*Hymn
abstract by Edward Marecak
Hymn
Day 26 — March 6
In anticipation of each of these writings, I have been considering the pieces of art that Elizabeth and I collected through the years and matching them up with a theme and a memory. It’s easy to write about Durham Cathedral when looking at an artwork of Durham Cathedral, for example. But what IS this?
I see dissonance in the jagged, angled edges that snarl like a mad dog baring its teeth. I see harmony in the curves and colors that fit together just so. And I am particularly intrigued by the simple, crosshatched circle that to my eyes is a liturgical icon.
These, taken together, inspired me to think of music—the weaving of dissonance and harmony together—and especially the church’s liturgical music and hymns. Even if Elizabeth might have been described as a Methodist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Unitarian, Agnostic, she did have one singularly favorite hymn.
She sincerely believed that this hymn—The Servant Song—should be sung every Sunday in every church in every place. She believed its message would be transformative if sung and internalized and lived. It strikes to the heart of her deeply-held values.
The Servant Song
(Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymn 659)
Richard Gillard, Betty C. Pulkingham
(A link to listen is below)
Will you let me be your servant.
Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant, too.
We are pilgrims on a journey.
We are trav’lers on the road.
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night time of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you;
Speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping.
When you laugh, I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we've seen this journey through.
Will you let me be your servant.
Let me be as Christ to you.
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant, too.
As I shared in my Day 4 post, the marriage vows I wrote in 1990 are an exact parallel to the verse about weeping and joy—long before I had ever sung this hymn: In times of happiness I will share your joy and laughter. In times of sorrow, I will share your tears and pain. We did those things, ‘till we saw our journey through.
We’ll be singing this hymn together whenever it is that we can gather for Elizabeth’s funeral, which had been scheduled for March 16—the day everything stopped as the pandemic took hold. That won’t be until we can sing again without fear, boldly embracing life’s dissonance and harmony.
Until then, let Elizabeth’s favorite hymn be our inspiration:
We are pilgrims on a journey.
We are trav’lers on the road.
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.
Day 26: the art of love and loss
view all posts at kentmueller.com
February 10, 2020, was the day my wife, Elizabeth Izant, entered the hospital. She and I were on a hopeful journey following her heart transplant five months prior. On March 1, she entered hospice and died March 11. This series is not about her medical journey. This is about sharing stories and reflections about our life together. In our 29 years of marriage, we collected a piece of art or two each year, often in celebration of our marriage anniversary. Each day from February 10 to March 11, I will be sharing an image of that art. And a story.