The tumult and the shouting dies,
The captains and the kings depart.
Still stands thine ancient sacrifice,
An humble and a contrite heart.
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet:
Lest we forget. Lest we forget.
The above verse from the Hymn, “God of Our Fathers, Known of Old,” came to my mind as I was contemplating this first day in the new year.
Last night there was a great “tumult” going on as fireworks were exploding around us because the neighbors were “bringing in the New Year” rather loudly. It didn’t completely wake me; but it was surprising how much noise there actually was.
In sweet contrast, the morning dawned peacefully enough. Nothing, not even the clock radio, disturbed the peace.
When we left for Church just before 9 a.m., the day was crisp and cold (but not bitterly cold), and the sun and the blue sky were cheerful. It seemed to be a symbolically optimistic beginning for our new year. And, being the Sabbath day, it seemed to be a glimpse of that Millenial Dawn we look forward to.
I thought about how the “captains” and the “kings” of this world are destined to “depart” when the King of Kings returns. All of the worldliness around us will also depart. All “tumult” and “shouting” will cease for a thousand years.
At that Millenial Dawn, the only possession worth having will be a humble and a contrite heart. We will need to have sacrificed all of the worldliness, tumult, and shouting from our lives and that dwells in our hearts and minds. It is an “ancient” sacrifice because all people in all times will have had to make this same sacrifice in order to “abide the day of His coming” (3 Nephi 24:2).
Lord God of Hosts, be with us in this new year, lest we forget….
2 comments:
That was a happy thought. :)
I think the hard part is going to be obtaining that humble and contrite heart. It doesn't come naturally, for me at any rate, and getting to the point where you are malleable in the hands of the Lord is not an easy process.
This was the first year that our New Year's celebration was welcomed quietly. Midnight came; Victor and I shared a glass of apple cider and exchanged a soft kiss. It was very nice.
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