“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our heart to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16
As one season slowly morphs into another season, so it is in our lives. Our lives slowly leave one season behind, and gradually we experience the blessings and challenges of a new season. Often, we don’t fully appreciate the beauty of the previous season until it’s gone. That’s how I view our season of “supper songs”.
Our season of “supper songs” had, what felt like, many challenges at the time. Worship with our Lord felt hurried, messy, and chaotic. Our small children required 24/7 attention—there were squabbles to settle, noses to wipe, spilled milk glasses, sleepless nights, toys intermingled with crumbs on the floor, wiggly bodies, etc. Time has now erased the sharp details of that former chaos. Instead my mind fondly remembers the “supper songs”—the time after supper when Daddy would say, “Time for supper songs!” Then amid the dirty dishes, messy faces, sticky fingers, and crumbs on the floor, we’d begin, “Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory….” and our 4 year old son, who couldn’t say his L’s at the time would belt in with, “Yord of yove (Lord of love);” As soon as the first verse of “Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee” came to a close, another voice would enthusiastically shout out, “Let’s sing, ‘Ask Ye’!” And we’d quickly transition into,
“Ask ye what great thing I know
What delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the Crucified.”
(Zion’s Harp #225)
There weren’t just “supper songs” during that season. There were lullabies at bedtime,
“God is in the sky, way up high.
God is in the sky and He’s looking down at you.
He’s watching over you, and He’ll see you through.
Thank you, God, for all you do.
Bow your little head. Close your little eyes.
Fold your little hands and get down upon your knees.
Pray every night to God above.
Thank you, God, for all your love.”
(John Baumgartner)
Songs as we traveled to church,
“There’s a church in the valley by the wildwood,
No lovelier spot in the dale;
No place is so dear to my childhood
As the little brown church in the vail…”
(Dr. William S. Pitts)
And songs as we did the dishes together, with water everywhere, an occasional broken dish, and many, many words—
“…Quiet please
Too much has already been said
Just let it be
Learn to listen instead
For sometimes through the silence
Big problems become small
If you can’t find something good to say
Say nothing at all.”
(Brent Lamb)
At the time, our “supper song” season felt like a season of “feeding-on-the-crumbs-that-fell from our Master’s table.” It’s over now. Our children are all grown, and supper is a much quieter affair; actually everything is a much quieter affair. Sometimes it feels too quiet! Our “supper song” worship has now been replaced with opportunities to “feast-until-full at our Master’s table.” We now find longer blocks of uninterrupted time to sit in quiet worship: prayer, mediation, and Bible study. We now have time to be “filled up” so that we can be “poured out” in service to others. There are times that I LOVE this new season, and there are times that I LONG for the former season. Sound familiar??!! The beauty is that God provides avenues of worship in every season of our life. Our challenge lies in seizing those opportunities and then utilizing them.
We recently returned from a weekend trip to see our daughter, her husband, our two small granddaughters, and our 2-year-old foster grandson. As we finished the Saturday evening meal, our son-in-law mentioned that it was time for singing “The Doxology”. Three generations of voices blended together in harmony as we sang this beautiful song of worship amid crumbs, wiggles, and runny noses.
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
We all shared big smiles and chuckles as the 2-year-old chimed in with a long drawn out, “A-A-A-M-E-N!” at the very end.
My heart felt warmed and full! The season of “supper songs” might be over in our home, but it is now in full swing in my daughter’s home. Another generation is experiencing their supper table as a sanctuary, “supper songs” as their mode of praise, and their chorus of voices as the conduit through which sweet words of praise travel to our Creator, Saviour, and King of the Universe.
He is so worthy of our praise!
“For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Psalm 100:5
~Lori Baumgartner
Bio: Lori is thankful to have been raised as a Kansas farm girl! She is currently a child of The King, wife of a Kansas farmer, mother of three, and grandmother of three. She loves Supper Songs, substitute teaching, and spending time with her family. Her interests are varied. On any given day you might find her helping on the farm, gardening, writing, teaching, cooking, grand-parenting, or participating in Bible studies! Two of her favorite Bible verses are— Lamentations 3:22-23 “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.”
If you missed out on the Free Everyday Worship Reading plan and would like to receive it and work through it with us, simply sign up for the newsletter! When you sign up for the newsletter you not only receive the Everyday Worship reading plan, you also will receive a free Ebook with a four day challenge to Rely on Jesus Alone. Get your reading plan AND Relying on Jesus Alone Ebook Now!
