Singing

Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:1-2

Holy Saturday. For me, this means it is time to sing the devil away!

In my middle school and high school years, my family lived in an old farmhouse on a piece of property that we affectionately named, "Nutty Acres." When I was in high school, my parents threw a party every year on Holy Saturday. They invited about 15-20 friends and colleagues over for brunch...and singing.

After brunch, everyone found a place on the floor or on the sofa to sit. Dad pulled out his handcrafted washtub bass. Some of us faced the big red enamel words my mother painted on the wall going up the stairway, "For heaven's sake! Let people live their own lives!" (a quote she liked by A.S. Neill of Summerhill fame). I dutifully passed out the song sheets my mother had typed up and printed.

My brothers and I were the only ones there of our age. It was an adult gathering. But, I loved it because they knew my name and would talk with me. They were like having adopted uncles and aunts.

I remember sunlight streaming in the farmhouse windows, the laughter, and the way we would raise the roof with our singing. Holy Saturday. We were singing the devil away!

Today is Holy Saturday and my friends are scattered across the country, so while we may not be able to gather together for brunch, we can still lift our voices in song - wherever we may be - to sing the devil away.

And when tomorrow comes, we will see that the tomb is empty and Christ is risen!

Here are a few lines of the songs I remember singing (before we became sensitized to the gender issues in the words we used). Sing along with me! For an extra special treat, click on the link in each song to take you to a youtube video of the song.

Allelu, allelu

Everyone sing allelu 

For the Lord is risen it is true,

Everybody sing allelu

God said he would send his son, allelu, allelu

And salvation would be done, allelujah

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Die gedanken sind frei

My thoughts freely flower
Die gedanken sind frei
My thoughts give me power
No scholar can map them
No hunter can trap them
No man can deny
Die gedanken sind frei

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I saw raindrops on my window

Joy is like the rain

Laughter runs across my pain

Slips away and comes again,

Joy is like the rain.

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Sons of God, hear his Holy Word,

Gather 'round the table of the Lord.

Eat his body, drink his blood,

And we'll sing a song of love,

Allelu, allelu, allelu, alleluia

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We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Spirit, 

we are one in the Lord, 

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.
And they'll know we are Christians
by our love, by our love, 

And they'll know we are Christians by our love.

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 He is the shepherd and we are the sheep,
His banner over us is love
He is the shepherd and we are the sheep,
His banner over us is love
He is the shepherd and we are the sheep,
His banner over us is love
His banner over us is love.

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