Yet With Heavenly Joy You Bless Us

Maybe it's because I had another funeral to preside over this week.

Or maybe it's because my Wednesday night Bible study and I have spent 8 weeks this fall dwelling deeply in the book of Revelation.

Or maybe it's because our celebration of All Saints Sunday is still so fresh in my heart and my mind.

Or maybe it's because I am no longer surrounded by church musicians who do funky things like dropping out on a verse so that you pay attention to the words in a different way.

Or maybe it's because we simply don't sing "O Morning Star How Fair and Bright" often enough.

But we were honored to host Jonathan Rundman on Monday night as part of his East Coast Tour, and he ended the concert with this fantastic hymn of Epiphany, and I just HEARD it in a way that I've never heard it before.

Jonathan made a point of telling us that his favorite verse is number two, which ends:

Now, though daily
Earth's deep sadness
May perplex us
And distress us
Yet with heavenly joy you bless us.

But on verse five, he dropped out after the first chord, and we sang a capella:

What joy to know when life is past
The Lord we love is first and last
The end and the beginning!
He will one day, oh, glorious grace
Transport us to that happy place
Beyond all tears and sinning!
Amen! Amen!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Crown of gladness!
We are yearning
For the day of your returning.

To hear our little group of voices singing that particular verse in this particluar week, anticipating the burial of yet another brother in Christ, coming off an 8 week study of the book of Revelation, creeping up on the turning of the liturgical year and sitting patiently between All Saints Day and Advent - well, it was simply profound.

Jonathan came back in for verse six, which felt both like an answer to the deep sadness which perplexes and distresses, and like a glorious benediction:

Oh, let the harps break forth in sound!
Our joy be all with music crowned,
Our voices gaily blending!
For Christ goes with us all the way-
Today, tomorrow, ev'ry day!
His love is never ending!
Sing out! Ring out!
Jubilation!
Exultation!
Tell the story!
Great is he, the King of glory!

What a great hymn. And after really hearing the words again for the first time in a long time, I don't know why we don't sing it in seasons outside of Epiphany - it's beautiful and it works in any season of the year. So join with me in Jonathan's crusade to get this gem into the mouths of the people more often!

Peace,
Catrina

PS - Your inner church music nerd wants to know that both the text and the tune of "O Morning Star" were written by Philipp Nicolai, purveryor of such other fine hymnody as "Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying."