Biography:
Talbot was born into a Methodist family with a musical background in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and started learning to play the guitar at an early age. At age 15 he dropped out of school and was performing as a guitarist for Mason Proffit, a country folk-rock band formed with his older brother Terry.
Talbot embarked on a spiritual journey that led him through Native American religion and Buddhism to Christianity. At this point he and his brother, Terry, joined the Jesus Movement, recording the album Reborn which was re-released by Sparrow Records (originally released as The Talbot Brothers on the Warner Brothers label).
Two solo albums followed for Talbot: John Michael Talbot (1976) and The New Earth (1977). Both of these were produced by Billy Ray Hearn.
Reading the life of Saint Francis of Assisi, he was inspired to begin studying at a Franciscan center in Indianapolis. He became a Roman Catholic and joined the Secular Franciscan Order in 1978. He started a house of prayer, The Little Portion.
Talbot moved The Little Portion to Eureka Springs, Arkansas on land he had purchased during his Mason Proffit days. He founded his own community, the Brothers and Sisters of Charity, at Little Portion Hermitage as an "integrated monastic community" with celibate brothers and sisters, singles, and families. By 1989, Talbot had married Viola Pratka (with the permission of the Catholic Church). Pratka was a former Incarnate Word Sister who had come to the community in 1986.
Per the community's General Constitutions, Talbot's title is "General Minister and Spiritual Father". For many years, he has promoted the work of Mercy Corps.
The hermitage suffered a fire in April 2008 in which the chapel, library and many common areas were destroyed.
On April 10, 2010 the Bishop of Little Rock, Anthony Taylor, dedicated the new buildings. On October 2, 2010 the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage celebrated the opening of the new monastery church and common center.
Ephesians Canticle
John Michael Talbot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To be his adopted children
Praised be the God and Father
For our Lord Jesus Christ
Who has bestowed on us in Christ
Every spiritual blessing in the heavens
Before the world began
To be holy
And blameless in his sight
He predestined us
To be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ
Such was his will and pleasure
That all might praise the glorious favor
He has bestowed on us in his beloved
In him and through his blood
We have been redeemed
And our sins forgiven
So immeasurably generous
Is God′s favor to us
God has given us the wisdom
To understand fully the mystery
The plan he was pleased
To decree in Christ
A plan to be carried
In Christ, in the fulness of time
To bring all things into one in him
In the heavens and on earth
Glory to the Father
And to the Son
And to the Holy Spirit
As it was in the beginning
Is now
And will be for ever
Amen
The opening lines of the song "Ephesians Canticle" by John Michael Talbot explore the concept of adoption into God's family. The lyrics explicate the idea that God chose humans as his adopted children through his Son, Jesus Christ, before the beginning of the world. The song praises God for bestowing spiritual blessings on his children in the heavens through Christ. The canticle also highlights God's favor on humans and his plan to bring all things to himself in the fullness of time.
The chorus of the song rejoices in the fact that through Christ's death and resurrection, God has redeemed us and forgiven our sins in a way that is immeasurably generous. The second verse opens with the assertion that God has given us the wisdom to understand fully the mystery of his plan. The verse finishes with a statement about how God has decided to bring all things together in Christ, in the heavens and on earth. The lyric repeats the glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, now, and forever. The song's overall message extols Christians' hope for a future with God, being united with Him through Christ.
Line by Line Meaning
God chose us in his Son
God chose us to be His adopted children in Jesus Christ
Praised be the God and Father
Let us give praise to God the Father
For our Lord Jesus Christ
For He has bestowed on us every spiritual blessing in the heavens through Jesus Christ
Who has bestowed on us in Christ
Jesus Christ has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavens
Every spiritual blessing in the heavens
The endless list of the blessings of the Spirit
God chose us in him
Before the creation, God chose us to be holy and blameless in His sight
Before the world began
Before creation
To be holy
To be set apart for God's purpose
And blameless in his sight
Without fault or blemish in His sight
He predestined us
God predestined us for adoption as His children
To be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ
God chose us to be His children through our faith in Jesus Christ
Such was his will and pleasure
It pleased God to adopt us as His children
That all might praise the glorious favor
So that we may praise and worship Him for His gracious gift of adoption
He has bestowed on us in his beloved
God has given us every gift through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ
In him and through his blood
Through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross
We have been redeemed
We have been set free from sin and death by the payment of Christ's blood
And our sins forgiven
Our sins have been pardoned and removed through the forgiveness of Christ found in His blood
So immeasurably generous
God's generosity toward us is beyond comprehension
Is God's favor to us
God's grace toward us is limitless
God has given us the wisdom
God has granted us the knowledge and understanding
To understand fully the mystery
To comprehend the fullness of the hidden truth
The plan he was pleased
The divine blueprint that God was pleased to reveal
To decree in Christ
To establish the plan in Jesus Christ
A plan to be carried
A plan that will be executed
In Christ, in the fullness of time
In Jesus Christ, at the appointed time
To bring all things into one in him
To unite everything under Christ
In the heavens and on earth
In both the spiritual and physical realms
Glory to the Father
Praise be the Father
And to the Son
And to the Son, Jesus Christ
And to the Holy Spirit
And to the Holy Spirit, who empowers us
As it was in the beginning
Just as it was at the start of creation
Is now
Remains true to this day
And will be for ever
And will continue to be true for all eternity
Amen
So be it
Writer(s): John Michael Talbot
Contributed by Alyssa L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.