Yesterday in church we sang “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less” as the recessional. But rather than singing it to the tune SOLID ROCK, which was traditional in my childhood churches, the setting in the Episcopal hymnal is MELITA, which is best known as the US Navy Hymn “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”.

My brain being what it is, it spent the rest of the afternoon processing through what other hymn texts have the 8.8.8.8.8.8 meter and could be sung to MELITA. While Hymnary lists hundreds of them, in the end my brain fixed on one and wouldn’t let go: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”.

I mean, I’m not advising it would be a good match… but it’s a metrical fit. Kinda creepy.