Skip to main content

And I mean to be one, too...


The end of October is a bittersweet time; the candy is sweet and the wind can be bitter cold.  It also is a time of sweet memories that have a bit of a bite!  Growing up as a minister's daughter  my sisters and I LOVED All Saints' Day music...especially, "I sing a song of the saints of God."

Perfect people who do no wrong are often called "saints."   I have learned that those are really called, "people I don't know well."  Everyone is imperfect, and that is what makes us the perfect instrument for God's love.  The flaw is ours; the perfection is divine. Saints are messengers; in a world without Snapchat(tm) they are a glimpse of the goodness of the kingdom of God.

        And one was a doctor, and one was a queen, and one was a shepherdess on the green...

Okay, since our last name was "Green" we really liked that verse-- it was a nice counterpoint to church decoration which was NEVER called "the hanging of the greens" in our church! But what I love about this hymn now is the definition of a saint...

       They loved their Lord, so dear so dear, and his love made them strong. 

 Saints are strong people who live the good news that God is present and God loves us.  It isn't complex, and it isn't nuanced.  It is truth.

          They lived not only in ages past; there are hundreds and thousands still.
          For the world is bright with the glorious saints who love to do Jesus' will. 
          You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea, 
           In church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea...
          
I have met many saints here in Indianapolis.  The child who ran to welcome me with a hug, the passer by who pulled a friend's car out of the mud, old friends who reconnected, a family who gave me a home while I did the important work of going and coming, the anchor/teacher/shepherd who said yes without knowing who would put out the crayons, and the faithful THOUSANDS who prayed and welcomed and hoped and dreamed.

 
Speaking of truth there is another reason we loved / love this hymn for a bit of seminary mischief that filtered down to avid little girl minds. You see, my father reported that in seminary the refrain for this beloved seasonal hymn

    and one was soldier, and one was a priest, and one was slain by a fierce wild beast

  would occasionally be rearranged.  So, as loudly as three young voices could sing from the back row, on the Sunday closest to November 1st you would hear, "and one was a soldier, and one was a beast, and one was slain by a FIERCE WILD PRIEST."  

My sisters and I sang pretty loudly as we grew up, and our enthusiasm has never waned. Most importantly, we sing every verse just as loudly. It is a great legacy to teach our children

     For the saints of God are just folk like me, 
     And I mean to be one, too.
 


Labels:
Location: 7700 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN 46260, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

And on the seventh day...

Figure 1 http://www.montreat.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Mountains-2-400x250-300x187.jpg We think of “Sabbath” as a time to NOT DO something.  We stop.  We wait.  We rest.  We sit.  However, that is a lot of work!  I think of Sabbath as “making a space.”  It is an active choosing, remembering, and prioritizing a holy space for God.  It is less about “letting go” and more about “leaning in” to the Breath of the Holy Spirit.  In this context Sabbath is a return to our making.  You see, in the beginning “the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). It is the breath of the Lord God that stirs dust into human.  It is the breath of the Lord God that makes us living and gives us a life.  Therefore, “Sabbath” – a time for rest and renewal, is an opportunity to reach for that breath of God which gives u...
Post a Comment
Read more

Where is the Love--Guest Blogger Rev. Caroline Dennis

(Spiritual Practices for Families: Giving Thanks) Where is the Love? In December, amidst the wrappings and the shouts of glee, we found a quiet time to come to the manger and contemplate the great Love that God sent, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Here, as sparkling Christmas lights give way to snow and rain and ice, as gathered family gives way to bill paying and schedule keeping, how might we hold on those manger moments when we embraced the Love that embraces us? In these more ordinary days, can we still see the light that leads us to Bethlehem, to the ordinary extraordinary places where Love shows up? Here is my invitation to you, and to your children:  Pause... in the middle of your "what's next" life... to see, hear, touch, smell, taste... all the amazing that is right here and now.  Point it out to one another like we might point out the twinkling lights on a Christmas tree.  Give thanks... for the warmth of the sweater, the wag of the do...
Post a Comment
Read more

“For a time such as this…”

The book of Esther is a difficult one, but it is important.  It speaks of power! There is personal power, royal power, and providential power.  It is a book that can be difficult to discuss with children and anyone who has been voiceless; however, it is not a book exhaulting the victim.  Esther is not a submissive girl who gives up.  She has inner strength and power.  She lives her life and draws on her community.  When the time comes, she uses her wisdom to be a vessel for the will of God.  Her uncle tells her, “perhaps you have been made royal for a time such as this.”  We often skip the “royal,” in our attempt to make the message universal.  However, we forget that we are children of "the king of all creation" and therefore “royal.”  I cannot help wondering how the Rev. Becca Stevens hears the book of Esther? Rev. Stevens works with women who have been commercialized and abused.  She teaches that "#LoveHeals." ...
Post a Comment
Read more