Singing our glorious confidence.

This last week was a great week. I attended the Level II organist workshop put on by Concordia Theological Seminary. I made new friends from around the country, was encouraged as I continue my efforts to become a better organist, enjoyed five days full of wonderful classes on service playing and theology, and attended at least two chapel services a day every day.

We sang so many hymns and Psalms together in class and chapel, but one stanza we sang in particular stands out as a highlight moment of the week. This is the sixth and final stanza of the hymn "Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide" by Philipp Melanchthon [Lutheran Service Book 585]:

Stay with us, Lord, and keep us true;
Preserve our faith our whole life through--
Your Word alone our heart's defense,
The Church's glorious confidence.

I may write in more detail about topics from this week in the future, but this stanza sums up nicely the focus of the workshop: The Word of God. We certainly discussed music since it was an organist workshop, but the focus was on the ministerial function of music as servant to the Word of God. All of the music we looked at and sang is in service of teaching the content of the Word of God, writing it on our hearts and minds, and putting it ever on our lips. For the Word of God gives and preserves faith our whole lives through, defends our hearts, and truly is our glorious confidence unto life everlasting. And it is the song of the Church that she sings with one voice unified in proclamation.