From the Associate for Music and Liturgy

The dolphin-eared among us who attend the 10 a.m. Eucharist may have noticed a new Gospel Procession song that we'll be singing for a few weeks: Where is This Stupendous Stranger? 

This is a hymn about God "pitching the tent" with us, as John 1 puts it. Perhaps surprisingly, it's not in the section of the hymnal about Christmas or Epiphany - maybe because it works to connect these eternal events so much to our life now. Like a chocolate cake at an elegant restaurant, the words are rich and come in small quantities (i.e., short verses):

Where is this stupendous stranger? Prophets, shepherds, kings, advise. Lead me to my Master’s manger, show me where my Savior lies.

O Most Mighty! O Most Holy! Far beyond the seraph’s thought: art thou then so weak and lowly as unheeded prophets taught?

O the magnitude of meekness! Worth from worth immortal sprung; O the strength of infant weakness, if eternal is so young!

God all-bounteous, all-creative, whom no ills from good dissuade, is incarnate, and a native of the very world he made.

The lyrics tell the story about how we might meet this Jesus. Prophets, shepherds, and magi lead us to the manger - whatever place we meet Christ unexpectedly. The mystery finds its fullness in meekness - beyond what even the angels (seraphs) can understand. This savior, Christians believe, was foretold by prophets as not only powerful, but also humble. The strength of Jesus Christ is manifest in the weakness of a child. Yes! - this is the amazing and strange claim we make. Sent by the Source, he was a human who went through all of the difficulties we do, yet he only did good in the world. The one through whom the whole world was created was there in that manger - and in the man - born and living in the world that He made. 

This mystery is not a puzzle to be solved but a wonder to behold. 

And the strangeness of it is reflected in the music it is set to. If you sing it and think, "this is an odd song," or if it makes you a bit uncomfortable, then, yes, you got the point! The "stupendous stranger" is the wondrous mystery - something that is unexpected, that throws us a little off-kilter. The end of the hymn doesn't finish like we expect it to - it ends on a chord that sounds clashing and unfinished. How is our experience of God acting in this world and our Christian lives unfinished, unexpected, jarring?

I'd encourage you to take your bulletin home this week after the 10 a.m. Eucharist and spend some quiet time reflecting on these strange, stupendous words and your experience in singing them.

Martin