Making a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye.....??

My friend Karen often blogs pretty hymns and worship songs on Sundays.
I even posted about being encouraged by a hymn lately.  


But this post isn't like that.  This is a different story.


This story begins with the first phrases of our opening hymn yesterday morning.  


As we all lifted our voices and began "Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love...." we were unmistakably - and quite loudly -  joined by... a cricket.


Friend cricket sang without a breath through the entire first verse, his high soprano rising above us all.


By the second verse this situation had turned quite funny to those of us in our section, and by the middle of the second verse we couldn't hold back the straight-up laughter as we tried to sing, "Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea, Chanting bird and flowing fountain, Call us to rejoice in Thee."  


Seriously!?  We had the field and forest and chanting [cricket] right there in the sanctuary with us!


Then turning the corner to verse four (being the good Baptists we are we skipped verse 3), it got even better, with little (or by the way his voice carried, big) cricket never missing a measure: "Mortals, join the happy chorus...... Ever singing, march we onward...... Joyful music leads us sun-ward In the triumph song of life."


I don't know when I've ever enjoyed Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee quite so much.  


I'm not sure about the cricket's "triumph song of life" though...
At first opportunity first our brave music leader and then our valiant pastor went in search of the insistent critter.  The latter was successful in locating the visitor, which did not join us for any subsequent hymns.  I don't know if he was shown the door, the toilet, or the bottom of someone's shoe, but I have a feeling he went out singing!

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD.  Praise ye the LORD.  Psalm 150:6