The Top Shelf: Best Reads of 2012 Edition

As 2012 draws to a close, the interwebs are flooded with year-end lists: the best-dressed, the worst-dressed, the best and worst movies, the most memorable moments, etc. I am not in a position to offer an opinion on the best books of 2012, since I don't keep up with the latest publications, but I did make my own list--the best books I read in 2012, broken up by genre--which was recently posted on Schaeffer's Ghost. Here's an excerpt:

Best Romance: A Long Fatal Love Chase, by Louisa May Alcott 

Did you know that Louisa May Alcott, she of the quaintly wholesome Little Women, also wrote insanely outlandish romance novels? Well, she did, and they are awesome. A Long Fatal Love Chase is full of improbably named villains with nefarious intentions and a lovely heroine whose flight from said villain takes her from yacht to convent to mental institution, through an assortment of disguises, forbidden love, and daring escapes. In short, it is flat out bonkers, and I loved every minute of it. 

Honorable Mention: A Modern Mephistopheles, by Louisa May Alcott

Full post available here.

Les Misérables (2012)

****

An excerpt of a review recently posted on Schaeffer's Ghost:

Javert, on the other hand, has no understanding of grace. He is upstanding, incorruptible, and an unfailing servant of Justice. But those in his path must realize that with Javert, justice is all they will ever get—no less than justice, but no more. Sins must be punished—‘Those who falter and those who fall must pay the price.’ He hunts Valjean relentlessly, and is unmoved by Valjean’s apparent change of heart. When Valjean has an opportunity to kill Javert and chooses to spare his life, Javert lets Valjean go (for the time being), and is immediately so horrified by his lapse of duty that he kills himself. 

Or at least, that’s what he tells himself. Really, even worse for Javert than the knowledge that he failed in his duty is the realization that he, Javert, received grace from a convict. A sinner spared his life, and now he must either accept this act of grace and the change it will inevitably bring about in his life (for grace accepted always changes us) or reject it. And, of course, this is what he does. Because the knowledge that he received grace from anyone, let alone a criminal, is too much for him to deal with. He is determined to stand or fall by his works alone, not by the grace of another. And so, like all who choose this approach, he falls.

Full review available here.

White Christmas (1954)

***

An excerpt of a review recently posted on Schaeffer's Ghost:

The overall theme is one of continued connectedness, obligation, and sacrifice. On some level, this works itself out comically (as in Wallace’s continued sense of obligation to Davis for saving his life, and Davis’ shameless willingness to exploit that sense of obligation). But there are more serious implications as well. [...] Wallace and Davis undertake to move their entire show—cast, sets, and all—to rural Vermont to help out their old Army general. This is far from a low cost endeavor. It is nothing short of an act of personal sacrifice. And when Wallace exhorts his fellow veterans to come to Vermont to show appreciation for General Waverly, they do so. That they would leave their families on Christmas Eve, and at a moment’s notice, is evidence of a deep devotion to the General. 

The interesting thing is that none of these individuals were supposed to have been terribly good friends. [...] Time and time again, Wallace and Davis remind each other that they are doing this or that undesirable task ‘for a pal in the Army.’ The emphasis is clearly on ‘Army’, not ‘pal.’ The connection between them is not personal; it is based on a shared commitment to and service of a particular cause—a common experience that transcends personalities, professions, geography, and even time. On the strength of this connection, Wallace, Davis, and the other veterans of the 151st Division make costly sacrifices.

Full review available here.

The Top Shelf: Christmas Edition

For those of you gearing up for the holidays, I figured I'd collect all my holiday posts to date in one place. Because I am all about making your life easier.

I've reviewed a few Christmas-related devotionals over the years, including The Meaning Is in the Waiting: The Spirit of Advent by Paula Gooder and God Came Near by Max Lucado, both of which are excellent resources for preparing your heart for the Christmas holidays and meditating on the real reason for the season. 

If biography's more your speed, I also reviewed The Saint Who Would Be Santa Claus, by Adam C. English.

For the musically inclined, Calvin Stapert's Handel's Messiah: Comfort for God's People is an excellent read.

And of course Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol is a holiday must-read--and a short one at that.

If you're not looking for a whole book, I also did a blog series on the Gospel content of 13 well-known Christmas carols, including What Child Is This?, The First Noel, Good Christian Men, Rejoice, We Three Kings, and perennial favorite O Holy Night, just to name a few.

I've also posted some thoughts on the incarnation, with an assist from theological bigwigs like G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, and J.I. Packer.

And of course, we mustn't forget the Christmas movies! I've reviewed both White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street, as well as the best Christmas movie of all time: Die Hard.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Hymns from the Land of Luther, by Jane Laurie Borthwick & Sarah Findlater (trans.)

***

A collection of 54 hymns translated from the German by Jane Laurie Borthwick and her sister, Sarah Findlater.

As with most of Borthwick's stuff, the theology is fairly solid and many of the hymns are quite good.  I wasn't quite as impressed by this collection as by Schaff's two volume collection. But then, Schaff included hundreds of hymns, many of which were absolute stinkers.  I have no idea what the ratio of good to bad worked out to be in those collections, but I'm guessing Borthwick's collection doesn't fare any worse.  There were no truly amazing hymns that I recall, but there weren't any utterly abysmal ones either.  I think this is the collection where Borthwick's well-known translation of "Be Still, My Soul" first appeared, though, so that's something.

The focus here is definitely on death and heaven, and there are more hymns on dying or the joys to come after death than there are on any other subject.  I'm curious as to whether that's indicative of a trend in German hymnody, or if it merely speaks to Borthwick's own interests as reflected in the hymns she selected. Granted, most hymns include a verse on the second coming or Christians' ultimate experience of victory, resurrection, and union with God, but this collection includes quite a few hymns with first lines like "Weary, Waiting to Depart", "Our Beloved Have Departed", "My God, I Know that I Must Die", and "Depart, My Child! The Lord Thy Spirit Calls".  Death was clearly on someone's mind, whether Borthwick or the German authors.  It's particularly striking to a modern reader, I think, as modern science has eradicated many of the diseases that brought about the early deaths so common in previous centuries.  Not that people don't still die, but it's no longer expected that parents would bury, on average, at least half of their children before they reached adulthood.  Between the medical progress we've made and our increasing fear of death as the ultimate evil, we really don't sing much about death, even in the church.  Which makes this an interesting read for modern Christians.

This is yet another reprint--essentially just a bound photocopy of an original edition.  The print quality is not great.  Some of the smaller print (as in the Bible references at the start of many hymns) are particularly difficult to read.  It's a shame it's not available less expensively, but if you enjoy hymn collections, this is a decent one to have.

Thoughtful Hours, by H.L.L.

****

A collection of 35 poems and hymns by Jane Laurie Borthwick, best known for her translation of 'Be Still, My Soul'.  Borthwick, who, along with her sister, translated Hymns from the Land of Luther, is writing here under the name 'H.L.L.' (presumably derived from the title of her previous work).

Several of these hymns (or poems--since it's just text, it's tough to tell) are quite moving, particularly those in the first half of the volume.  The theology is fairly solid, and many of the poems also boast significant objective merit, in my admittedly amateur opinion--particularly as regards her use of repetition and parallel construction.

The volume pictured here is a paperback reprint, but we lucked out and got an original hardcover edition, which at 4"x5"x1/2" is a really nice portable size and seems to be good quality.

Here's an excerpt from the book, to give you an idea of what to expect:

Matthew 11:28, a hymn

Rest in the Lord; rest weary heart,
          With sin and sorrow worn,
And conscience ranking with the smart
          Of pitiless self scorn;
Oh, counting all beside but loss,
          Climb Calvary's lowly hill,
And there beneath the bleeding cross
          Rest, and be still.

Rest in the Lord; what time the storm
          Around thy pathway raves,
Behold His calm majestic form
          Serenely walks the waves;
And hark! that tranquil voice is heard
          Which winds and waves fulfill;
Oh, rest upon His changeless word;
          Rest, and be still.

Rest in the Lord; although the sands
          Of life are running low,
Though clinging hearts and clasping hands
          May not detain thee now:
His hand is on thee; death's alarms
          Can never work thee ill:
Rest on His everlasting arms;
          Rest, and be still.

Rest in the Lord: no conflicts more, --
          The latest labor done;
The weary strife forever o'er,
          The crown forever won.
Beside the crystal stream, that flows
          From Zion's heavenly hill,
Rest in eternal Love's repose;
          Rest, and be still.

~The Rev. Edward Henry Bickersteth, recorded in Christ in Song: Hymns of Immanuel, Selected from All Ages, with Notes, Volume 2, by Philip Schaff

Trusting Christ: A Hymn

I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
          Trusting only Thee:
Trusting Thee for full salvation,
          Great and free.

I am trusting Thee for pardon,
          At Thy feet I bow;
For Thy grace and tender mercy,
          Trusting now.

I am trusting Thee for cleansing
          In the crimson flood;
Trusting Thee to make me holy
          By Thy blood.

I am trusting Thee to guide me;
          Thou alone shalt lead,
Every day and hour supplying
          All my need.

I am trusting Thee for power,
          Thine can never fail;
Words which Thou Thyself shalt give me
          Must prevail.

I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus;
          Never let me fall;
I am trusting Thee forever,
          And for all.

~Miss Frances Ridley Havergal, recorded in Christ in Song: Hymns of Immanuel, Selected from All Ages, with Notes, Volume 2, by Philip Schaff

Christ in Song: Hymns of Immanuel, Selected from All Ages, with Notes, Volume 2, by Philip Schaff

****

Schaff returns with yet another collection of, well, hymns about Christ, from all ages.  This volume includes categories like The Love and Loveliness of Christ, Christ our Refuge and Strength, Love and Gratitude to Christ, and Christ All and In All.  Within each category, the hymns are arranged chronologically, and range from the third century all the way up to the mid nineteenth century (when this collection was published).

While it might be a bit overwhelming to sit down and read the whole thing cover to cover, it makes a great devotional, especially when read aloud. It would also make great gift for that one musically gifted friend you have, since many of the hymns--presented here without melodies--are simply begging to be set to music again and reintroduced into worship.

As with the previous book, there are some duds, but by and large the hymns Schaff selects are decent enough, and some are positively excellent--there are new (to me, anyway) hymns from well-known writers like Horatius Bonar, Augustus Toplady, Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, William Cowper, and John Newton, along with many great hymns from seriously talented writers I've never heard of but will make an effort to track down in the future (Jane Borthwick, among others).  My personal favorites in this collection include "Through the Love of God", by Mary Peters, "When Time Seems Short", by G.W. Bethune, "When This Passing World", by R.M. McCheyne, "Awake, My Soul, In Joyful Lays", by Samuel Medley, "Rest in the Lord", by E.H. Bickersteth, and "I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus", by Frances Havergal.

Volume 1 was, I think, a little stronger overall, but this installment is by no means a waste of time or money.  Though I have no idea why this reprint edition has pointe shoes on the cover.

Hymns for Lent VII: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

[NOTE: The seventh in a series of seven blog posts on Lent. The full series is available here. Enjoy!]

On this Easter Sunday, we turn our eyes from the tragedy of the cross to the glorious victory of the empty tomb by examining one of the best known Easter hymns--or one of the hymns most associated with the celebration of Easter Sunday:  Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.  The full version clocks in at ten stanzas, the first seven of which are attributed to Charles Wesley.  The last three were borrowed from a similar 14th century hymn called 'Jesus Christ Is Risen Today'.  These days, it's fairly common for churches to truncate the hymn down to about four or five verses

Hymns for Lent VI: Rock of Ages

[NOTE: The sixth in a series of seven blog posts on Lent. The full series is available here. Enjoy!]

Appropriately enough, this will be our final meditation on Good Friday before moving on to celebrate the resurrection.  Written by Anglican cleric Augustus Toplady, this well-known hymn was inspired by a fissure in a gorge where Toplady found shelter during a storm.  This fissure (or the one where folks believe Toplady hid, at any rate) is now marked as the 'Rock of Ages' and can be visited by tourists.

Hymns for Lent V: Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

[NOTE: The fifth in a series of seven blog posts on Lent. The full series is available here. Enjoy!]

It's Maundy Thursday now, and Holy Week is well under way.  We continue our meditation on Good Friday with the rather directly titled 'Smitten, Stricken, and Afflicted,' by Thomas Kelly.

Hymns for Lent IV: Beneath the Cross of Jesus

[NOTE: The fourth in a series of seven blog posts on Lent. The full series is available here. Enjoy!]

Continuing the theme of meditating on the events of Good Friday, we turn to a well known and much-beloved hymn:  'Beneath the Cross of Jesus,' written by Elizabeth Clephane shortly before her death.  As noted by the editor of the magazine where the hymn was first printed (after Clephane's death), 'These lines ex­press the ex­per­i­enc­es, the hopes and the long­ings of a young Christ­ian late­ly re­leased. Writ­ten on the ve­ry edge of life, with the bet­ter land ful­ly in view of faith, they seem to us foot­steps print­ed on the sands of time, where these sands touch the ocean of Etern­i­ty. These foot­prints of one whom the Good Shep­herd led through the wild­er­ness in­to rest, may, with God’s blessing, con­trib­ute to com­fort and di­rect suc­ceed­ing pilgrims.'

Amen.

Hymns for Lent III: Ah, Holy Jesus

[NOTE: The third in a series of seven blog posts on Lent. The full series is available here. Enjoy!]

Having contemplated Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday, we now move on to Good Friday and the crucifixion itself with the hymn 'Ah, Holy Jesus', or as it is known in the original German, 'Herzliebster Jesu'.  What better way to start off Holy Week?

Hymns for Lent II: Go to Dark Gethsemane

[NOTE: The second in a series of seven blog posts on Lent. The full series is available here. Enjoy!]

Maundy Thursday is pretty much the only big Holy Week day, other than Holy Saturday, that doesn't get much in the way of an official observation.  We have church services on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, of course, and lots of churches have some sort of church service or gathering for Good Friday, but Maundy Thursday services are fairly rare in the Protestant denominations (though they're increasing in popularity for some reason).  But the events of Good Friday--Christ's sacrificial death on the cross--really start on Thursday night, in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Hymns for Lent I: Ride on, Ride on in Majesty

INTRODUCTORY NOTE:  In the weeks before Christmas, I blogged through several of my favorite (fairly) well known Christmas carols.  It was a very helpful, and a great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.  I've decided to do something similar for Lent--just seven this time, not twelve.  It will be a bit tricky, since it's hard to find hymns that meditate on Christ's suffering without moving on to celebrate His resurrection.  But then, perhaps that is for the best, since He is risen.  Anyway, here goes.

Traditionally speaking, Lent is a time of somber meditation and self-denial. During this season we remember the temptation of Jesus Christ and his eventual death on the cross. The culmination of Lent is Holy Week--the week leading up to Easter. (An excellent timeline of the Holy Week is available here.)  It's easy to skip ahead to Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and we'll be talking a lot about the events of those days in this series. But Holy Week doesn't start in Gethsemane. It starts on the Sunday before, on the road into Jerusalem.  Which is where our first hymn starts off.

Caroling the Gospel (But Not Really), Bonus Round: Some Children See Him

[NOTE:  This is from a series I did on another blog.  Hence the tardiness.  I promise, it was timely when I first wrote it.  The full series is available here.  Enjoy!]

This Christmas carol doesn't actually include the gospel, but it does address an aspect of the Christmas story that is often overlooked.  Written by an American jazz musician in the 1950s, it's probably one of the most politically correct Christmas songs around--which accounts for its popularity among recording artists (though lots of folks are unfamiliar with the song).  I love this Tennessee Ernie Ford version. 

Caroling the Gospel XII: I Wonder as I Wander

[NOTE:  This is from a 12-part series I did on another blog.  Hence the tardiness.  I promise, it was timely when I first wrote it.  The rest of the series is available here.  Enjoy!]

This carol--one of my favorites--has an unusual backstory.  In 1933, a folklorist/singer collected a song fragment in Appalachian North Carolina--he heard a little girl sing it, and after asking her to sing it several more times, he used the song fragment to compose "I Wonder as I Wander."  Perhaps that's why the song always sounds best when sung by a female voice with little or no instrumental or choral backing, and the best backing usually has a bluegrass feel to it.  It is a solitary song (hence the use of the first person singular) and the haunting melody works well unadorned by musical accoutrements.  I really like the Jewel/Sarah McLachlan version, which strips the song down to just the melody with a single subtle vocal harmony, but I can't seem to find the video online.  Joanie does an ok job though.

Caroling the Gospel XI: Of the Father's Love Begotten

[NOTE:  This is from a 12-part series I did on another blog.  Hence the tardiness.  I promise, it was timely when I first wrote it.  The rest of the series is available here.  Enjoy!]

This is, I think, the oldest carol I've looked at.  The words date from the early 5th century, and the music--Divinum Mysterium--was written in the 11th century.  Which makes a lot of sense--the music feels old.  This song works best sung by an acapella men's choir, largely in unison (in other words, as monks in the 11th century might have sung it).  It was translated from the original Latin into English in the mid-19th century.  With nine verses, it's usually truncated in church services or musical performances--the first, sixth, and ninth verses are the ones I've heard most often, though the third and seventh verses are particularly gospel-filled.

Caroling the Gospel X: O Holy Night

[NOTE:  This is from a 12-part series I did on another blog.  Hence the tardiness.  I promise, it was timely when I first wrote it.  The rest of the series is available here.  Enjoy!]

As this song is also known as Cantique de Noel, it's hardly surprising that this beloved carol originated in France.  Written in the 1800s to a pre-existing poem, the literal translation of the French is actually quite a bit meatier than the modern version--check it:

Midnight, Christians, it is the solemn hour,

When God-man descended to us

To erase the stain of original sin

And to end the wrath of His Father.

The entire world thrills with hope

On this night that gives it a Savior. 

People kneel down, wait for your deliverance.

Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer,

Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer!

May the ardent light of our Faith

Guide us all to the cradle of the infant,

As in ancient times a brilliant star

Guided the Oriental kings there.

The King of Kings was born in a humble manger;

O mighty ones of today, proud of your greatness, 

It is to your pride that God preaches.

Bow your heads before the Redeemer!

Bow your heads before the Redeemer!
 
The Redeemer has overcome every obstacle:

The Earth is free, and Heaven is open.

He sees a brother where there was only a slave,

Love unites those that iron had chained.

Who will tell Him of our gratitude,

For all of us He is born, He suffers and dies. 

People stand up! Sing of your deliverance,

Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer,

Christmas, Christmas, sing of the Redeemer! 

'To erase the stain of original sin and to end wrath of His Father . . . for all of us He is born, He suffers and dies.'  This is some striking gospel language.  But a few years later, along came a Unitarian minister who did his own 'translation' and surprise!  Most of the gospel-y bits got removed.  This new sanitized version is the one we know today, more's the pity.