my broken heart was as painful as broken bones: ‘Have no fear, little flock; Have no fear, little flock’ ” (ELW, 764). Von Phul recovered fully, bought a helmet and is back riding her beloved horse. ELCA military chaplains turn to the church’s hymnody as well. In 2012, when Lori Kleppe served with the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghani- stan, she was thankful for Marty Haugen “on a regular basis. His ministry of music [nurtured] weary souls: ‘Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from death into life’ (ELW, 780).” Gary Bertsch, an Air Force chap-
lain in San Antonio, said John Ylvi- saker’s “I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry” (With One Voice, 770) “captures the promises of baptism from birth until death. With our airmen I stress how baptism is that promise which stands by us as we journey down life’s path, no matter
where that path might lead us.” “My Life Flows On in Endless Song” (ELW, 763) took on deep meaning nine years ago for Deb- bie Beahm, St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Charleston, S.C. Suffering from Guillian-Barre syndrome, she spent four intensely painful months in the hospital, feeling panic and despair. When her respirator clogged with mucus and she couldn’t call for help, she would think, “I don’t know what you really look like, Jesus, but I will just think on your name.” Each time, a nurse came to help. “God must have been there with
me,” she said, sharing that she has recovered and is leading a prayer shawl ministry. The first time Matt Steinhauer, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, Lebanon, Tenn., heard “Bring Peace to Earth Again” (ELW, 700) he thought it would be a “beautiful hymn to use if … the cry for peace
Annie Haverlah often sings “Day by Day” with her two young sons, Nathan (left) and Andrew. “[It] sustained me through those tiring early days of motherhood,” she says. It still soothes both children before bedtime, and the words “remind me of God’s enduring grace and care for my family,” she says.
STEPHEN HAVERLAH
needed to be heard.” After the New- town, Conn., school schooting, he incorporated it into Sunday worship. “It was as powerful as I thought,” he said. “But I hope I never have to sing it in worship again.”
What hymns do for us “One of the huge gifts of the Lutheran church is that we sing together,” said hymn writer Susan Palo Cherwien. “Most of us don’t sing in other groups, unless it’s a bit of ‘Happy Birthday’ or maybe the national anthem at a baseball game. Yet singing is one of the healthiest states we can be in, putting us into a state of creativity and receptivity. It links the emotional brain with the cognitive brain. It’s healing, releas- ing neurochemical transmitters that stimulate our nervous systems and relax our heart rhythms.
“Singing is one of the best things we can do from a purely selfish standpoint, and we’re also sending beauty out into the universe.” LaVonne Fingerson, Ascen- sion Lutheran Church, Louisville, Ky., had just said no to adopting a teenager from South Africa. “Our two biological sons seemed quite enough. [Then at] worship the fol- lowing Sunday we sang: ‘Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart’ (ELW, 574). “Here was one of those people, and he needed holding. ... That was more than 10 years ago. [He’s since] earned a college degree on a full soccer scholarship and returned to South Africa to build a life there. My husband and I have now adopted his brother, who is getting ready to graduate from high school.” Bradley Schmeling, a pastor of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn., said “All Are Wel- come” (ELW, 641) emphasizes that
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