The Lutheran Seminary of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States "God Pause daily Devotion" for Saturday, 27 June 2015 "My Life Flows On in Endless Song" ELW 763

The Lutheran Seminary of Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States "God Pause daily Devotion" for Saturday, 27 June 2015 "My Life Flows On in Endless Song" ELW 763

1. My life flows on in endless song;
above earth's lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.
Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I'm clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing?
2. Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear that music ringing.
It finds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I'm clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing?
3. What though my joys and comforts die?
The Lord my Savior liveth.
What though the darkness gather round?
Songs in the night he giveth.

Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I'm clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing?
4. The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am his!
How can I keep from singing?

Refrain:
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I'm clinging.
Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth,
how can I keep from singing?
"How can I keep from singing?"
Years ago, when I was a young youth director at Grace Lutheran Church in Des Moines, Wash., Pastor Markquart took it upon himself to teach the congregation a new hymn during Lent. He picked this hymn (then in WOV 781) which we sang every Wednesday night for six weeks. "How can I keep from singing?" echoed off our souls, particularly as the congregation struggled at the end of every refrain with those two extra beats placed by the composer on the word "keep." "How can I keeeeeep from singing?" Our youth group had fun with this phrase, stretching "keeeeeep" as far as we could manage.
It worked. Deep into summer, we could not keeeeeep from singing that hymn no matter how hard we tried! Great hymnody has a way of doing this; it gets inside our souls and echoes, planting divine melody and poetic grace in a resonant ready chamber for faithful expression. How can we keep from singing?
Great Composer, please surprise, delight and even annoy us with words and melody that will set our souls singing and our lives flowing! In Jesus name, Amen!
Chris Kramer
Pastor, Nativity Lutheran Church
Bend, Ore.
Master of Divinity , 2007
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