“He the Source… of things that are, that have been.”

Carol: “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” – Aurelius Clemens Prudentius (4th Century)
                                 Translated by John Mason Neale, 1864
Tune: DIVINUM MYSTERIUM – 13th Century Plainsong

John’s gospel tells us that Christ existed from the very beginning with God… that Christ was involved in the creation of all things. He is the Alpha… from the first. He is the Source… where all things began.

One of the great things about growing up at the foot of the Smoky Mountain National Park is that we went there often… really often. Sometimes we just drove through sections of it and played tourist. Usually we took a picnic and tempted the black bears to our table in Chimney Campground. But my favorite times were those when we got out of the car and walked into the woods. I later learned we were hiking the trails!

I remember on one of those hikes, we were following a mountain branch (creek) that moved alongside the trail. The higher we got, the smaller the water’s flow until we arrived at its source: a mountain spring. I was fascinated that the water seemed to come up out of nowhere.

Hanging on a limb beside the opening was a battered dipper. I have no idea how long it had been there or how many mouths had touched it, but Hedy, Raymond and I submerged it into the small bubbling natural bowl and brought up the most refreshing mouthful of water I ever had before or since. Like it was yesterday, I recall its purity and its cleanness. It seemed to me that it came up from the very beginnings of the earth, somewhere close to where God started the whole process. I was truly in awe.

When we sing this carol, my tastebuds recall an early understanding of returning to the source… of getting as close as I’d ever been (as far as I was concerned) to creation’s activity.

This Baby we worship during these days is indeed the Source of all creation. He is also the starting place for love, hope, peace, joy, hope, mercy, salvation… etc. Grab a nasty dipper and join untold generations who have lined up to drink from this living water, ever clean, ever pure, ever available.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8n1Xe_7beM