Posted December 20th, 2010
This is one of the few good hymn texts that deals with the doctrine of original sin - how sin entered into humanity and continues to spread to all men through our representative, Adam. The wonderful promise of Scripture that is echoed in this hymn is that, although mankind has been plunged into "conspiracy with hell" the second Adam has come to free us from the power of sin by His blood.
The text has been significantly altered to fit the tune of the spiritual "Go Down, Moses." Using this format, you can present the song with a soloist and the congregation in response (one the tune for "let my people go"). It was originally set in this format for a Christmas Eve service of "lessons and carols" in response to a reading from Genesis chapter 3, but could be used any time of the year to recognize our bondage to sin but freedom in Christ.
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Posted December 15th, 2010
A hymn on the omniscience and wisdom of God from the series of hymns titled "The Lord Is"
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Posted December 11th, 2010
This Christmas hymn was written by Eric Schumacher in 2000, and Jeff Bourque and David Ward wrote a new tune for it in December 2010. You can find the original hymn text for use with the tune MANOAH (When All Your Mercies) at the hymn text page.
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Posted December 8th, 2010
A hymn on the omnipresence of God from the series of hymns titled "The Lord Is"
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Posted December 2nd, 2010
This hymn was originally by John Newton in 1774 and appeared in his famous work "Olney Hymns." We're posting it here because we have set this to the very fitting tune of the hymn "Stricken, Smitten" and have made some lyric and meter changes to fit the tune, as well as updating and clarifying some of the phrasing. It is a powerful hymn about judgment day, the day when the Lord Jesus has promised to return to judge the world according to their deeds (Acts 17:31; Revelation 20:12-13). As we soberly sing about the coming judgment, we seek not only to warn unbelievers of their impending fate and urge them to turn back to the Lord, but also to celebrate the amazing truth that believers have been rescued from judgment and can look forward to hearing the Lord's loving greeting as he welcomes us into His kingdom. The phrase "Stranger, from my face depart" is taken from Matthew 7:22.
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Posted December 1st, 2010
A hymn on the sovereignty of God from the series of hymns titled "The Lord Is"
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Posted November 26th, 2010
My home church has been learning a new song for the past couple of weeks and I thought it might be helpful to share the hymn, point to the modern recording that's available, and point out some lyric changes that one of our song team members made to make the text more understandable. This hymn came from a much longer poetic work published in 1857 by Anne Cousin. It focuses our attention on the fleeting nature of our lives and directs our gaze to what lies beyond death - the chance for the church to be with her bridegroom Jesus, the glory of Immanuel's land.
The lyrics and tune are in the public domain as the tune is an American folk tune. The attached chords are based on the arrangement by Indelible Grace. Our worship leader spent a lot of time working with the lyrics to make some of the phrases whose meaning was buried under poetic devices more easily accessible on first read. He also rearranged the order of the stanzas in a very logical way. Whether you use the original text or this modified text, I can heartily recommend this song for it's Christ-centered focus and catchy, singable tune.
A recording is available on the album "Pilgrim Days" by Indelible Grace. You can download the track from Amazon here, and from iTunes here.
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Posted November 24th, 2010
A hymn on the self-sufficiency of God from the series of hymns titled "The Lord Is"
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Posted November 17th, 2010
A hymn on the eternality and immutability of God from the series of hymns titled "The Lord Is"
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Posted November 12th, 2010
This song presents the story of a Christian's conversion and directs our attention and praise to Jesus, who becomes the believer's true hiding place. The Bible teaches that all men are sinners, enemies with God who despise His grace and are seeking glory for themselves by believing and acting as if they can escape the judgment due for their rebellion by their own efforts. When the arrows of disgrace pierce the conscience, the first place of refuge is often the law. That is, when we begin to see the obstacle of our sin and believe that we deserve punishment, we try to reform our lives in the hopes that we can even the scales of divine justice. But anyone who has tried to earn peace with God through obedience and piety learns of the crushing weight that moralism becomes. Secretly we know that before a holy God our supposedly righteous acts are riddled with self-interest and corrupted motives. But God, in His mercy, leads us to Jesus, the one who absorbed His wrath, satisfying His justice for all who place their trust in Him. Once found, Jesus becomes a sure and steadfast hiding place both from the wrath of God and from any persecutions and trials we experience in our earthly life.
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