It was my first funeral as an intern in southeastern Minnesota. My supervisor was co-officiating with a neighboring pastor in his church. I was simply there to observe and learn.During the service, a somewhat elderly male soloist stood in the balcony and sang a song I had never heard. The stoic Norwegians of this congregation had shed no tears to this point. Suddenly, the handkerchiefs appeared from pockets and purses. The soloist’s voice was strong and clear. The tune was compelling, perhaps haunting. I couldn’t understand a word as he sang stanza upon stanza in Norwegian.
When I got home, I hummed the tune as best I could for my wife. “Den store hvide flok,” she said. It’s not so much that she recognized my rendition as she simply knew that it was the only option. She went to the piano, opened her Lutheran Book of Worship, and played the hymn. Her Norwegian bones had not failed her.
“Behold the Host Arrayed in White” has become a favorite hymn of mine. I have taught it to the congregations I have served. I am not sure that it ever became a top 10 (or 100) hit, but we sang it every All Saints Sunday. There came a point, I cannot tell you when, that the hymn began to bring tears to my non-Norwegian eyes as well.
Today is All Saints Day. This is the day when we consider the communion of saints, which unites us with all who have come before us and all who will follow us in the faith. In the words of the hymn,
O saints, sing with that happy throng;
lift up one voice;
let heav’n rejoice in our redeemer’s song.
I am thankful for those who have gone before me and helped give me my faith. I am also thankful for you, for the faith that we share as we seek to serve our Savior.
Comments are always welcome. Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com/. Comments on Facebook are fine too. For the hymn, see LBW 314 or ELW 425. --JC
I am thankful for those who have gone before me and helped give me my faith. I am also thankful for you, for the faith that we share as we seek to serve our Savior.
Comments are always welcome. Go to http://niselca.blogspot.com/. Comments on Facebook are fine too. For the hymn, see LBW 314 or ELW 425. --JC
Mine is Russell singing "How Great Thou Art" We each have one that brings home the message on this day! thanks for stirring the memory. --Mary DeFrancisco Miller
ReplyDeleteJane McChesney on FB said: It nears the anniversary of my mother's death on Nov. 3 three years ago, the day before worship where we remembered all the saints who had died since the previous All Saints Sunday. Music and those wonderful verses play over and over in my head and heart!
ReplyDeleteBrant Clements on FB said: Now I can't get the tune to "Who is This Host Arrayed in White" out of my head.
ReplyDeleteJudith L. Huseth on FB said: I'm singing it, too, Brant! And Jane...the anniversary of my mother's death is also November 3rd. I am happy for her constant presence even now.
ReplyDeleteKathy Schutz on FB said: I don't know this one at all. Maybe I can talk Sandy or Barb into playing a verse.
ReplyDeleteKathy...It's a beautiful hymn, but it does take a little work!
ReplyDeleteYes! Thanks Jeff for bringing this hymn to the surface again. I was able to google "Den store hvide flok" and several versions of the song came up:a choir,an organ and something called a mobius megatar. The hymn is beautiful, almost like a lullaby. I opened my hymnal and sang along with YouTube. (I was alone in the house!)
ReplyDeleteSometimes I will read the words of a hymn and meditate on them for a devotion. I thought of all my loved ones and friends who have gone home and the words were perfect.
Thanks again.
I always love All Saints worship. For some reason, on this occasion especially, I have a clearer sense of the presence of the table of our Lord, with all of the worshipers present in front and all those who have gone before present behind, and myself standing between them, yoked as I am for serving. It gives me chills...
ReplyDeleteLori Mueller on FB said: Beautiful words! Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteRoger and I first heard this hymn in 1989 at the 100th anniversary service of Grace Lutheran, Ophiem, Il (our second parish). Roger Dahlin, a former pastor, accompanied the hymn on his trumpet along with the pipe organ. We were absolutely lifted up with "the saints of old" as the walls of this small Swedish Lutheran congregation reverberated with the singing of the present saints, the sound of the trumpet, and the pipes of the organ. It has remained a favorite hymn of ours especially around this time of the year. Thank you, Jeff, for these thoughts, and your earlier blogs. You comments always are right on!
ReplyDeleteMarge Asplund
St. Paul, Dixon