Easter Songs

We sang an awesome song this Easter. It was a confession of our sin and a deep plea for the work of Jesus. The tune was odd. I think it was a minor key. Somehow syncopated, but never so regular as to get it the first try. Weird. The lyrics were vivid and striking.

Forsaking his face for the sculpted things

We have shaped with our evil hands

and in the same lines on another verse…

We distilled our drink from the fangs of snakes

That glide in the fallow dust

With a reply about our worthless, silent golden cows…and where are they now?

His swift and jealous arm has thrown them down.

Love the swift and jealous arm of the Lord. There is no other hope. We can not stand by own own deeds. They kill us. But his ‘thirsty sword is quenched’. For it fell on Jesus. Swift and terrible is the justice of God. Christ died.

But he did not stay dead. He is alive again. Real life. He has tasted the wrath I surely deserve. He has dispatched my sin. Hallelujah!

Below are the lyrics and a way to listen to the song from Sojourn Music.

"Jealous Arm" by Jamie Barnes

Is this the way we repay our God?

Who among us has he not made?

Forsaking his face for the sculpted things

We have shaped with our evil hands

And where are they now?

Our worthless golden cows?

His swift and jealous arm has thrown them down.

Lift up your eyes little ones

Rejoice, chosen sons

For his thirsty sword is quenched

Dispatching all our sin

With his redeeming love, with his redeeming love.

Is this the way we repay our God?

Who among us can he not save?

We distilled our drink from the fangs of snakes

That glide in the fallow dust

And where are they now?

Our silent, golden cows

His anger melted them down

And we drank then till we drowned

Only Christ’s pure blood can flush the poison out.

Listen here

Songs That Really Are New

Many times I get to sing songs that I have never heard before. It’s a bit hard to listen for the tune and pay attention to the words at the same time. A few weeks ago we sang a really new song, written about a year ago for Easter by Nathan Partain.

Nathan is Music Arts Director at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. (I thought he was the son of an old friend of mine, but he steered me straight, he isn’t.) You need to listen to Nathan Partain, and I pray you get to sing some of his songs. You can read his lyrics, comments about his songs, and listen to them by going to this website.

Back to the song…the tune wasn’t that hard, it fit and felt like songs our church sings, and I already knew I liked his songs, so I jumped in full bore….and stopped. The song is about the feast, and those who celebrate with the king. We’re taking communion. I’m in. Stop. I may be here, but I don’t feel like I belong. Point on…

I am one of those, at the table not invited,

And to all here at the feast it’s very plain,

I cannot hide in etiquette or conversation,

But Christ himself sent word to me, and so I came.

How is it that someone who doesn’t know me can write a song and say what is in my heart, or should be? Nathan explains his reasoning behind this song by relating one of the key verses I need in my life.

1 Corinthians 1:26…Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him.

My heart bristles at not being wise by human standards, nor influential, nor of noble birth, but foolish…I readily admit that at feasts my discomfort is real and deep. I may have learned how not to make a fool of myself, but inside, I am so out of place.

Why is it Lord I realize my self poverty before men yet want to claim make believe superiority. And to take it one step closer, how could I come to your table on my own qualifications?

Humbled. Astonished. Thankful—that you sent word to me, and so I came.

Stopped in mid song, again...

Not What My Hands Have Done

Horatio Bonar hit a home run with this hymn. It has been one of my favorites since I first sang it some 35 years ago. It numbed me that a person could express in words the deepest realities of the gospel I was learning.

When I changed music style in the 90’s I knew I was losing some songs that could really help a believer through weighty lyrics, and now this song has come back through the work of songwriters who want to join deep truths with modern tunes and cadences. I still like that old song, but the new one is good too. You can listen to the Indelible Grace version here.

For anyone who wonders about the necessity of the gospel for every part of the Christian life, consider the second verse.

Thy grace alone, O Christ,

Can ease this weight of sin;

Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,

Can give me peace within.

Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to thee,

Can rid me of my dark unrest,

And set my spirit free.

What can free me from what lurks within? The cross alone transforms the heart. My only hope. Want more? Two lines from the next verse say it stronger, “Thy power alone, O Son of God, can this sore bondage break.”

More than forty years have I lived in His light. I still want to take care of myself and do it myself. Now that my body is experiencing the effects of having grown up children, I still try to live in my own strength and my pride is sharper. I can not hope for self improvement. And the little bits of the outside that I can effect do nothing deep within.

My only hope is Jesus.

I praise the God of grace,

I trust his truth and might,

He calls me his…. Can you still find voice after God says, I call you mine? I am undone.

Astonished.

John Newton Rocks (again)

Let us Love and Sing and Wonder Today we sang one of my all time favorite songs, “Let us love, and sing, and wonder,” by John Newton. The way the lyrics are written completely draw me into the message which then slays me. The first line is expanded in the second, third and fourth verses—love, sing, wonder. And because I don’t sing it enough, I forget this construction until I am into the third verse and then my eyes flick back and forth between the first and succeeding verses while I try to sing.

We sang a newer tune today, which I had been humming during the week without remembering the words. (That is one problem with learning new tunes. Even the catchy ones take a while before I associate words with the tunes. We sang the Indelible Grace version—much like the Jars of Clay version but with a repeat of the next to last line, “He has washed us with His blood,” in each verse.)

The verse that caught me today was verse 4.

Let us wonder; grace and justice Join and point to mercy's store; When through grace in Christ our trust is, Justice smiles and asks no more: He Who washed us with His blood Has secured our way to God. It is the joining of this double theme, grace and justice, that lies at the heart of Christianity. There is no sentimentalism here, only the rugged love of a God who maintains His righteousness while at the same time declaring His people righteous in Jesus. At the same time he emphasizes the incredible significance of every single person (all our thoughts, words, and deeds matter—to our own damnation!) and amplifies the sacrifice of the Son for us. Who can stand when such reality breaks out. He smiles and asks no more. He has secured our way to God!

When checking out lyrics I found a sixth verse, one I have never sung nor heard nor seen. I am not a 6 verse hymn proponent, but this verse rocks…

Hark! the Name of Jesus, sounded Loud, from golden harps above! Lord, we blush, and are confounded, Faint our praises, cold our love! Wash our souls and songs with blood, For by Thee we come to God.

This is our unbelievable condition. After we love and sing and wonder at Jesus, we blush for our praises are faint and our love is cold. Who will change us? Who will save us?

How can I sing such praise? It is too much for me. I am undone.

Hymns that can be, and should be, prayer

John Newton knew what he had been, a slave trader who never forgot the screams and cries from deep within his ship. He knew what God had done for him in Jesus: a heart taught to fear, a heart with fears relieved, a heart amazed by grace. And he knew what he hoped for—an ongoing growth in love and godliness, holiness and joy. He was a pastor and a preacher. And he wrote hymns.

The following stopped me as I sang, the words intense and unexpected for many a modern ear, for any ear that has not yet grasped the glorious purpose of God Himself, for my ear all too often. Read. Ponder. Wonder. Pray.

I asked the Lord that I might grow

I asked the Lord that I might grow In faith, and love, and every grace; Might more of His salvation know, And seek, more earnestly, His face.

’Twas He who taught me thus to pray, And He, I trust, has answered prayer! But it has been in such a way, As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour, At once He’d answer my request; And by His love’s constraining pow’r, Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel The hidden evils of my heart; And let the angry pow’rs of hell Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with His own hand He seemed Intent to aggravate my woe; Crossed all the fair designs I schemed, Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cried, Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death? “’Tis in this way, the Lord replied, I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ, From self, and pride, to set thee free; And break thy schemes of earthly joy, That thou may’st find thy all in Me.”

Help me Lord to find my all in You!

We Sing These Songs?!!

Thy Mercy, My God This is an attempt to bring heart and head to words that reflect astonishment at the grace of Jesus. It’s all about lyrics and the songs we sing in worship. It has come about through off hand comments about musical style and a deepening awareness that God uses and blesses all types of music. There are different people and there are different situations. And God uses music to pull head and heart together, before Him, that we might be stunned by a glimpse of Him whom no one can see.

My church inundates me with songs that are deep, thick, intense, inviting and challenging, and multitudinous. The repertoire is huge and increasing. It’s a mixture of old hymns reworked in places, and new songs written to engage one’s soul and honor one’s Lord. Sometimes the music that goes with these lyrics slays me, sometimes it doesn’t work for me. But the thoughts that keep getting expressed—I wonder how anyone could lead worship or even play in the band.

For example, today we sang an old hymn made new. “Thy Mercy, My God, was written by John Stocker in 1776. Our version was redone by Sandra McCracken in 2001. One verse stopped me, one line almost dropped me.

“Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,

Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;

Dissolved by thy goodness, I fall to the ground,

And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.”

I’m not asking if a person can sing these words with a straight face. I’m wondering if a person can sing these words and not have a catch in the voice, a pause of wondering if any more can be sung. “Dissolved by thy goodness, I fall to the ground….

I think I heard an Anne Lamott quote about worship being dangerous, something about handing out life preservers and seat belts and safety helmets. Singing about the goodness of God is not flip. It is stunning. God’s goodness is the only thing that ever makes my hardness depart. I have no other hope. Who could sing that, who could realize that, and carry on.

We sing other songs that catch me and stop me. Some teach me how to say what is in my heart. Others teach my heart what is in Christ. I plan on sharing more. Sometimes our words of worship only give hints, sometimes they crack open our hearts with God’s mercy and grace.

...And we actually sing these songs?!!!!!

Humility in Another World

Okay, one more from C.S. Lewis' Peralandra. (Then on to the last book...That Hideous Strength). Elwin Ransom has done the too hard task. He fought Weston and won. The attack of the evil one was turned away. The battle was horrible and it took Ransom some indefinite weeks to regain his strength and to heal. Finally he begins to move around and is called down one mountain and up a much taller one, to a small meadow between towering spires. There he meets the 'angels' that have been in charge of Mars and Venus. They begin to talk about what took place, and of course mention the far more evil tragedy that took place on Earth and the far more terrible and awesome work that God did to destroy the work of the devil on Earth. They say that because of what Ransom has done, such work would not be necessary on Venus.... "Elwin is falling to the ground," said the other voice. "Be comforted," said Malacandra. "It is no doing of yours. You are not great, though you could have prevented a thing so great that Deep Heaven sees it with amazement. Be comforted, small one, in your smallness. He has laid no merit on you. Receive and be glad. Have no fear, lest your shoulders be bearing this world. Look! it is beneath your head and carries you." The words of Lewis are startling and they are counterintuitive. Ransom accomplished a great deal. He just may have save the world (Venus). Yet those more mighty than wee see it rightly. Amazement to be sure. But Ransom is comforted 'in your smallness. He has laid no merit on you. " Oh the joy. Once a great task is accomplished in and by the strength and will of Jesus, we can let Him be glorified. Maybe there is more to merit than we sometimes think. I think merit and hope people will think I am pretty cool, or maybe even wise. I want the merit that causes others to approve of me. But if we work by Jesus, and we don't get that merit, it may be because merit involves more responsibility than we can bear. Who could ever bear the weight of the world upon their shoulders? There is only one. His name is Jesus.