Joe's & Julia's Adventures: Moving and Music

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Moving and Music

Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings

"God Be With You Till We Meet Again"

March 1, 2011 a crew arrived at 52 West North Street to pack up for our move out west. Recently I came across a draft for a blog post about moving and a connection to the hymn "God Be With You Till We Meet Again."

from that draft written in March 2011 - "God Be With You Till We Meet Again" is one of my favorite hymns. My heart is touched every time I hear and sing it. It has been sung at many important times of transition for me - including several times in church not long before we moved out west. I thought of family and friends left behind in Ohio and Michigan and of family and friends who have gone to the other side. When I last heard it in Worthington Ward I was struck by being “folded” with God’s sheep. As long as I stay in that fold with God's sheep and Him as my shepherd, I’ll be OK - better than OK. Each time it’s sung I feel it’s a personal message from Heavenly Father to me - one of those “tender mercies” spoken of by David Bednar."

Back to present day -

The "solemnities of eternity" often come into my heart when I ponder the words of this hymn. They have taken on even more meaning with the death of our son as he joined family on the other side.

Here's some history of the hymn from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's blog -

"Many of the popular songs we know and love have a special story behind them. That being said, “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”, which was written by Jeremiah Rankin, was simply composed so his church choir could have something to sing when they parted each week. Rankin was the minister for the First Congregational Church in Washington, D.C. and said this about the hymn, “Written…as a Christian goodbye, it was called forth by no person or occasion, but was deliberately composed as a Christian hymn on basis of the etymology of “goodbye,” which is “God be with you.” He got the idea for the first stanza of the song when he saw the dictionary definition of "good-bye" was short for "God be with you." The song was written in 1882 when Rankin was 54 years old."

Click here for the rest of the story and a clip of the song performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square.

God Be with You Till We Meet Again

1. God be with you till we meet again;

By his counsels guide, uphold you;

With his sheep securely fold you.