A Joyous Funeral Hymn You've Probably Never Sung

Most pastors collect something that is vaguely religious, and I am no exception.  I own dozens of crosses and nativity scenes, and I also have a modest collection of mostly 20th century hymnals, including several from various Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist traditions, and I even own a German Lutheran hymnal that I cannot read.  Regardless of the language, any time I see an unfamiliar hymnal, I inevitably scan the index to see how many of Charles Wesley's hymns are included.  

I recently flipped through the 1939 Methodist Hymnal and the 1966 Methodist Hymnal to examine their respective selections of Wesley hymns. Predictably, I fell down the rabbit hole of looking to see which hymns were included and which didn't make the cut, and my attention became riveted on Hymn 518 in the 1939 hymnal, 288 in the 1966 one.  (It doesn't appear in the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal.)

Oddly, I have seen the hymn attributed to John Wesley online (http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/s/e/r/servogod.htm),but both the 1939 and 1966 hymnals assign its authorship to Charles.  Either way, it was apparently written upon the occasion of the death of George Whitefield and attached to the published form of the funeral sermon preached by John Wesley for Whitefield:

Servant of God, well done!

Thy glorious warfare’s past;

The battle’s fought, the race is won,

And thou art crowned at last.

With saints enthroned on high,

Thou dost thy Lord proclaim,

And still to God salvation cry,

Salvation to the Lamb!

O happy, happy soul!

In ecstasies of praise,

Long as eternal ages roll,

Thou seest Thy Savior’s face.

Without trying to describe what even the Apostle Paul found indescribable, Wesley flavors this hymn with allusions to scripture and shifts from addressing the newly deceased saint in the first stanzas to posing a rhetorical question that is filled with longing, a plaintive yet hope-filled query to himself and to us.  His lyrics offer the perfect balance between marking the death of one of God's faithful and celebrating that person's entrance into the presence of Jesus and for focusing our attention on our own future experience of coming before the throne of God:

Redeemed from earth and pain,

Ah! when shall we ascend,

And all in Jesus’ presence reign

Through ages without end?

I don't think I have ever heard this particular hymn sung to either the tune "Mornington" that appears in the 1939 hymnal or to "Diademata" from the 1966 hymnal (better known as the tune accompanying "Crown Him With Many Crowns"), probably because it isn't in the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal.  "Mornington" is a gentle, slow melody that is well suited for use at a funeral, but it doesn't echo the triumph and happiness of seeing Jesus' face in the same way that "Diademata" does.  Perhaps that accounts for the change of tune in the 1966 hymnal!

At any rate, it isn't hard to see why it was included in the section entitled "The Eternal Life"in the 1939 hymnal and "Death and Life Eternal" in the 1966 hymnal.  Perhaps we ought to re-introduce the hymn to our churches for reflection and meditation and perhaps even for singing as a congregation.  Death and life eternal aren't subjects we discuss with ease, but this hymn offers a theological framework for seeing one's death in the light of the glory that awaits,  the end of all life's struggles, and the ecstasy of praise at seeing the face of Jesus for "ages without end."

What do you think?  Have you given any thought to your own funeral service and how you'd like it to reflect your faith and your life?  What scriptures come to mind?  What about hymns or songs?  I'd love to hear your responses!