
I Sing a Song of the Saints of God
Even though All Saints’ Day is November 1st, we observed the holiday at this morning’s liturgies. We read the lessons appointed for the observance, and we sang hymns appropriate for the occasion. One of the hymns we sang never fails to evoke strong opinions.
Originally written as a children’s hymn by the wife of an Anglican clergy person in the early 20th century, the hymn never really caught on in England, but it certainly has a following in the Episcopal Church. Here are the lyrics:
“I sing a song of the saints of God, patient and brave and true, who toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.
And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,and one was a shepherdess on the green: they were all of them saints of God, and I mean, God helping, to be one too.
They loved their Lord so dear, so dear, and his love made them strong; and they followed the right, for Jesus’ sake, the whole of their good lives long.
And one was a soldier, and one was a priest, and one was slain by a fierce wild beast: and there’s not any reason, no, not the least, why I shouldn’t be one too.
They lived not only in ages past; there are hundreds of thousands still; the world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus’ will.
You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea, in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea; for the saints of God are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too.”
I’ll be the first to admit there is a sentimentality in the lyrics that can be a bit too saccharine for many. To be quite honest the line about meeting everyday saints “at tea” is almost too stereotypical in its Britishness. And yet, for the folks who love the hymn, All Saints’ Day wouldn’t be All Saints’ Day without it.
I had never heard of the hymn until I became an Episcopalian (for that matter, I had never heard of All Saints’ either!). I will not argue here for or against the theological merits of the song. What I will say, though, is how I am always amazed by the number of people I see who are wiping tears from their eyes as they sing it.
When I’ve inquired from folks about why the song moves them, the answers are always about how the it calls to mind special memories of growing up in church. Those memories may involve a particular priest, or Sunday School teacher or other mentor. The song may point the singer back to particular moments in her/his life when God’s presence was made real through the real life of another human being. Whatever else All Saints’ Day is, it is the annual reminder that we are Christians in community — across time and space — with those who are with us right now, and with those who have gone on before. For plenty of people, singing this hymn is a poignant reminder of their connection with God’s story and God’s people.
In my sermon this morning, I invited parishioners to remember the people who had helped them in their Christian journey, but who have since passed from this life to the next. These faithful followers of Jesus may not ever be venerated by the Church as “Saints,” but their saintly lives and witness continue to inspire those whose lives they touched down to the present day. I reminded us all (me included!) that none of us came to faith on our own. We were all invited, supported, guided, counseled, challenged and discipled by scores of regular people who were doing their best to follow Jesus. In my own life, I’ve needed lots of these kinds of saints. And I mean to be one too.
