"I AM A POOR WAYFARING STRANGER"

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"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:13
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Ever since man found himself a being on earth, he has been musing the questions---Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? These thoughts occur to all men at one time or another--- more to some, perhaps than others.

One of the strangest ideas that man has had to get used to, is that he is a stranger and pilgrim on the earth. His existence here is merely temporary. This a difficult concept and often, an uncomfortable one.

Poetry and song are replete with reflections on the temporal nature of life on this earth.  Here are some examples:

Man is lonely by birth,
Man is only a pilgrim on earth---
Time is but a temporary thing,
Only on loan while on earth."
(Talonoa--- "All Roads Lead Home")
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"A stranger, and I was a wand'ring,
In the cold night of sin I did roam;
When Jesus the kind  shepherd found me
And now I am on my way home."
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"As I travel through this world of woe
There is a friend who walks with me.
Leads me safely through this world below..."
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"My life on earth is but a span....
And so I'll do the best I can."
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"This world is not my home
I'm just a-passing through..."
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"The Pilgrim's Song," by C.R. Blackall
"Awhile o'er earth's mountains we're roaming,
Thro' valleys adorned with green...
Sometimes there are shadows and darkness,
But often the golden sheen."
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On this subject, a best-loved and often-heard song is the American spiritual/folk song, "I Am A Poor Wayfaring Stranger," dating to  the 1800's, and made popular by the famous ballad singer, Burl Ives.  It was recorded in his 1944 album, "The Wayfaring Stranger," was used as the title of his '40's CBS radio show, was the title of his biography in 1848, and became his "signature" song.

"The Wayfaring Stranger" has been used in a number of movies, TV Dramas, and documentaries. It was used in the season two premiere of "The Walking dead." Upwards of a hundred well-known artists have recorded the song.

In my favorite oft-quoted line from Wordsworth's "Ode On Intimations of Immortality," we read: "Trailing clouds of glory do we come...from heaven which is our home." Whether we arrive "back home" from our pilgrimage depends on the choices we make.

The plaintive words and tune of "Wayfaring Stranger" speak for themselves.

"I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger
I'm traveling through this world of woe
Yet there's no sickness toil nor danger
In that bright land to which I go
I'm going there to see my mother
I'm going there no more to roam
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home.

I know dark clouds will gather 'round me
I know my path is rough and steep
Yet golden fields lie just before me
Where God's redeemed will ever sleep
I'm going there to see my father
He said he'd meet me when I come
I'm only going over Jordan
I'm only going over home.

I want to wear a crown of glory
When I get home to that good land
I want to shout salvation's story
In concert with the blood-bought band.

I'm going there to meet my Saviour
To sing his praise forevermore
I'm just a-going over Jordan
I'm just a-going over home.."



Burl Ives:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5sHrOTXX0s&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETICiWZwnU0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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BY MIL
1/15/13




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