Humorous Hymns

First of all, I want to say that after attending tonight's YSA meeting, I feel less skeptical and more excited about the upcoming changes. (I'm a little disappointed that I won't even be in the same stake with some of my close friends, but I know the change is inspired, and I'm ready to make the best of it.)

Secondly, I would not normally find either one of these hymns humorous, but taken in the context of tonight's meeting I could not help smiling/laughing.

The opening hymn was "Redeemer of Israel." The third verse reads, "How long we have wandered as strangers in sin/And cried in the desert for thee..." One purpose of the change to YSA stakes and wards is to offer only two options: a YSA ward or a local, conventional ward. In other words, they want to eliminate ward hopping. "How long we have wandered..."

The closing hymn was "Let Us All Press On." Much of the meeting was focused on staying in your ward/stake boundaries, making an absolute decision (YSA or conventional ward), and reaching out to those who may not be involved in the church at this time. They mentioned how the smaller wards would give more opportunity to serve, while the YSA stakes would offer opportunity to meet other young single adults. (And of course they mentioned that YSA wards are meant to be temporary, and that they want us all to "graduate." By creating more opportunities for us to meet people, they are hoping that this will happen for more people.) In any case, when they announced the closing hymn, I couldn't help laughing, and as the girl next to me thought about it, she also found it funny. "Let us all press on... fear not... courage..." Let's get out there and be active in our wards and reach out to others... and, as always, date and look for opportunities to marry.

Episcopalian Worship Services

I had a unique opportunity today. A women's choir from our ward got to join the choir women of St. Paul's Episcopal Church for their services. We sang "Grace" (an arrangement of "Amazing Grace" to the tune of "The Water Is Wide") as well as singing the other parts of their service with them.

For those of us used to LDS services, this involved a lot of standing up and sitting down. (It sounds like a small thing, and yet it was nice to be able to sit through sacrament meeting this afternoon.) But it's great to be reminded that there are many beliefs we share with other Christian religions. The readings from the Bible, the hymns we sang, the prayers from their prayer book, all point to Jesus Christ, to His atonement, to the fact that He is our Savior and Redeemer. To watch the reverence with which they approached the altar to receive Communion, a person could conclude that we are not so different. We are all children of God, though our forms of worship may not be identical.

I truly find it a blessing to have been invited to participate. I was grateful, also, for the accommodations they made for us. As part of their choir today, we did participate in the processional before the service (and the recessional following), but they only made a brief, token bow to the altar, and they did not expect us to follow suit. They did not wear choir robes today, either. And everyone was very gracious to us. The choir members felt that we were a necessary addition to their group today, and many people thanked us for coming. All in all, it was a wonderful opportunity to build relationship of trust and respect between both faiths.

I really am amazed at the sense of community in downtown Salt Lake, even between the various religions. There are many good people of all faiths who are striving to live a good life, to be good neighbors, to seek out and help those in need.

Especially at this Easter season, it is good to remember that there are others preparing to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is this miraculous event that gives meaning to mortality, that brings faith in immortality and hope in eternal life. Let us join, all Christianity, in celebrating the good news of the gospel: that Christ was resurrected, that He lives, and that He has prepared the way for us to return to Him.