found hymn and time
After pondering over it most of the evening, I finally tried a google search today and almost immediately found the reference to the hymn fragment I had in my head yesterday. Here it is:
Heart with loving heart united, met to know God's holy will.
Let his love in us ignited more and more our spirits fill.
He the head, we are his menbers, we reflect the light he is.
He the master, we disciples, he is our and we are his.
(Text: Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf, Herz und Hurz vereint susammend, 1723
Music: Manuscript Chorale Bood, 1735)
It's in our hymnal, and we actually sang it two months ago. So now I have the dilemma of whether or not to use it again. In the mean time, I'm struck by the irony of using the internet to find a hymn written long before even computers were even a concept and even before Ben Franklin had his famous lightning experiment. It's hard to imagine life without these modern conveniences, yet I'm looking back to the 1700's to find words to meet today's needs. I think there's danger in only looking to the past, especially when it comes to music, but it does say something about the human condition that though times change, human passions, hopes, and fears remain a constant. For the same reason, ancient scriptures and other sacred and secular writings still have relevance, even though the authors could never have imagined the world in which we live today. It is our common experiences and the human condition that unites us, not time, place, background, or location. We still reflect the light of God.
Heart with loving heart united, met to know God's holy will.
Let his love in us ignited more and more our spirits fill.
He the head, we are his menbers, we reflect the light he is.
He the master, we disciples, he is our and we are his.
(Text: Nicolaus L. von Zinzendorf, Herz und Hurz vereint susammend, 1723
Music: Manuscript Chorale Bood, 1735)
It's in our hymnal, and we actually sang it two months ago. So now I have the dilemma of whether or not to use it again. In the mean time, I'm struck by the irony of using the internet to find a hymn written long before even computers were even a concept and even before Ben Franklin had his famous lightning experiment. It's hard to imagine life without these modern conveniences, yet I'm looking back to the 1700's to find words to meet today's needs. I think there's danger in only looking to the past, especially when it comes to music, but it does say something about the human condition that though times change, human passions, hopes, and fears remain a constant. For the same reason, ancient scriptures and other sacred and secular writings still have relevance, even though the authors could never have imagined the world in which we live today. It is our common experiences and the human condition that unites us, not time, place, background, or location. We still reflect the light of God.
posted by peacepastor | 12:53 PM
4 Comments:
Sometimes when the sermon doesn't speak to me I just read the hymnal (Episcopal in this case). There's some great poetry in it, and some truly venerable things.
Welcome to RGBP from another INFP! (alphabet soup anyone?)
The times change, but the songs of the heart are eternal.
If it fits, I would use it again. How did people ever learn hymns except by singing them more than once a year?
Welcome to the ring!
Welcome to the revgalblogpals.
It is pretty amazing the info, literature, hymns, and all you can find on the web.
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