HYMN OF THE MONTH FOR FEBRUARY
The Glory of These Forty Days
The Hymnal 1982 No. 143
1 The glory of these forty days
we celebrate with songs of praise;
for Christ, through whom all things were made,
himself has fasted and has prayed.
3 So Daniel trained his mystic sight,
delivered from the lions’ might;
and John, the Bridegroom’s friend, became
the herald of Messiah’s name.
2 Alone and fasting Moses saw
the loving God who gave the Law;
and to Elijah, fasting, came
the steeds and chariots of flame.
4 Then grant us, Lord, like them to be
full oft in fast and prayer with thee;
our spirits strengthen with thy grace,
and give us joy to see thy face.
Glory is not a word that springs quickly to my mind to describe the days of Lent. I always do a double take when we sing this hymn. What is so glorious about Lent? I am not sure I have the answer, but I think this hymn invites us to consider Lent as a time to pay special attention to Christ’s example of 40 days of fasting and prayer, and imitate it in whatever ways we can. It seems to be telling us to make a special effort to avoid distractions so that we can listen for the voice of God.
This hymn is an English translation of a Latin text (Clarum decus jejunii) which some have attributed to Pope Gregory the Great (540-604) (of Gregorian Chant fame), but most authorities credit the prolific Anonymous with this text. It has a long history for Anglicans, having been found in the Breviaries (books used in the Liturgy of the Hours) of Sarum and York, where it was appointed to be sung at Matins (morning prayer) on the third Sunday in Lent. It was translated by Maurice F. Bell (1862-1947), an Oxford educated barrister and Anglican priest.
The tune, Erhalt uns, Herr, is from Geistliche Lieder, published in Nuremberg in 1542. It is based on the 12th century Latin chant Veni redemptor gentium, and has been attributed to Martin Luther, likely because in Geistliche Lieder, Luther’s hymn text, Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort (Keep us, Lord, faithful to your Word), appeared with this tune. There it was titled “A hymn for the children to sing against the two arch-enemies of Christ, and His Holy Church, the Pope and the Turks.” The tune has been set by Bach, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, and Distler, to name a few. Our Hymnal 1982 shows only the melody, but the organist edition of the hymnal has the Bach harmonization of the tune, so it is Bach that we hear the organ playing when we sing it.
The verses invite us to meditate on several specific Bible stories of fasting.
Verse 1 reminds us that Christ himself has gone before us and led the way in fasting and prayer. (Matthew 4:1-11 & Luke 4:1-13: Jesus fasted and prayed 40 days and then was tempted by Satan.)
Verse 2 talks of Moses and Elijah, who appeared along with Jesus at the Transfiguration. (Exodus 34:27-35: When Moses went up in Mt. Sinai, he was there with God 40 days and nights and had neither food nor water, and God gave the law to Moses.); (1 Kings 19: Elijah went 40 days without food on his journey to Mount Horeb, where he encountered God, not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in the still small voice; 2 Kings 2:1-14: Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind in a chariot of fire with horses of fire.).
Verse 3 talks of Daniel and John the Baptist. Daniel trained his mystic sight and was delivered from the lions (Daniel 6: God shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not harm Daniel, because he was found blameless before God). John the Baptist, the Bridegroom’s friend, became the herald of the Messiah. (John 3:29: The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason, my joy has been fulfilled.) (Mark 1:1-4: John the Baptist, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”)
Verse 4 gives us language to ask God’s help to be often in fasting and prayer, and to ask God to strengthen our spirits, and give us joy to see God’s face. (2 Corinthians 4:6: For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.)
Verse 5 is the Gloria Patri. Though I still love “world without end,” this beautiful ending is nearly as expansive: “from age to age, the only Lord.”
Of course, there are different kinds of fasting, not just from food and drink, but from other things as well. When we sing about the forty days of Lent, we are meant to be reminded of Christ’s 40 days of fasting in the wilderness before his temptation. No matter how much, and what type of fasting we do during Lent, it falls far short of what 40 days in the wilderness would be like. The point of fasting seems to be to get into a different frame of mind, one more attuned and receptive to God’s voice. By Ash Wednesday, we will have spent a good bit of time partying, going to parades, and eating king cake. If nothing else, Lent serves as a balance. Perhaps we should consider embracing the fast and trying to use this new experience to draw closer to God.
— Carolyn Parmenter, Music Director