Sunday, February 10, 2013

Farewell to Alleluia/Song of Gladness (and Mourning)...

It sounds like a contradiction, does it not?  That there would be song that is both a one of mourning and gladness.  But the Christian understands ...

Each year on the last Sunday before Lent (and this seems to have come quite quickly, already!), we sing "Farewell to Alleluia" at the close of the service.  This hymn marks the prelude to the five weeks of Lent before Easter week when meditate on our sinful state for which Christ died... five weeks or forty days of solemnity before we can celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord, our resurrection in Him and thus return to celebratory alleluias.

As the moving lyrics of this hymn intone...


Alleluia cannot always be sung while here below;
Alleluia our transgressions;
Make us for awhile forego;
For the solemn time is coming;
When our tears for sin must flow;

In other words, in order understand and acknowledge that depth of sacrifice given TO us and FOR us by God in the death of his beloved and perfect Son we must feel, in our admittedly small and human way, a portion of mourning.  

But the hymn also intones the joy that ultimately will be ours through salvation to eternal joy made possible only by this  Holy sacrifice in the death of Our Lord on the cross.

I pray that you were able to attend a divine service this day and felt the depth of this uniquely bittersweet blessing, as expressed in the hymn, Alleluia, Song of Gladness.

I also pray that you will attend services, pray and meditate throughout the Lenten season on yours and all of our human shortcomings and do so with the sure knowledge of and in the Name of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Yours in Christ,

-=COL

P.S. It is interesting to note that retiring the alleluia, while not a uniquely Lutheran liturgical feature, is practiced by orthodox Lutheran congregations as well "in Traditional Catholic and Anglican" congregations.
Here is an audio of the 10th century chant in Latin with text in English.

Other material ...

https://historictrinity.org/alleluia.html  (Amazing LCMS Church in downtown Detroit)

http://www.historiclectionary.com/2009/02/farewell-to-alleluia/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WRztdx3pgo

1 comment:

marta chausée said...

Thank you, Doug. I needed to read this today.