How Long Does a Song Last?

The devotion I read this morning used one of the lectionary readings from this week:

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known this is made known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

The writer of the devotion, Heather Murray Elkins, begins her text with the question, "How long does a song last?"

Have you ever had a "brain worm?" Sometimes a song can seem to last FOREVER.

Seriously, though, I was intrigued by the question. How long can a song last?

When Christ was born, and the angels gathered to tell the shepherds what had happened, they sang praises to God:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

How long has that song lasted? It seems to still echo in our ears -- angels, singing praises to God to shepherds, but still heard by us today.

What about Christmas carols? Hark! the Herald Angels Sing was written by Charles Wesley in 1739. How about Good Christian Men, Rejoice, which was originally written in Latin in the 14th century? I imagine that you have sung, or will sing, both of them this month. The songs keep echoing across the generations. How song does a song last? As long as we will sing it.

I really like Elkins' phrase, the songwriter's "task is to restore their memory." He writes songs that will remind them of the many things that they might forget -- the incarnation of Christ, God's saving power and his amazing grace.

Why sing Christmas carols? Because they remind us of what we might otherwise forget. Because it is our job -- our mission -- to make sure that the songs are sung, so that all will remember.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Image: Trees and sunshine on the VA hill yesterday morning.