnects us with goodness and beauty and the wonder of each moment. Praise also gives us a new perspective toward ourselves, other people, and life in general. How? Praise frees us from judgmental attitudes and makes us ready to love.

In the Gospel reading for this Bible Talk, John reported the newness we have in Christ as we follow His new instructions. Even though He was about to be crucified, Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment” – that is, a new perspective, a new viewpoint, a new way of seeing the possibilities for renewal found in all creation. Jesus said, “Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

Instead of just following the Golden Rule and treating others as we want them to treat us, Jesus instructs us – no, He commands us – to love one another as He would. Then, He goes on to say, “In this way, everyone will know you’re My followers – if you have love for one another.”

May this poem of praise also be our prayer:

Praise You God, Our Tutor –
for instructing us in the love life
You want us to live,

for training us through
Christ Jesus and Your Word,

for coaching us with the help
of Holy Spirit and the counsel

of good friends who have
suffered through the ache

of daily living and have
come to know You well –

who have consistently come to ask,
“Lord, what’s the loving thing to do?”


Amen!


Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, poems from Praise!


February 7, 2019

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary by Brant Pitre gives Christians from all backgrounds a better understanding of the biblical view of the Mother of Christ.

Published by Image, who kindly sent me a copy to review, the book begins with the author’s questioning the church’s teaching about Mary in his attempt to answer his own questions and those often asked by non-Catholics.

As the Introduction says, “This book is written for anyone who has ever wondered what the Bible really teaches about Mary, the mother of Jesus.”

Then, “Eventually, it dawned on me that the reason I had begun to consider Catholic beliefs about Mary ‘unbiblical’ was that I was not paying enough attention to the Old Testament.”

Does this matter? As the Introduction goes on to say, “When it comes to the mother of Jesus, the stakes are high. Mary is a dividing line between Christians. And the issues involved are serious. If Protestants are right about Mary, then both Catholic and Orthodox Christians – more than half of the world’s Christian population – are committing idolatry on a regular basis. If Catholics and Orthodox are right about Mary, then Protestant Christians – a little less than half of the world’s Christians – are missing out on what the Bible as a whole reveals about the mother of Christ.”

As a Christian who sees where both sides are coming from, I was not interested in who's right but in God’s ongoing command to honor our parents. And, my honoring the mother of my Savior seems like the respectful, responsible thing to do. In addition, I’ve often heard – in the early church and onward –  peoples of all faiths have been drawn to Mary, who then draws them to Christ.

After reading this book with interest, I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about Jesus’ mother and the biblical parallels between her and various women in the Hebrew Bible. In the chapter, “The New Eve,” for instance, the author draws parallels between Mary and Eve, the latter of whom was referred to in Genesis as “woman” before the Fall and only given a proper name afterwards. Since I’d never noticed that distinction before, I could at last see why Jesus referred to His mother as “woman” a couple of times – not out of disrespect but as making a connection between her and the first woman. For, as the New Testament calls Jesus the “New Adam,” Mary can well be considered the New Eve.

Another biblical parallel occurs between Mary and the “Queen Mother” of the Old Testament. For example, the wife (or wives) of a king was not referred to as the Queen Mother, but his biological mother had that particular title. And so, with her Son Jesus as the King of Kings, Mary would understandably be placed in that royal category.

Other parallels can be found in the Ark of the Covenant that contained the Word of God and with Rachel, who weeps for her lost children. But, Dr. Pitre - a graduate of Notre Dame and present Research Professor of Scripture and Theology at the Augustine Institute - explains far better and more knowledgeably than I in this thought-provoking, easy-to-read, engaging book that, I pray, will help to heal the Marian rifts among us.





November 17, 2018

Classic poetry from a faith perspective

This anthology of beautifully-written poetry from the perspective of faith is a must-read for Christian poets and poetry lovers of hope: The Soul in Paraphrase.

You'll not only have an excellent collection of literary poems to study and enjoy, you'll have the benefit of notes and comments by the prolific writer and long-time English Professor Leland Ryken - an expert in the field of literature and the Bible. I've appreciated his work for years and keep many of his books beside my desk for quick reference!

For a review of the book, click onto the current post on my Poetry Editor and Poetry blog.


The Soul in Paraphrase, hardback



...

Me, Myself, and Eye Care

  Over a decade ago I began this blog, and, as time has flown, so has my vision. With a few other blogs to maintain, I hope to post/ repost ...