Train

We attended a lovely wedding yesterday of some young friends. In addition to the worship and prayers, in addition to the nice party, there was a little bit of tugging on the heart-strings. This was the first time I remember being back at that church after Pastor Wiest's funeral there.

For the wedding, we sang the beautiful Starke wedding hymn, part of which goes:
Jesus, You have made her holy,
pure and fair her radiant train.
To Yourself Your church presenting
without wrinkle, spot, or stain.

That one word train threw me back to one of the songs that always reminds me of Pr Wiest: "The Son of God Goes Forth to War" (the second verse of which is about St Stephen). Each stanza ends with "who follows in his train?"

We've sung this wedding hymn several times in the last year, and until yesterday, I never thought about the train of the apostles, prophets, martyrs, and all saints. I always just thought of a bride's dress, the beautiful wedding clothes, pure and fair, without stain, as the Apostle writes about the Church in Ephesians 5. ("And there, in garments richly wrought, as Thine own bride I shall be brought to stand in joy beside Thee.")

But do these words not also call to mind the whole Church, all the blessed saints who have gone on before, as well as those who will come after, joined with us? "A noble army, men and boys, the matron and the maid, around the Savior's throne rejoice, in robes of light arrayed. They climbed the steep ascent of heaven, through peril, toil, and pain. O God, to us may grace be given to follow in their train."