Dear Church Family and Friends,
As I insulated myself in the cozy confines of my home office Sunday morning during the time I normally would be worshiping in our church, I came across the story of a Lutheran minister named Joel Kurz. As a seminarian intern, he served at a Lutheran mission in an inner-city area. It was there that he encountered an alcoholic who encouraged him to learn hymn # 123 in his hymnal. Ralph Vaughan Williams composed the tune for this hymn. The words that accompany it come from a 15th-century text that reads, “Come down, O Love divine, seek thou this soul of mine.” Vaughan Williams was fond of the hymn and requested that it be sung at his own funeral.
As Kurz came to know the alcoholic man, he learned that he had once been a doctoral student in music. It was during this time that tragedy struck. His wife and son died in a car accident. One can imagine the former doctoral student longing for God’s love to descend as he carried the heavy weight of grief. As Valentine’s Day approaches, I am struck by all the many different times and places we can feel love descending upon our lives. From the peaks of joyful ecstasy to the depths of unbearable despair, love is the saving grace of life. Wherever you find yourself this week, may you feel love’s warmth and be convinced of its enduring power.
Your brother in Christ,
Pastor Brooks