HYMN SUNDAYS - THE WONDROUS CROSS - OLD YET NEW!

On this Sunday edition, I want to introduce to one of the oldest Easter Hymns

When I survey the Wondrous Cross was penned by Isaac Watts...

But I also introduce (sorry to any purists) Chris Tomlin's arrangement of a new chorus that has brought this the hymn to a new generation...

I feel that this is song sums up what the Lenten Journey is all about:

Our need for the cross,

Christ's sacrifice on the cross,

And the world that has not been the same.....

since Christ OVERCAME DEATH for our sake.

So journey with me to find out about this incredible hymn...

From the blog of Messiah Lutheran Church, here is compiled background of these amazing hymns

BACKGROUND OF ISAAC WATTS & “WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS”

Isaac Watts was born in 1674 in Southampton England.  “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is thought, by many, to be the greatest hymn ever written. 

The eldest of nine children, he was the son of an educated deacon in a dissenting Congregational church.  At the time of Isaac’s birth, his father was in prison for his non-conformist beliefs.  Young Watts showed an unusual aptitude for study and learned Latin at the age of five, Greek at nine, French at eleven and Hebrew at thirteen.  He began to write verses of good quality when he was very young.  Watts is frequently referred to as the father of English hymnody. 

 One of his early concerns was the deplorable state to which congregational singing had degenerated in most English-speaking churches.  The singing consisted of slow, ponderous Psalms in which each line was first read by an appointed deacon and was followed by the droning of the congregation. 

 He was a revolutionary producing “futuristic music” for his time. 

Because of this bold departure from the traditional Psalms, Isaac Watts was often considered to be a radical churchman.  Watts not only rewrote the Psalms in this way, but he also wrote a number of hymns based solely on personal feelings.  These hymns were known as hymns of human composure.  Such hymns were very controversial during his lifetime.  “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is an example of this type of hymn written by Watts.  It’s the first known hymn to be written in the first person, introducing a personal religious experience rather than limiting itself to doctrine.

Isaac Watts, and his hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” helped to reshape the future of church music as we know it today.  Mr. Watts would have been proud to know that Chris Tomlin is continuing his tradition.

The words of “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” tell a wonderful story. 

 They tell of the paradoxical beauty of sacrifice. 

They tell a story of pain and suffering woven together with joy and love. 

Who would have ever thought that these polar opposites could come together and form a paradoxical statement that on the face of it sounds ridiculous, but when taken to heart and pondered makes so much sense that even the simplest of minds can understand it?

The lost Verse:

Watts, actually wrote 5 verses but one has been dropped through the years (including in our hymnal).  Here’s is the missing verse (it’s actually meant to be the fourth verse):

“His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree:
Then am I dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.”

BACKGROUND OF CHRIS TOMLIN AND “THE WONDERFUL CROSS”

Born and raised in East Texas, Chris Tomlin grew up on a steady diet of country music, learning his guitar style by playing along with Willie Nelson records.  Not that you would ever guess it from listening to the  gentle smoothness of his vocals.

“I love the simplicity of drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitars,” Chris explains. “We’re not about putting on a big show. We don’t want to be rock stars. We’re about connecting with people and having a shared experience of coming before God and worshipping Him.

Credited with venerable church choruses such as “Forever,” “We Fall Down,” and “The Wonderful Cross,” Tomlin is considered one of this era’s top songwriters. With millions singing his songs weekly, Chris is recognized as a pivotal voice of today’s modern expression of Christian worship.  Yet, Tomlin has masterminded several remakes of classic hymns including Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) and “Take My Life and Let it Be.”

 

Here is the chorus that Tomlin added:
Oh the wonderful cross, Oh the wonderful cross

Bids me come, and die, and find

That I may truly live.

Oh the wonderful cross, Oh the wonderful cross

All who gather here, by grace,

Draw near and bless Your name.

The scriptural reference to “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is Galatians 6:14.

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. – NIV

Tomlin’s chorus draws from Gal 2:20:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – NIV

The version I have chosen today is performed by Micheal W. Smith.  ENJOY!  (PS... On these YouTube videos if you double click on it you go to the YouTube home page and if you click on the four corner mode in the lower right hand corner - it will go to a full screen presentation, so you can experience the pictures and scriptures in full screen mode.  You just hit your escape key to go back to the smaller size.)

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Here are the first four verses of Watt's Hymn to ponder further.....

When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood. See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down! Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown? Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.

My prayer:  Thank you Lord for these words that draw us nearer to you in every era.  Let us bring to you songs, hymns and spiritual songs that draw us closer and help us to understand how great a sacrifice you made - all for sinners like me.  Lord we remember ________and ask your Holy Spirit to touch us with special prayers for this them day.  In Jesus name, AMEN!



Sunday's Song Day - IT IS WELL - with my SOUL...

So how's your Lenten journey going? 

 I am not going to get to the true songs of the passion season until next week as I followed a inspirational "rabbit trail" again this week. 

 Some of these hymns that we take for granted truly have the most compelling back stories.  The hymn for today not only has a rich history but it reminds us as Psalm 46 did yesterday, that walking in faith is not promised to be easy, but GOD PROMISES TO BE WITH US, especially in the most difficult times.

  I was going to type out the story, but when I found this video with such detailed photos and information, I  chose to let it tell you and show you the real deal of this amazing hymn that always stirred me.

I have viewed this numerous times and seeing the real pictures and hearing the talented choir sing that inspired arrangement of these remarkable words of deep faith fill me the warmth of God's love and provision every time I hear it. 


Here again are the written words if you want to take a closer look.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Refrain: It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.

(The original manuscript has only four verses, but Spafford's daughter, Bertha born after this tragedy stated how later another verses were added and the last line of the original was slightly modified.) 


The music, written by Phillip Bliss, was named after the ship on which Spafford's daughters died, Ville du Havre.


And here is the after story of the Spaffords:


Following the sinking of the Ville du Havre, Anna gave birth to three more children. On February 11, 1880, their only son, Horatio Goertner Spafford, died at the age of four years, of pneumonia.  Their daughters were Bertha Hedges Spafford (born March 24, 1878) and Grace Spafford (born January 18, 1881). In August 1881, the Spaffords set out for Jerusalem with their family and others and set up the American Colony in what was still then the British territory called Palestine.

 Colony members, later joined by other Christians from around the world, engaged in philanthropic work amongst the people of Jerusalem regardless of their religious affiliation and without proselytizing motives--thereby gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities.

During and immediately after the first world war, the American Colony played a critical role in supporting these communities through the great suffering and deprivations of the eastern front by running soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages and other charitable ventures. (This was after Spafford had died, but his initiative in founding this group, led this incredible ministry to many)


Spafford died on October 16, 1888, of malaria, still serving God in the Holy Land and was buried in Mount Zion Cemetery, Jerusalem.

Today, of course that entire family is reunited IN HEAVEN, when "their faith shall be sight" they endured "Satan's buffet and the trials that came" the son, Horatio, who died at 4; the four daughters who went down with the Ville Du Harve (Annie at age 11, Margaret at age 9, Bessie at age 5 and Tanetta at age 2), mother Anna who was at first in despair for having been "saved alone", and the daughters born later who lived full lives.


The trials. They don't matter now.  They all realized CHRIST ALONE saved us all - each one of us -

Nothing on earth can stop this -


Fire, financial ruin.  Nope. 

KNOWING God and responding to Him, receiving the gift Christ brought on the Cross,

THAT MATTERS. 

 All our trials on this earth - in glory - we will see it from God's perspective. 

 We hurt along with those who hurt, we help as we are led to and are made able to by God.


 But let us look to GOD THIS DAY,

NO MATTER WHAT OUR SEA BILLOWS OF SORROW OR CIRCUMSTANCE ROLL

 and

PRAISE THE LORD

OH MY SOUL
PRAISE THE LORD!

Songs of the Season - BE THOU MY VISION

This is what the LORD says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the LORD
Jeremiah 9:23-24 NIV

Just wanted you all to know that many who practice lenten disciplines do not have their fasts on Sundays. The reason for this is that every Sunday when Christians worship is considered a celebration of the resurrection and therefore a feast day and no fasting or sorrow is allowed!

That leads me to kinda silly ancedote, that I feel the need to confess. I had felt led to give up coffee and coffee drinks my last lent while I was in seminary, and so I did. What made that a very difficult discipline was that I volunteered weekly at New Grounds Cafe, a Christian coffeehouse in our community.

It really was a hardship. One week when I thought I would have to give in, my one friend reminded me that I could have coffee on Sundays. Well to make a long story short, I didn't volunteer Sundays at that time, but did on Saturdays until midnight. So one midnight as we closed, I settled on a cup of decaf! This really was not a joyous cup of joe, I mean really, who wants to really drink coffee and then go to bed!

AWE - legalism and loopholes. Pray through your journey and practice whatever it is and GOD WILL DIRECT YOU.


On Sunday's I am going to look at some music that might be sung during lent. If you didn't already I would encourage you to look at the great YouTube rendition above.

While this song wasn't on the list offered to me by my organist friends, I think it still feels like the season and I wanted to give you a little background on hymn that is usually the OLDEST in every hymnal.(The two hymnals I own cite it at 8th Century A.D.)

ABOUT BE THOU MY VISION

With its heartfelt poetry and moving melody, "Be Thou My Vision" beautifully expresses the desires of the Christian heart. Though its popularity rose only in the past fifty years or so, the hymn actually has a rich history dating back to the eighth century.

This classic hymn is attributed to an Irish folk song, Slane, which is about Slane Hill where in A.D. 433 St. Patrick defied the pagan High King Lóegaire of Tara by lighting candles on Easter Eve.

Between the years of 400 and 700 AD the Irish people lived out a passionate faith in Christ. Ireland took up the missionary endeavor with excitement, and the country became known for its all-absorbing efforts to share Christianity throughout the world. Irish missionaries were found from Scotland to Switzerland, spreading the Good News wherever they went.

Some scholars believe that the words to the hymn are the product of a man known simply as St. Patrick. Patrick was born in A.D. 373 along the banks of the River Clyde in what is now called Scotland. When he was 16 he was kidnapped by pirates and taken as a slave to Ireland. There he gave his life to Jesus Christ.

He eventually escaped, but he never forgot this experience and when he was about 30 he returned to his former captors with only one possession: the Latin Bible. History tells us that St. Patrick was the man most responsible for the Good News of Christ coming to Ireland. As a result of his preaching, over 200 churches were established and 100,000 converts were baptized.

"Be Thou My Vision" undoubtedly comes from this spiritually rich period. Its prominent theme encourages single-hearted focus and devotion to Christ. In the hymn lyrics, the poet expresses his adoration of God through the many titles he gives him: Vision, Wisdom, Word, Great Father, Power, Inheritance, High King of heaven, Treasure, bright heaven's Sun, Ruler of all.

Today, we continue to sing the words of this hymn, echoing the poet's response to God's many titles. "Thou my best thought, Thy presence my light."

The eighth-century prayer was composed in Old Irish:

Rob tu mo bhoile,
a Comdi cride.
Ni ni nech aile,
acht ri secht nime …

Only in this century did this text find its English translation. Mary Byrne rendered it into literal English prose in 1905:


BE THOU MY VISION
(The YouTube only uses verses 1,2 & 5. Please take a look at the lyrics of verses 3 & 4 as well.)

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, thou my true word,
I ever with thee and thou with me Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight;
Thou my soul's shelter, thou my high tower:
Raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise:
Thou mine inheritance now and always;
Thou and thou only first in my heart;
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O Bright Heaven's sun!;
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

This hymn reminds me that I am not on this journey alone. In fact it makes it clear to me that I am being guided by HIS LIGHT AND HIS LOVE. Day or night, rich or poor, in battle or at peace HE IS MY TREASURE and how joy comes down.

I also like this hymn becauce of St. Patrick's Day (sic)coming up this week and if you are in IRELAND you will hear this song. Those who know the truth of St. Patrick do not drink green beer and have crazy parades and shenanigans!

They praise GOD for His FAITHFULNESS in even the hardest circumstances as was seen in the life of a converted slave named Patrick who returned to the land that enslaved him to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ! AND AMEN!


Enjoy your day all! I am back on the hike O' life to resurrection day....