The Yearning

We all have the elementary school shootings on our mind today.  My kids are oblivious and frankly I'm mostly keeping it that way.  They heard it as a radio news story with their babysitter in the car and that was that.  No questions.  No comments.  Their little schools are as safe as they possibly could be.  Not too much to be done.

But, the four of us did cosy on the couch and watch the entire movie of the Christmas Story together.  No one wanted to go out.  I was a little more attached to their warm little physical bodies and their smiles there on the sofa.

Even though it's raining on our beautiful snow and there is more evil in the world than our stomachs can take I'm choosing light today as best I can.  There are still mountains and oceans and sunrises and dark red poinsettias and music.

This afternoon is the Easter choral service.  A grade school boy is going to sing "All is Well."  Good luck with that.  Pastor Kris if you read this, I recommend those little boxes of tissues you put out at funerals. . . Lucky for me the piano part is easy so I should be able to cope with hearing that.

The other songs are "Great, Great Joy," "How Great Our Joy," and "Good Christian Friends Rejoice."  I think it will be a little tricky to pull that off today.  Maybe it's okay.

My favorite and perhaps superbly appropriate is "The Yearning," by Susan Bentall Boersma with an orchestral arrangement based on music by Craig Courtney.  Bill Henry of Easter Lutheran and Eastview High crafted the arrangement for strings and winds.  You can find a choir singing this on youtube, but I'd rather you come and see ours at 5:00 tonight and 8:30 and 10:00 tomorrow at Easter on the Hill.

There is a yearning

in hearts weighed down by ancient grief

and centuries of sorrow,

There is a yearning

in hearts that in the darkness hide

and in the shades of death abide,

a yearning for tomorrow.

There is a yearning, 

a yearning for the promised One,

the Firstborn of creation

There is a yearning for the Lord who visited His own,

and by His death for sin atoned,

to bring to us salvation.

Emmanuel,

Emmanuel, 

within our hearts, 

the yearning.

Emmanuel,

Emmanuel,  

within our hearts, 

the yearning. 

There is a yearning

that fills the hearts of those who wait

the day of His appearing.

There is a yearning

when all our sorrows are erased

and we shall see the one who placed

within our hearts the yearning.  

Emmanuel,

Emmanuel,

within our hearts the yearning.