By Marie Gettel-Gilmartin

Early 1970s, my family attended Atonement Lutheran Church (where Spirit of Grace is now).

Several teenagers played guitar in the folk group, called the “Wire Choir,” twice a month. Many of them were our babysitters. I wanted to be cool like them.

Our hippie pastor, John Christianson, wrote music for the Wire Choir. He and his wife Norma were around my parents’ age with three kids, just like our family.

He encouraged us kids to come to Christmas Eve in our pajamas, calling it the “pajama service.”

By the time I was 10, I was anxious to learn the guitar and be like the cool teens. I took to it immediately.

47 years later now, I’ll always be grateful to Pastor John for inspiring this love of music in me.

Me (far left) in Sunday school at Atonement Lutheran Church, looking up to the big kids

Pastor John is now 84 years old. He lives in Minnesota and is ailing with heart problems.

I keep in touch with his daughter Devora. I asked if we could sing one of his hymns for Easter, the “Day of Resurrection.” She was thrilled, but she told me she wasn’t sure if her dad would understand.

A few days before he was not making much sense and she wasn’t sure what was going on. Someone mentioned Alzheimer’s, but she doubted that diagnosis. She told him we’d be doing his song, but he didn’t seem to pick it up.

In Devora’s words:

“My father continues to swing to and from death’s door. On a most difficult day 3 days ago I received a text from a friend who was from his church in Oregon in the 1970s. She is now a worship leader at the same church. She wanted my Dad to know they would be singing a song he had written for Easter services today.

Dad started our conversation today breathless, planning to mostly listen. That changed in a wonderful way!

He said, "I woke up at 5:30 this morning and I told the lady working at the hospital that this is the best Easter Sunday of my life! A church I served on the West Coast will be singing a song I wrote.

This was a church where we had a few Catholic and Lutheran members worshiping together at that time.

And then through tears, in true Dad fashion, he said, "They got along. They served together. They acted out the words of Jesus, 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' -John13:35"

At a time when we hope Dad keeps swinging away from death's door a little longer.

We can find peace, even joy, in the chorus of a song my dad wrote and people sang in Beaverton, Oregon this Easter morning.

"Sing my soul and laugh my eyes and lift my heart up to the skies!

And scorn the grave which I shall arise, deathless in the day of resurrection!

Thank you Marie!

What a heavenly gift!!!”

Kudos to you, Pr. John, for inspiring generations of musicians. More Pr. John songs coming soon!