Today’s hymn from Sing Praise is “From ashes to the living font” by the American writer Alan Hommerding, set in the book to an old 18th century tune although it is “common metre” so there are many possible tunes to choose from. Hommerding has written his own tune to it, which he discusses along with the words on a podcast. He explains that it was written for a particular occasion to help parishioners make sense of observing Lent, and that his intention is that during Lent we should not forget the end of the journey (Easter and Pentecost) but have them in mind throughout our spiritual journey.
The opening verse is intended to sum up the idea of the season of Lent as a journey, starting with confession and repentance (Ash Wednesday) and ending with the celebrations of Easter, traditionally a time for new believers to be baptised (symbolised by the font).
The second calls us to use “fasting, prayer and charity” as a way to hear God’s voice in this season. The third verse refers to the Transfiguration of Jesus, a story that occurs twice every year in the lectionary cycle, in Lent and in August. It was a key event in the spiritual journey of his closest disciples (Peter, James and John) as they realised without doubt that Jesus was the son of God, greater even than Moses and Elijah. Few of us will have such a dramatic revelation, but hopefully we will understand something new about Jesus each year.
There are five verses in this setting, but the web page linked above gives, as well as four set verses, separate verses for each Sunday of Lent, of which verse 4 here is the one set for the third Sunday (“For thirsting hearts let water flow, our fainting souls revive, and at the well your waters give our everlasting life”) which is probably intended to go with the story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria.
The last verse starts with a reprise of the opening line, but is explicit about the end of the journey: “through cross and tomb to Easter joy, in Spirit-fire fulfilled”. We look forward in the solemnity of Lent to the resurrection and the giving of the Spirit, without which the fasting and self-denial doesn’t really make sense.
I confess I didn’t particularly enjoy singing this hymn. To me it takes to extremes the idea that “the Gospels portray Jesus as on a journey during his ministry, and therefore the Christian life should mirror that journey by proceeding along it as Jesus did.” So every experience in discipleship should take its expression from some incident in Jesus’ life, and we go “from ashes to the font”, “from baptism to renewal”, “from desert to mountain top”, “from tomb to resurrection” and so on. Along the way Jesus’ experiences become ours, so we experience transfiguration, we go through not only the cross but the tomb, … .
I don’t deny that picture-language may help us in the task of expressing ourselves about what we are going through in spiritual terms, but I don’t find it helpful that the hymn consciously turns this process round and says that the picture is the normative. But a moment’s thought persuades me that Jesus was different from me: his encounter with Satan was more intense than mine will ever be, his transfiguration was intended to teach me about him rather than to be a precursor of something I will experience, his cross meant separation from God in a way that I will never be separated, his resurrection was unique in his physicality, and his place on the throne is something which I will never occupy individually as he does. In short, I’m not convinced, and I wish we could find other waymarks to set down as milestones for our own journeys.
I’m sorry to say that the “Podcast” link in Stephen’s post did not take me to a podcast, but only to the lyrics without commentary on a WordPress page. That page links to a further Hymnary page on this hymn, which makes clear that Alan’s intention was that the first two verses and the last verse should form a fixed framework, into which one varying verse is slotted for the particular week of Lent on which one is singing the hymn – a bit like several “Advent Candle” songs which have verses for the patriarchs, prophets, John and Mary which are fitted into a constant top and tail. Well, I can see the point, but it’s not one I find helpful. I endured rather than enjoyed this hymn.