It doesn't get better than this...

...this side of the Parousia. We attended early service at St. Paul's this a.m. I was already looking forward to it, for I love the readings and hymns and chants of this Last Sunday of the Church Year. But what a feast! The prelude had just begun when I came in, but I got to hear most of August Homilius' Wachet Auf. The opening hymn was "Christ Is Surely Coming" and the congregation belted it out with some help from Carlo and John on trumpet. The school children were the cantors today and did a great job on the Introit and Gradual. Right after the Gradual, they sang Kenneth Kosche's lovely Bless God's Holy Name in two parts. The hymn of the day was amazing. After the congregation sang the first stanza of Wake, Awake, the school children belted out the same verse again AUF DEUTSCH. Maybe Im silly, but I'm thinking that those walls were happy to hear the old tongue again and many was the saint gathered in heaven who worshipped there at St. Paul's in the old days who beamed and sang along with! And just when it can't get any better...the homily. Pr. Clausing is preparing to serve in Kenya and he preached us the greatest homily ever. The images will stay with me: the overlap right before dawn when the light has appeared and yet the night hasn't gone, perfect image of the church living in the overlap of ages...how vital to stay awake when you're driving at night and not get comfortable, cozy, sleepy...The importance of us not getting too comfortable in this age, but staying awake and alert and how God does the job of keeping us awake and alert as we hear and heed His Word, above all the Word Jesus speaks to us: "for you, for the forgiveness of sins" for we are not destined to wrath but to inherit salvation with our Lord Jesus. It was just amazingly good and delivered with the manifest joy of a forgiven sinner. And when our souls were filled to the full, God in His usual way, gave us even more. Wachet Auf came back during the offering. Bach's "Sleepers Wake" with John doing the trumpet. It was long and I wished it had never ended. But then again, God had even more. We feasted at the Eucharist and the African hymn "When I Behold Jesus Christ" started us off, and then onto Johann Walther's "The Bridegroom Soon Shall Call Us" in that glorious Praetorius setting that virtually makes you dance for joy, especially when John is playing along with his trumpet and then up to the Norse lands for "Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers." All this while the body and blood of the Savior that took away our sins and promises us resurrection filled our mouths. After the thanksgiving and closing liturgy, we sang "The Day Is Surely Drawing Near" and then even MORE gifts. Bach's Fugue in G Major. I walked out smiling for joy and thinking how blessed Kenya will by the Clausings and how blessed we are at St. Paul's to have musicians and pastors determined to fill us with the very best and greatest gifts of our Lutheran heritage. Heart bursting for joy today! "Her star is risen, her light is come" indeed and therefore "will we eternally sing hymns of praise and joy to Thee."