Happy Lord's Day!

We sang this in church a few Sundays ago and it brought me to tears... overcome with the desire to SEE Christ-- my Beloved!-- returning in glory, to hear His delighted "Well, done, good & faithful daughter!," to see all those other trophies of Grace I prayed for and strove alongside, perfected and holy along with me, over come at the thought that I, the worst sinner I know, am part of the Prize for which He died???! Surely "such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain!"... and yet, they are Reality. Immediately, I knew which "mellow" song my High School Ensemble would be arranging and performing for our Spring Concert: "O Church Arise" (the other one they're doing is "Arise My Soul, Arise" to Kevin Twit's new "Indelible Grace" tune).

As one of my students said, this song's melody is gorgeous. That is such a strength of this husband-wife modern hymn-writing combo-- appropriate melodies. They soar appropriately, or slow as needed. The melody advances the words, while remaining singable (I can't always say that about other modern hymn-writing movements... or other song traditions such as "original" hymn tunes, either, lol). Keith & Kristyn Getty along with their buddy Stuart Townend have also written "In Christ Alone," "Speak, O Lord," and "Hear the Call of the Kingdom," among many others! If you don't already know & love them, I urge you to go listen to them! I LOVE Stuart Townend's Easter Hymn "See What a Morning"!! Heheheh... the Gettys're Irish, what can I say?

My favorite part of this song, as of most of their other songs, is the words! How many other hymns are being written today about Christ gaining the Prize for which He died, or about putting on spiritual armor to rage against The Captor while loving the captive soul? Listen to the song, and may it bless you as it has me!


Also, a wonderful article on hymn writing (which my students "had" to read last week). I highly reccomend it for all who would like to discern what makes a "good" hymn. A bit of it:

"...creating modern hymns for the church universal, hymns that all ages can sing together in worship. After all, he explains, “What we sing becomes the grammar of what we believe.”

“It’s been several hundred years since Christian worship was as shallow as it is today. Christianity is more universal than it’s ever been, but people’s understanding of their faith and the Bible is disappointing,” he says.

Whether writing hymns with his wife or Townend, Getty says two goals guide him. “We try to write theological and Bible truth that speaks in everyday life, as Charles Wesley did. And I try to write melodies that large groups of people can sing. That is my filter: Can all ages sing this melody? [...]

Given their Irish heritage, it’s no surprise that the Gettys often capitalize on the power of a story. “People will sing forever if the song takes them on a journey,” Keith Getty says.

Happy Sabbath!
--Christina ...very glad to have Ryan home after a week away on business in D.C.