As another All Saints’ day approaches tomorrow, I am reminded again of that ‘great cloud of witnesses’ that surrounds us. When Nov. 1st does not fall on a Sunday, we observe this day of remembrance on the Sunday which follows Nov. 1st, as we will do this Sunday. It is a time to remember and give thanks for the lives of those who have passed from this life to life eternal. It is a reminder that when life here on earth ends for a child of God, that it is not THE END. God has promised that those who put their faith and trust in his Son Jesus will have eternal life. This year alone, many people in our parish have gone through the loss of loved ones and friends for whom we grieve. Although we give thanks that they are at peace in the presence of the Lord and no longer suffer, we still grieve their absence from our day-to-day lives. God’s promise to walk with us in our grief is our greatest comfort. As a church musician, of course, I seek to find music from those who have come before me from that ‘great cloud of witnesses’ who sought to bring comfort to others through their music. This Sunday, the Offertory anthem will be “And I Saw a New Heaven”, which is based on the reading from Revelation 21. It is a beautiful text reminding us that someday God will wipe away all tears and that death will be no more. Below is another beautiful text from an anthem by Swedish composer, Karl-Erik Svedlund. This All Saints’ Day and always, may God give you peace.
John
There’ll Be Something in Heaven
There’ll be something in heaven for the children of God, for the children that die in the Lord. There’ll be crowns of gold, there’ll be harps also, there’ll be clothes that are white as the snow. They shall sit at table in God’s glorious house, they shall feast on the life-giving bread. They shall walk in the brightness of God’s holy light, neither night will be found, neither death. There’ll be something in heaven for the children of God, for the children that die in the Lord. In the city of God they shall sing and rejoice, there’ll be something for the children of God.
Swedish Text by Karl-Erik Svedlund, tr. Bruce Bengtson: © A. B. Nordiska Musikförlaget, Stockhom, Sweden.
© 1998 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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