I think that for me it’s about imagination. In congregational singing we get to experience just a taste now but imagine a time when it will be an uncountable throng singing together. When we sing a song like By the Sea of Crystal, it sends shivers down my spine.
By the sea of crystal, saints in glory stand,
Myriads in number, drawn from every land,
Robed in white apparel, washed in Jesus’ blood,
They now reign in heaven with the Lamb of God.
Out of tribulation, death and Satan’s hand,
They have been translated at the Lord’s command.
In their hands they’re holding palms of victory;
Hark! the jubilant chorus shouts triumphantly:
“Unto God Almighty, sitting on the throne,
And the Lamb, victorious, be the praise alone,
God has wrought salvation, He did wondrous things,
Who shall not extol Thee, holy King of Kings?”
I should have known that it was written by William Kuipers, a Frisian immigrant, Calvin College graduate and pastor who even served the Dennis Avenue Christian Reformed Church for a time.