Posted July 10th, 2003
Another song about the blessed doctrine of election, "Such Love" captures the wonder and love that God's eternal, sovereign choice instills in His people. How overwhelming the truth that God's love is so great that He covered millions of sins - ruthless rebellion against His law and authority, in Christ's righteousness. Regarding election, this song expresses the fact that God chose us before creation. He loved us with an everlasting love from before time began, purchasing the Church as a people for His own possession. How can we respond except by singing with the author, "Such everlasting love demands and everlasting song from me."
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Posted July 10th, 2003
Philip Bliss, a well known hymn author, penned these beloved lyrics in the 19th century. A song about singing (which we find makes a very special song indeed), "I Will Sing" is an endearing tale of what our Savior has done for us. From the wondrous love shown in His debt-paying sacrifice, to His conquering power which gives us the victory over death, singing this hymn reminds us of why it is we can sing our praises to our Lord with such joy.
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Posted July 9th, 2003
Every now and then we find songs about singing! In this beautiful hymn, John Stocker turns our attention to God's mercy. In the first verse, we remember that it is only by God's mercy that we escape the terrors of Hell and that it was because of and for mercy that Jesus gave himself on the cross for our sins. In verse two, we remember it is only God's mercy that can overcome the coldness of our heart. Verse three proclaims the blessed truth that God's mercy is freely available to all who come for it, while we conclude by singing that it is God's covenenat love that guarantees our ownership of His mercy. This hymn has also been made popular by the group Caedmon's Call, who wrote another tune for it with slightly different verses and lyrics.
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Posted July 9th, 2003
This is a song that could be a new Christmas favorite. Charles Wesley is famous for many beloved songs about Jesus' birth, and this song shows his skill at describing the theological significance of the incarnation. After singing the facts of Jesus' birth in the verses, we can respond along with Charles to simply proclaim "Hail! the everlasting Lord ... Friend of sinners - and of me!"
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Posted July 9th, 2003
God's holy word, the Bible, is central to biblical worship. We can view one function of our times of singing in corporate worship as preparation to receive the proclaimed word of God. Since our chief joy is in God, and we experience that joy through our knowledge of Him, our hearts are genuinely warmed to the things of God as we sing His truth - not merely sentimental worship phrases. This song describes the place that God's word should have in our worship - that by it we would experience His presence, grown in our faith, be fed with heavenly food, and be guided in the righteous way. As we sing this song we also pray that God would help us to pay careful attention to His Word and that he would open our hearts to receive it. May our times of worship continue to be more Word-centered, Christ-centerd, and God-centered!
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Posted July 3rd, 2003
This is the "original" Reformed Praise song as it was the first hymn set to modern music by RP founder David Ward. It is a powerful hymn about the greatness of God's character - both His sovereignty and majesty. In the first verse, we sing of the fact that God's throne is everlasting and above all nations. As we sing the second verse we envision the heavenly host crying Holy, Holy, Holy for evermore. The song then draws our attention to the triune character of God - Father, Son, Holy Spirit. We can imagine that in heaven our singing will be something like the chorus - extolling our creator for his holiness and omnipresence.
A few interesting links:
William Williams and Welsh Calvinistic Methodism (article quotes the song)
A traditional tune at CyberHymnal
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Reformed Praise presents Martin Luther's setting of Psalm 130 in a fresh, reflective, piano-driven setting suitable for a wide range of worship music styles.
