526. No Fear of Heaven

This hymn takes its departure from a pastor's anecdote about a girl in his catechism class who said she didn't want to go to heaven because she couldn't imagine anything more boring then spending eternity sitting on a cloud and strumming a harp. If I felt an impulse to harangue this hypothetical brat about the foolishness of being guided by the imagery of Tom & Jerry cartoons, I wisely trampled it underfoot in order to arrive at this hymn. With no particular tune in mind, but knowing many that could fit the text, I give you:

How glad a consummation
That Day of days shall bring,
When every tongue and nation
The praise of Christ shall sing!
Then borne on many waters,
True joy and love will thrive
And Zion's sons and daughters
Through floods come forth alive.

The floods indeed have drowned us,
Have buried us with Him
Who in transgression found us,
Who bore our sentence grim.
His blood has washed our garment
And made the scarlet white,
Has lifted the debarment
That came 'twixt us and Light.

Let no one dread dull hours
On harp-strung wing and cloud,
When all creation's powers
With one voice shout aloud!
What joyful tasks await us—
What distances we'll go—
Ought rather to elate us,
Though little yet we know.

Now may we live with vigor
And die with sweetest peace,
Since from th' accuser's snigger
Our cause has sure release.
Now may we mourn rejoicing,
Now rest our searching eyes:
For soon, Christ's praises voicing,
We shall to life arise.

ART: Lincoln (U.K.) Cathedral angel with harp, photograph by Jules & Jenny, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.