My grandmother sang in the Methodist choir for 50 years. Music was always a reality in her home as she cooked and cleaned and went about her day. My other grandfather loved hymns.
He did not attend church regularly but listened to services with my invalid grandmother on the radio. When he did attend church, he came home singing hymns as he walked through the door. Brent Tomberlin There is a reason why music is universal.
It simply unites us as a people. It unites us with our various religious traditions, provides each one of us with a unique hope, and we get the message in the music even when we are singing a little off-key. Perhaps at Christmas, we feel the pull of the holiday music most dear.
Yet, I believe it is at Easter when the music really reaches us on the deepest levels. To know the story of Jesus: How he is buried as the broken King of the Jews and resurrected as Christ the Lord is to experience the power of redemption in all our lives. And even if we do not always want to believe it, the story of the passion of Christ, his death, and resurrection, are the most powerful stories in the history of man.
Thus, we find ourselves celebrating and singing. As the great minister, Tim Keller, wrote, “The Joy which Christ brings is never exterminated.” I bet if we sat in a circle and talked about hymns, we would all have our favorites.
They remain favorites because, perhaps as we age, we come a little closer to the meanings of the Easter/resurrection story, and the words a.
