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Hymn Study: God Of our Fathers

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Here’s an hymn that is oft sung in our church.   It is a hymn written to help celebrate a national holiday but speaks much to God’s care for his people and our thankfulness to him for all he leads us through.

 God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
Thy love divine hath led us in the past,
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast,
Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.
From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense;
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to never ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.
This hymn was written by Daniel C. Roberts and put to music by George William Warren.

The history to this hymn:
This hymn is a 19th century hymn written to commemorate the 100th year celebration of the  United States Declaration of Independence in 1876.  At that time Roberts was the rector in a small town in Vermont and he wrote it to help his town celebrate Independence Day.  At that time it was sung to the tune “Russian Hymn”. 

Later he was invited to submit his hymn for inclusion in Episcopal Church hymnal on which Mr. Warren was a committee member.   He was the organist for the celebrations of the 100 years since adopting the Constitution.  The committee wanted to use the song for their celebrations but didn’t want to use a tune called “Russian hymn” so Mr. Warren wrote a new tune called “National Hymn”.

Ever since that 100 year celebration this hymn has become widely known and is included in many hymnals.

Scripture associated with this hymn is Psalm 46:7 where we read
The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Sources:
Lectionary.org.
CyberHymnal.
Center for Church Music.

Hymn Study: One Day

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Just as a fun preamble…I was thinking the other day about hymns I would want sung at my funeral, and this is one of them.  I LOVE this song.

But funeral arrangements aside…. here’s more about the author and the songs history.  🙂

I am so thankful that J. Wilbur Chapman wrote it back in the day.   Mr. Chapman lived from 1850-1918, an American belonging to the Presbyterian church.  As a child he attended a Quaker Day School and a Methodist Sunday School.  Upon maturity he became a pastor within the Presbyterian Church, later becoming an evangelist working under Dwight Moody.

Overtime he became a superintendant over a number of other evangelists.  In 1909, Chapman demanded that any field evangelist who doubted the inerrancy of Scripture be removed from ministry. (source)  I read this and thought “good on him”.


Most of his work occured in the states…but get this.. he made an evangelistic trip to Canada! 


Interesting fact.  Chapman wrote two poems that he gave to his evangelistic singing partner to put to a tune Charles Marsh. Marsh then wrote the tune, but
there was disagreement over the copyright between two publishers. As a
result, this song was not published until 1911.  (source)

 
Lyrics
1 One day when Heaven Was filled with His praises,
One day when sin was As black as could be,
Jesus came forth To be born of a virgin,
Dwelt among men, my example is He!
Chorus:
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried My sins far away;
Rising He justified freely forever:
One day He’s coming– O glorious day! 
2 One day they led Him Up Calvary’s mountain,
One day they nailed Him To die on the tree;
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected:
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He![Chorus]
3 One day they left Him Alone in the garden,
One day He rested, from suffering free;
Angels came down o’er His tomb to keep vigil;
Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He![Chorus]
4 One day the grave Could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquered;
Now is ascended, my Lord evermore![Chorus]
5 One day the trumpet Will sound for His coming,
One day the skies With His glory will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved One bringing;
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine![Chorus]

Hymn Study: While shepherds watched their flocks by night

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 This Hymn is based on this Scripture passage.
 

8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”   Luke 2:8-14

This hymn is attributed to England Poet Laureate Natum Tate.    Until 1782, it was the only Christmas carol officially sanctioned by the Church of England.  (source) All others hymns were taken from the Psalms.

Natum Tate and Nicholas Brady collaborated on a Psalter entitled New Version of the Psalms of David,
which they published in 1696 to replace an earlier Psalter that had
been published by Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins in 1562.  The
Psalter by Tate and Brady was adopted by the Anglican Church, and
endured as the standard work for the singing of psalms for more than a
century. (source)

Lyrics to 
While shepherds watched their flocks by night
While shepherds watched
Their flocks by night
All seated on the ground
The angel of the Lord
came down
And glory shone around
And glory shone around

“Fear not,” he said,
For mighty dread
Had seized their
troubled minds
“Glad tidings of great
joy I bring
To you and all mankind,
To you and all mankind.”

“To you in David’s
Town this day
Is born of David’s line
The Savior who is Christ
the Lord
And this shall be the
sign
And this shall be the
sign.”

“The heavenly Babe
You there shall find
To human view displayed
And meanly wrapped In swathing bands
And in a manger laid
And in a manger laid.”

Thus spake the seraph,
And forthwith
Appeared a shining
throng
Of angels praising God,
who thus
Addressed their joyful
song
Addressed their joyful
song

“All glory be to
God on high
And to the earth be
peace;
Goodwill henceforth
From heaven to men
Begin and never cease
Begin and never cease!”

Hymn Study: As With Gladness Men of Old

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 William Dix is the author to this lovely Christmas Hymn. His father was a surgeon as well as a minor English Poet. He lived 1837-1898.
William Chatterton Dix, born in England,  was a marine insurance salesmen who loved to write hymns, writing more than 40 over the course of his life.   Some of his more well-known hymns include: What Child is This and Alleluia!  Sing to Jesus.
Mr. Dix wrote hymns for children, Christmas and Easter for the most part.  
It is said that he wrote this hymn on Jan. 6, the
Feast of the Epiphany, while sick in bed.  (source)

Lyrics

“As with Gladness Men of Old”

1. As with gladness men of old
Did the guiding star behold;
As with joy they hailed its light,
Leading onward, beaming bright,
So, most gracious Lord, may we
Evermore be led by Thee!

2. As with joyful steps they sped,
Savior, to Thy lowly bed,
There to bend the knee before
Thee whom heaven and earth adore,
So may we with willing feet
Ever seek Thy mercy-seat!

3. As they offered gifts most rare
At Thy cradle, rude and bare,
So may we with holy joy,
Pure and free from sin’s alloy,
All our costliest treasures bring,
Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King!

4. Holy Jesus, every day
Keep us in the narrow way;
And when earthly things are past.
Bring our ransomed souls at last
Where they need no star to guide,
Where no clouds Thy glory hide.

5. In the heavenly country bright
Need they no created light;
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,
Thou its Sun which goes not down.
There forever may we sing
Alleluias to our King!

Hymn Study: Joy to the World

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 Did you know that Joy to the World was not written as a Christmas song?

I KNOW!!!!!   I was shocked to learn that too.

It was actually written about the second coming to the Lord.  It was written by Isaac Watts. (source)

Can you imagine how joyful the world will be when the Lord returns?   Even the mountains and the trees will clap their hands.  🙂   All the sins and sorrows of this world will be gone!   Imagine it just for one moment…just imagine…no more sin, no more sorrow, just the joy of the Lord at his return.

Isaac Watts, the same boy who was fed up with lacklustre singing in the church, who was challenged by his dad to make something better, became “Father of English hymnody”.  If you want to know about Isaac Watts, check here.

Lyrics

Verse 1]
Joy to the World, the Lord has come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

[Verse 2]
Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

[Verse 3]
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

[Verse 4]
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love

Hymn Study: Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne

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This hymn fit perfectly the sermon we had this past Sunday.   Speaking to how Christ left heaven to come to earth as a regular person, except he wasn’t.   He was the one the John the Baptist pointed the way to, the one to whom we are called to come to in repentance.  

Written by Emily Elliot with music by Timothy R. Matthews.   This hymn was first sung at St. Mark’s Church, in Brighton England where Elliot’s Father was rector.

In 1870, it was published in the Church Missionary Juvenile Instructor, which Elliott edited. (source)

This was a hymn written to help children understand advent and the Nativity.  (source)

Lyrics

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
Refrain
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.
Heaven’s arches rang when the angels sang,
Proclaiming Thy royal degree;
But of lowly birth didst Thou come to earth,
And in great humility.
Refrain
The foxes found rest, and the birds their nest
In the shade of the forest tree;
But Thy couch was the sod, O Thou Son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.
Refrain
Thou camest, O Lord, with the living Word,
That should set Thy people free;
But with mocking scorn and with crown of thorn,
They bore Thee to Calvary.
Refrain
When the heavens shall ring, and the angels sing,
At Thy coming to victory,
Let Thy voice call me home,
Saying Yet there is room,
There is room at My side for thee.
Final refrain
My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus,
When Thou comest and callest for me.

Hymn Study: Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers

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This hymn is new to me.  I’ve never sung it before and was delighted to make it’s acquaintance this morning.   I do wonder what the missing six verses were like. Anyways, it’s been translated from German and I think it’s a good hymn.   You’ll have to let me know what you think?

Lyrics: 

Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers
By: Laurentius Laurentii, 1660-1722
Rejoice, rejoice, believers, And let your lights appear;
The evening is advancing, And darker night is near.
The bridegroom is arising And soon is drawing nigh.
Up, pray and watch and wrestle; At midnight comes the cry.
The watchers on the mountain Proclaim the bridegroom near;
Go forth as He approaches With alleluias clear.
The marriage feast is waiting; The gates wide open stand.
Arise, O heirs of glory; The bridegroom is at hand.
The saints, who here in patience Their cross and sufferings bore,
Shall live and reign forever When sorrow is no more.
Around the throne of glory The Lamb they shall behold;
In triumph cast before Him Their diadems of gold.
Our hope and expectation, O Jesus, now appear;
Arise, O Sun so longed for, Over this benighted sphere.
With hearts and hands uplifted, We plead, O Lord, to see
The day of earth’s redemption That sets Your people free!

Written by Laurentius Laurentii, 1660-1722.   He was the son Herr Lorenz (Laurenti) who was a burgess of Husum in Schleswig, Germany.    He was educated in the field of music and went on to become the cantor and director of music at the cathedral church in Bremen.

Laurenti was one of the best hymn-writers of the
Pietistic school. His hymns are founded on the Gospels for Sundays and
Festivals, and they draw out the bearing on the Christian life of the
leading thoughts therein contained. They are of noble simplicity; are
Scriptural, fervent, and often of genuine poetical worth.(source)

 This
cento is from a hymn of ten stanzas by Laurentius Laurenti. It is his finest
hymn and emphasizes our Lord’s Second Advent. The hymn was published in the
author’s Evangelica Melodica, 1700, entitled “for the 27th Sunday
after Trinity.” (source)

I really liked this rendition