"Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing"

We had the tremendous opportunity yesterday, as we traveled from Lubbock, TX to Tulsa, OK, to stop at the Oklahoma City National Memorial honoring those whose lives were lost on April 19, 1995 in the bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building.  I had personally been once before but for some reason yesterday caught me by surprise and I was moved to tears by the memorial, and the story of that day and the lives that were lost or forever changed.  It's sobering when I stop to realize that life, which feels so ongoing and permanent, can be gone in an instant.  And it challenges me in my faith - am I living each day the way God wants me to - or more worried about myself?  We were encouraged by our director to look at the memorial bearing in mind the piece we are performing by Herbert Howells - "Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing".  Set to a 4th century poem by Prudentius, Howells was commissioned to compose the work for a joint American-Canadian memorial service for John F Kennedy, and actually sung 19 years later for Howells' own memorial service.  Walking amongst the chairs in the memorial's Field of Empty Chairs, the text rolled over in my heart: "Once was this a spirit's dwelling, by the breath of God created.  High the heart that here was beating, Christ the Prince of all its living....Take him, earth, for cherishing, to thy tender breast receive him.  Body of a man I bring thee, noble even in its ruin."
This will add a new layer of subtext the next time we sing this piece - names and faces to go with the words.  As we piled quietly back on the bus, I took one more look at the beautiful statue of Jesus weeping that was placed across the street where the rectory of the Catholic church stood before the bombing.  The sculptor captured such strength of emotion in His face - and I can imagine those arms receiving each soul that we here on earth commit to Him.  "Take, O take him, mighty Leader, take again they servant's soul."