There's a point, here, I promise

Well, we're now in the process of moving. I forgot to mention that we
kept our house when my mother took her teaching job, but we can't move
in until August, so right now we're staying with my grandmother.
Usually, we've been together for Christmas and Easter, but this year we
were not together for Easter. So, we're celebrating Easter today.

I was playing the piano today, playing through our synod's new hymnal,
the Lutheran Service Book. It's wonderful! Of course, my ideal hymnal
is a combo of about...um, let's see...well, four hymnals, two produced
by a synod other than the Missouri Synod. But that's my personal
preference, and Lutheran Service Book is the closest to that that I
believe could please a large group of people, specifically in our
synod. Good work! Well, I digress.

Anyway, I came running into the living room, having just stumbled my
way through "By All Your Saints in Warfare". If you could hear me, you
would groan and cover your ears, but I was able to struggle through,
and, let me tell you--I'm not a persevering person. If I managed to get
through without giving up, that's good. For those non-Lutherans and
non-pianists out there--our hymnals tend to bestow really hard
arrangements on these beautiful English folk tunes. "By All Your Saints
in Warfare" is one of those folk tunes. Either LSB is easier on the
poor accompaniest, or else I'm getting better. I hope it's the latter,
but I'm grateful if it's the former!

I told this in raptures to my mother, who with true motherly attention
looked up from the email and said, "Good. But it's 'Easter' today; you
should play some Easter hymns!"

I smiled and went back to the piano, where I began thunking out "Jesus
Christ is Ris'n Today", making some genuine messes of the Alleluias. I
went on playing through the Easter section and began wondering, was it
association or the spirit of the tunes that always makes Easter tunes
so happy? I pride myself on being able to think rationally when I want
to--so it must be association. And yet, I wonder if there's something
in the tunes?

In writing this I realize what it must be. For me, to read the words
that carry so much assurance--Jesus is alive, the strife is over, there
is hope--and to play tunes in any mode that are presented with the
words makes me happy. After I have read the words, the tune has
automatically received Easter joy for me.

I look forward to celebrating Easter with my grandmother and aunt and
the rest of my family--today, next spring, and, finally, the greatest
Easter of all with God all of God's people in Heaven. Forever. Because
of Easter.