This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia. Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God. Power and riches and wisdom and strength, and honor and blessing and glory are his. This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia. Sing with all the people of God and join in the hymn of all creation: Blessing and honor and glory and might be to God and the Lamb forever Amen. This is the feast of victory for our God, for the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia. Alleluia.

As we dedicate new hymnals this month, it seems “right and salutary” to think about why we sing what we sing. In our liturgy for November, ELW setting 8, we will sing “This is the feast of victory for our God” (above) as our Hymn of Praise. Sundays and Seasons, a worship resource of the ELCA, suggests that, in November, we appreciate the context and history of this liturgical hymn. “This is the Feast” draws its central imagery from Revelation 19, which speaks of a “marriage supper of the Lamb.” This wedding feast is seen as an evocation of our union with Christ at the communion table, when we partake of the bread and cup.

When we join the feast, when we sing praise for the victory, it is important that we remember whose victory, and what that victory means in our lives. The book of Revelation is seen in much of popular culture as ultimately concerned with a final, physical battle where the faithful will triumph over the forces of evil. “This is the Feast” clearly shows us the paradox that God’s victory begins not with triumph, but with the death of Jesus on the cross. This death, followed by resurrection, sets us free - free to be God’s people. Our reward is not the plunder of worldly combat - no, “power and riches and wisdom and strength… and glory” are God’s. God’s victory allows each of us, however flawed, to take our place at the feast. We join the choir, sing with all God’s people, sing a hymn to God’s creation: blessing and honor and glory and might be to God. Alleluia!