Saturday, November 1, 2008

Let Earth Receive Her King

Today I had a four-hour choir rehearsal in preparation for our Christmas programme at church. In the course of our music we sing some lines from "Joy to the World." I've grown up with that song since childhood, but a phrase from that song stood out today like never before - "Let earth receive her King."

I suddenly had the image of a South African township in my mind, of women sweeping the dust outside their corrugated tin shacks, roasting mealies in old oil drums, boiling water to make pap (maize meal), tidying up whatever property they own, cooking what food they may have, in preparation to receive their King. And when I saw this image, as sparse and simple as it was, I thought, "Yes, this is an offering fit for the King." And I wept through the rest of the song.

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