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A Hymn of Glory Let us Sing

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Ralph Vaughan Williams provided the harmony for A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing from the original Latin. This song I found as I leafed through Lift Up Your Hearts (amazon affiliate link).  I don’t know a lot of the songs in this hymnal but the tune of this one looked familiar and it was!  The words good and ergo I am sharing them with you.  I hope you enjoy them as well 

A Hymn of Glory Let us sing, text on the background of mountains and cloud

Lyrics

I checked a couple of hymnbooks we have and found the generally only four verses are sung.  The original tune has seven verses. 

A hymn of glory let us sing
New songs throughout the world shall ring
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Christ, by a road before untrod
Ascendeth to the throne of God.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

The holy apostolic band
Upon the Mount of Olives stand
Alleluia, Alleluia.
And with His followers they see
Jesus’ resplendent majesty
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

To whom the angels drawing nigh,
Why stand and gaze upon the sky?
Alleluia, Alleluia.
This is the Savior, thus they say.
This is His noble triumph day.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Again ye shall behold Him so,
As ye have today seen Him go.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
In glorious pomp ascending high
Up to the portals of the sky.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

O grant us thitherward to tend
And with unwearied hearts ascend,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Unto Thy kingdom’s throne, where Thou
As is our faith, art seated now,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Be Thou our Joy and strong Defense,
Who art our future Recompense,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
So shall the light that springs from Thee
Be ours through all eternity,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

O risen Christ, ascended Lord,
All praise to Thee let earth accord,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Who art, while endless ages run,
With Father and with Spirit One,
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

History of A hymn of Glory let us sing

The original author has been lost over the course of time, but Benjamin Webb translated it from the Latin into English.  An English clergyman who was recognized at the leading authority in ecclesiastical art, he also served a curate in various churches in England. 

What Can We Learn?

Since hymns are a great way to learn more of who God is and how we can best praise him, what can we learn from A hymn of Glory Let us sing?

I was struck by this stanza : new hymns throughout the earth shall ring.

Isn’t that just the case?  Throughout Christian history new songs of worship have been created.  Some on purpose, and some that just slip out of people’s mouths as they consider the wonder of the Lord God.  In fact in some churches a battle rages between hymns and praise/worship songs.  We need to consider the truth though.  God will raise up worship from his people.  His glory draws it out of us. 

How it is drawn out depends on the person it is coming from. Songs that bring praise to God are being written all across the spectrum even today.  So if we are greeted by a song we don’t know, but it truly brings praise to God, let’s sing it out. See new ways to praise God.  Contemplate the wonders of our Lord and give him all the praise. 

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD … Psalm 40:3.

Studies in Philippians

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I have to admit, I have been struggling with what to do for the letter P.  I almost decided to simply skip it, but thought Philippians!  Why not talk about my studies in Philippians? 

man in water with sunrise, text Studies in Philippians

Why study Philippians?

As you might know, I’ve been mostly housebound since late fall, and have recently been feeling a bit better.  Not better enough to go for my daily walks, but better enough to want to DO stuff.  I found a treadmill on facebook, and now I am walking inside the house! 

I’m using my time to delve deeply into the book of Philippians.  I started my studies in Philippians simply because when I was looking around at video options, it was the first book that jumped out at me!  🙂   I started off listening to the audio bible on youtube, and then moved into this introductory video. 

I gradually added speakers to listen to. I’ve gone so far as to create a playlist.  New skill for me by the way!  🙂  Born of necessity as I kept having to hunt up the video I was listening to! 

BUT I’ve not only been listening to youtube videos!  Part of having a membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com is a membership to RightNow media.  My latest review of this k-12 membership site is available.  

RightNow Media is a subscription service where speakers across the spectrum of faith present biblical material.  They have a number of studies on Philippians. 

RightNow Media

What am I learning?

Knowing the background and history of Philippians is important!  Philippians was written to the people who lived in Philippi.  This Thracian city was taken over by Philip II of Macedon who named it after himself. It was later taken over by Rome and set up as a military outpost. It was the urban centre, and populated by mostly Greek speaking citizens, who lived Roman law and lifestyle. 

Paul went to Philippi in answer to a dream.  He ministered there and later became a prisoner.  During his imprisonment, most likely in Rome, he wrote this letter to the Philippian church. 

Major Themes of Philippians

As I listen to these various teachers one of the words I keep hearing is Joy.  This joy allows us to gladly live for the sake of Christ and others.  This joy we have allows us to rejoice in who God and the Saviour are and what he has called us too.  Even our prayers need to be based in joy. 

Live a life of service to God and those around us. Strengthen the faith of others,  Consider their needs before your own. 

Work hard in your faith, strive to work out your salvation. Don’t be apathetic in your faith, work to make a difference and to show your faith in a living, loving God. 

Studies in Philippians, count it all joy silhouette of girl jumping

Future Plans?

I’m not sure how long I will stay with my Philippians study.  I do want to finish the precepts class but find that it moves very slowly.   It’s hard when I’m walking fast to try to skip ahead past the sales pitch stuff (because it’s taken from her TV program).  I could just hang out in Philippians until the end of February.  I would hope by then I would know this book of the Bible really really well.  🙂

If you are intrigued by RightNow Media

If you are intrigued by RightNow Media, you can purchase (as a church) a subscription that fits your membership.  And let’s say your church doesn’t have a subscription and you’d like to be a part of it. You can get it with your SchoolhouseTeachers.com subscription.  Now in February the price is going up, and what price you start your membership at is what it stays at as long as your membership is current.  Therefore NOW is a good time to get your membership to SchoolhouseTeachers.com. 

Right now the price is only $99/year (code ONLY99) or $12/month (code ONLY12). In February the price will be will rise to just under $225.  Who wants to spend that if you don’t have to?    

alphabet

Others in this Series

Come Ye Faithful Raise the Strain

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Come, ye faithful, raise the strain is an old song, written by John of Damascus.  A man who delightfully became serious about faith in his middle age.  See…there’s hope for all to realize the truth of who God is!  Rather cool eh?  🙂 This is a lovely song showing the joy we find in Christ’s work and resurrection. 

Come, ye faithful, raise the strain

Lyrics

Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness;
God hath brought forth Israel
Into joy from sadness;
Loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons and daughters,
Led them with unmoistened foot
Through the Red Sea waters.

’Tis the spring of souls today;
Christ has burst His prison,
And from three days’ sleep in death
As a sun hath risen;
All the winter of our sins,
Long and dark, is flying
From His light, to whom we give
Laud and praise undying.

Now the queen of seasons, bright
With the day of splendor,
With the royal feast of feasts,
Comes its joy to render;
Comes to glad Jerusalem,
Who with true affection
Welcomes in unwearied strains
Jesus’ resurrection.

Neither might the gates of death,
Nor the tomb’s dark portal,
Nor the watchers, nor the seal
Hold Thee as a mortal;
But today amidst the twelve
Thou didst stand, bestowing
That Thy peace which evermore
Passeth human knowing.

Alleluia! now we cry
To our King immortal,
Who, triumphant, burst the bars
Of the tomb’s dark portal;
Alleluia! with the Son,
God the Father praising,
Alleluia! yet again
To the Spirit raising.

Author and History

John of Damascus was born John Monsur, a member of an Arab Christian family living in Damascus.  He became embroiled in a conflict over the use of icons within the orthodox church.  In the end his thought process won out, so icons are used within the Orthodox church.  He not only dealt with icons, but a”codified the practices of Byzantine chant, and wrote about science, philosophy, and theology“. (source)

He lived a life of wealth and power until his 40’s when he gave away his wealth and power and retreated to a monastry.  Most of the songs he made centred around the Incarnation. 

Learning from this hymn

Can you see the history of this hymn?   The walk through the Old Testament and then the joy of Christ’s death and resurrection.  The sheer joy of Christ the Immortal king.  The joy of it!  Out of such extreme sadness of captivity to this unmitigated joy. 

But Jesus, he beat death!  And not only that, the 12 he taught, they spread the news.  They taught his message, and so Christ’s message of peace was bestowed upon humankind. 

I Stand Amazed in the Presence

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I saw this song in my hymnal and my heart just smiled.  I stand amazed in the presence is a great song that answers my hearts question.  

and wonder how he could love me
a sinner condemned unclean

i stand amazed in the presence caption with person looking at mountarin

Lyrics

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Refrain

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!

For me it was in the garden
He prayed: Not My will, but Thine.
He had no tears for His own griefs,
But sweat drops of blood for mine.

Refrain

In pity angels beheld Him,
And came from the world of light
To comfort Him in the sorrows
He bore for my soul that night.

Refrain

He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.

Refrain

When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.

Refrain

Author and History

Charles H. Gabriel of this fantastic song.  He also wrote Send the Light.  In the ways of music, Mr. Gabriel was a self-taught man, teaching himself to play the reed organ in his formative years. 

Charles Hutchison Gabriel spent the firsts 17 years of his life on his Iowa farm. In his early years he was interested in military bands and wrote several marches.  He devoted his life to music putting together music books, composing melodies, writing a variety of songs, and writing how-to books for playing instruments. 

Pondering

What happens when you stop for a moment to recognize how wonderful something is?  Do you feel taken aback, surprised, delighted, afraid, or something else?   

We should feel all these things when we are faced by the Lord, after all we just saw last week how he is majesty and meekness at the same time.  But I Stand Amazed in his Presense asks us to hold dear to us the Love he holds for us.  Not just at the moment of salvation but throughout our lives.

I don’t know about you, but two things happen to me. Either I’m amazed that Jesus came, loved me, and then died for me.  I don’t truly understand such love.  Or the flip side happens.  I know of his love but I don’t pay it the heed it should have. I don’t marvel at it, seem impressed, afraid or even awestruck.  Hymns such as this one draws me back to that wonderful and it’s FANTASTIC to sing about it with others who love the same Lord. 

Meekness and Majesty

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Graham Kendricks put together this song of remembering. Remembering who Jesus is, a dichotomy contained within one. Have we ever really considered just who Jesus is?  That dichotomy that is present with our Saviour at all times.  Let Meekness and Majesty show you more of the Lord.

Meekness and Majesty, text on palm leaf

Lyrics of Meekness and Majesty

Meekness and majesty manhood and deity
In perfect harmony the Man who is God
Lord of eternity dwells in humanity
Kneels in humility and washes our feet
 
O what a mystery meekness and majesty
Bow down and worship for this is your God
This is your God
 
Father’s pure radiance perfect in innocence
Yet learns obedience to death on a cross
Suffering to give us life
Conquering through sacrifice
And as they crucify prays Father forgive
 
O what a mystery meekness and majesty
Bow down and worship for this is your God
This is your God
 
Wisdom unsearchable God the invisible
Love indestructible in frailty appears
Lord of infinity stooping so tenderly
Lifts our humanity to the heights of His throne
 
O what a mystery meekness and majesty
Bow down and worship for this is your God
This is your God
This is your God
 
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Graham Kendrick
Meekness and Majesty lyrics © Thankyou Music, Thank You Music Ltd.

Author and History

Son of a Baptist preacher, Graham Kendricks was born in Northamptonshire in 1950.  He’s released some 38 albums and has been writing music for a good 30 years.   This translates into more than 450 songs. 

He began his career singing with a band doing evangelistic work, he eventually branched out as a single artist.  Reading a question/answer in Crosstalk I appreciated his viewpoint on worship music. “We need more of the revelation that flows from teaching the Word of God in our worship, and that our worship will rise in proportion to it.”  (source)

Ponderings

As I listened to this video above I heard Graham Kendricks say the following : “You don’t normally see these two words side by side…but that’s what we have when we think of God…made manifest to us in Jesus Christ. And that is the wonder of the God we worship.”  Isn’t that a good statement?  That wonder mixed with the very weakness that Jesus held.  It’s an amazing thing if you think about it. 🙂

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Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

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I was looking through the hymnbook Lift Up Your Hearts and saw the hymn Hail to the Lord’s Anointed and thought, wow, it’s been a LONG time since I’ve sung this song. As I reminded myself of the words I thought I had to share this song with you.  🙂

cross on a hill, caption Hail to the Lord's Anointed

Lyrics

Hail to the Lord’s anointed,
Great David’s greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free;
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.

He comes in succor speedy
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying,
Were precious in His sight.

By such shall He be fearèd
While sun and moon endure;
Beloved, obeyed, reverèd;
For He shall judge the poor
Through changing generations,
With justice, mercy, truth,
While stars maintain their stations,
Or moons renew their youth.

He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful earth;
Love, joy, and hope, like flowers,
Spring in His path to birth.
Before Him, on the mountains,
Shall peace, the herald, go,
And righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.

Arabia’s desert ranger
To Him shall bow the knee;
The Ethiopian stranger
His glory come to see;
With offerings of devotion
Ships from the isles shall meet,
To pour the wealth of oceans
In tribute at His feet.

Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing;
For He shall have dominion
O’er river, sea and shore,
Far as the eagle’s pinion
Or dove’s light wing can soar.

For Him shall prayer unceasing
And daily vows ascend;
His kingdom still increasing,
A kingdom without end:
The mountain dews shall nourish
A seed in weakness sown,
Whose fruit shall spread and flourish
And shake like Lebanon.

O’er every foe victorious,
He on His throne shall rest;
From age to age more glorious,
All blessing and all blest.
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His name shall stand forever,
His name to us is Love.

Author and History

James Montgomery is the author is this lovely hymn written back in 1821.  Born in Scotland he kept himself busy as a poet, hymn-writer and editor. He was a strong proponent for the abolition of slavery.  As editor of the  Sheffield Iris he found himself imprisoned twice, one for reporting on a riot, another time for publishing a song remembering the Fall of the Bastille.   

He wrote more than 400 hymns, many of which of still in use today.  He was well regarded in Sheffield, where he lived unmarried all of his working life.  When he died he was given a public funeral. 

Thinking Deeper

I love how author James Montgomery shows us a variety of people recognizing Jesus as the supreme ruler.  Kings, rangers, people from around the world etc.  Not only that though, he also speaks to how Jesus speedily helps people. 

He comes in succor speedy
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;

His reason for doing so comes down to love.  His love for us and his love for God the Father.  He is the Lord’s anointed, and as such offers aid to those needing it, and demands our reverance. 

How Great Our Joy

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A happy, quick moving song, How Great our Joy is only sorta familiar to me.  I’ve had the pleasure of singing it often enough to recognize it but not enough to have it memorized. It’s a lovely hymn that walks you through the angels’ conversation with the shepherds.

How Great Our Joy

Lyrics

While by the sheep we watched at night,
Glad tidings brought an angel bright.

Refrain

How great our joy! Great our joy!
Joy, joy, joy! Joy, joy, joy!
Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!
Praise we the Lord in heaven on high!

There shall be born, so He did say,
In Bethlehem a Child today.

Refrain

There shall the Child lie in a stall,
This Child who shall redeem us all.

Refrain

This gift of God we’ll cherish well,
That ever joy our hearts shall fill.

Refrain

Author and History

We actually don’t know who wrote this hymn, it is a tra­di­tion­al Ger­man ca­rol. In fact you might know this other German Christmas carol as well.  O come Little Children.    Theodar Baker translated the first two verses into English.  In fact, if you want to know about this Christmas song, Celebrating Holidays did a write up that might intrigue. 

Pondering How Great Our Joy

Don’t you just love songs that speak scripture back to you?  Sometimes in not exact words, but in the overall telling.  It’s lovely to sing God’s word back to him!  

In this one we start with the shepherds and quickly move to the angels.  The angels tell the glad tidings of a child to be born in Bethlehem.  It closely with how this child is a gift of God, and we sing of our great joy. 

It’s so true isn’t it? That joy we have in the hope given to us?  It’s just marvellous and worth singing about.  🙂