Joyful Praise by Hal H. Hopson

May 10, 2010 — On Mother's Day, 2010, Saginaw 1st Presbyterian Bell Choir played "Joyful Praise" by Hal H. Hopson



My son is 2nd from the right. They worked all year on this piece and did an amazing job!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Famous Footwear

God has blessed us with some beautiful weather. While I was sitting on the floor in my closet trying to find a matching pair of sandals, a thought crossed my mind. What would Jesus do? We don’t have photographs of what the footwear was in His time, but the Bible does tell us what people wore during that time. Wow! Even the Bible gives us Fashion Advice!

* A common way to confirm a business deal in ancient times was to pluck off your shoe and give it to the person you were making a deal with. Jonathan went a step further. After making a covenant with David, he took off his robe, tunic, sword, bow and belt and handed them over, too! (Samuel 18:4)

Here’s a few facts I found.


• While most people wore sandals, only the wealthy could afford shoes. Shoes were made from soft leather while sandals were made from hard leather or camel hide and tied with a leather strap or "thong". Occasionally, sandals had hard soles made from wood, cane, or palm-tree bark. Some of the sandals women wore had two straps instead of one.

• John the Baptist didn’t consider himself worthy to even carry Jesus’ sandals. (Matthew 3:11.)

• Footwear was not worn in temples or holy ground. It was always removed when entering a home.

• On a long journey, footwear was often removed and carried over the shoulder until arriving in the next town. Most travelers had at least two pairs of footwear.

• Because of the dusty roads, feet were often dirty. Slaves washed the feet of guests. Jesus shocked his disciples by washing their feet before the Passover. (John 13:3-11.)

• It was customary to remove footwear when mourning a death.

• Being barefoot in a town was a sign of poverty.

Image by Tori Arrington. This is taken at a replica museum in Israel. The sandals were part of an exhibit with a replicated cross portraying Jesus' crucifixion.


Most Expensive Shoes - For his self-coronation on December 4, 1977, Emperor Bokassa of Central African Empire (now Republic) commissioned pearl-studded shoes from the House of Berluti in Paris, France; costing $85,000 USD.

I think I'll stick to sandals from Payless.


Walk in Peace, my friends.

Light and Color

For centuries, stained glass has been used in many churches and cathedrals.

To visit an old church in Saginaw, MI such as mine, you'll see the use of large, brightly colored windows. Not only do they feature various stories from the Bible but also "local images" meant to add color to the normally gray wintertime. Local images will include floral and fauna known to the area and time in which the church was built.

If you visit First Presbyterian Church in Saginaw, look for examples of Marsh Marigolds, Iris and Trillium flowers in the windows. These are native plants known to have been abundant along the Saginaw River 175 years ago.

For famous windows, check out these:

* Great Rose Window (John 14:6). Charles Connick, 1932. Stained glass window in Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York City.

*Hannah Presents Samuel to the LORD (1 Samuel 1:1-2:11, 18-21), late twelfth century, stained glass window in Canterbury Cathedral, England.

* Jesus Knocking (Revelation 3:20) by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), stained glass window in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Franklin, Tennessee.

*Joshua and the Amorites (Joshua 10:12-13), seventeenth century, stained glass window in Wragny Church, Switzerland.

* Saint Timothy (1 Timothy 1:2:2; 3:6), twelfth century, stained glass window from the Abbey of Neuwiller, Alsace, France.

* Wheat and Grapes (Hosea 2:21-24; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26), artist unknown, 1930's, stained glass window in the United States.

One of my personal favorites is this window my husband took in a cathedral in Budapest.

Artists Top Picks

Over the centuries artists have depicted various stories from the Bible in all different forms of art.

Here is a list of the favorites:
* Creation (Genesis 1)

* Garden of Eden (Genesis 2-3)

* The Golden Calf (Exodus 32:1-10)

* Jesus' Birth (Matthew 1:18-2:12; Luke 2:1-7)

* The Good Shepherd (John 10:7-21)

* Jesus Feeds Five Thousand (Mark 6:30-44)

* Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)

* The Last Supper (Matthew 26:17-30)

* Jesus' Arrest, Trial, and Crucifixion (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19)

* Jesus' Resurrection (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20)

“Spring is sprung, the grass is ris’d; I wonder where the Presbyterians is’d.”

I know that sounds silly, but it’s similar to something my dad used to say to express his excitement over the change of the season. This is a wonderful time of rebirth and growth not only for the land and our souls but also for our church. Presbyterians are looking toward the future and have a vision of ministry that is vibrant and inviting, reflective of the love of Jesus Christ. We treasure our time together in prayer, service, and fellowship.

Even though I mention Presbyterian, my thoughts can be applied to any Christian denomination. We are called to invite all people to faith, repentance and the abundant life of God in Jesus Christ, to encourage congregations in joyfully sharing the gospel, and through the power of the Holy Spirit to grow in membership and discipleship.

Let’s use this time of Spring and lovely weather to invite friends and family to join us in worship. The children of the church have been talking about a “Bring a Friend to Church” idea and I challenge the adults to do the same. Each one of us knows somebody who doesn’t attend a church or is lost, searching for meaning. Let’s hold out our Christian hands and embrace those who need the Lord in their lives and a dose of good old fashion Christian fellowship.

Please bring a friend to church, introduce yourself to visitors, welcome new members into our church family, and share the joy of fellowship with others!

DID YOU KNOW?

* The first musician named in the Bible was Jubal. He "was the first to play the harps and flutes". Genesis 4:21.

*The "Hallelujah Chorus," often sung during the Christmas season, is really from the Easter portion of Handel's oratorio, Messiah. It is based on Revelation 19:6, 19.