Last evening's Prairie Home Companion originated from Goshen College and although I missed a lot of the show I did hear the choir singing some achingly lovely old hymns in four-part harmony.
Now that I miss! There is a lot of about my earlier church experience that I have diverged from, but the beauty of those old hymns like "Abide with Me" is stunning, years later.
"Abide with me
Fast falls the eventide
The darkness deepens,
Lord, with me abide."
The simple, soft merge of alto, soprano, tenor and bass in this almost lullaby overwhelmed me last evening with it's quiet glory.
But growing up, we took both the words and the singing for granted. Now, mind you, the average congregation didn't sound like that choir last night, but still, the music was there. And so was the poetry of the words. And so was the steadfast faith.
And still after all these years, it abides.
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