Hymn #567 in Celebrating Grace Hymnal — “For All the Saints”
[pullquote_center width=”65%”]And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again and arms are strong.
Alleluia![/pullquote_center]
Some weeks just wear you down. Your good intentions are misconstrued, your to-do list is filled with “didn’ts”, your best effort isn’t good enough. The half-inch or restoring rain is forgotten in months of choking drought. The last-minute, miracle touchdown drive is replaced in memory by your opponent’s last-second pass-that-defied-logic, and you lose… again.
What keeps me coming back to this place, week after week, when the world doesn’t always make sense? It’s the song I hear in the distance, peculiar to this place filled with the spirits of those gone on before, and the spirits of those in the pew next to me. The song is one of triumph; and my heart, and yours, is brave again, and our arms are strong.
Just in time to tackle another week in the real world, strengthened by the song I hear in this place, with these saints.
Listen to this hymn, as sung at the John H. Jeffers Memorial Concert on 1 March 2009.