Blessing and honor and glory and might

Yesterday's lectionary readings included one of my favorite scripture passages, a scene from the fifth chapter of Revelation of heavenly worship

"Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped."


I always think that it's funny that my favorite biblical passage comes from Revelation, since that's usually the territory of fundamentalist televangelists who spend their ministries making bold claims about the time and place of Jesus' imminent return. If you look behind the flat out strange imagery and bizarre prophesies found in John's Revelation, you'll find some extraordinary visions of the church universal standing before the throne of God. I think those of us who have the privilege of being able to create music in worship, whether being an organist or pianist as I have been, or one of the voices that joins to create a community's song of praise, prayer or lament, know something about what heaven is like.

When I was the music director and organist at Trinity Lutheran in Terre Haute (hi Lutherans!), the most intense moment in worship for me were when we would sing the canticle "This is the feast" toward the beginning of the service. It is a canticle that takes its text from the words of Revelation. "This is the feast of victory for our God, Alleluia! Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God. Power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing and glory are his. Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation; Blessing and honor and glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever, Amen! This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia, Alleluia!"

Images of all creation joining to sing a hymn are important to me when I am playing music for worship. Often when we'd sing that hymn, I'd imagine ocean waves crashing and tree leaves rustling in the wind joining the voices of human and non-human creatures. It's like Herbert Brokering's hymn "Earth And All Stars" where everything from crowds and marching bands to trumpets and pipes to loud boiling test tubes sing praises to God. Images of people from every tribe and language at the throne of God (there must not be any English-only laws in Heaven, surprisingly) are very moving to me.

Creation's song of praise takes on many faces when examined at individual levels. It might sound like the phenomenal music our youth group at Second Pres. offered at last Sunday's youth service: a rendition of Hank William's "I Saw the Light" and Nickel Creek's "Doubting Thomas," which both illustrated beautifully the theme of the day. It might be the footsteps of migrant workers entering a strange land where they won't necessarily be welcomed. The song of praise might be found in the strong voices of homeless men gathered on Easter morning to sing "Amazing Grace." It might be heard as somebody relieves stress by humming to the radio on the way to work. Even the cries of anguish blend into this song to the Lamb who was slaughtered in screams from help from violence.


What a humbling opportunity it is for us to enter God's eternal time in music and in worship.

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The last piece of the puzzle for Second Presbyterian's new building is the installation of the new organ. Yesterday morning, many people were standing in the front of the sanctuary staring backwards toward the balcony to get the first glimpse of the new organ, which was still on a truck a week earlier. It is Juget-Sinclair's Opus 26, a tracker action organ with 22 ranks.

Here are the specifications on the Juget-Sinclair site.

It should be ready to go by the new church building's dedication service on the afternoon of June 3.