It's OK If You Want To Sing Those Songs part 1

Recently an article appeared on my Facebook feed a few times calling for us (“us” meaning contemporary-worship-music-singing-churches) to banish a particular set of songs from corporate worship. This is, of course, just one of many pieces that have a bone to pick with certain songs, and in those pieces, certain objections tend to show up frequently.

The Lord is not mentioned by name

Obviously the Lord must be mentioned by name for it to be clear that He is being worshiped and exalted. It says so right there in the book of Esther, does it not?

I do understand the desire for worship music, especially corporate worship music, not to descend down the God-as-girlfriend slippery slope. But in the context of a church service, I think it’s crystal-clear that the singer is expressing a desire to draw near to God, and He is the object of desire. Really, how far apart is the overall text of “Draw Me Close” to this:

Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. (Ps 73:5)?

The Lord IS mentioned by name. By THE name.

The writer of the piece I’m referencing cites such diverse sources as Jewish tradition, the Vatican, and the Christian Reformed church as support for avoiding the use of YHWH or Jehovah in songs. Honestly, I do think reverence for the name and how we approach its use is a conversation worth having, but complaining about not using God’s name and then about using it struck me funny.

Repetition

It wouldn’t take much time on the internet to find plenty of folks carping about excessive repetition in contemporary songs. Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “7-11” songs: those which repeat the same 7 words for 11 choruses. 

Hey, you know what’s repetitive? Psalm 136. Hebrews 11. Even Psalms 42-43. Sometimes repetition is needed to drive home a point. And when you get down to it, Psalm 136 and “One Thing Remains” are repeating and driving home the same point. God’s loving kindness endures forever. It never fails. Hear this! Believe it!

But driving home a point that we honestly need to hear over and over is not the only benefit of repetition. I mentioned to my small group that I was thinking of writing this post, and mentioned that one of the points was going to be repetition. One of the women mentioned that songs with repetitive lyrics are the ones her 9 year old is quickest to learn and also the ones he is most likely to sing. If this is true for a 9 year old, how much more for a preschooler? Because my kids are older, I would not have thought of this, but it’s an excellent point, and I’m so glad she mentioned it. If we are showing our kids that worship is important, then making sure the service includes music that is more accessible to them is a right thing to do. A room full of four year olds singing “How Great Is Our God” blesses me, and I can’t help but think it blesses the Lord.

Overpromising

The writer happened to pick on a song called “Burn For You” (I’m not familiar with this song) for lyrics that overstate what the typical churchgoer is willing to do for the cause of Christ and in obedience to him. Similar things have been written about “Oceans” and could be written about any number of other songs, both contemporary and traditional.


Yes. It’s true. My affluent suburban life suggests that I probably have never actually gone anywhere and done anything at any cost to follow the call of Christ. My desperation in my own difficult circumstances is sufficient to see that going where my faith is without borders would likely send me reeling even more than I do. 

So if I sing songs like this and realize I’m not at that point of abandon, am I making a false statement to the Lord who knows my heart as I attempt to worship him in spirit and in truth? Or do I come before Him realizing that I fall short, and sing a song that I know I don’t live up to because it reminds me of how I need to be? Because it is aspirational? I can’t help but think: “Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?” And speaking of heaven:

Inadequate cosmology

The writer dings on the lyric “From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky” because “the idea of heaven being in ‘the sky’ is just theologically incorrect.” Well, yes, Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us is not happening in the earth’s atmosphere. But 

And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

So maybe that lyric could be referring to crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, you reckon?

That’s not all of the gripes in the article, but these points (well, maybe with the exception of inadequate cosmology) are the ones she used that I’ve seen the most in other writing. While some of her points raise very valid questions that could lead to edifying discussion, the piece on the whole is just a way to express her personal preferences about some popular worship songs. But should these preferences drive song selection? More on that next time.

Nothing to Say

As far as connection to corporate worship at my church goes, this week would have been a week beyond compare to write about lyrics to traditional hymns. Each week, we sing a minimum of two songs, and it's rare for more than two of those two be older than about 1980. But this week, we have a full slate of songs your grandmother probably sang (depending on her denomination). 

 Many of these are very moving to me, and are songs I have wanted to include on this blog. "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," for instance, has been a favorite since at least junior high school. It is one of the hymns of the month in our homeschool, and I remember thinking last fall when it came back in the rotation that the lyrics to that one song could provide enough fodder for reflection for several entries. 

 There is such great writing in so many of these songs, and great writing speaks for itself. What could I possibly add? And thus I will just repeat lines from one that was not part of my own heritage and thus has become new to me since I've been at this church: 

"Who like me Thy Praise should sing, 
O Almighty King? 
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord! God of hosts on high adored, 
Holy, Holy, Holy!" 

And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” Isaiah 6:3 

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:8 

Hold Tight

A few years back, when my youngest child was kindergarten or first grade age, my children and I memorized Romans 12.  Verse 9 of that chapters says, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."  He wasn't entirely sure what cling meant, so I explained it was to hold on really tight to something or someone.  He grabbed hold of me and asked if I that was what I meant.  I agreed that he was indeed clinging to me.  Thus, whenever we reviewed that chapter, when it got to that verse, he would hop up from his chair and come and grab on to me while saying, "Cling to what is good."

That image, being dear to me, is one of the things I thought of when I heard the lyrics to a song called "Cling to You."  This song is by a no-doubt up-and-coming songwriter named Allen Brantley, a former member of Acappella and member of my church.  Out of respect to the copyright of his yet-unpublished work, I won't include all the lyrics here. But read this short portion:

Take away my pain;
Blot out this guilty stain,
Lord, to You I cling.

I, amidst the darkness, still cling to You.

That memory of my little one grabbing tight around my neck while saying, "Hate what is evil; cling to what is good," remains vivid in my mind. And though I'm so easily beset by sin, though I may be feeling lost in the darkness, I can choose to demonstrate love. I can hate what is evil, and I can cling to the only Good for the protection and grace and mercy that I need.

Superlative

I tend to be pretty attached to the hymn lyrics I grew up with.  And why wouldn't I be? They are, of course, the right ones.  So when there's a change, I tend to need some persuasion.  If I'm involved in worship leading, then I will certainly always sing what is required of me, but if I'm with the congregation, I'm usually stubborn enough to sing my own textus receptus rather than what is on the screen when there is a variance.

But we've got one coming up that I am ready to concede. I grew up with "Savior, like a shepherd lead us. Much we need Thy tender care."  And a quick survey suggests that this does seem to be the dominant reading.  However, the hymnal used as the primary hymn reference at our church renders it "…much we need Thy tend'rest care."

The first couple of times I noticed the variance, I didn't pay any special attention.  But then that change hit me hard right in the heart.  I realized that I have recently received His tenderest care.  In the wake of a personal crisis, my husband, who is always a nice guy, cared for me in an unprecedented way.  I received acts of kindness from dear sisters, and many words of care and kindness from the few people who knew about my need.

I feel like I have been buoyed up by that tenderest care, and once again, through tears, I remember that it is His kindness that leads us to repentance and I see the ways I fail to offer tender care, and try to bring about repentance through wrath or shame rather than through kindness. Lord, have mercy, and guide me in the paths of righteousness.

There It Is Again

Over and over again for the last several months, two themes keep presenting themselves any time I seek to encounter God. I spent at least one blog entry mulling over the first of these themes: faith and trust versus fear. It feels like I keep seeing lyrics around this theme coming up over and over again in our corporate worship, and it shows up again full force in the songs our church will be singing this coming Sunday.

A few weeks ago, an unexpected situation cropped up in my life, and it scared me. I think that had it continued, the focus on trust and on releasing your life to Christ, on our lives not being our own would have practically overwhelmed me, because those were exactly the issues I had to look squarely in the face while that situation continued. But that particular situation came to an end, and while I doubt I am any more full of faith than I was three weeks ago, I think I can at least make it through the song service on Sunday.

But one of our other songs this week isn't necessarily so focused on trust, though it certainly is focused on submission of our wills and our lives.

The song "Inside Out" by Sheryl Thomas and Randy Gill, which has been around a bit over a year, will be receiving its congregational premier at our church Sunday. This video includes this song. If you forward to about 1:40 into it, that will land you at the beginning of "Inside Out."

The first few times we practiced this song, I suppose I was pretty focused on the music, because the lyrics weren't necessarily sinking in. But early this week, I listened to it at home and was able to be a little more focused. It turns out the the second verse, which addresses the second of the themes that constantly show up as I seek Jesus, pretty much stopped me in my tracks.

What my pride conceals, Lord, Your truth reveals,

And Your grace is seen somehow

There is mercy when, in spite of who I've been,

Your glory dwells within me now.

When ever I focus long enough to think about such things, it seems to me like doubt and pride are truly the two basic sins, and I think that even doubt can be traced back to pride. Over and over I'm confronted with my pridefulness. I fight pretty hard to keep those things concealed and am generally not interested in having them revealed. That's why that verse stopped me. Your grace is seen somehow. You are glorified in spite of who I've been.

That, to me, is pretty powerful stuff. Being turned inside out is not likely to be pleasant. I believe I need stretched and bent out of shape a bit before I can withstand the total inside out process. But certainly that's what it takes for Jesus to be seen. I suppose I still harbor some sort of idea that I can be good enough to reflect Jesus. Pridefully idiotic, isn't it?

Oh, Lord, please continue to reveal what I conceal from even myself in my pride. I know You are still chipping away. Give me strength to stand still and take it. All the good in me is Jesus, and how much more of that Good I need.

Welkin?

I've lately run into several mentions of the Charles Wesley poem that eventually became "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."  A radio discussion I was hearing suggetsed that the original opening line, "Hark, how all the welkin rings", was changed over the author's objections that the scripture does not indicate the angels sang. As I've read more, I've learned of other objections Wesley may have had.  There are many places to check out the history of this song, but once again Christianity Today provided a concise and reasonably well-written summary, so I suggest any interested persons use that article as a starting place.

I honestly think that this is one of the first songs that made me realize the doctrinal depth that can be contained in hymn lyrics. I think that what may have happened is that I was reading I Corinthians sometime around Christmas, and thus the words "Second Adam from above, reinstate us in Thy love," grabbed my attention and caused me to focus on the rest of the lyrics.

The hymnal I grew up with had, like any hymnal, its shortcomings and idiosyncrasies (like listing Franz Josesph Haydn as Francis J. Haydn because we were apparently still uncomfortable with German names in 1957, I guess).  But I must give credit where due.  When it came to choosing which of Wesley's lyrics to include in the hymnal, the editor picked some great ones, and some that I don't know that I've really seen in hymnals of other churches I've attended since.
Here's the set I grew up with:

Hark! The herald angels sing,


“Glory to the newborn King;

Peace on earth, and mercy mild,

God and sinners reconciled!”


Joyful, all ye nations rise,


Join the triumph of the skies;

With th’angelic hosts proclaim,


“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;


Christ the everlasting Lord;


Late in time, behold Him come,


Offspring of a virgin’s womb.


Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;


Hail th’incarnate Deity,


Pleased as man with men to dwell,


Jesus our Emmanuel.

Hail the heav’n born Prince of Peace!


Hail the Sun of Righteousness!


Light and life to all He brings,


Ris’n with healing in His wings.


Mild He lays His glory by,


Born that man no more may die.


Born to raise the sons of earth,


Born to give them second birth.

Come, Desire of nations, come,


Fix in us Thy humble home;

Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,


Bruise in us the serpent’s head.


Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,


Stamp Thine image in its place:


Second Adam from above,


Reinstate us in Thy love.


I see so many points of doctrine raised in these lines.  What a statement of the Lord's incarnation, its reasons, its results! The lyrics to this hymn are very easily rearranged and other configurations work well, but early exposure affects us, and I'm most satisfied when all these lyrics are included. I invite you to read through and discover for yourself, if you haven't previously, all Wesley's scriptural allusions laces throughout the hymn. Then raise your voice and join the triumph of the skies!

Words? What Words?

I'm going to use Christmas as an excuse to stray from the focus of this blog. Philosophically, I believe in a high standard for lyrics, as they obviously carry the content of the message of praise and worship.  But the music counts too.  Meaningful lyrics set to a boring tune lose their punch through inattention.  A beautiful melody can make less expertly written poetry feel profound. And sometimes, especially at Christmas, we may be a little more lenient on the lyrics because they at least have something to do with Jesus and are set to a lovely, or even catchy, tune. Do you know what I....mean?

Since the music counts too, I'd like to spend some time with "Gesu Bambino" by Pietro Yon.  I think this is one of the most beautiful Christmas songs to listen to, and it is certainly a joy to sing. Here it is performed in a duet version by Frederica von Stade and Kathleen Battle (in all her 90's divaness). This rendition stays in Italian, and I chose it for that reason.  You can just listen to the beautiful music and incredible performance without being concerned about the orthodoxy of the lyrics.



Ahhh.  

But now, what did they say?  I wish I could tell you, but I can only provide the English lyrics by Frederick Martens, and from what little Italian I can pick out, he definitely felt free to take poetic license.  For instance, in Italian, the second half of each stanza (at least the way I've typed it below) is identical, and is a hosanna.  Quite a few other differences are obvious, even if I don't know how to translate them.

At any rate, the song definitely contains some mixture of tradition that is fairly customary to Christmas songs (winter weather, angels singing as opposed to saying) though not strictly true to the Biblical nativity account. It also contains moving worship lyrics that soar along with the melodic line. If you have a minute, listen to Kathleen and Flicka again as you look at the words (or sing along; I won't tell!).

When blossoms flowered 'mid the snows upon a winter night

Was born the Child the Christmas Rose, The King of Love and Light

The angels sang, the shepherds sang, the grateful earth rejoiced

And at His blessed birth the stars their exultation voiced.

O Come let us adore Him,

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

Again the heart with rapture glows to greet the holy night

That gave the world its Christmas Rose, its king of Love and Light

Let ev'ry voice acclaim His name, The grateful chorus swell

From paradise to earth He came that we with Him might dwell

O come let us adore him

O come let us adore Him

O come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

Ah! O come let us adore Him

Ah! Adore Him, Christ, the Lord.

O come, O come

O come let us adore Him

Let us adore Him

Christ, the Lord.

I suppose what moves me about this song is the working together of lyrics and music (and not just the melody; the accompaniment is actually very stirring) to create a feeling and an image of a joyful, worshipping universe.  The angels, the shepherds, the grateful earth, the stars, and all of us who will -- we are the grateful chorus that praises His incarnation, the sacrifice He made, and the great love for us that moved Him to it.  In Him we move and live and have our being. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! 

Merciful and Mighty

If any hymn could be said to contain the essence of Advent, surely it is Mary's song in Luke 1, which has come to be called the Magnificat.

46 And Mary said:
   “My soul glorifies the Lord
 ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
   of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
 ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
   holy is his name. 
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
   from generation to generation. 
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
   he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
   but has lifted up the humble. 
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
   but has sent the rich away empty. 
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
   remembering to be merciful 
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever, 
   just as he promised our ancestors.”

I hope you enjoy a portion of this Biblical hymn as written by Randy Gill and sung by the Zoe singers.





And excuse the punctuation. I just lifted it from youtube. If I could fix it, I would.

The Babe, the Son of Mary

There are so many songs heard through the holidays that are very moving to us.  Some move us simply because of their association with the holiday, some move us because of our individual memories associated with them, some touch our hearts because they bring up the images and feelings associated with home and family.

Christmas hymns focused on the baby in the manger move us as we think of that young couple in a cave or sheep fold trying to make sense of why shepherds were coming to see this newborn, probably still trying to wrap their brains around what angels had told them.  And we are touched because we have held our own tiny little babies and are confounded to think of God himself taking on that soft, vulnerable, helpless form.

But for me, the most gripping of Christmas hymns are the one ones, and there aren't perhaps as many as there should be, that include both the sweet babe in the manger and the beaten, suffering man that he would grow into.  I find this verse of "What Child Is This" to be full of passion and power:

Why lies He in such mean estate
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christian fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The babe, the son of Mary.

Thank you Jesus, for coming for me, for dying for me, for pleading for me.

Life and light

Since I sometimes do get stuck on what to sing for family Advent time, I decided I need to expand my parameters a bit.  In that spirit, tonight we sang "No Sweeter Name".  It includes much of what I want to emphasize in our Advent celebration, all of us know it, and all of us like it, which make it a clear winner.

No sweeter name than the name of Jesus,
No sweeter name have I ever known,
No sweeter name than the name of Jesus!
You are the life to my heart and my soul,
You are the light to the darkness around me,
You are the hope to the hopeless and broken,
You are the only truth and the way.
 -- Kari Jobe

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.  -- John 1:4-5

Walk in the light!

The First Commandment

I mentioned in an earlier post that we have established a family tradition of singing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" for the first week of Advent.  Because I know so few actual Advent hymns, our traditional hymn for the second week is "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus." 

Lines from this song reminded me that sometimes the simplest message is the most necessary message.  What is the first commandment? "You shall have no other gods before Me."

By Thine own eternal spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone.

It can be easy to gloss over the first and second commandments pretty quickly. I'm confident most of us have always been monotheistic.  We likely haven't bowed the knee to Ba'al or worshipped the moon. But I postulate with great confidence that all of are idolaters. 

As far as I can tell, pretty nearly every sin always comes back to the root sin of pride. And I am so frequently reminded of how prideful I am. In my case, the pride very often hides itself in the form of quite about of angst about not being good enough.  But I have come to understand that feelings of inferiority are essentially prideful, and if at any point I seem in danger of forgetting it, the Lord generally sends someone or some message along to remind me.

And so throughout Advent, the simplicity of those lines calls me back to first things first. No other gods. I may get to be a joint heir with Jesus Christ, but I don't get to be a co-regent. Again I must depose myself and seek true humility rather than pride-based inferiority, and simply worship. 

Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy gracious kingdom bring.

Thy kingdom come, O Lord!

Veiled in Flesh, the Godhead See

And when we see Your matchless face

In speechless awe we'll stand

And there we'll bow with grateful hearts

Unto the Great I Am.   

It probably wasn't snowing, right?

As I perused my facebook feed this morning, I found a discussion from Bible Gateway linked to a discussion at Christianity Today that was essentially about doctrinal purity of Christmas hymns, especially in terms of their use in corporate worship.  Is it perverse of me to be oddly pleased that there are other people who get all het up about these things?  (Yes, I said "het up" in public. I am my father's daughter. I can get more rural than that anytime you like.)

I think strict adherence to scripture is by far and away the best principle for any song, Christmas or otherwise. However, I don't think songs with "minor infractions" should necessarily be thrown out. A passing reference to winter or snow does not trouble me. While "no crying he makes" has irritated me for quite some time, I still sing the song with my children with no compunction.

However, I think "We Three Kings" belongs in a hymnal (and it was in the hymnal I grew up with!) only narrowly more than "The Little Drummer Boy."  Actually, to be fair, "We Three Kings" does make some interesting points about the gifts and really does have some good lines of worship in it. I suppose it irks me because I do think it perpetuates misconceptions.  But do I teach it to my children?  Yeah. Yeah, we sing it.

I think in terms of family worship, it all comes back to teaching. If you teach your children the truth, and then occasionally point out how elements from a song do not actually fit that scenario, my experience suggests that they will very quickly point out every single element of any song they hear that does not mesh with scripture. Every single time.  And if you do not teach your children to think about what they hear and sing, then you've got a lot more problems coming your way than can be attributed to celebrating the birth of Christ in December.

So while I do want what we sing in corporate worship to follow a high standard, I do think there is liberty to enjoy the other songs that are deeply ingrained in the culture.  In the end, be focused on Christ, the Incarnate Deity. Celebrate Emmanuel!

How We Need to Hear From God

I participate in a church praise team, and when I am scheduled to sing, I generally spend quite a bit of time with the music for that Sunday (though apparently not always to great avail). This frequently has the effect of sets of lyrics going through my head for what feels like days at a time.  This time around, the songs with whose words I seem to be spending the most time are "The Glorious Impossible," which I referred to in yesterday's post, and "Welcome to Our World".

Chris Rice has done some moving, thought-provoking songwriting, and "Welcome to Our World" certainly qualifies. Should anyone happen to drop by this blog and be unacquainted with this song, here for your perusal are the lyrics:

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking


How we need to hear from God


You've been promised, we've been waiting

Welcome Holy Child,


Welcome Holy Child.

Hope that you don't mind our manger


How I wish we would have known

Long-awaited Holy Stranger
,

Make Yourself at home
,

Please make Yourself at home
.

Bring Your peace into our violence


Bid our hungry souls be filled


Word now breaking Heaven's silence

Welcome to our world,


Welcome to our world.

Fragile finger sent to heal us


Tender brow prepared for thorn


Tiny heart whose blood will save us


Unto us is born,

Unto us is born
.

So wrap our injured flesh around You


Breathe our air and walk our sod


Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect Son of God,

Perfect Son of God,

Welcome to our world.

I suppose that to me, despite the nativity elements, the plaintiveness of this song fits in more with the quietness and expectation of Advent than with the joy of Christmas. I think perhaps Advent is about neediness.  What could heighten our anticipation of His coming more than an increased awareness of how much we need Him?

How we need to hear from God!  How I've needed to hear from God, and yet how surprised I am as I begin to see what must surely be an answer to the prayers that have been prayed. And how much more I need to hear from Him as I follow the call to raise children in the admonition of the Lord. 

Word now breaking Heaven's silence!  Thank you, Lord, that you did not leave us without the Comforter.  Thank you that as we wait for your second coming, we do not have to wait in silence.

There is so much to think about in this song, but I suppose the most thought-provoking line for me is "Rob our sin." Each time I come to it when singing, I do a bit of a mental double take.  This is a time when I wish there was someone reading what I write here.  I think I understand this line, but I have never thought of it that way before.  I wish I had readers to discuss with me how they understand this line, and perhaps give me some scripture, as none appropriate to this line has come to mind so far. But indeed, make us holy, perfect Son of God!