Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection we have just celebrated. Some of my favourite hymns were written for this day and for the season following it. One that I've recently grown to love is unfamiliar to many Christians outside the Lutheran tradition: Awake, My Heart, with Gladness, written by Paul Gerhardt and set to Johann Crüger's stirring melody. The second verse, translated in the 19th century by John Kelly, is especially moving:
The foe in triumph shoutedHaving lost my father and my parents-in-law in recent years and with my mother in hospice care, the promise of resurrection speaks to me now more insistently than it did in my youth. May we all take hope in our Saviour's victory over sin and death.
When Christ lay in the tomb;
But lo, he now is routed,
His boast is turned to gloom.
For Christ again is free;
In glorious victory
He who is strong to save
Has triumphed o'er the grave.
Christian Courier has published a brief description of the book here: The office of citizen.
In February I posted a brief piece on the revival at Asbury University. This was picked up by a Brazilian website, gospel +, which published an account of my comments: Asbury em português. However, I have to point out that, contrary to the author's description, I am neither renowned nor a theologian!
One of the major episodes near the end of Jesus' earthly ministry is his raising of Lazarus, as recounted in the 11th chapter of John. Not long ago, my wife alerted me to a remarkable article by the late Gail R. O'Day which I discuss here: Martha and the psalms of lament. The author's thesis: In this beloved story recounted in the fourth gospel, the dialogue between Jesus and Martha reflects the structure of the psalms of lament. I have included a link to the article itself, if you are interested in reading it. Incidentally, ancient tradition has it that, after he was raised, Lazarus became bishop of Kition, near the present city of Larnaca in my father's native island of Cyprus. My wife and I visited the church named for him in that city more than 25 years ago.
Incidentally, this month marks the 20th anniversary of my blog, Notes from a Byzantine-Rite Calvinist, which is now my primary means of communicating with readers and supporters. Feedspot has ranked this blog as number 2 in its list of the 15 Best Calvinist Blogs and Websites, "ranked by traffic, social media followers & freshness."
Once again, I am most grateful for your financial and prayer support for my continuing work. I ask once more that you consider a regular monthly contribution, as it makes it easier for Global Scholars to set an annual budget, including the modest salary I receive from the organization. GSC's page for giving can be found here. Once you are in the page, scroll down to the heading marked DONATION DETAILS, and then choose one of the options under FUND. Americans may donate through our sister organization in the US.
Canadian donors can now donate publicly traded securities (shares or mutual funds) directly to charities without having to pay the capital gains tax. This is a cost-effective way to make a donation that comes with a substantial tax incentive. By donating securities, donors pay no tax on capital gains, receive a tax receipt for the fair market value of the securities, as well as reduce their taxes. Watch this video for more information about this option: Link Charity Canada: Donation of Securities. If interested, please visit the Link Charity Canada Inc. website, and call for details at 1-800-387-8146. Link Charity Canada is a partner organization of Global Scholars Canada, so Link Charity can easily direct funds for my work. Thank you!
Yours in God's service,
David Koyzis, Global Scholar
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