Ah, Holy Jesus
This video could be the basis for a long article or book on sociology, Christianity, music, hipness...or it can simply be enjoyed with no comment. Please watch and listen, and sing along if you like.
Sufjan Stevens with Chris Thile in 2018 on Live From Here.
Ah, Holy Jesus
Words by Johann Heermann, 1630; translated by Robert Bridges, 1899
Music by Johann Crüger, 1640
Ah, Holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
That we to judge thee have in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected, O most afflicted!
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee!
‘Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee, I crucified thee.
Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered.
For our atonement, while we nothing heeded, God interceded.
For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion, for my salvation.
Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
Think on thy pity and thy love unswerving, not my deserving.
Friday, April 10, 2020
Good Friday - O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
Do you find yourself avoiding songs in minor keys as you grow older? Minor intervals make up the singsong chants of childhood. Little children seem to intuitively realize that “sad” music can express emotions that we already have in us. When we lean into the internal knowledge of our deaths that is always with us, we often feel better, more at peace.
This song focuses on the suffering of Jesus, then ends with the words “Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for Thee!” Sometimes younger people have the courage to proclaim those words better than their elders who may have grown cynical. Maybe us older folks need to sit with words like these awhile longer.
The version of O Sacred Head, Now Wounded linked above is performed Fernando Ortega. The Latin text is often attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th century abbot from Burgundy. The music was composed by Hans Hassler in the early 17th century and harmonized by J.S. Bach in the 18th.
If you want more Bach, some folks use Good Friday as a time to listen to all of his St. Matthew’s Passion. If you want to watch and hear a German version with English subtitles, check Here.
If you want to just listen but have access to an English translation, go Here.
Do you find yourself avoiding songs in minor keys as you grow older? Minor intervals make up the singsong chants of childhood. Little children seem to intuitively realize that “sad” music can express emotions that we already have in us. When we lean into the internal knowledge of our deaths that is always with us, we often feel better, more at peace.
This song focuses on the suffering of Jesus, then ends with the words “Lord, let me never, never outlive my love for Thee!” Sometimes younger people have the courage to proclaim those words better than their elders who may have grown cynical. Maybe us older folks need to sit with words like these awhile longer.
The version of O Sacred Head, Now Wounded linked above is performed Fernando Ortega. The Latin text is often attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th century abbot from Burgundy. The music was composed by Hans Hassler in the early 17th century and harmonized by J.S. Bach in the 18th.
If you want more Bach, some folks use Good Friday as a time to listen to all of his St. Matthew’s Passion. If you want to watch and hear a German version with English subtitles, check Here.
If you want to just listen but have access to an English translation, go Here.
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Maundy Thursday - If Ye Love Me
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:34, 35
If Ye Love Me
A new commandment - mandatum, in Latin - that Jesus’ little band of followers would love each other the way he loved them. The Latin word is where we get the term Maundy and why we call this day Maundy Thursday, the time we remember Jesus’ last supper with his disciples.
The text of If ye love me is taken from words Jesus spoke later the same evening as he continued impressing on his disciples the meaning of love:
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper, that he may be with you forever, that is, the spirit of truth. John 14:15-17a
Composer Thomas Tallis had an amazing life. He remained Catholic at a time in England when it was dangerous not to convert to the Church of England. Not only did he not convert, he was employed by the royal court for over 50 years! While he found favor with monarchs from Henry VII to Elizabeth I, Tallis lived at a time when many Christians were not following the command to love each other. He set these words from the gospel of John in 1565.
This song is beloved not just for the text but for the beautiful musical setting of the words. I first heard it performed at a wedding when my daughter Melinda and Ryan were married. Most of you heard it just a couple of years ago at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle.
The Cambridge Singers perform with the text and music on the screen. Here
Note the rich major chord on the word “forever.” This song is designed to give us hope!
If Ye Love Me
A new commandment - mandatum, in Latin - that Jesus’ little band of followers would love each other the way he loved them. The Latin word is where we get the term Maundy and why we call this day Maundy Thursday, the time we remember Jesus’ last supper with his disciples.
The text of If ye love me is taken from words Jesus spoke later the same evening as he continued impressing on his disciples the meaning of love:
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper, that he may be with you forever, that is, the spirit of truth. John 14:15-17a
Composer Thomas Tallis had an amazing life. He remained Catholic at a time in England when it was dangerous not to convert to the Church of England. Not only did he not convert, he was employed by the royal court for over 50 years! While he found favor with monarchs from Henry VII to Elizabeth I, Tallis lived at a time when many Christians were not following the command to love each other. He set these words from the gospel of John in 1565.
This song is beloved not just for the text but for the beautiful musical setting of the words. I first heard it performed at a wedding when my daughter Melinda and Ryan were married. Most of you heard it just a couple of years ago at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle.
The Cambridge Singers perform with the text and music on the screen. Here
Note the rich major chord on the word “forever.” This song is designed to give us hope!
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Holy Week Wednesday - Were You There?
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?
This moving favorite is a true spiritual - a biblically-inspired song created and passed on by enslaved people in the American south. It was the first spiritual to be included in a major hymnal, the Anglican hymnal of 1940, and has been recorded many times in a variety of styles. Two versions are linked below - the first by Victor Trent Cook and the Three Mo’ Tenors Gospel Ensemble, the second by a trio of young women called Pegasis.
Victor Trent Cook
Pegasis
For a change of pace from the heavy, meditative tone of Holy Week, enjoy this video of the Getty family singalong. There is a lovely solo by the mom about midway, and the family has suggestions for ways to enjoy uplifting music throughout the day.
Getty Family Singalong March 31
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Holy Week Tuesday - Lamb of God
Lamb of God
Twila Paris was a young songwriter, on the rise in the contemporary Christian recording scene, when she composed “Lamb of God” in 1985. The song can now be found in a variety of hymnals including The Faith We Sing, the UMC supplemental hymnal published in 2000.
I’ve linked to Twila Parish singing the song as it was performed in the 80s and 90s, and I’ve also included a version of a fellow playing the piano and singing the song in what appears to be an empty sanctuary. Twila Parish is wonderful, but I like the simplicity of the second version - something about him sitting alone in a sanctuary is very fitting in this odd Lenten season we are experiencing together.
Original Twila Parish version
Anonymous singer/pianist
And for those of you learning to play guitar, this version by a young woman named Lindsay clearly shows the guitar chords. Sing and play along! If you need a chord chart, check Here.
Lamb of God
Your only Son, no sin to hide, but you sent him from your side
To walk upon this guilty sod
And to become the Lamb of God.
Your gift of love they crucified, they laughed and scorned him as he died,
The humble king they named a fraud
And sacrificed the Lamb of God
O Lamb of God! Sweet Lamb of God!
I love the holy Lamb of God!
O wash me in his precious blood,
My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
I was so lost, I should have died, but you have brought me to your side,
To be led by your staff and rod,
And to be called a lamb of God.
O Lamb of God! Sweet Lamb of God!
I love the holy Lamb of God!
O wash me in his precious blood,
My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Twila Paris was a young songwriter, on the rise in the contemporary Christian recording scene, when she composed “Lamb of God” in 1985. The song can now be found in a variety of hymnals including The Faith We Sing, the UMC supplemental hymnal published in 2000.
I’ve linked to Twila Parish singing the song as it was performed in the 80s and 90s, and I’ve also included a version of a fellow playing the piano and singing the song in what appears to be an empty sanctuary. Twila Parish is wonderful, but I like the simplicity of the second version - something about him sitting alone in a sanctuary is very fitting in this odd Lenten season we are experiencing together.
Original Twila Parish version
Anonymous singer/pianist
And for those of you learning to play guitar, this version by a young woman named Lindsay clearly shows the guitar chords. Sing and play along! If you need a chord chart, check Here.
Lamb of God
Your only Son, no sin to hide, but you sent him from your side
To walk upon this guilty sod
And to become the Lamb of God.
Your gift of love they crucified, they laughed and scorned him as he died,
The humble king they named a fraud
And sacrificed the Lamb of God
O Lamb of God! Sweet Lamb of God!
I love the holy Lamb of God!
O wash me in his precious blood,
My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
I was so lost, I should have died, but you have brought me to your side,
To be led by your staff and rod,
And to be called a lamb of God.
O Lamb of God! Sweet Lamb of God!
I love the holy Lamb of God!
O wash me in his precious blood,
My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
Monday, April 6, 2020
Holy Week Monday - What Wondrous Love is This
What Wondrous Love is This
This song is an American folk hymn that was first published in hymnals in the early 19th century. The tune is of English origins and was likely over a century old when it was used with this text.
Fernando Ortega version is Here
St. Olaf Choir version is Here
Here is an 1811 version of the text.
What wondrous love is this,
O my soul! O my soul!
What wondrous love is this!
O my soul!
What wondrous love is this!
That caused the Lord of bliss!
To send this precious peace,
To my soul, to my soul!
To send this precious peace
To my soul!
(Most hymnals use the text “To bear the dreadful curse for my soul” instead of “To send this precious peace for my soul”)
When I was sinking down,
Sinking down, sinking down;
When I was sinking down
Sinking down
When I was sinking down,
Beneath God's righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown
For my soul, for my soul!
Christ laid aside his crown
For my soul!
To God and to the Lamb,
I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
I will sing--
To God and to the Lamb,
who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme,
I will sing, I will sing!
while millions join the theme,
I will sing!
And while from death I'm free,
I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
And while from death I'm free,
I'll sing on.
and while from death I'm free,
I'll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity
I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and through eternity
I'll sing on.
This song is an American folk hymn that was first published in hymnals in the early 19th century. The tune is of English origins and was likely over a century old when it was used with this text.
Fernando Ortega version is Here
St. Olaf Choir version is Here
Here is an 1811 version of the text.
What wondrous love is this,
O my soul! O my soul!
What wondrous love is this!
O my soul!
What wondrous love is this!
That caused the Lord of bliss!
To send this precious peace,
To my soul, to my soul!
To send this precious peace
To my soul!
(Most hymnals use the text “To bear the dreadful curse for my soul” instead of “To send this precious peace for my soul”)
When I was sinking down,
Sinking down, sinking down;
When I was sinking down
Sinking down
When I was sinking down,
Beneath God's righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown
For my soul, for my soul!
Christ laid aside his crown
For my soul!
To God and to the Lamb,
I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb,
I will sing--
To God and to the Lamb,
who is the great I AM,
while millions join the theme,
I will sing, I will sing!
while millions join the theme,
I will sing!
And while from death I'm free,
I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
And while from death I'm free,
I'll sing on.
and while from death I'm free,
I'll sing and joyful be,
and through eternity
I'll sing on, I'll sing on,
and through eternity
I'll sing on.
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Why “Let There Be Peace On Earth” does not sit well with my soul
I first encountered “Let There Be Peace On Earth” years ago when I was student-teaching with the Cartersville Middle School band. The high school chorus met in the same wing of the building as the band, and I should have recognized then that I was destined for choral, not band, conducting. When the choral director saw me hanging around the door, listening to their rehearsal, she invited me to come in and sing along. “Let There Be Peace on Earth” was one of the songs they were rehearsing for their spring concert.
It was a nice arrangement that was, as I recall, the culmination of the program. The tune was pretty, and it had a line about God - “With God as our Father, brothers all are we, let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.”
Working in a secular environment, I appreciated it because I knew that any reference to God could move mysteriously in someone’s heart. In the months before I became a Christian, I listened to “Jesus Christ, Superstar” over and over, drawn to the person of Christ that shone through the imperfect medium of a rock opera intended for a Broadway audience. The wind of God’s Spirit blows where it will. I enjoyed “Let There Be Peace on Earth” in the context of that school concert, though years later I was very surprised to see it in the Methodist hymnal and even more surprised when I read the change in text.
Like generations before me, I was taught that the word “brothers,” in many contexts, meant brothers and sisters. Male terminology could be gender-neutral. Later generations have not been taught the same way, and in a well-intentioned attempt to be inclusive, the line that mentioned God was changed to “With God our Creator, children all are we.” But the original sentiment of the song, written by a woman, is that we are united as siblings because God is our Father, not reduced to children because we share a Creator. This is not a small point. The song is already very “me” centered, not God-centered. I don’t think the original wording should be included in the hymnal for reasons I’ll state below, but the change in wording removes significant connection to God at all.
In Romans 12:18 we are instructed “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” This may be the verse that some may have used to connect the song with Christian theology. But note the wording in the Bible verse. There is no illusion that this is going to be easy. Other versions use similar wording - “do all that you can to live at peace with everyone,” “try your best to live at peace with everyone.” There is no idealized hand-holding as we skip into the sunrise of a new day. Our Lord came as the prince of peace, but he also calls us to take up his cross and follow him. By nature of his call, a Christian is never going to be in “perfect harmony” with anyone on this earth. We may be able to live at peace as far as it depends on us, but there should be no illusions that this is going to be the work of children. (And anyone who has spent much time with children is under no illusion that they are examples of perfect harmony.) We are to come to Jesus with the faith of little children (Matt. 19:14), but as we grow in Christ we are to partake of “meat, not milk” (I Cor. 3:2) - solid food - and move on to become teachers ourselves (Heb. 5:12-14).
We have been “delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13) Christians literally belong to the supernatural, eternal kingdom of God while living on this earth. Being at peace on this earth takes work, prayer, discernment, and, at times, a degree of detachment from sentimentalism.
There is a reference to “perfect peace” in the Bible. Isaiah 26:3 tells us that God will keep in “perfect peace’ those whose minds are faithful, those who trust him. Trusting God means giving our lives to him. This is not peace that is brought about as a result of our vows to be at peace or our intentions to stay peaceful “each moment.” The suggestion that we can, with good intentions, bring about peace on earth or even in our own lives, without relying on God, is a serious error.
Much of the song is idealized and exaggerated - are we really taking a “solemn vow” to take “each moment” and live “each moment” in peace “eternally?” What in scripture, world history, or our own lives gives us any idea that we have the power to do such things? Why, in a worship service for Christians, are we singing about making vows that we know we cannot keep apart from a moment to moment dependence on God?
Please hear this is the spirit in which it is intended - I’m referring to songs that Christians sing together as part of our worship. “Jesus Christ, Superstar” can still move me to tears, but I’m not advocating for the inclusion of “What’s the buzz, tell me what’s-a happenin’” in upcoming hymnals. I read recently that while Anglicans have the Book of Common Prayer and Presbyterians have the Westminster Confession, Methodists have their hymnal. Let’s guard what we are saying when we sing together in worship.
Contrast the text of “Let There Be Peace On Earth” with a few other songs from our hymnal-
Sweet Hour of Prayer
“In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found release, and thus escaped the tempter’s snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer.” This hymn writer has learned that the solution for anxiety, depression, and temptation is prayer. A good solid hour of prayer. What problems in our lives and world would be solved, what peace would be achieved, if we really spent an hour in prayer on any kind of regular basis?
It is Well with My Soul
“Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul.” Most of you know the story behind this song. Notice the act of will involved; the grieving father who wrote these words is affirming a deep, mysterious truth that he has been taught, not affirming a sentiment.
Blessed Assurance
“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long…” Fanny Crosby was blind, but she could see and express great spiritual truths in an economy of words.
And Can It Be
“He left his father’s throne above (so free, so infinite his grace!), emptied himself of all but love, and bled for Adam’s helpless race. ‘Tis mercy all, immense and free, for O my God, it found out me!” You can’t beat Charles Wesley for theology! The only problem with this great hymn “And Can It Be,” is that the tune is very hard to sing. But it is worth the effort and should be included more often.
“Terri, you are overthinking this. Why can’t we just sing the song?”
We can, with one request on my part. Let’s not end congregational favorites with it. If someone requests it, I’ll be professional and get it going, but we will need to follow it with something that affirms what we as Christians believe.
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