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I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath
triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the
sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my
salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my
father's God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a man of war:
the Lord is his name. (Exodus 15:1-3)
With
Memorial Day waiting in the wings for our reverential observance, I will
present this short devotion on a little jingle (and hymn) that every American
soldier, since 1862, has either slept in security at the hearing, or been laid
to rest in the eternal shrouds of his Lord – Taps. I cannot count the times
that the bugler (and they had REAL buglers in my days) played Taps in Central
Area as we prepared for lights out. Most soldiers and seaman know the tune, but
not the words. They may never have heard the words sung to this bewitching
melody of Taps. But there are, indeed, words that qualify Taps to be a hymn.
Today, the jingle is more often played by screeching loudspeaker thereby losing
much of its character. Taps was first employed (and composed) by General Daniel
Butterfield of the Army of the Potomac. It rapidly spread throughout the Union,
and even Confederate, Army.
The
Bugle call has its origins in the War Between the States, or the Civil War to
those north of the Mason Dixon Line. According to Jari Vilanueva of the
Arlington Bugle Exhibit, the lyrics are as follows:
Taps
Day is done, gone
the sun,
From the hills, from
the lake,
From the sky.
All is well, safely
rest,
God is nigh.
Go to sleep, peaceful
sleep,
May the soldier or
sailor,
God keep.
On the land or the
deep,
Safe in sleep.
Love, good night,
Must thou go,
When the day, And
the night
Need thee so?
All is well.
Speedeth all
To their rest.
Fades the light; And
afar
Goeth day, And the
stars
Shineth bright,
Fare thee well; Day
has gone,
Night is on.
Thanks and praise,
For our days,
'Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
'Neath the sky,
As we go, This we
know,
God is nigh.
Though
I most often heard this bugle call as a cadet, I have heard it as well on many
far-flung shores from Japan to Chiangmai; and Robinson Barracks (Stuttgart) to
Brussels, Belgium. It almost always has had a quieting effect on my soul; but
there were other times when its haunting notes brought grief and sorrow as when
a good soldier was laid to rest – including my younger brother. The notes echo
and re-echo from the surrounding ridges and hillsides; and creates the most
melancholy of emotions.
“Day
is done, gone the sun, From the hills, from the lake, From the sky. All is
well, safely rest, God is nigh.” There is no better time than at
the closing of the day for one to reflect on his mortality. Every day is really
a short life, and perhaps all that we can claim as ours. The light fades and
the shadows lengthen, and our work is finished. It is then time for rest –
either of the body, or the final rest of the soul. We may forever feel secure
knowing that we are under the watchful eye and protection of God our Father
whatever the venue.
“Go
to sleep, peaceful sleep, May the soldier or sailor, God keep. On the land or
the deep, Safe in sleep.” How hardly does a little child fight the
gathering sands of sleep before finally surrendering to its inevitable advance.
So do many fight the advancing hand of death as if that would herald the end of
their existence for all time and eternity – but it does not. We all have made a
bed to sleep in someplace and that is either Heaven or Hell. God has numbered
the hairs of the soldier’s head just as He has numbered those of the old widow.
Wherever the soldier, seaman, or airman finds himself, God is there over-watching.
He is able to keep our souls in the mud trenches of Meuse-Argonne or the depths
of the seas of Guadalcanal.
“Love,
good night, Must thou go, When the day, And the night Need thee so? All is
well. Speedeth all To their rest.” This line illustrates the
heart-breaking moment when the loving homemaker must say goodbye to her valiant
soldier. Though her valor is not exceeded by his, she comes to the moment when
“the silver cord is loosed, and the golden bowl be broken.” There is a
temporary finality of good-bye that always seems eternal for love makes it so.
But remember, that we must all go to our rest at the timing and discretion of
our Maker. To quote the Family Prayer of the Book of Common Prayer for Night: “O
LORD, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen and the evening
comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our
work is done. Then in thy mercy grant us a safe lodging, and a holy
rest, and peace at the last. Amen.”
“Fades
the light; And afar Goeth day, And the stars Shineth bright, Fare thee well;
Day has gone, Night is on.” At the moment of our
falling to sleep, the light dims and vanishes, and our souls may rest from its
labors. The same is true of the sleep of death. The imitation lights of the
world fade and our souls are drawn inextricably to a far greater Light beyond
the Gates of Splendor. The Great Night of the Soul is our final sleep, and one
from which we have only one awakening if we are secure in our election in Christ.
Even in the darkness of the sleep of death, we have that Bright and Morning
Star as our Guiding Star to safe lodging.
“Thanks
and praise, For our days, 'Neath the sun, Neath the stars, 'Neath the sky, As
we go, This we know, God is nigh.” May I begin this explanation with a
question? What do you truly own? Do you own your home, your day, your very
body? No, you own nothing at all. Our only possession lies in Christ our Maker.
So we must be thankful for every good gift from the Father of Lights. That
means, EVERYTHING! Having God as the repository of that which we cannot, of our
own accord, possess, is a guarantee of our continued use and possession of it.
Our treasures are in Heaven, else we have no treasures. THANKFULNESS is the key
to joy and happiness. A thankful heart is full of praise to God for everything
that comes his way.
When
the bugler sounds Ta[ps at your Memorial Day celebrations, consider the words
as well as the plaintive notes. It will make the Bugle Call much more
meaningful to your heart; and it will prepare you to stand muster to the Call
from the Bugler on High when He summons.
