When Lauralea and I were living in Aylmer Ontario and we were serving in the lay pastoral ministry there at the Aylmer EMM Church, Christmas season was full of wonder.
At that time the worship there was a mix of High and Low German and English and Lauralea and I loved being in the church choir because these people knew how to sing. Each year in December the choir director would have us turn to the Advent and Christmas songs in the Gesangbuch and we would practice and prepare for the season.
However, there was one song that was reserved for Christmas morning, Der Friedensfürst (Prince of Peace). At the end of the Christmas morning worship service the hundreds who had gathered knew what was coming. Anyone who knew the song was invited up to the choir loft to sing along that great seasonal mennonite anthem. Some years it seemed as though most of the congregation came up and joined us to worship in song. The first notes would be played by the pianist and off we would go.
Singing that song was an experience of the Spirit and of worship, and I knew that because I didn't even mentally understand all of the german words I was singing. There was deep wonder there that this Prince of Peace came for us all, even for me and we were freed to worship with all of our hearts and voices. And worship we did.
Yes, wonder was there.
This was a bit of what it was like.
Interesting. The guys on the right at the back, standing there while everyone else was singing, must have been my kindred spirits. :-)
ReplyDeleteI can see why you'd enjoy this reminisce. When I was a child my mother would sing Silent Night for me in German, though that's a slightly harsh memory considering the condition she's in these days.