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Lord’s Day Meditation – A Wider View

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Though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ (Col. 2:5).

It is so easy, in Christian service, with the intensity of urgent demands all around us, to become very narrow in our focus. To think about our little group and all its blessings and challenges. We need to do that, of course, but we must also work at being true global Christians, with an interest in what God is doing in other places.

Paul, of course, had a special reason to watch what was happening in various local churches. He was a missionary and church planter. The Lord had used him to start many of the local congregations to which he wrote. Like John Wesley, he could say, “The world is my parish,” and he speaks of his “deep concern for all the churches” (II Cor. 11:30).

But a lack of travel or wide personal involvement elsewhere does not let us off the hook. Every local assembly needs to be a strong supporter of world missions. Even when finances do not permit a large monetary investment, we can pray, we can write to missionaries, we can welcome them and show them hospitality when they visit. They will not be the only ones to benefit from this. We will too!

That wider view is expressed in Anne Ortland’s 1966 hymn which says,

The vision of a dying world
Is vast before our eyes;
We feel the heartbeat of its need,
We hear its feeble cries.

About Praising God

Luke records a time when “The whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen” (Lk. 19:37). The passage suggests or illustrates some important things about praise.

praise on Palm Sunday
  1. Praising God is something “disciples” do, those who are committed followers of the Lord.
  2. It is an activity in which we “all” should engage.
  3. God’s people should unite in praise, as they did here. Their corporate praise was unified and apparently unanimous.
  4. It was joyful–like the announcement of His coming had been (Lk. 2:10). However there is an irony here. With a better understanding, Jesus weeps in the midst of their joy (vs. 41). On this side of eternity, no joy is unmitigated.
  5. It was “loud.” This indicates enthusiasm, and it meant their praise became a witness to those around. Praise should not be deafening or raucous. But if it is clear and forceful it can be a testimony to others.
  6. It was necessary (vs. 40), implying that it was also supremely appropriate to the moment. Something great and long-promised was happening (cf. Zech. 9:9-10). Praise was necessary in spite of the objections of unbelief (vs. 39). There are times when God simply must be praised.
  7. The reason for praise given here is “the mighty works they had seen” in the earthly ministry of Christ–but also in the fulfilment of God sovereign purpose in the presentation of the King (vs. 38).
  8. Praise in this life must be tinged with compassion and concern. For while we rejoice and praise the Lord, many are still in bondage and spiritual darkness (vs. 41-42). It is not too much to suggest that a praising heart will also be a missionary heart, seeking to bring others into the experience of praise.

Something Different

There is a philosophy abroad that says we must keep church music current and up-to-date. I disagree, if what is meant is that we must make the music of God’s house as much like the music of the secular world as possible. Something is wrong if, in order to draw in the unsaved and communicate the gospel to them, we must descend to their level and incorporate the music styles of the world into our worship. God’s call to separation relates to our sacred music too (“sacred” meaning holy, separated). “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean” (II Cor. 6:17).

In The Book of Common Praise of the Anglican Church (1938 edition), author and hymn writer Robert Bridges makes the following comment:

If we consider and ask ourselves what sort of music we should wish to hear on entering a church, we should surely, in describing our ideal, say first of all that it must be something different from what is heard elsewhere; it should be a sacred music, devoted to its purpose, a music whose peace should still passion, whose dignity should strengthen our faith, whose unquestioned beauty should find a home in our hearts, to cheer us in life and death….What power for good such music would have!

It is not that we try to canonize the old hymns and reject outright anything written more recently than a century ago. Rather, we should develop biblical principles that seek the highest and best–of both old and new. The words of James Rowe, in the gospel song Love Lifted Me, come to mind: “Love so mighty and so true merits my soul’s best songs.” In her book A Handbook for the Church Pianist (Lillenas, 1964), Wilda Jackson Auld makes a similar point to Bridges.

The church must have her own music and it should never be a mere aping of the styles of Broadway…and modern music in general….Our best music is constantly endangered by an amalgamation with the bad, or even the pretty-but-weak….Let the church enjoy and exercise her right to exalted, masterful music suited to her high calling….Do let us guard our music from the taint of a cheap, over-rhythmic, weak, petty, cluttered imitation of the current fads….Beware when a majestic hymn, well sung or played, holds no thrill of enjoyment for you. This is analogous to the jaded appetite of the child who prefers a candy bar and a Coke to a well-prepared, well-served hot meal, even with dessert!

Food for thought in view of present trends!

Looking Unto Jesus

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Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Heb. 12:1-3

If “the sin which so easily ensnares us” refers to a specific sin common to all (rather than one that may differ from one individual to another) the context of Hebrews Chapter 11 suggests that it is the sin of unbelief. Instead of doubt, and faithlessness, and sinful independence, we are to look to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith, considering Him, “the author and finisher of our faith.”

“Looking unto Jesus” represents both a gaze of admiration, and a prayer for divine grace. To encourage us to do this, the writer presents a “great cloud of witnesses in the previous chapter. These are not mere spectators, overweight and under-exercised fans, sitting in the bleachers. They are our fellow participants in the race. Their lives bear witness to the validity and the importance of trusting in the Lord. And like relay runners from whom we have taken the baton to carry on to the finish, they have a keen interest in the outcome.

Years ago, when my father was terminally ill, some men from the steel plant where he worked as a foreman visited him and brought a gift. It was a recording by the Merrill Staton Men’s Chorus, singing a selection of hymns. The record was entitled My Faith Looks Up to Thee (this being one of the hymns that was included). But on the back of the record jacket some copy writer had produced one of the most startling typos I’ve ever seen. The title there was given as My Faith Looks Up to Me–ironically truer than we could wish many times!

This 1830 hymn by Ray Palmer is one of a number that speak in some way of the need to keep our eyes on the Lord, looking up to Him in faith. Another is the eighth century Irish hymn, Be Thou My Vision. And with regard to running the race of life we have such songs as, Awake, My Soul, Stretch Every Nerve, and Higher Ground. I encourage you to sing these hymns of aspiration in your church, explaining their significance. And may the Lord use them to invigorate our faith.

My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary, Saviour divine!
Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day be wholly Thine!

May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee,
Pure warm, and changeless be, a living fire!

Why Christians Sing

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I’m sure there are lots of reasons why we sing, but I’d like to deal with two: one that is spiritual, and another related to the nature of music itself.

1) The New Song

The spiritual reason has to do with something the Word of God calls a new song. It’s spoken of 9 times in the Bible, Old Testament and New. For example, David says:

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth–praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.

Ps. 40:1-3

So, what is meant by a new song? Some in our day interpret this to mean we must adopt the current music styles of the world, or be constantly teaching the newest and latest selections for our congregation to sing. Conversely, they say, “We have to get rid of all those old-fashioned hymns. Those are old songs. We want new ones!”

But I do not believe that is what is meant. Notice the above text again. It doesn’t say, “He has put a new song in my mouth–the latest guitar licks, the newest rock sounds.” David is speaking of what comes from his mouth, and it is “praise to our God.” Young’s Literal Translation actually makes the latter phrase the text of the song itself, by putting it in quotation marks: “He putteth in my mouth a new song, ‘Praise to our God.'” Rotherham does something similar.

But what’s so new about that? Many of us, even if we don’t always sing it, certainly say it often, “Praise the Lord!” So how is such a song new? May I suggest that is involves at least a couple of things:

  • A newly prompted motivation
  • A newly personalized message

In song, we testify to our experience with the Lord It is “new” because we have a new reasons to praise Him. That makes our song ever new, because we’re always having fresh experiences of God’s blessing. Here’s the key: When the song comes from the heart, and reflects our own experience, it becomes a new song–even if we borrow the words of Fanny Crosby or Charles Wesley to express it. We sing because we have something to sing about.

2) The Nature of Music

A second reason why sacred music has such a major place in the lives of Christians has to do with the nature of music itself.

First, consider the difference between prose and poetry. Let’s suppose you get up early in the morning, and you say to your wife, “The sun’s coming up.” That’s prose.

But if you were a William Shakespeare, you might say (as he does in Romeo and Juliet):

Look, love, what envious streaks
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:
Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

(“Jocund” means cheerful.) And that’s wonderful poetry. Notice how the lines not only convey facts but stir the imagination and the emotions as well. It is as though the day can hardly wait to dawn. Poetry paints word pictures in order to help us better feel the facts.

Then, music can add an even stronger emotional element, and it affects us physically as well. Here is a stanza of a German hymn written about 200 years ago (translated into English by Edward Caswell). It too is about the dawn. And in Joseph Barnby’s tune, called Laudes Domini, the notes follow a repeatedly rising pattern, as though to express in music both the rising of the sun and the joyful lifting up of praise to God.

When morning gilds the skies,
My heart awaking cries,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer,
To Jesus I repair,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

When you have poetry set to music, you have a powerful tool of communication that can express both ideas and emotions. That is one reason why the Bible has so much poetry in it–and talks about music so much. God knows how He made us. He knows that we can testify to the facts of our faith much more feelingly in poetry and song. See how the process is described in Ps. 28:7:

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.

But there is an inherent danger with the emotional power of music. In our use of it, we must be careful not to confuse emotional excitation with spiritual exaltation. That replaces legitimate emotion with emotionalism, which may be simply an easily manipulated visceral response to the music. Consider the above verse again, and notice particularly the order of things.

  1. The Lord is my strength and my shield; (a basic truth)
  2. my heart trusted in Him, (the truth accepted by faith)
  3. and I am helped; (faith verified in life)
  4. therefore my heart rejoices, (an inward emotional response)
  5. and with my song I will praise Him. (an outward expression with poetry set to music)

The order there is significant. The excitement and joy David feels is not generated by the music, but by an appropriation and appreciation of God’s truth, and his experience of God’s blessing. That is how our hymnody should be used, and it ought to be the reason why we sing. It expresses what the Lord has done for us, and how we feel about it. As an old gospel song by Albert Ketchum puts it:

Deep in my heart there’s a gladness,
Jesus has saved me from sin!
Praise to His name–what a Saviour!
Cleansing without and within.

Why do I sing about Jesus?
Why is He precious to me?
He is my Lord and my Saviour,
Dying, He set me free!

Top 10 Hymns of 1990

In an earlier post, I shared with you a poll that identified the “Top 10” hymns of 1953.

Now let’s fast-forward nearly 40 years. In 1990 a poll was conducted in the United States involving 10,000 people. The respondents ranged in age from 5 to 96, and they came from 32 denominations. They were asked to name their favourite hymn. Here is the list of their Top 10.

  1. Amazing Grace
  2. How Great Thou Art
  3. In the Garden
  4. The Old Rugged Cross
  5. What a Friend We Have in Jesus
  6. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
  7. Blessed Assurance
  8. He Lives
  9. Victory in Jesus
  10. Holy, Holy, Holy

Notice that those ranking as the top three in 1953 are still on the list decades later. However, they have moved down, supplanted by Amazing Grace, and How Great Thou Art. These two popular hymns did not even appear in the earlier listing. Not because they were new songs. Amazing Grace, by John Newton, was first published in 1779, but it had been all but forgotten until folk singer Judy Collins made a recording of it in 1970. Her version of the song achieved top forty status on the hit parade of that day, and soon it was being sung everywhere.

As to How Great Thou Art, the original poem was written by a Swedish pastor named Carl Boberg back in 1886. But it was not until an English version was introduced by George Beverley Shea during Billy Graham’s evangelistic campaign in Toronto, in 1955, that the church in North America heard the song. Nearly seven decades after it was written, the song became a favourite. It has remained so ever since.

Lord’s Day Meditation – We Shall Reap

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Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. 6:9).

The above verse contains a needed exhortation and a golden promise. We could perhaps outline the text this way:

I. The Peril for Today

  1. That we will grow weary
  2. That we will lose heart
  3. That we will cease doing good (implied)

II. The Promise for Tomorrow

  1. That there is a “due season” of harvest
  2. That we shall reap (both fruit and rewards)
  3. That we can finish well (implied)

Do not become weary, discouraged or disheartened. Do not lose heart, give up, or quit. Instead, keep on doing good, keep on serving the Lord. Why? Because there will be a time of wonderful harvest in due season, at God’s appointed time.

Yet we recognize there is a weariness and discouragement in Christian service. Sometimes, it is because we see little of the eternal fruit we’d hoped for. But it may also be for less noble reasons. That we grow impatient with people who show less spiritual insight than we believe we do. Or bitter because our efforts and gifts are not appreciated as we think they should be.

First, we would do well to examine our hearts for unrealistic expectations or some selfish motivation. But if our hearts are in tune with God’s heart, there can still be weariness and discouragement. It is part of ministry by imperfect people in an imperfect world. But we must see that we do not give up and quit in the face of it. Faithful service will have its reward. God has promised it. The harvest will come at the proper time (cf. I Cor. 15:58; II Thess. 3:13; Jas. 5:7).

In the words of John Thompson’s 1885 hymn:

Far and near the fields are teeming
With the waves of ripened grain;
Far and near their gold is gleaming
O’er the sunny slope and plain.

O thou, whom thy Lord is sending,
Gather now the sheaves of gold;
Heavenward then at evening wending
Thou shalt come with joy untold.

Strange Instruments

The year 1907 was early days for the Salvation Army in Canada. Art Smith and his wife were serving as probationary captains in Coburg, Ontario. Down the street they marched one Sunday afternoon, “Blood and Fire” flag unfurled, to hold an open air meeting. They stopped in front of a fashionable hotel, where American tourists lounged carelessly on a broad veranda.

After the Smiths had sung and prayed, a short, stocky man came down the steps to ask if he might join in the singing. And, “Could we sing the old hymn, ‘Lead, Kindly Light’”? They did so. And the stranger’s soaring tenor voice electrified listeners. Conversation ceased until the hymn was done. The same thing happened when they sang “Abide With Me.” The gathering crowd strained to hear each glorious note. Something unusual was happening.

Then, as was the custom, Mrs. Smith went around with her tambourine, taking a collection to help with their work. It was filled to overflowing, providing the largest amount ever received by the couple. Not until afterward did they learn from the hotel manager the identity of their volunteer soloist. It was none other than Enrico Caruso (pictured here), the legendary tenor with the Metropolitan Opera Company.

Graphic Enrico Caruso

Certainly the most esteemed singer of his day, and one of the greatest ever, that very year Caruso had made the first million-selling recording in history. His golden voice made him rich and famous. Even those who don’t know much about opera recognize his name. But eternity alone will tell the impact of the Smiths’ humble ministry, and of the funds collected that day.

God sometimes uses strange instruments to accomplish His design. Among the most unusual in the Bible was a donkey that the Lord empowered to keep a wayward prophet from folly (Num. 22:9-35). It is a reminder that God can give power to serve His purposes to whomever (and whatever) He chooses. Even arrogant Pharaoh, who refused to release the Israelites from bondage, served the plan of God, however unwittingly (Rom. 9:17).

And what of us, as Christians, trying to serve the Lord? Our gifts and talents are of value when they are dedicated to His service. God has given them to us for a reason. But more than our ability, the Lord is looking for our availability, our readiness to do His will. And time and again He uses weak instruments to accomplish great things. “God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty…that no flesh should glory in His presence….He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” (I Cor. 1:27-31).

The Back of the Hymn Book

In yesterday’s post, we looked at the information that could be gleaned from a standard hymn book page. A little also needs to be said about what is often included in the back of the hymnal. Again, this varies somewhat from book to book, but the following are fairly common.

1) Selected Scripture Passages

Considering the many different English Bible versions in use today, it is difficult to have a unison or responsive reading of the Word of God. These selections are at least a partial answer to that, providing readings on a variety of subjects. There is usually an index of texts and of topics covered, to help you find what you need.

2) An Alphabetical Index of Tunes

Not every tune has a name of its own, but most do. (Sometimes an editor will arbitrarily choose a name for those without one, so that the tune can be identified.)

3) A Metrical Index of Tunes

Tunes are grouped according to metre. This can be useful information if you wish to sing a particular set of words to a different tune. Perhaps the tune assigned to a hymn by the book is unknown, or more difficult for congregational use. This index will suggest alternatives.

Each tune has a metre. So many beats per line, and so many lines. For example, the metre for the tune Aurelia above is 7.6.7.6D (“D” meaning doubled.) That tells us that each stanza of poetry has 7 or 6 sounded syllables, alternately, and each stanza has a total of 8 lines. For example:

The chur-ch’s one foun-da-tion (7)
Is Je-sus Christ her Lord; (6)
She is His new cre-a-tion, (7)
By wa-ter and the Word; (6)
From heav’n He came and sought her (7)
To be His ho-ly bride; (6)
With His own blood He bought her, (7)
And for her life He died. (6)

These words could also be sung to the tune Missionary Hymn or the tune Webb, among others, as they also have the 7.6.7.6D metre. More can be said about this in a later blog.

4) An Index of Authors, Composers and Sources

Sometimes it is useful to know which hymns in the book were written by a particular author. Here, the numbers for their hymns are given after each name. If you wanted, for example, to present a program featuring the life story of Fanny Crosby, or Charles Wesley, you could choose hymns written by the person from this list.

5) A Topical Index of Hymns

As well as grouping hymns in the book according to subject matter, most hymnals provide a more detailed topical index. It is a good idea to choose hymns for a service that relate to the Bible message. In that way, the whole service follows a theme. This index can be a big help with that.

6) An Alphabetical Index of Hymns

This is likely the most used, and most useful index of all. (Some books refer to it as the General Index.) Usually, a hymn is listed by title and also by first line. Many times these are the same. For example, There Shall Be Showers of Blessing begins with those words. In such cases, only one listing is needed. But the hymn Our Great Saviour begins, “Jesus, what a Friend for sinners!” so both will be included. Usually, the hymn’s title is given in all capital letters, (e.g. OUR GREAT SAVIOUR) to distinguish it from the quotation of the first line.

A Standard Hymn Book Page

Many hymn books have been produced over the years, and the pages are varied in their design and format.

  • Some have the words of the songs only, no tunes. Ira Sankey’s Sacred Songs and Solos eventually contained 1200 selections. The books that include both words and music are too large for easy handling. (They would not fit in most pew racks!)
  • Some have the tunes and words separated on the page. This was done in part because tunes were often used for many different hymns, and not associated with single sets of words.
  • One book, produced years ago, had the pages split in half horizontally, with the words on (I think) the top half of the pages, and all the tunes on the lower half. This way, singers could open the book to a particular set of words, and turn to the tune they wanted, so they could see both at once.
  • Some hymn books (such as the newer Celebration Hymnal) have the information about the hymn writers at the bottom of the page. But most traditional hymn books are set up as the one illustrated and discussed here.

The book you are familiar with may have a slightly different format, but you should be able to identify and make use of most of the following features.

Graphic Line of Hymn

1) The topical heading

In many books, hymns are grouped according to category (here, it is THE CHURCH). This facilitates finding hymns about Christmas, or prayer, or whatever suits the occasion.

2) The hymn name and number

Hymn books vary a bit in the titles given to hymns, which can be a bit confusing. Often the opening phrase of the first stanza is used as a title, as in the illustration, but not always. The hymn My Saviour’s Love begins, “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene.”

3) The tune name

Most of the tunes used for our hymns have names of their own. The name of the traditional tune used for The Church’s One Foundation is Aurelia. This information becomes useful if those leading a service wish to have the words sung to a different tune. (See the note in tomorrow’s blog on the Metrical Index.)

4) The music for the hymn

Usually, hymn tunes are arranged in four-part harmony (what is called an SATB arrangement–for soprano, alto, tenor and bass). Singing in harmony seems to be a lost art in many churches, but it can enhance the beauty of our hymns and enrich the experience of singing them. (More of this in a later post.)

5) The author of the words

In the traditional hymnal, the author of the words is given in the upper left above the music. In the illustration, this is Samuel J. Stone. If the hymn was originally written in German, or some other language, the name of the translator will be given here too.

6) The composer of the tune

The composer of the tune is listed in the upper right above the music. Here it is Samuel S. Wesley, the grandson of hymn writer Charles Wesley. If there is a special arrangement of the hymn, for example an added obligato, or an added optional ending, the name of the musical arranger is listed in the upper right as well.

Hymns that are over 75 years old are usually in the public domain. This means they can be copied and reproduced without special permission. Newer songs, and those for which special arrangements are provided, usually have a copyright notice at the bottom of the page. Permission is needed to reproduce them, unless you obtain a licence which covers most copyrighted material. A church licence for this purpose can be purchased for a reasonable fee from Christian Copyright Licence International.

Check tomorrow’s post for a look at what’s found at the back of the hymnal.

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