Blog Tag: Jesus
996
Written by
5
Sacred Music Sunday: Upon the Cross of Calvary
I used to collect hymnals, but I lost my collection in an apartment flood in 2016 and I've never gotten around to replacing it. It's interesting to me to see the similarities and differences across time and across denominations. I also tried my hand at editing my own hymnal based on the current LDS hymnal.
The Doctrine and Covenants teaches that singing is a form of prayer, and I wanted my prayers to reflect my own thoughts and feelings. I went through the entire book making minor stylistic edits, such as making language gender-inclusive. I had grand plans of printing...
483
Written by
Sacred Music Sunday: Abide With Me
The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus sticks with me. It takes place a short time after the resurrection of Jesus and is recounted in Luke 24. Two unnamed disciples were walking along the road discussing recent events when someone approaches them and joins their conversation. The person is Jesus, but the disciples fail to recognize him. Jesus asks them what they're talking about, and they recount the events of the ministry of Jesus, the atonement, and the resurrection. They're bearing their testimony without realizing that they're speaking to the very person of whom they're testifying....
489
Written by
Sacred Music Sunday: The Lord Is My Light
January and February are hard for me. I live in the northern hemisphere, and I'm extremely solar powered. By the time January hits, I'm just done. It's been dark for months, and the gentle happy glow of Christmas is over. I'm tired, sluggish, cold, unmotivated, and in physical pain. Even high doses of injected vitamin D prescribed by my doctor only barely take the edge off. I just have to push through until March when the sun comes back and my body forgives me for subjecting it to winter.
Descriptions of Jesus as the light of the world resonate with...
700
Written by
Finding Mary
TW: birth experience
Did she scream? It bothers me, the way we see Mary after the birth, immaculate blue robe, beatific smile, her perky breast that never knew stretchmarks pointing toward heaven. Clean her up for the cameras, I guess. Brush her hair and wash her face so she can look like a Mother of God. It wasn’t her vanity, after all, but the vanity of patriarchs who never were in a birthing room but who painted this moment anyway, without asking if she screamed. I don’t have room in my life for sanitized Mary, the one who looks the...
404
Written by
Sacred Music Sunday: Abide with Me
This past week was the solstice - summer for the northern hemisphere and winter for the southern. I live in the middle of a hot desert, so summer makes me cranky. There's an oppressive heat that drives everyone inside for all but the most essential errands. I'm crabby and prone to starting arguments, and it gets light so early in the morning that I can't seem to get enough sleep. In short, it's miserable. I imagine the people weathering the depth of winter have comparable though different complaints - the looming darkness, the ever-present chill.
The solstice reminds us that...
1025
Written by
Sacred Music Sunday: All Glory, Laud, and Honor
Today is Palm Sunday, the day that begins Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. On Palm Sunday, Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem is celebrated. A traditional hymn for the day is All Glory, Laud, and Honor.
I'm looking forward to this Easter. I feel like we've all been living in a year-long Lent. But things are looking up. Resurrection is right around the corner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxzhFsuBijs
371
Written by
Sacred Music Sunday: Jacob’s Ladder
I remember when I was in seminary we learned one day about the story of Jacob's vision of a ladder with angels going up and down it. I hadn't heard the story previously, and I gave it little thought. People were always having odd visions in the Bible, and as visions go, it was less remarkable than winged beasts, giant statues made of various materials, or eating books.
A few years ago, my ward choir sang Jacob's Ladder, which is a hymn about this story, tying the vision into the mission of Jesus and the eventual rest that awaits the...
286
Written by
Sacred Music Sunday: God So Loved the World
We hear a lot at church about "The World". The World is used as a bogeyman - a shorthand for anything bad. We're told not to be like the world, as if the world is something separate from us. The World is full of evil people doing evil things, devoid of any virtues whatsoever and is to be viewed with suspicion.
This tendency can lead to insularity and cliquishness. I had a mission companion who had never met anyone not a member of the church until she arrived in the mission field. I know parents who won't let their kids...
837
Written by
Sacred Music Sunday: I Will Sing the Wondrous Story #CopingWithCOVID19
I've really missed going to church. There's something about being physically present in the same space as other people that can't be replicated over Zoom. A couple of months ago when my state's stay at home order was lifted, I visited a local church that was holding services. It was so healing to be able to gather in the name of Jesus with others. I'm the only practicing Christian in my household, so there had been no one to gather with. My ward is starting back up in a few weeks, and I'm grateful. We won't be singing, at...
441
Written by
Sacred Music Sunday: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Isaac Watts sure knew how to write a hymn. So many of my favorite hymns were written by him. One that I really love that I wish were in our hymnal is When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. I was first introduced to this hymn when I was in the MTC. I was in the choir, and we performed this hymn for a devotional one week.
I like how the music is simultaneously joyful and haunting. It captures my feelings about the Atonement perfectly - joy at the love that motivated Jesus to do it, and a haunting feeling of...
What is Exponent II?
Exponent II provides Mormon feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.
Exponent II was founded in 1974 by a group of Mormon women in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These women were inspired by the original periodical, “The Woman’s Exponent,” to create a forum “posed on the dual platforms of Mormonism and Feminism.”
For 50+ years, Exponent II has shared women’s voices in its quarterly magazine, and members of the community have convened at an annual retreat. Our reach has expanded as technology has advanced: the blog, founded in January 2006, has reached millions. As we look to the future, we are focused on growth and building a more inclusive community.
