The Vacant Chair - Saint Matthew Lutheran Church

“For God…is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers." -Romans 1:9

Living in Gettysburg exposed me to a great deal of Civil War history. It also exposed me to some of the arts, music and literature of that era. At this time of year, I find myself thinking of a beautiful poem entitled “The Vacant Chair” that Henry S. Washburn wrote and published in the midst of that conflict on Thanksgiving of 1861. The poem poignantly portrays a family that is mourning the death of a loved one in the Civil War. It was later set to music and became a
beloved song in both the North and South. The chorus states:

"We shall meet, but we shall miss him.

There will be one vacant chair.

We shall linger to caress him.

While we breathe our ev'ning prayer.”

This song resonates with me in this season because it reminds me of the many vacant chairs we will recall on November 6 during the festival of All Saints Sunday, during which we will remember all of the faithful departed of the church, but especially those who have passed during the last 12 months.

Washburn’s lyrics also remind me of the many vacant chairs that will surround our Thanksgiving tables. In the midst of all of the eating we will do on November 24 and all of the Christmas shopping and bargain hunting that will consume us in the days thereafter, we need to remember that there are people among us who are hurting because of a vacant chair.

All of us have either lost someone who is precious to us or we know someone who has experienced such a loss. So this November, especially during the feasting and shopping, please take time to remember and honor all the vacant chairs and the loved ones who once sat there. Remember and honor the pain you feel from those losses. Remember the good times too. But most of all, remember Jesus Christ, who in his death and resurrection conquered sin and death for us so that one day we will all be blessed to gather together again, this time with every chair filled.