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Sunday, December 6, 2015

The Morning of Joy



Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’   ‘Where, O death, is your victory?   Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labour is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:51-58

In The Morning of Joy

When the trumpet shall sound,
And the dead shall arise,
And the splendors immortal
Shall envelop the skies;
When the Angel of Death
Shall no longer destroy,
And the dead shall awaken
In the morning of joy:

In the morning of joy,
In the morning of joy,
We’ll be gathered to glory,
In the morning of joy;
In the morning of joy,
In the morning of joy,
We’ll be gathered to glory,
In the morning of joy.

When the King shall appear
In His beauty on high,
And shall summon His children
To the courts of the sky;
Shall the cause of the Lord
Have been all your employ,
That your soul may be spotless
In the morning of joy?

In the morning of joy,
In the morning of joy,
We’ll be gathered to glory,
In the morning of joy;
In the morning of joy,
In the morning of joy,
We’ll be gathered to glory,
In the morning of joy.

O the bliss of that morn,
When our loved ones we meet!
With the songs of the ransomed
We each other shall greet,
Singing praise to the Lamb,
Thro’ eternity’s years,
With the past all forgotten
With its sorrows and tears

In the morning of joy,
In the morning of joy,
We’ll be gathered to glory,
In the morning of joy;
In the morning of joy,
In the morning of joy,
We’ll be gathered to glory,
In the morning of joy.


I woke up Friday morning with this song in my head. As I sang it to myself, tears rolled down my face. This song was sang at my grandmama's funeral, and I often sang it when I was the song leader of my church. It brings me comfort, since I know that in that morning of joy, I will be reunited with my friend.


The above sculpture is called "Angel of Grief" and is an 1894 sculpture by William Wetmore Story which serves as the grave stone of the artist and his wife at the Protestant Cemetery, Rome.



7 comments:

  1. A song of comfort and hope. One that is new to me. I had seen the statue before, but did not know its history. Breathtakingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing both.

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  2. I always pay attention to the songs that seem to run through my head unbidden. SomeOne was telling you something with the song, the message of hope you needed at this time.

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  3. The song and statue are beautiful. There's comfort in knowing that we will see our loved ones again.

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  4. Oh wow, interesting lyrics. Thanks. :)

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  5. Someday,(hopefully soon), when your grief subsides, and you feel more your old self, I'd like you to explain why "...the power of sin is the law."? I just can't quite make logical sense out of this wording esp. in the parallel construction of that verse. I'd be interested to know your scholarly take on it.

    Wishing you comfort and joy in their time.

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    Replies
    1. Paul, sin is the breaking of God's law and we know that the first sin resulted in the death of man, or at least the eventual death. Jesus, however, died for all of our sins so that we may live again in eternity with him. While this is often considered a jarring part of this passage that makes you think 1 Corinthians 15:56 is a harsh verse amongst comforting verses, I think Paul is simply saying that our body will die because of sin and that is inevitable because of the law, but our soul will live eternal because of the sacrifice of Jesus. All have sinned and we all will die, but Jesus grants us eternal life. I how that my explanation is not too rambling and it makes sense because right now, I think it is the best I can do. Michael or some other readers may be able to better explain its meaning but this is what it means to me.

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