'Til we cast our crowns before Thee

I did something today I haven't done in over 2 decades. I got up in the middle of the night to watch a royal wedding. Yes, I was curious about 'the dress', but more than that I wanted to experience the music of Westminster Abbey during the ceremony, knowing full well that the music is not considered a highlight to be replayed in its entirety later in the day. There were some glorious moments! The bride's entrance to "I Was Glad" by Sir C.H.H. Parry was wonderful. (I'm not sure that was entirely the context intended by the Psalmist but whatever...) The fanfares by the two groups of trumpeters were marvelous as well. If I'd had a say in the matter, I'd have heard more organ and not quite as much orchestra, but then one has to consider supporting the singing of about 1,900 people in a building with very live acoustics.

The couple's choice of hymns was very interesting. They were: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (Tune: Cwm Rhondda), Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (Tune: Blaenwern) and lastly, And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time (Tune: Jerusalem). The first 2 tunes are Welsh and it made me wonder if this was a deliberate tribute to Wales (William's surname as Charles is the Prince of Wales). There are other reasons, of course, for choosing those 2 hymns. I understand that the second is a very popular choice for English weddings and with this particular tune - one that is not well known in North America. The third hymn always makes me think of the movie, Chariots of Fire; that's the first time I ever heard it.

The big question today seems to be, "What was your memorable moment during the wedding?" Well, the moment I'll remember occurred during the singing of Love Divine. The TV camera was on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they both sang the words, "...'Til we cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, love and praise." It was a poignant reminder to me that earthly kingdoms - past, present and future - will someday pass away and we will glorify only the King of Kings, and be "lost in wonder, love and praise".

Organic history

As much as we might like to deny it at times, we are inevitably linked to the past. Sometimes this is a painful thing, especially when it seems we don't learn enough from history to avoid making the same mistakes again. However, there are also instances when linking our present life to history is inspiring and uplifting.

I recently read in this magazine about a Spanish pipe organ restoration which took place last year. The present day workers found a letter dated Feb. 27, 1829 which was hidden deep in the workings of the organ by young apprentices when the instrument was built in 1828-29. They knew that only future organ builders would find this document in which they outlined their credentials and asked for prayers on their behalf. The restoration experts copied the letter and wrote their own note on the back, saying that they hoped it would be a good long time before it was discovered (180 years?) as they had tried to do their job correctly. The beautiful music produced by the organ since it was built, and the music it will still yield now that it has been restored is a testimony to those who worked many years ago to build something that would outlast them - built to the glory of God.

The above was first printed in the June 28/09 bulletin for St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg. I write a section called "Noteworthy Musings" which includes information about hymns, anthems, and other music included in the service from week to week. When I began to blog, I purposely decided not to duplicate posts from one to the other. This is an exception - just because it's summer!