First Christian Church of Berryville: Worship Themes for June and Early July

The picture shows a version of the hymn we know as "Amazing Grace" as it was published by its author John Newton under the title, "Faith's Review and Expectation" with the scriptural basis given as 1 Chronicles 17:16-17. The verse that begins, "When we've been there ten thousand years," is not there because Newton did not write it. It was added later. See the whole hymn at
http://nethymnal.org/htm/a/m/a/amazing_grace.htm

WHEN THE OLD HYMNS WERE NEW

When June comes, and the choir is taking a bit of a break, we have come to expect:

that we will have guest soloists from the Opera of the Ozarks, and

that we will sing “old favorite” hymns.

That will happen again this year, but we will go a step further and organize our worship themes around the old hymns, why they were written, and what they still add to our spiritual enrichment.

You may find it interesting and instructive that the opposition in the 18th century to the hymns of Isaac Watts or Charles Wesley was every bit as strong as late 20th century opposition was to contemporary choruses. Yet how much poorer we would be if the 18th century opposition had crushed these grand old hymns!

The sermons in this series will focus on what each era of Christian hymns contributes to our understanding of Jesus.

June 7 “Jesus: Lord of Our Hearts” Hymns influenced by Celtic Christian spirituality
are marked by the conviction that all creation reveals the presence of its Creator and Redeemer, that all parts of life are spiritually significant, and that Christ may be seen as the glory of it all. This spirituality was in the monasteries of Patrick’s Ireland and then moved back across the British Isles (Scotland, Wales, England) and the European continent. Theme hymn: “Be Thou My Vision.”

June 14 “Jesus: Lord of Angelic Armies.” Hymns of the Protestant Reformation era are marked by deep gratitude even in hard times for the power and providence of God and by a firm confidence that faithful followers of Jesus will ultimately be on the winning side in the battle for truth. Theme hymn: “A Mighty Fortress Is My God.”

June 21 “Jesus: Lord of All the Earth.” Hymns by Isaac Watts are rich and varied. Watts’ greatest hymn is probably “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” but the joint theme hymns for this service are “Jesus Shall Reign” and, to cool us off on the first day of summer, “Joy to the World,” emphasizing the worldwide reign of our Lord.

June 28 “Jesus: Liberator of Our Hearts.” Hymns by Charles Wesley cover even more themes than those of Watts, but the core in many of them is how Jesus through the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts to be like his. The theme hymn is, “Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.”

July 5 “Jesus: Power to Save.” Hymns of the late 18th century, especially those by John Newton and William Cowper, are focused on how Jesus delivers us from unbelief. What could the theme hymn be except Newton’s “Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound”? But we will not overlook how Cowper’s hymns reveal his battle with depression, a theme strangely contemporary.

July 12 “Jesus: Lamb and Shepherd,” hymns of the early 19th century, especially Reginald Heber, James Montgomery, and Charlotte Elliott. The focus is on how the Lamb of Calvary bridges the gap between sinful humanity and the holy God. The theme hymns will be Heber’s “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,” and Elliott’s “Just As I Am without One Plea.”

If you enjoy this series, we may keep moving the hymns closer to our own time.

Want to warm up a bit on the old hymns? Try the Net Hymnal.

To find an old hymn by title, click this link: http://nethymnal.org/ttl/ttl.htm and then click the first letter of the title andd finally the title itself. For some, you wil have a choice of several tunes.

To find old hymns by the author or composer, similarly click this link: http://nethymnal.org/bio/bio.htm?b and then click the letter of the person's last name, and the name itself. You will then be able to browse some of the better known hymns associated with that person.

For more yet on specific authors, here are some links:

Isaac Watts:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Watts

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/watts/psalmshymns.toc.html

http://nethymnal.org/bio/w/a/t/watts_i.htm

Charles Wesley:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley

http://nethymnal.org/bio/w/e/s/wesley_c.htm

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Charles_Wesley

John Newton and William Cowper:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/newton/olneyhymns.html

http://www.mkheritage.co.uk/cnm (The Cowper and Newton Museum)