Thursday, September 20, 2007

Pastor Prowatske

The funeral is on Saturday. Of course, we care about his wife and daughter and how much they must miss him, and we pray for their comfort. But it didn't hit me till Bible class this morning how much I will miss him. He didn't talk as much during class as certain other people do. But when he did, oh!, the sweet things he said. The insights. The exegetical help. Always pointing to the cross and what Christ has done for us.

And he loved his hymns and his hymnal. I doubt anyone but Pastor P and I would "accuse" Pastor Bender of not liking to sing. Sometimes we'd have a 15-stanza hymn for the hymn of the week, and Pastor would tell us which 4-5 stanzas we'd sing for prayers during Bible class. Then Pr Prowatske would protest that we should sing ALL the stanzas, and I'd agree. Or I'd say, "Hey, you can't leave out the 6th and the 9th & 10th!" And Pr P would back me up.

Pastor Prowatske said that they'd always sing every stanza of any hymn he chose for his congregation. His daughter liked that. I'd like that too!

We have no cause to mourn or weep.
Securely shall this body sleep
Till Christ Himself shall death destroy
And raise the blessed dead to joy.

For they who with Him suffered here
Shall there be healed from woe and fear.
And when eternal bliss is won,
They'll shine in glory like the sun.

3 comments:

  1. and after that we only get TWO verses of that great hymn? For shame! ;)

    Rest eternal grant him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him!

    Memory eternal!

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  2. OW! Ya got me! Guilty as charged. Can I claim laundry to do as my excuse for not typing the other five?

    The rest can be found at TLH 596 or LSB 759. That's probably not penance enough. Maybe you'll be gracious to me and forgive me and look up the other stanzas in your hymnal?

    ;-)

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  3. Ha, I was just going to politely ask you to give hymn numbers when you quote a hymn. Thank you. Lots of times I don't remember I don't immediately connect the first line or tune name, and then I can't find it!

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