I started taking piano lessons in the 2nd grade, but really just “did” the lessons, since I usually only practiced about an hour or two before said lesson each week. Regardless, I still remember the first “lesson” when sitting beside my piano teacher: finding middle C, that white key in the middle of them all. Honestly, I remember, just as much, being intimidated by the other 87 black-and-white keys. How could I possibly play something when I have to find the right key to press down amidst all 88 of them? How in the world can I play multiples at a time, not to mention sharps and flats and sometimes double-sharps or flats (!?!), and then the pedals down below, too? That anxiety carried over to a fair share of recitals, to say the least, even though I never got to a song that included all 88 keys anyway.
We call it Holy Week, but maybe we could refer to it as our annual roller-coaster ride, going from the joyous parade of Palm Sunday (albeit just to a donkey height or so) to Jesus getting as low to the ground level of our humanity as possible in washing others’ feet for Maundy Thursday, and sharing a meal right alongside as well, before being lifted up on a pain-filled cross for Good Friday, carrying over into the heart-wrenching waiting and anticipation of that holy Saturday, and then the ultimate joy and celebration of the Resurrection. The Holy Week title has its reasons, but a roller-coaster ride of emotions has its realistic description as well, not just for the Messiah, but for us, connecting to our whole life: a roller-coaster ride that Jesus is, evidently, willing to hop on board no matter the dips and rises or speed or twists and turns. If the cross can’t stop him, nothing that happens in our life can, either.
As I have compiled this list of my favorite hymns (which are put in the order as they appear in the ELW hymnal, and are, by no means, a complete list of all the pull-my-heartstrings songs), I notice these may not be the most familiar tunes/texts for the veteran Lutherans among us. It is no different for what is currently my favorite hymn in the Lent section of our hymnal, “Seed That in Earth Is Dying” (ELW 330). When it comes to the reasons why certain hymns become our favorites, sometimes it’s just one reason in particular. Other times, there are several.
For the next several weeks, I’ll be going through some of my favorite hymns in our Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) hymnal, which we predominantly use in selecting our music for worship. We all have our own reasons as to why specific songs connect with us, whether it be in church buildings or during rush-hour traffic in our cars or inside concert halls or wherever else. For some, it’s about the lyrics. For others, it’s about the rhythm. In certain instances, it’s about where we were and who we were with, when we first heard it or sung along. When it comes to worship, the music is meant to further reel us into God’s embrace while also giving us a holy nudge to go follow our Risen Lord out into the world.
When I was in seminary, there was this in-between time between fall and spring semesters called a J-term (January term), where students could take a three-week crash course on Hebrew (which I begrudgingly went along with to fulfill that requirement for graduation) or learn more about rural ministry, for example. Every once in a while, though, they would offer an immersive experience in the “Holy Land.” Thankfully, my parents were more than supportive enough of me in this whole wanna-be-a-pastor trek that they financially backed me to go. But the long-term effects on me spiritually-speaking were not anything I expected.
