Judy Russell: Easter season hymn is about us, not just about ‘doubting Thomas’

I don’t have a copy of my parish hymnal at home, but I know that, through the years, we often have sung the hymn, “We Walk By Faith.”

Some of the lyrics are very appropriate to recent Sunday Gospel readings, including that of John (John 20: 19-31) for the Second Sunday of Easter, which was April 7. It is the story of “doubting Thomas,” who will not believe the Lord has risen and is alive unless he sees the mark of the nails in Jesus’ hands, puts his finger into the nail marks, and puts his hand into the pierced side of Jesus.

Blessed are those who have not seen, but believe. They walk by faith and not by sight.

Which brings us back to the hymn. Dave Berndt, curator of music at Peace Lutheran Church in Oshkosh, in its April newsletter, sheds some light on the history of “We Walk By Faith.” The information is part of Berndt’s column, A Musician’s Musings.

He writes that during the Easter season of seven Sundays, the congregation will be singing “We Walk By Faith” during distribution of communion. It is Hymn 635 in their hymnal.

“The hymn first appeared in a hymn collection in London in 1844,” Berndt writes. “It was written by Henry Alford for the commemoration of St. Thomas the Apostle. It begins by quoting 2 Corinthians 5:7 (“We walk by faith, not by sight”) and then quotes from the account of Jesus and Thomas in John 20: 19-29 (see the Gospel on the Second Sunday of Easter).

“But the hymn is about us, not only about Thomas — about our Emmaus walk. And our meeting with the resurrected Lord in water, word, bread and wine. ‘Shanti’ is the title of the hymn tune by Marty Haugen. He is the same fellow who composed the music for Holden Evening Prayer. ‘Shanti’ is Sanskrit for ‘shalom’ (peace) and is also the middle name of Marty Haugen’s daughter. The tune was written a century and a half after the hymn (words), but it makes a good fit. It is a gentle, lyrical tune in 3/4 time. We hope you enjoy getting to know ‘We Walk By Faith.’”

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• The Women of Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Oshkosh will host the spring event for the women of the Oshkosh and Appleton conferences on April 20. The theme is Good Neighbors, based on the church’s recent experiences sponsoring a refugee family. Tara Koji, a teacher at Oshkosh North High School who works with refugee students, will be the main speaker. For more about the event, call the church at 920-235-4850 or visit coslcoshkosh.com. Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church is at 1860 Wisconsin St.

• The next Esto Vir Oshkosh Morning for Men is scheduled for April 20 at the Mother Teresa Center at Father Carr’s Place 2B, 1062 N. Koeller St. Registration starts at 7 a.m., Mass is at 7:45 a.m., breakfast at 8:15 a.m., and a presentation at 8:45 a.m. The wrap-up is at 10 a.m. Freewill offerings are accepted.

• According to information in its monthly newsletter, the youth team from Peace Lutheran Church in Oshkosh will operate the Brat Barn outside Festival Foods on Westowne Avenue on April 21 as a fundraising event. The Brat Barn will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Funds raised will help youths pay to attend the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans.

• In its latest monthly newsletter, St. Andrew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oshkosh gives an update to information about its annual mission of the Feeding Hungry Kids summer program. Hot meals will be served on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays at 4 p.m., a bag of groceries will be provided to participants. The program is scheduled to run July 8 through Aug. 23, under the direction of the Christian Action Committee. Meals are provided for children who might not otherwise have a meal during the summer months.

• RSVPs are due April 15 from men interested in the diaconate program of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay and who want to attend the Diaconate Inquirer Luncheon April 27. The program is open to men ages 30 to 55. The luncheon, at 11 a.m. in Melania Hall, 1825 Riverside Drive, Green Bay, is open to men and their wives. Information will be provided about the diocesan deacon-formation program. The luncheon is free. RSVP at onmiss.io/inquirerLuncheon. For more information, contact Heidi Rosenthal at hrosenthal@gbdioc.org.

• The Knights of Columbus organization is sponsoring a statewide charity raffle, with members of different church K of C Councils selling tickets. After the payouts for prizes, about 30% of the proceeds go to the state charity fund. The other 70% goes back to each church council. The raffle prizes this year are: first, $50,000, or a Ford Ranger pickup; second, $25,000, or a Harley-Davidson motorcycle; and third through 100, $500 each. Tickets are $5 each.

• Cemetery floral arrangements (floral saddles or cans) are scheduled to be available April 28 for purchase in Leannah Hall at the Sacred Heart site of St. Jude Parish 519 Knapp St., Oshkosh. Sale hours are 7 a.m. to noon. Floral saddles are $35, cans are $30. For more information, call 920-231-3527.

Thought for the day: Beware of locking yourself up inside your house and then wondering why no one comes to see you. Try doing something small, but personal, for someone else and watch the world change before your eyes.

Judy Russell of Oshkosh writes about happenings at area centers of worship. To submit news for her consideration, email oshkoshsubmit@thenorthwestern.com with the subject “Church news.” Deadline is 5 p.m. Mondays.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Easter season hymn is about us, not just about ‘doubting Thomas’