They tried to attribute the original idea to me, but it was my mother and her sister that first came up with the idea of playing "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder" for the recessional after the funeral. I loved the idea, but they tried changing their minds. No such luck, I stuck it in the order of service since I'd been appointed to craft it.
If you've read my previous postings about funerals, La Danse Macabre and Notes From a Funeral, you're aware that I possess a distinct view of death and the rituals associated with it.
My grandmother had a dry wit, often times not readily apparent. But it would sneak out occasionally. I'm sure she found a degree of humor in her funeral, especially in the selection of the recessional music. But what better words as the family walks behind the casket of a loved one?
The song was written by a Methodist Sunday School teacher, James Black, in 1893. He was calling the Sunday School roll one morning, and a young girl, the daughter of a drunkard, wasn't in attendance. Obviously disappointed, Black commented, "Well, I trust when the roll is called up yonder, she'll be there."
When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
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