Devotion - Thursday, September 21

I am sure I had noticed it in the past, but this morning as I read Mark's report of the last supper, I was struck by the line, "and when they had sung a hymn."

After their meal, which serves as the source of our Eucharist, they sang a hymn before leaving the upper room and going to the Mount of Olives.  

Hymns are wonderful.  They express what our hearts experience; too deep for our minds to capture and repeat.  Hymns lift our spirits and move us.  Hymns are much easier to remember than paragraphs.  Try to recite Mark 14:12-26; then sing all four verses of Amazing Grace.

This may have come to my mind as a result of our singing my favorite hymn at last night's gathering.  "They Cast Their Nets" speaks of the unsurpassed peace which comes from knowing Jesus; it acknowledges how knowing Jesus sets us at odds with those consumed with personal advancement.

One of the weekend retreat's activities was to discuss prayer.  Many of us spoke of the difficulty of the practice of prayer.  Well, if that is you, then establish a practice of singing hymns.  It worked for Jesus and the disciples on Maundy Thursday.  Surely it will aid you.