We decided there ought to be singing during our wedding ceremony. Not just the typical Unitarian Universalist singing, either. An actual hymn.

According to the Rev. Dr. Fred Anderson,

St. Augustine reminds us that the words of our hymns are prayers and, when we sing them, we add to them a further dimension of honor and praise--we pray twice.

Sung praise seems to be God's favorite form of prayer; fifteen times the Old Testament tells us to "Sing to the Lord." In addition, the Bible instructs us to come into God's presence with singing, make melody to the Lord and enter God's courts in song; there are some 242 such exhortations in the Old Testament alone. Add the twelve New Testament citations and you get a pretty good picture of the importance of song to God.

We sing because singing is what the people of God do in God's presence.

You can read the rest of his sermon here.

Chris and I looked through our Unitarian Universalist hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, to try to remember our favorite hymns. I wanted to go with "Holy, Holy, Holy," but then Chris pointed out "Let It Be A Dance." It is his favorite hymn, and as we sung it in Church together he was swaying so much we both just had to giggle.

"Let It Be A Dance" was written by the late "troubadour UU minister" Ric Masten. The inspiration for the song was bittersweet, but you'd never be able to tell by the upbeat tempo and life-affirming lyrics.

Let a dancing song be heard.
Play the music. Say the words.
Fill the sky with sailing birds.
Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.

Every body turn and spin.
Let your bodies learn to bend
Like a willow in the wind,
And let it be a dance.

A child is born. We all must die.
A time for joy, a time to cry --
So, take it as it passes by,
And let it be a dance. Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.

Let it be a dance we do.
May I have this dance with you?
For the good times, and the bad times too,
Let it be a dance.

If you'd like to hear the hymn (with singing!) please click here.
If the link won't work, please comment and I'll fix it!

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In other news, my Bridal Shower is this weekend! Yippie!

I'm far too excited to see everyone, enjoy excellent company, and wear my new dress. I've heard buzzing that the party is truely a group effort, and Chris and I are so thankful for the time and thoughtfulness his family has shown to us.

My Mother won't be able to attend the Shower, but she mailed us our first genuine wedding gift. She's delightful, I miss her, and I know she'll be there with us in spirit.