Saints Above and Saints Below

The link for our video service this week is: https://youtu.be/6SOsdiusOI4

We've had a number of losses in our congregation over the past two weeks. These were long lives and well lived, but still their passing leaves a hole in our fellowship. I'll miss one in particular.

Bill made his living on the sea, but church and the fine arts put life in his living. He was a long-time member of the choir, coming faithfully to rehearsal on Thursdays and church on Sundays. Even as he had to give up other activities, choir remained a joy to him.


He was also a willing and cheerful member of the chorus when we did Christmas musicals. Donating his voice and his considerable artistic talents to the show.

the ox and the ass were Bill's work

He would draw our posters and paint sets. He often contributed a piece to the Presbyterian Record art contest at Christmas. 

One year, his painting became the cover of the magazine.

Presbyterian Record, Dec. 2011

His art work enlivened the pages of our newsletter, "The Shepherd's Way," and he was a generous contributor to sales and auctions with the proceeds of his drawings going to various causes in the church.
He could be counted on for Bible Study and for concerts and the church picnic on the beach. 

Even in January of this year when we had our 2020 party, Bill was there, cheerful as always.

In ordinary times, we'd gather together as a congregation of friends and family and share our Bill stories. We'd laugh a little and shed a few tears. We'd hold each other close in the embrace of Christian love. We'd eat Blanche's shortbread cookies and drink a cup of tea. We would commend our friend to God's keeping and sing one of his favourite hymns.

But these are not ordinary times and we cannot perform the usual comforting rituals. The need to stay apart makes our grief even harder to bear.  This is a heartache born not only by our congregation but by thousands of families across the country. Death in the time of COVID is particularly cruel. 

May we take comfort knowing that Bill and others from our fellowship are now among "that great cloud of witnesses." They have run the race before them and are now at peace.

For All The Saints  Sung by the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir

Amidst all the Remembrance Day observances last week, I realized one of the hymns of my youth was missing, "O Valiant Hearts." It does not appear in our Book of Praise,. In fact, Hymnary.org lists it as appearing in less than 25 hymnals between the 1920's and the 1990's.
The poem was written in 1917, by John Arkwright, and later set to music. It was an attempt to bring meaning to the millions of deaths brought on by WWI -- the war to end all wars.
It is easy to see how grieving nations would embrace the words of this hymn, which links the sacrifice of so many young lives to the sacrifice of Christ. 
The hymn was was sung at the bur­i­al ser­vice of the Un­known War­ri­or in West­min­ster Ab­bey, Lon­don, No­vem­ber 11, 1920, 
Sadly, the Great War, did not end all wars. Perhaps that is one reason later hymnarys did not include this hymn. However, it was a standard at the cenotaph when I was young and a quick search on-line shows it is still very much a part of Remembrance Day in Britain.
It may not suit our times, but the heartfelt sorrow and grief of so many nations, is worth remembering.


1. O valiant hearts who to your glory came
Through dust of conflict and through battle flame;
Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved,
Your memory hallowed in the land you loved.


2. Proudly you gathered, rank on rank, to war
As who had heard God’s message from afar;
All you had hoped for, all you had, you gave,
To save mankind—yourselves you scorned to save.


3. Splendid you passed, the great surrender made;
Into the light that nevermore shall fade;
Deep your contentment in that blest abode,
Who wait the last clear trumpet call of God.


4. Long years ago, as earth lay dark and still,
Rose a loud cry upon a lonely hill,
While in the frailty of our human clay,
Christ, our Redeemer, passed the self same way.


5. Still stands His cross from that dread hour to this,
Like some bright star above the dark abyss;
Still, through the veil, the Victor’s pitying eyes
Look down to bless our lesser Calvaries.


7. O risen Lord, O Shepherd of our dead,
Whose cross has bought them and whose staff has led,
In glorious hope their proud and sorrowing land
Commits her children to Thy gracious hand.

John Arkwright, 1917  

(Tune: The Supreme Sacrifice) - composed by Charles Harris

Sorrow and Joy

                                     When I must leave you for a little while . . .

The past seven days at SPPC have been hard ones.  We had two funerals.  We are missing two faces from our fellowship.  We have two families suffering bereavement.  Our hearts are heavy.  And yet. . .
    I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me; because I live, ye shall live also.  John 14: 18-19
   I go to prepare a place for you.  I will come again, and receive you unto myself;  that where I am, there ye may be also.  John 14:3
   And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Rev. 21:4


   
    We grieve our loss, but we rejoice in the life that was lived, in the love known and the laughter shared.  Our loved ones live on in the stories told, the pictures in our memories, the baby who wears his forebear's smile. 

 In the midst of sorrow, we have hope.  We believe in the resurrection.  We know our good-byes are not final.  As Rev. Irwin said, "we gather as a congregation to say good-bye, but what we really mean is "see you in a while.'"

Let Not your Heart be Troubled, H.A. Clark