lo, how a rose e’re blooming (3.7)
Today is our third carol meditation. Again, I invite you to take some time to quiet your heart, starting by taking three long, deep breaths. Settle into your chair, or couch, or wherever you’re sitting. If you struggled with this last time, try sitting in a different spot this time, somewhere you feel safe.
Then, listen to the music, read the lyrics of the carol, and look at the painting. What emotions rise up in you? What thoughts do you have? What stirs your heart?
Set a timer for 10 minutes, and then make something based on the carol- it can be a quick sketch, a poem, a written prayer or journal entry, a dance, a melody, anything that suits your fancy. This is a time for you to create and reflect. If that sounds impossible for you today, sit in the quiet with God for these ten minutes instead.
lo, how a rose e’re blooming
artwork by Abigail Stadtlander
Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung!
Of Jesse’s lineage coming,
As men of old have sung.
It came, a flow’ret bright,
Amid the cold of winter,
When half spent was the night.
Isaiah ’twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it,
The virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright,
She bore to men a Savior,
When half spent was the night.
This Flow’r, whose fragrance tender
With sweetness fills the air,
Dispels with glorious splendor
The darkness everywhere.
True man, yet very God,
From sin and death He saves us,
And lightens every load.
One week to go! Thank you for your accompaniment on this journey, dear friends. Again, if you are enjoying these, please share. It’s not too late to join in!
for more of Abigail’s work, visit her instagram, @astadt_studio
