Sing, my soul, his wondrous love,
who, from yon bright throne above,
ever watchful o'er our race,
still to us extends his grace.
Heaven and earth by him were made;
all is by his scepter swayed;
what are we that he should show
so much love to us below?
God, the merciful and good,
bought us with the Savior's blood,
and, to make salvation sure,
guides us by his Spirit pure.
Sing, my soul, adore his Name!
Let his glory be thy theme:
praise him till he calls thee home;
trust his love for all to come.
https://youtu.be/865z0idLQf8?si=gFs_XTJRjT-TvJXJ
The author of this hymn text, published first in 1800, is unknown. I find it to be a tremendously beautiful reflection on God’s goodness to us. Life is complicated, and sometimes it’s difficult beyond measure. This text reminds us that the bedrock under all that is the love of God, and the beauty to which that love gives birth.
As we approach kickoff Sunday (just a couple weeks now - it’s on September 8 this year), I find myself thinking about why I do what I do, and why church matters. For me, the core of this is recognizing the beauty and goodness that God gives us, and how we express that as God’s people. Music is often spoken about as a “language beyond words” and there is truth to this.
Choral music has a particularly effective role in communicating meaning because it pairs art forms together. With choral music, we have the combination of “pure” music with poetry. When finely crafted words come together with music written specifically to amplify their meaning, we get a 1+1=3 effect. I think there is a parallel here to the effect God’s love has on our lives. This is what happens when we welcome God’s love and share it within community: the cumulative impact we have becomes greater than that of the individual efforts we put in.
As we embark on this coming program year, with all its gifts and also with the challenges it is sure to bring, I hope we can dwell in the abundant goodness of God’s love, and use every opportunity before us in turn to share it. Each week, as the choirs of Trinity Church sing in our liturgies, know that our music is given as a gift, both to our community and to God, as the very best reflection we can manage of the beauty of God’s love.
Here’s a link to a setting of the above poem by Sarah MacDonald, which the choir will sing on kickoff Sunday this year. I hope you enjoy it!
Looking forward to all that this year holds,
Meg