Thursday Hymn Reflection: “In Christ Alone” January 28, 2010

[On Thursdays, we "reflect" on a hymn suggested by our readers. To add your favorites (no more than 3, please) to the list, simply leave a comment.]

What a fantastic new hymn! “In Christ Alone,” in my opinion, will stand the test of time because it is a simple melody in the usual construction of four verses. The beauty of this song is that it builds together (1) the sacrifice of Jesus and (2) our response to it.

The song begins with a verse of praise to Jesus. With that verse, we sing that our full faith is in Him, then we move to the reason why. Verse one uses many titles and descriptions of Jesus (my Comforter, my All in All, this Cornerstone, etc.), and powerfully showers Him with praise, but does so from a deeply personal level. After naming all these attributes, verse one ends with “Here in the love of Christ I stand.”

Why “stand” with Him? The rest of the song shares that message which the world needs to hear.

He was the “fullness of God in helpless babe.” He was Immanuel; God with us. But His own people, whom “he came to save” scorned Him. That led to the cross. The song doesn’t just talk about Jesus on the cross, though. It paints a glorious picture of what happened there. In my favorite line, the song states, “‘Til on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.” With that simple line, we are preaching the doctrine of atonement, though we might not use that word. What a glorious concept, that “every sin on Him was laid.”

The third verse celebrates the victory over the cross which gives our faith its basis. “Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again.” That is the event that shook the world and gives us our hope. Because He overcame death, the cross has its power. That being true, “Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me.”

The final verse truly provides the “so what” to the song. Here are the great words that conclude a wonderful hymn:

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me.

From life’s first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can every pluck me from His hand.

‘Til He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I stand.

The song is destined, in my opinion, to be widely accepted and used in a very short time, and for good reason. Very few newer songs contain quite so much theology as does this one.

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Enjoy this version of the hymn. (You’ll need to turn up your speakers, as the video is recorded at a low volume.)

Thursday Hymn Reflection: “I Need Thee Every Hour” January 21, 2010

[On Thursdays, we "reflect" on hymns submitted by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites--no more than 3, please--to our upcoming list, leave the names of the songs in the comments.]

Written by a housewife in 1872, the simple words of “I Need Thee Every Hour” continue to bring comfort to many folks each time they are sung. In his book Then Sings My Soul, Robert Morgan gives the Annie Hawks’ own words as to where the poem came from (from page 179):

One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words, ‘I need thee every hour,’ were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me.

To me, the greatest line in the song is in the 2nd verse, where Hawks wrote, “Temptations lose their power / When Thou art nigh.” While it is true that we need the Lord at all times, there is nothing more comforting to me than knowing He is near when I am fighting a temptation. That knowledge always makes the fight easier to win.

Millions have gained comfort from these words at other times, though, as they speak to nearly any difficult situation. It would be hard to think of the number of funerals at which I’ve sung this song of simple comfort, and it has, no doubt, been sung at the bedside of those passing from this life into the next, as well.

One thing I take from this song is the final line of the chorus, where we sing, “O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.” I take from this line that there is nothing wrong with asking for a blessing. We can often cower from doing so, but, if we are walking near to God, we will be blessed!

For many, the best part of this song, though, is the line that says, “No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.” What a beautiful statement about God. Not a “booming” voice, as in the movies. Not a “harsh” voice, when we are hurting. His is a “tender” voice that brings peace in the midst of storms. What a great God, in that He doesn’t leave us to fend for ourselves. He is nearby, and we do need Him.

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Enjoy this good version a classic hymn:

Thursday Hymn Reflection: “Ancient Words” January 14, 2010

[Each Thursday, we give "reflections" on songs suggested by our readers. To add a song to our upcoming posts, leave no more than three suggestions in the comments.]

A fairly new song, “Ancient Words” has found its way into more popular usage in the last couple of years. As older songs have done, “Ancient Words” celebrates God’s Word, but it also has a unique trait in that it celebrates the history of the Bible.

The history of the Bible is a fascinating study. Most of us respect God’s Word and hold it as inspired, but many fail to see the connection between our day and when the Bible was actually written. The bringing of the Bible from ancient days to us is, in many ways, a study of God’s providence, and should cause us to desire the Bible in more languages throughout the world.

The song holds a very simple four-verse structure, and the language is very simple. However, when you read the song as a poem, you will find that it is truly profound. Written by Michael W. Smith, “Ancient Words” is a song that needs to be learned by more people and sung more. Here are the words:

Holy words long preserved
for our walk in this world,
They resound with God’s own heart.
Oh let the ancient words impart

Words of Life, words of Hope
Give us strength, help us cope
In this world, where e’er we roam
Ancient words will guide us Home.

Holy words of our Faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh heed the faithful words of Christ.

Holy words long preserved
For our walk in this world.
They resound with God’s own heart
Oh let the ancient words impart.

CHORUS:
Ancient words ever true
Changing me and changing you,
We have come with open hearts
Oh let the ancient words impart.

Outside the history aspect, I think my favorite part of this song is the section where we sing that the words of the Bible “give us strength” and “help us cope.” I like that part for its simplicity. There is nothing deep about the wording, but the song is expressing a truth that we need to always hold dear; that when we struggle, it is God and His Word that will guide us and help us.

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How simple is this song? Here’s a two-year-old singing the chorus!

Thursday Hymn Reflection: “Love for All” January 7, 2010

[On Thursdays, we are "reflecting" on hymns suggested by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites, please list no more than 3 in the comments, and we'll add them to our list.]

Written by the younger brother of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Love for All” is an amazing hymn that speaks to God’s unconditional love for us. The song is based so deeply on the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), that it was originally named “The Prodigal Son.”

The poem has five stanzas, and is a song that needs to have all five to be sung properly. It is a song that moves more deeply in thought as it is sung, and beautifully captures what we see in the change of the son who left his father’s house.

Longfellow was able to take that well-known story and make it personal. He removed the pigs and the “far away land,” and made the poem general. When we sing the song, then, we are the prodigal, and that’s what gives the song its power.

As the hymn begins, we know our sins and the fact that we are the ones who left, and we wonder if there is any love out there for us. In fact, the first 3 verses are dedicated to that theme, as Longfellow helps us draw a picture of just how awful sin is:

Love for all–and can it be?

Can I hope it is for me–

I, who strayed so long ago,

Strayed so far, and fell so low?

 

I, the disobedient child,

Wayward, passionate, and wild–

I, who left my Father’s home,

In forbidden ways to roam.

 

I, who spurned His loving hold;

I, who would not be controlled–

I, who would not hear His call;

I, the willful prodigal.

The fourth verse shares with us the repentance, and the journey back toward the Father’s house. When a child of God repents, we often use this imagery: the prodigal has come home. Longfellow captures both the fear and the hopefulness of the prodigal in this decision.

To my Father can I go?

At His feet myself I’ll throw;

In His house there yet may be

Place–a servant’s place–for me.

When my family sings this song, we pause after that verse, to remind ourselves of the journey and the emotion that goes through the mind of the prodigal. As we know the story, though, the Father was waiting for that son to return. In one of the most beautiful images ever captured in Scripture, Jesus described the Father welcoming home the son with open arms, an embrace, and a party. Longfellow also captures the thought in his poem.

See! My Father waiting stands

See! He reaches out His hands:

God is love, I know, I see,

Love for me–yes, even me.

God’s love is amazing. If you don’t know this song, it’s time you learned it. It is one of the best reminders among our hymns of our condition away from God, and of His love for us, if we will just return to Him.

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Sorry, I couldn’t locate a video or audio recording of this song. If anyone can, please send the link and we’ll post it, if possible.

Thursday Hymn Reflection: This is My Father’s World December 31, 2009

[NOTE: Today's  post continues our Thursday hymn reflections, which are simple thoughts on songs suggested by our readers. If you would like to add your favorites--no more than three--to our list, please leave a comment. We'll get to it eventually!]

This hymn, usually containing three verses, is part of a longer poem by Maltie Babcock. The original poem contained 16 stanzas and each began with the title phrase. Cyber Hymnal gives this brief introduction to the song:

While a pas­tor in Lock­port, New York, Bab­cock liked to hike in an ar­ea called “the es­carp­ment,” an an­cient up­thrust ledge near Lock­port. It has a mar­vel­ous view of farms, or­chards, and Lake On­tar­io, about 15 miles dis­tant. It is said those walks in the woods in­spired these lyr­ics. The ti­tle re­calls an ex­press­ion Bab­cock used when start­ing a walk: “I’m go­ing out to see my Fa­ther’s world.”

When an atheist looks at the world around, all that is seen is a random collection of molecules with no purpose. However, when Christians sing “This is My Father’s World” they are loudly proclaiming that God made all things, and there is purpose to it all.

My favorite line in the song is: “This is my Father’s world/I rest me in the thought/of rocks and trees of skies and seas;/His hands the wonders wrought.” The part about resting is a great thought. When we see the design of the universe and all that God has done, it can sometimes boggle the mind. At other times, thought, it can cause our minds to slow down and rest because He is in control of it all.

Other famous lines from the song show that nature is crying out that God exists. One line in particular shows this in these words: “The morning light, the lily white,/Declare their Maker’s praise.” We need to remember that our world is declaring that God is, and that He is the Creator of all we see!

It is interesting that the song, as usually written in books, speaks specifically about nature, but there were other original verses that took another step. The song originally also spoke about Jesus being from God. One verse that is not usually in books contains these words:

This is my Father’s world, dreaming, I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, “The Lord is in this place.”
This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above,
The Beloved One, His Only Son,
Came—a pledge of deathless love.

While the wording may be a bit old, the message is still powerful: nature is not the only thing that points to our Father in heaven.

And, as one final reflection, remember that the song does not just talk about “Someone” who created the world. It teaches that “My Father” created it all. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but He is still our Father, and we need to speak of Him in that way.

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Enjoy this clip of a choir arrangement of the tune:

Thursday Hymn Reflection: “My Jesus, I Love Thee” December 24, 2009

[NOTE: This post continues our Thursday Hymn Reflections. If you would like to suggest a song for this series, please leave a comment. We still have over 30 songs lined up for this series at this time, but we will try to do them all!]

My first reflection on this hymn has always been its simplicity. There are very few songs we sing that are easier to “pick up” and sing. The melody is easy to follow and the harmonies are very straightforward.

That is so fitting for this song! In a song that simply praises the Son of God in simple language, it is only fitting that the music also be simple to sing.

The song requires no dictionary to figure out, but the wording is fantastic. Consider the opening lines:

My Jesus, I love Thee,

I know Thou art mine.

For Thee all the follies

of sin I resign.

What a statement! When we sing those words, we are stating that we will shun sin in order to follow Christ. While we may know that on an intellectual level, we still need to be reminded of it often.

The second verse rehearses what Jesus did for us. He loved us first, and proved it by purchasing our pardon “on Calvary’s tree.” The song also references the crown of thorns as a reason to love Christ. I think about that when I sing this song. We often thank Christ for the crucifixion, but do we ever stop and thank Him for each part of the experience? He endured each part of suffering for you and me.

Finally, the song speaks of the result. It is not just “I’m going to heaven,” though. The song states that we will be privileged to sing and praise Jesus for all eternity for what He did. That should be at the top of our reasons why we want to go to heaven. For what Christ went through, we should desire to thank Him eternally!

Each verse ends with the words, “If ever I loved Thee–my Jesus, ’tis now.” When is the song talking about? If you piece together each verse, it is speaking of any time we think of Him, and the song, in my mind, is also trying to get us to focus on Him at all times. In other words, we are stating that we love Christ at all times.

Do I?

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The song has been sung to a couple of different tunes. The first video is the one most people know and love, and it is followed by an alternate tune that is beautiful and simple as well. Enjoy!

Thursday Hymn Reflection: “Let the Lower Lights be Burning” December 17, 2009

[Note: If you would like to add your favorite songs (up to 3) to the list of those to be done in our Thursday reflections, add a comment. As of this writing, there are about 35 on the list, but we are doing them in random order.]

“Let the Lower Lights be Burning” was written by Philip Bliss in 1871 and uses much imagery that, sadly, most do not fully understand anymore. D.L. Moody wrote this brief description of where the idea for the lyrics came from:

On a dark, stormy, night, when the waves rolled like mount­ains, and not a star was to be seen, a boat, rock­ing and plung­ing, neared the Cleve­land har­bor. “Are you sure this is Cleve­land?” asked the cap­tain, see­ing only one light from the light-house.
“Quite sure, sir,” re­plied the pi­lot.
“Where are the low­er lights?”
“Gone out, sir.”
“Can you make the har­bor?”
“We must, or per­ish, sir!”
And with a strong hand and a brave heart, the old pi­lot turned the wheel. But alas, in the dark­ness he missed the channel, and with a crash upon the rocks the boat was shiv­ered, and ma­ny a life lost in a wat­ery grave. Breth­ren, the Mas­ter will take care of the great light-house: let us keep the low­er lights burn­ing!

Christ is the lighthouse in the song, and we like that picture. It is one we can understand. He is light. He shines His light. We preach that often. However, He uses human agents to shine His light before others (cf. Matthew 5:16).

The “lower lights” were lights below the lighthouse that were used to draw ships into the harbor. As a vessel approaches the shore, the terrain is often treacherous, with rocks and shoals that are difficult for these large ships to work around. Lower lights, then, were used to help guide the ships in among the difficult final stages of coming ashore.

Now the song should start to make more sense. People need Jesus, but they often need us to shine the light to Him. As the frightened little boy said, “Sometimes I need Jesus with skin on!” We may be the one to guide a lost person through the difficult steps from sin to salvation. The greatest line in the song, in my mind, is this: “Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights along the shore” (emphasis added). Souls are seeking salvation. Will we do anything about it?

One more observation. The lower lights always brought the ships closer to the lighthouse. In the same way, when we are those lower lights, we should always (always, always!) be bringing people closer to the safety of Jesus, the Christ.

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One quick note. I may or may not add videos to each of these posts. Finding quality a capella videos of this songs is a challenge.

Thursday Hymn Reflections: “Jesus Is Lord” December 10, 2009

[NOTE: If you would like to add your song ideas for these "reflections" series, leave a comment with no more than 3 songs. There are almost 40 in the line-up now!]

The first verse of this song is very old, while additional verses have been added in the last 40 years. As the verses, especially the final one, have been added, the song has been much more used. It is a song that usually is accepted first by young people, but that adults love to.

I love this song for its simple message. It doesn’t get simpler than “Jesus is Lord, my Redeemer; how He loves me, how I love Him.” Each of those brief statements is a sermon in itself!

Probably what sets this song apart as a favorite for many, though, is the final verse, wherein the ladies sing a counter-melody. There are several different variations on the words, but here is one rendition:

Jesus came to die on Calvary;

To redeem a lost humanity;

Conquered death, He rose triumphantly,

Now He reigns for all eternity.

As the ladies sing these powerful words, the men simply sing “Alleluia” several times. That word, meaning “praise God,” lays a gorgeous background to great words about our Savior. When sung well, there are few songs that compare in beauty.

As I reflect on this song, though, I am also reminded that there is a phrase, sung twice, that we need to be careful about singing. Twice the words “Lord come quickly” appear in the text of the song. I have often warned people to be careful to mean that when they sing it! Are we really prepared and desiring that Christ return?

I cannot think of a youth rally where I have led singing when I failed to lead this song, but it is not just for young people. Jesus truly is Lord, and the words of this simple, but powerful hymn teach and encourage one another to lift Him up as such.

As I close, let me type the words of a little-sung verse to this song. It is only found in a few versions, but it is my favorite (other than the closing verse). Take time to reflect on these beautiful lyrics sometime today:

He still loves me,

Me, the sinner,

What a sorrow if I lost Him.

But He owns me,

Me, the sinner,

Praise our Jesus! Alleluia!

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What are your reflections on this hymn?