1. Rest, O Christ, from all your labor;
Sleep within your borrowed tomb.
Foes have crucified and bound you
Fast within death's narrow room.
Pilate's guards stand watching, waiting
Where they rolled the sealing stone.
All unseen another watches:
God will not forsake his own.
2. Peace at last from all your anguish,
Wounds in hands and feet and side.
Enemies no longer mock you,
Scourged, abandoned, crucified.
Faithful women gather spices,
Weep for you whom sin has slain.
Though they mourn, the God who guards you
Will not let your death be vain.
3. Help us keep this solemn Sabbath
As we wait for Easter dawn.
Earth's dark night of sin is passing;
Death's long reign will soon be gone.
Christ, in whom the new creation
Rises brighter than the sun:
May we, as we watch for morning,
Trust the vict'ry you have won.
4. As though parting Red Sea waters
Israel marched to liberty,
So we pass through baptism's water,
Washed by grace, from sin set free.
Jesus, risen, living, reigning
Now and through eternity:
Grant that, through your life undying,
We may live victoriously.
----
This contemporary hymn tells us what happened after Christ's death and the effect it had on the world. It is one of those hymns that take a little extra work to fully digest - reading through it once or twice before singing is definitely worth it and helpful. The first two stanzas are description of the events following Christ's death and gives us a clear picture of the suffering endured. The last two stanzas turn to us and point us towards the gift we receive through his death and Resurrection.
I particularly like the line "So we pass through baptism's water, Washed by grace, from sin set free." This hymn points directly to Christ, the one who has has risen, is living and reigning now and through eternity. The one through whom we receive life - something we can think about even on Good Friday, because of Jesus, who washed us in our baptism.
It is thus worthy of our singing.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
You comment that this hymn requires an extra reading or two. I don't disagree. The hymn expresses in beautiful poetry some neat truths. It causes us to dwell on a day far too many Christians seem to skip over; the full day that Christ was dead. What does his death mean? This hymn forces us to pause and look.
ReplyDeleteI guess the problem I have with this hymn is the same problem I have with so many Lutheran hymns used in a modern setting: it requires a second read-through. The problem is not in the hymn, not at all. The problem is in the congregation member that sings it once and sets it aside. I am that congregation member more times than not.
In using a hymn like this, would a congregation be willing to read the words ahead of time? Perhaps take a page from CCM and repeat a verse or two as a refrain so we "get" it? Take the time in worship to actually look at the words so we can worship using them in the way the words are intended?
What do you think?
-Luke!
Hi Luke,
ReplyDeleteI think there are already two really good opportunities that come to mind to review hymns and meditate silently on God's Word... perhaps Pastors just need to remind and encourage to take advantage of those times: preservice and communion distribution. And the musicians are there to help.
Ideally this is how it would work:
1. The songs/hymns for the service is chosen early and disseminated to the musicians (organist, pianist, band, whatever).
2. The musician(s) pick music to play during preservice and communion distribution that is based on those songs/hymns, in which the melody line is clear and easy to pick out, and which clearly reflect the hymn/song musically.
3. Publish the order of preservice and communion music in the bulletin / worship folder so that members can follow along.
4. The Pastor occasionally reminds/encourages the congregation to make use of that time to review the upcoming Scripture readings, pray (the hymnal offers help with this if they want it), or open their hymnals/worship folders to the music being played and meditate on the words.
One could also post upcoming Scripture lessons (for those who haven't figured out the lectionary) and hymns/songs on the church website so perhaps they could be used for family devotion and study the night before.
Great ideas! Which emphasizes that the answer to so many of our worship problems isn't "simplify, simplify, simplify," but "Teach, teach, teach!"
ReplyDeleteSome other opportunities for instruction:
1) The Pastor can occasionally cite the texts of the day's hymns and canticles in service introductions, lesson introductions, in the body of the sermon, etc.
2) Notes in the worship folder pointing out specific songs, hymns, lyrics, etc.
3) Take a few weeks in Bible class to teach an "Old Favorites" or "New Arrivals" course -- highlighting a few hymns -- their history, their usage, and, most importantly, their text.
4) Tell hymn stories in the parish newsletter, or just occasionally publish significant and seasonally relevant hymn lyrics with or without commentary.
5) Spend some time occasionally pointing out the significant connections between the various parts of worship.
6) Use hymns as prayers -- see the text outside it's normally sung context (Pr. Harold Senkbeil's Lenten devotional book makes incredibly effective use of this as closing prayers for the devotions).
I agree with you, on the one hand, Luke, that so often, I even find myself kind of skimming over the beautiful texts on Sunday morning, just as I have found myself skimming over the text during my daily Bible reading. This is the devil at work, ringing the bells in his little chapel while worship is happening in Christ's Church (me!).
Let us, as Paul says, shrug off, put off, take off, and throw off this sinful nature! Let us, as Luther says, drown this rascally sinner in the waters of our Baptism and revel in those songs that, contrary to what our Papist critics think, sing us to heaven!
Christ is risen!
Thanks, Mark and Pr. Tomczak, for the practical ideas in how to keep eyes and minds focused. For me the issue is rarely the principle, but how to apply the principle. Here, focusing the congregation's and especially my eyes on the meaning of the songs, no matter how much I might like or dislike a particular tune (I say especially mine because at the end of the day, I am the only person who I can control).
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion was hymn stories; I know at one point, my father was asked to speak for two minutes before every hymn of the day to tell a little bit about it. I don't know what I think of the regular "interrupting" of worship like that, but it certainly helped bring attention onto the hymn for that little bit!