Hymn: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing
Charles Wesley titled this hymn “For the Anniversary Day of
One’s Conversion,” written on the first anniversary of his own conversion.
Methodist hymnologist Carlton Young believes it to be “the most characteristic,
widely known, and sung hymn of the Wesleyan movement.” The original poem had
eighteen stanzas; Wesley was inspired to write the text after a conversation
with a Moravian, Peter Böhler during which he asked about praising Christ.
Böhler replied, “Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise him with them all.”
Hymn: Arise, Your Light Is Come!
“Arise, Your Light Is Come!” by Ruth Duck was originally
intended to be an updated, inclusive-language adaptation of “Rise Up, O Men of
God.” However, says Duck, “this new hymn text came to me, as if the new wine of
the faith I wanted to express would not fit into the old wineskin of the
earlier text.” Much like our other hymns today, this one exhorts Christians to
go out into the world, making Christ’s name known both in our words and our
actions.
Hymn: Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ
LindaJo McKim writes, “This lively ‘Communion Calypso,’ as
Fred Kaan titled the hymn, was written at the request of Jamaican composer
Doreen Potter. Mrs. Potter, whose family lived on the same street in Geneva as
the Kaans, brought the adaptation of a Jamaican folk melody to him and asked
him to write a text. He decided on a hymn of celebration for the Lord’s
Supper.”
Music during Communion: For Everyone Born
Shirley Erena Murray is a New Zealand hymn writer whose
texts often reflect a concern for human rights, justice, and peace. Brian Mann,
a United Methodist from Minnesota, wrote the music to commemorate the decision
of a United Methodist church in South Dakota to become a community of
reconciliation. The stanzas of this hymn are particularly fitting on World
Communion Sunday, as we join with Christians around the world in celebrating
communion and our joy in Christ.
Anthem: Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands
“Put Peace Into Each Other’s Hands” was written by the Rev.
Dr. Fred Kaan, a Dutchman who is widely regarded as one of the finest hymn
writers of the twentieth century. Further insight into this piece can be gained
from a small dedication to Kaan at a hymn festival several years ago:
Fred chose
to focus on touch, recognizing that touch can be a powerful comfort in
situations where a patient is so ill that verbal communication is no longer
possible. ‘Where words fall short, let hands speak out.’
It is with
those sentiments in mind that we present this as our anthem during worship today,
with the prayer that we will, “in love, make peace…give peace a chance.”
No comments:
Post a Comment