Resurrect, Vol.1 by Olivia Abdou When I began the process of choosing a hymn to re-tune for Cardiphonia’s Resurrect project, I didn’t have a specific one in mind. But as soon as I saw the title of this hymn by Anna Laetitia Waring, I was intrigued. I had to do a double take. Dear Savior of a Dying World – … Read More
Song Reflection #2 – Our Paschal Joy At Last is Here
Resurrect, Vol.1 by Liv Lowe “Our paschal joy at last is here!” Each of us have experienced the brutal nature of desperation and weariness. Perhaps you have felt the mundane essence of hopelessness, or perhaps you have forgotten what your faith is for. And it’s not just you – we have all arrived at such a place living in this … Read More
Song Reflection #1 – Christ Is Your Spring
Christ Is Our Spring by Andy Bast & Emily Hanrahan This original hymn text was written by EA Washburn in the late 1800s. It was first published as a part of a collection of Easter hymns, compiled by Jane Eliza Chapman in 1876. Jane’s uncle, J. I. T. Coolidge was an Episcopalian pastor in the Boston area and no doubt … Read More
Introduction: Retuned Hymns – A Brief Description
(The following is a brief primer on the “retuned hymn” movement. If you are interested in hearing more, check out cardiphonia.bandcamp.com or on your streaming platform of choice!) The song of the church has always had an expansive relationship between text and tune. With each generation negotiating the fixed or fluid relationship between prose and praise. In the last twenty … Read More
Centering Prayer
Centering Prayer is an ancient Christian practice that helps us move toward a posture/practice of being centered in God. The following reflection is borrowed from “The Praying Church Idea Book” by Douglas Kamstra. Let it be a guide and encouragement to your own prayer practice this Lent! Centering prayer is an attempt to eliminate the “outside noises” (lawns being mowed, … Read More
Sabbath
When I was in third grade, it was my Grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. To celebrate this amazing milestone, they took our whole family—aunts, uncles, and cousins included—on an out West adventure. From Custer National Park and the Badlands to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone, then to Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons as our final destination. In impeccable 1990s family trip … Read More
Centered
Eugene Peterson’s words in a book titled Reversed Thunder startle me: “Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks, at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, every siren. Without worship we live manipulated and manipulating lives. We move in either frightened panic or deluded lethargy as we are, in turn, alarmed by specters and soothed … Read More
Hello Lent 2024
Hello. Welcome back to this little corner of the life of Pillar Church. This season of Lent we are focusing on a theme called Centered. In the journal you will find some reflections and prompts for prayer that invite us into a life that is centered in Christ. As you walk through the season, whatever your journey looks like, we … Read More
Lord Jesus Christ, Enlighten the Darkness
Here is a short refrain that was composed for Advent 2022, but I think we only sang it at Pillar once or twice, so it will probably feel new! The text is drawn from a fifth century liturgy called the Gelasian Sacramentary. O Lord, incline your merciful ears to our prayers and enlighten the darkness of our hearts by the light of your … Read More
A Little Child Shall Lead Them
In Isaiah 11, we hear of a promised ruler—“a shoot” who will “come out from the stump of Jesse,” and of the “peacable kingdom” he will establish. In this kingdom, predator and prey will settle down in calm company: the wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion will … Read More