Gaps & Glimpses
/Sounds of laughter, shades of life are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on, across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM
The only hymn-singing tradition that I'm fully aware of is that of Southern Baptist churches and I've experienced it across the full spectrum for over 60 years: from little country churches where a volunteer leads the singing while standing next to an old upright piano, tuned close enough to recognize the song and off just enough to make it somehow genuinely old-fashioned; to the highest of high worship, as defined by baptists.
One of the common traits of this hymn-singing tradition is the skipping of the third verse. "Turn in your hymnals to number 241 and let's sing the first, second and fourth verses."
Why? I have no idea. "That's the way we've always done it."
It seems like for me these days, if I am moving toward what might be called spiritual maturity, I'm kind of like filling in the gaps--gaps left by skipping third verses, or certain hard to grasp passages of scripture, or seeing dinosaurs as something bigger than the plastic toys you buy at Toys R Us.
Oh there will always be gaps and I'm good with that. In fact, I love the mystery and wonder of a divine plan than passes our understanding. These days I'm grateful for the glimpses we get of how things might be designed, what the creativity of a loving God might be like, what's in the gaps. So that's pretty much my spiritual journey these days: gaps and glimpses.
Oh, that bit of poetry I started this post with--that's the third verse of John Lennon's "Across The Universe." See what we miss when we skip the third verse? Note: For my younger readers, John Lennon was in band called The Beatles. ;-)
In case you're interested, I've included the complete lyrics of this song at the bottom of this post along with an explanation of that weird language John used at the end of each verse.
Maybe one day I'll publish a book of skipped third hymn verses. Then someday those amazing poets of old, like Isaac Watts, will come up to me in heaven and say, "Thanks for the book Pops. By the way why did you people skip those verses?" And I'll say, "I'm not sure Mr. Watts, but it may have been for expedience sake. You see it was important that we got out of church by noon so we could beat the Methodists to the cafeteria."
So you'll know; here's the third verse of one of Isaac Watts amazing lyrics:
See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.
We shouldn't have skipped that part.
One more example of the treasures we miss when skip third verses (From The Sound of Silence. Simon & Garfunkel):
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared disturb the sound of silence.
Here are the lyrics I promised. Third verse included.
"Across The Universe"
By John Lennon
Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me
Jai Guru Deva OM
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM
Sounds of laughter, shades of life are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on, across the universe
Jai Guru Deva OM
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
The Sanskrit phrase Jai Guru Deva, is a sentence fragment whose words could have many meanings. Literally it approximates as "glory to the shining remover of darkness," and can be paraphrased as "Victory to God divine". --Wikipedia