St. Simeon Skete, Taylorsville Kentucky USA

With St. Simeon, the God receiver, as our patron, the skete seeks to practice the ideals found in our Rule, The Thousand Day Nazareth. In simplicity and poverty, the skete embraces the struggle of inner life through the practice of the Prayer Rope.

See our website at www.nazarethhouseap.org

Donations should be addressed to: Nazareth House Apostolate, 185 Captains Cove Drive, Taylorsville, Kentucky 40071.

Important Notice: All writings, posts, graphics & photographs in this blog are the copyrighted property of (unless otherwise indicated) Nazareth House Media, a division of Nazareth House Apostolate and cannot be copied, printed or used without written permission from NHA Media, Taylorsville, KY.

Friday, December 30, 2011

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

I took the following photographs tonight at St. Simeon Skete in Taylorsville, Kentucky.  The sun was dropping behind the clouds, slipping into position to set for the night.  It was time for Vespers.  Consistently, evening after evening, here at the skete, the setting sun and rising moon manage to amaze us with a spectacular view.  


The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands


Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
 
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens
   and makes its circuit to the other;
   nothing is deprived of its warmth.  -Psalm 19:1-6



Revelation 4:1 
After this I lookedand, behold, a door was opened in heaven











Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! ... Therefore, rejoice,
heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! ... 




... Selah His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. ... His brilliant
splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise. ... 





Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD from the heavens, praise him in the heights
above. ... Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens... 




He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all
the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe ... 





The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars
another; and star differs from star in splendor. ... 




Photographs by Vicki Hicks 
©2011 VHicks; NHA