We have two contrasting anthems today. The offertory comes from Handel’s oratorio, Samson, which was sketched out while he was working on Messiah in 1741. Our rector requested this piece for today, and we have enjoyed working on it. It’s a triumphant, majestic piece, perfect for Christ the King Sunday. Our communion anthem has a different aesthetic but tells a similar story. A text by St. Thomas Aquinas, the O salutaris hostia, or O Saving Victim, gives us another version of awakening, the opening of the gates of heaven.

I’ll admit it. I worry. I stew and wonder how, why, when, and what if. I dwell on the negative. My mind takes me into the darkness, that seeming separateness, the outer country, where loneliness, despair, and pain blow in the frosty wind. Our world is full of these kinds of people, fear dwellers. They’re on the edge of their seat, paranoid, and distrusting – the enemy pressing in on them. College students are the worst culprits. If you want to know about hell, spend time with a college student. They know all about it.

If you want to know about heaven, spend time with a sage, an artist, a writer, an athlete, a good book, or in meditation. When I immerse myself in something enrapturing, I am raptured. I don’t need the “end times.” I can focus on my writing, on playing the organ, or swimming laps – whatever whisks me away from dwelling on negativity. The dwelling place of the Lord is peaceful and enlivening. The gates of heaven are always open, and I am surrounded by pure focus when I do what I love. Where are my problems? There are no bills to worry about when you play the organ. It’s heaven but learning how to play is hell! Do you see the difference?

Worry, stewing, and fretting are banishment from the kingdom. Then come to your senses. Hop on the organ bench and begin crafting something beautiful, back into the gates of bliss. Our native land, as St. Thomas puts it – where is that? It’s in that awakening when the trumpet sounds. When you dive into the Kingdom of Heaven, you’re on your bike without a care in the world. You have a childlike mindset, centered in meditative activity.  

If we’re immersed fully in the oneness of our native land, we’re already in heaven. You’re integrated. To be caught in fear, you’re dis-integrated. When the mind whisks you away into the outer country of despair and worry, you’re lost in hell, college students and fear mongers pointing the way. I’d rather be lost in wonder, love, and praise – gone, fully absorbed into the experiential now, not the conceptual later. Wouldn’t you like to dwell in the house of the Lord? It’s hard. Occasionally, you’ll drift into the snowy banks.

But where would you like to dwell, heaven or hell? When I get caught in mindless fear and negativity, the trumpet awakens me, and I come back to my native land. When I come to my senses and engage in creative, loving, and peaceful activities, I “enter into his courts with praise.” If you’re in the outer country, afraid and schlepping through the snow, come to your senses. The gates of heaven are open, and the dwelling place of the Lord is yours. Saving victim or conquering hero, the King always welcomes you home. Fling wide the gates, your dwelling place is now. Come in, it’s “love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven to earth come down.” Soli Deo Gloria!