Text: Lii­sa Lil­va­nen-Pel­ko­nen

Trans­la­ti­on: Sirk­ka-Lii­sa Lei­no­nen

If I were as­ked to choo­se one thing that I could do fo­re­ver, it would be an ea­sy choi­ce. I could sing fo­re­ver in the big tent at Sum­mer Ser­vi­ces. I am sure many pe­op­le ag­ree with me. It is so­met­hing one can on­ly ex­pe­rien­ce by being pre­sent in the tent.

Last sum­mer, the tent was al­wa­ys full in the eve­ning. That has of­ten been the case in pre­vi­ous Sum­mer Ser­vi­ces, too. But for some re­a­son, it see­med ex­cep­ti­o­nal­ly pre­ci­ous, oc­ca­si­o­nal­ly qui­te touc­hing, to be ab­le to sing at the 2022 ser­vi­ces in Lop­pi. When I came back home and went to work, I still sang in the car. Te­ars of joy stre­a­med down my face, and I see­med to hear the buzz and noi­se of the tent at the backg­round.

I find it is ea­sy to sing in a big crowd. I feel light. I do not even hear my own voi­ce, and it does not mat­ter if I miss out a line or use the ol­der words of the song at some point. It is hard to read the words in the se­mi­dark­ness, they just come from me­mo­ry.

Many songs and hymns of prai­se were sung at the 2022 Sum­mer Ser­vi­ces. One could hear the gra­ti­tu­de in the sin­ging, the sounds of prai­se we are told about in the Bib­le.

While sin­ging, I al­so thought about the ser­vi­ce gu­ests who had not yet found the li­ving faith, but had come to the Sum­mer Ser­vi­ces to see and lis­ten. Ma­y­be the He­a­ven­ly Fat­her spoke to them through the po­wer­ful sin­ging.

Sin­ging at Sum­mer Ser­vi­ces co­mes from the he­art. Alt­hough I sing for hours du­ring the ser­vi­ce wee­kend, my throat does not get sore and I do not feel the sligh­test strain. I do not get ti­red of sin­ging. At ti­mes I feel qui­te un­re­al. The songs take my thoughts to he­a­ven or to Je­sus’ cross. I won­der if there can be anyt­hing lo­ve­lier than this anyw­he­re, even in he­a­ven.

But I know that we have been pro­mi­sed so­met­hing even bet­ter, so­met­hing so good that we can­not even ima­gi­ne it. And we can pray with the words of the hymn that was sung with such po­wer and gran­deur at the ser­vi­ces: "Je­sus, to that joy, take us to that joy, to that re­joi­cing throng. Through yo­ur de­ath and re­sur­rec­ti­on we soon will know their song – amen, we sing amen, so shall it be, amen! Oh, Lords of hosts, amen!" (SHZ 587.)