Sunday, April 13, 2008

Hymns and Words

Maybe it's my increasingly advanced age or, possibly, just impatience, but the words of the hymns sung in church become more important to me as time passes. I suppose that I've grown weary of what one young friend of mine calls "happy clappy church songs."

Take these lyrics from Brian Wren circa 1968. He calls it "Christ Is Alive." Here are verses 3-5 of the Eastertide hymn:

Not throned afar, remotely high,
Untouched, unmoved by human pains,
But daily, in the midst of life, our Savior
In the God-head reigns.

In every insult, rift and war,
Where color scorn or wealth divide,
He suffers still, yet loves the more, and lives,
Though ever crucified.

Christ is alive, and comes to bring
Good news to this and every age,
Til earth and all creation ring
With joy, with justice, love and praise.

I can carry that hope into Monday!

.

5 comments:

Topher said...

Moving

Eric Livingston said...

Indeed. One of my favorites:
We are called to be God's people,
showing by our lives His grace,
one in heart and one in spirit,
sign of hope for all the race.
Let us show how He has changed us,
and remade us as His own,
let us share our life together
as we shall around His throne.

We are called to be God's servants,
working in His world today;
taking His own task upon us,
all His sacred words obey.
Let us rise, then, to His summons,
dedicate to Him our all,
that we may be faithful servants,
quick to answer now His call.

We are called to be God's prophets,
speaking for the truth and right,
standing firm for godly justice,
bringing evil things to light.
Let us seek the courage needed,
our high calling to fulfill,
that the world may know the blessing
of the doing of God's will.

Anonymous said...

Larry- did you watch the "Compassion Forum" on CNN tonight? If so, what did you think?

Larry James said...

No, I'm sorry to say, I didn't, but I'll go to CNN and see if I can find it on-line. What did you think of it?

Chris said...

I'm not anon. but I thought it was just a bunch of Marxist socialism that equated compassion with government's role.