November 25, 2012: Christ the King Sunday

Nov 25 2012

Hymn: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

This hymn is a composite of two different authors’ work and alterations. The first stanza was printed anonymously in the Gospel Magazine (1779) and was reprinted again the next year with seven more stanzas by Edward Perronet, a Congregational minister in England. The hymn appeared again once more in A Selection of Hymns (1787) by John Rippon, where some stanzas were altered or completely changed. The name of Jesus is associated with the imagery of the church as the bride of Christ from the Song of Solomon, but here the crowning on the wedding day is emphasized. Rippon was an English Baptist minister whose Selection of Hymns was widely influential and went through some thirty editions in England and America. Oliver Holden wrote the tune written for this hymn, CORONATION. It is the oldest American hymn tune still widely used, and has been printed and sung more often than any other eighteenth-century American tune.

Hymn: Come Sing, O Church, In Joy!

The text was written by Brian Dill in 1988 for a competition held by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Bicentennial Committee. The theme of the bicentennial year (June 1988-June 1989) was “Celebrate the Journey.” Dill’s hymn was the first-place winner and was designated “The Bicentennial Hymn.”

Hymn: Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart!

Edward Hayes Plumptre wrote this hymn for the Peterborough Choral Festival of 1865. The full text contained ten stanzas that were condensed and edited over the years. Written as a processional hymn, we should keep that in mind as we close worship and go out into the world with this hymn: “Then on, ye pure in heart! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing!”

Anthem: Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation

The author of this Latin hymn which begins “Angularis fundamentum” is unknown, and has been traced back to the eighth century, although its origins may be even earlier. It is based on several passages from scripture (1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 21; and Ephesians 2:20) and was used in medieval rites for the dedication of a church. Paul Westermeyer writes, “Neale’s translation address Christ the sure foundation and cornerstone ‘who, the two-fold walls surmounting, binds them closely into one.’ There is good reason to sing the hymn as we have it, ‘binding all the church in one,’ but the hymn’s intention was probably more precise, the ‘two-fold walls’ being a reference to Jews and Gentiles.” As we close this church year and begin anew with Advent, we renew our dedication to our worship and our work for the next year, founded on and in Christ.