Psalm 5:11 says, “Let them ever sing for joy!” Here’s one hymn that fills me with joy, “Beyond the Sunset.”
Beyond the sunset, O blissful morning,
When with our Savior heav’n is begun
Earth’s toiling ended, O glorious dawning;
Beyond the sunset, when day is done.
Boy, that’s an old, old hymn, but to me it is so sweet because when I sing it I can see it all in my mind. I can see it all so clearly: On the beach… the fire crackling and popping and a burst of sparks swirling in the smoke. The surf pounds the beach and the hissing of retreating foam. Is there any sweeter satisfaction than to lie on the blanket, with hands under head, and gaze up at the starry sky above while singing a hymn by a campfire? These are my favorite childhood memories of summer. And on that Delaware beach around the campfire, my daddy, with all his warmth and tenderness, would lead us in singing, “Beyond the sunset, O glorious morning!” It was my mother’s favorite. When the rest of the family finished the first verse and went on to the chorus, I stopped singing. In the dark by the campfire there lying back on my blanket, I was just a little girl listening to a larger song coming from the star-splattered heavens. With my knees bent, the front of my legs caught the heat and light, casting me a cool shadow I would just lay face up watching the universe drift by.
Safe, secure, and significant; I could not imagine a kid anywhere on the planet that night, anywhere among the sand dunes along the Delaware coast, or Maryland who felt as safe as I did. Part of it was being with my family and my daddy’s stories. Part of it was being with my sisters and all my cousins. Part of it was my mother passing out sticks to roast marshmallows. But most of it was the hymns. When someone started singing a hymn like I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses… I felt as though God Himself were among us, breathing a sigh with each wave, and illuminating His presence with the flames. Or when we would sing “to the old rugged cross, I'll forever be true,” it was like I was just lying there in the very shadow of that cross, like it had fallen over me. Safe and protected…. safe, secure, and significant. And hymns of the faith helped me feel that way.
I am so grateful to my mom and dad for bestowing on me a heritage of hymns. Most of the ones that were their favorites aren’t sung anymore. I recently called one of my older cousins on the phone; she’s in her early 80’s… and I sang to her “Living for Jesus, a life that is new.” She nearly cried on the other end. She hadn’t heard it sung in years. Hey, speaking of things summertime, I’ve got a treat for you – I’d like you to stop by my radio page at joniandfriends.org and pick up your copy of my mother’s summertime recipe card for her famous crab cakes. Finally, do you know any of the old hymns of the faith? Find a quiet corner and sing to the God of summer who keeps you safe and secure.
From Joni and Friends, keep singin’!
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
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