Saturday, March 31, 2018

"Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands"

"Christ  Lying under a Shroud" - Giuseppe Sanmartino

Hymn: "Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands" - Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Tune: CHRIST LAG IN TODESBANDEN - J. Walther

For some reason we Christians for the most part don't celebrate this dark day - Black Saturday - the day between Good Friday and Easter - that loneliest of all days for the Lord Christ when he lay in solitude bound by the "bands" of cloth that swaddled him once again...those same threads through which he would burst forth the following morning.

The quiet... the dark... the solitude. Perhaps we were meant to spend this day in a more contemplative way with less preparation and shopping. I know, I know. Our culture, our familization, and our church-life has required us to do much of this, and I suppose we must... but in the middle of all this, could we come away and wait with Him one hour - join him in his quiet, dark, solitude? It might do us both good.

Then tomorrow morning when the organ begins the strains of "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," we can join him more completely in his bursting forth. After all, the last word of each stanza of THIS hymn is "Hallelujah!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw-CPmqPC60

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Hymnlines - Hemlines: Get it?! :)

Hymnlines - Hemlines: Get it?! :)