Drop, drop, slow tears, and bathe those beauteous feet,
which brought from heaven the news and Prince of Peace.
Cease not, wet eyes, his mercies to entreat;
to cry for vengeance sin doth never cease.
In your deep floods drown all my faults and fears;
nor let his eye see sin, but through my tears.
Separate from the Tenebrae music by Healey Willan, we will sing this piece, which amazes me with how much it says in so few words.
I remember being at a retreat a few years ago with Michael Card. He had everyone go around and tell a little about themselves and why they were there. One woman began to cry as she talked, and as people often do, she immediately apologized for her tears.
I'll never forget how gently and firmly Michael said, "You have no need to apologize for crying. Tears are simply a sign that something in your soul has been touched. I hope your soul is being touched by being here."
If you'd like to hear it, I found on youtube the version that we did two years ago. Now we are singing a different arrangement. Interestingly, most of the youtube options are sung by non-native English speakers. I like to close my eyes and listen to these Italian accents singing in English. Of course, I know the text. You might find it more meaningful to look at the words while listening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocMA-0J_ET8
And I pray that your soul will be touched by it, whether or not it moves you to tears.
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