A Word from Pastor Nathan

Dear Friends,

What incredible Easter services we had on Sunday! Easter begins a 50-day journey of proclaiming Christ’s conquering all that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. The joy of resurrection continues to empower us as we go to love and serve from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.

Dr. Lance Pape, the Associate Professor of Homiletics at Brite Divinity School, said the most important thing to proclaim on Easter Sunday is this: “Christ is risen.” He later added, “And make sure you sing good hymns.” He’s right. We know it’s Easter because we finally raise our voices and triumphs high as we sing Alleluia in the beloved hymn Christ the Lord is Risen Today!

Hymns—more than sermons—teach us our theology. We know God is faithful not because of a message we once heard but because Great is Thy Faithfulness has been part of our canon of hymns for almost one century. The soundtrack of faith that accompanies us on our wild and wondrous journey of life is composed of hymns.

Each Sunday at WACC, we list the hymn title and the HYMN TUNE (in all caps) in the worship guide. In 1873, Ms. Phoebe Knapp of New York composed the tune ASSURANCE. (She loved music and even had a pipe organ installed in her apartment!) Ms. Knapp invited the poet Ms. Fanny Crosby to her home, hoping that she would provide words to the tune. Ms. Crosby heard the melody twice and immediately responded with the lyrics “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine…”

What are your favorite Chalice Hymnal hymns, tunes, and lyrics? At Sing-for-Your-Supper on Monday, May 6, at 6 p.m., we will eat delicious home-made lasagna and sing the joyful music that has led us sunward in the triumph song of life. Tickets are $8 (through 4/28) or $10 at the door, and guest tickets are available, too, for friends and neighbors not affiliated with WACC.

As always, I look forward to singing with you,

Nathan