Alleluia! sing to Jesus!
His the scepter, his the throne.
Alleluia! His the triumph,
his the victory alone.
Hark! the songs of peaceful Zion
thunder like a mighty flood.
Jesus out of every nation
hath redeemed us by his blood.
Alleluia! not as orphans
are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia! He is near us,
faith believes, nor questions how;
Though the cloud from sight received him
when the forty days were o'er
shall our hearts forget his promise,
'I am with you evermore'?
This morning in church, the feast of Christ the King, we sang the hymn above, which is one of my favorites. We sang all five verses, as we do almost all the time - sing all the verses, I mean. I love to praise God in song. I thank God for our small congregation who lift their voices and make a joyful noise unto the Lord, Sunday after Sunday.
Our closing hymn was another of my favorites:
Soon and Very Soon
Soon and Very Soon
(text and music by Andrae Crouch, adapted by Wm. F. Smith)
1. Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King
Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We're going to see the King.
2. No more crying there, we are going to see the King (3 times)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We're going to see the King.
3. No more dying there, we are going to see the King (3 times)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! We're going to see the King.
I can't help dancing just a little when I sing that one. I believe I may have been instrumental in getting the hymn included in our alternative song book. One in the group of the committee who chose the hymns frowned a little when I asked for it, but when the hymnal was came out, my suggestion was included. Yay!
To move closer to something like an online service, you may want to click over to the website of the Turbulent Cleric, who has posted his sermon for today. His words include the best of what I like to hear in a sermon on the feast of Christ the King. I give a few excerpts to whet you appetite for more:
But is Jesus a King? Well we certainly find him pointing to a Kingdom, the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom is at the heart of his words and deeds, a Kingdom that breaks into our world and which is pregnant with possibilities. And certainly in the account of his crucifixion, this is parodied by his opponents who sarcastically put a notice above him on the cross proclaiming;
“This is the King of the Jews.”
....
But in affecting this earth, let us be clear that Jesus challenges our notions of power. There is no clunking fist telling us what we must believe in or do under threat or coercion. Far from it, Jesus turns our understanding of Kingship upside down for his Kingship is that which rejects the models of domination.
Turbulent Cleric sheds much light on the upside-down Kingdom of God.
Update: Here's a link to an old video of Andrae Crouch singing his own song, "Soon And Very Soon".
We started mass with the same hymn(tune:Hyfrodol) and, like you, sang all five glorious verses, since our liturgist NEVER allows the butchering of hymns by avoiding a verse or two. However, living in a moderate parish with a great organ, semi-professional choir, and very orthodox musical taste, I've never heard the other hymn you quote.Can you give me its source? If you love it I'd be willing to screw-up my courage and take a listen, but I ain't much accustomed to anything resembling "praise music."
ReplyDeleteBlessings on Christ the King, and all my best for a quiet, prayerful Advent.
John, "Soon and Very Soon" is contemporary African-American Gospel music. Having grown up in New Orleans, I am rooted in Dixieland jazz and black Gospel music. It's in my soul.
ReplyDeleteHere is an old video of Andrae Crouch performing his own song. I believe it's Tennessee Ernie Ford, who introduces him.
In our church, we have only the piano accompanying us for this one, but our musician gets into the spirit of the song. We have been known to do second lines to "When The Saints Go Marching In".
I'm in fear and trembling about your response.
We do have a lovely old organ in our 162 year old church.
Thanks for the video, GM. Nice nostalgia moment for me; we often sang Soon and very soon either on Christ the King or early Advent. Lots of clapping and swaying. Love it! I am also very fond of Hyfrydol and would hate to miss a single verse of Alleluia! sing to Jesus. Now I want to get out my tambourine and jump and shout.
ReplyDeleteGrandmère Mimi, We, too, sang Hyfrodol this morning. We are so very blessed to have a magnificent Holtkamp organ and a wonderful musician who is a graduate student in the University's MFA program. Hyfrodol was the processional at my father's memorial service and it is on the short list for mine.
ReplyDeleteWe also sang David Charles Walker's King of Glory, King of Peace (General Seminary) as the Presentation Hymn. This hymn always brings me nearly to tears with emotion when we sing it. The choir began singing it first, since it was not familiar to many in the congregation and gradually added it to congregational singing. They now love it as much as we do and it is much requested.
It looks as if many of us had spirit-filled Christ the King experiences this Sunday. It seems almost impossible that a new Advent season is now upon us.
Paul, I'm picturing you shouting and jumping with your tambourine. I am laughing.
ReplyDeleteBoocat, I love David Charles Walker's hymn, too. I had no idea until recently that it was his hymn.
"Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates" and "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" were two of our hymns for the day. "Immortal" has always been a favorite of mine, and I used it whenever possible when I needed a "real" hymn in Evangelical Land.
ReplyDeleteSt. Mark's in Seattle has a Flentrop organ that fills the "it's so ugly its beautiful holy box" that is the cathedral. It is an amazing instrument. You can find a picture at the website (www.saintmarks.org).
But more importantly, the verger told me today that I was a "good acolyte." I'm sure that she meant "nice" too, but I'll take what I can get.
This is a good one, Grandmere Mimi. Diane has a good sermon on her site too.
ReplyDeleteHappy Christ The King!
Lindy
And though we were only 16 at the 10.00 service this morning, we had incense and sang all five verses of Hyfrydol in four parts with the organ dropping out on verse 3. One person was in tears at the end because 460 will be at her mother's service (her mother has been lingering in Alzheimer's land for 5 years). We'll be singing it this Saturday at an ordination along with David's King of Glory (I am a GTS grad and the ordinand is too). Now if people don't think it's possible to come close to the thinness of the veil between heaven and earth, they must have missed All Saints and today!
ReplyDeleteKJ, "Immortal" is one of my favorites, too. I have many favorites. My least favorites are those that are nearly unsingable and, at least to me, unsuited for congregational singing. I'm sure the verger meant "nice". I'm gonna look up that organ.
ReplyDeleteLindy, I read Diane's sermon and left her a comment. It was wonderful.
Happy Christ the King to you!
Caminante, four parts with 16 people? That's lovely.
Now if people don't think it's possible to come close to the thinness of the veil between heaven and earth, they must have missed All Saints and today!
And they all said, "Amen!"
And don't forget to read Lizbeth's sermon!
ReplyDeleteMimi, I am glad you like "Soon and Very Soon." It is one of my favorites. And thanks for the link. I have posted it, along with a little commentary from my years at St. Columba Church (right, not Columba's -- they didn't use the apostrophe) in Oakland re: the use of the word "king" and how it began to make sense to me in that context.
ReplyDeleteToday we sang "Crown Him With Many Crowns" at the end of the liturgy and one of my friends and I were commenting that despite the language about how it's God who reigns (and lots of great imagery taken from the book of Revelation) the 19th c. music had a triumphalist ring and made us think of Queen Victoria ;-). Still, it's a fun song to sing and I put on my best British accent for it. :-)
John D., I'm not much for praise music either, but by "praise music" I tend to mean bad music with terrible lyrics mostly sung in white churches. Classic gospel music is much better. So, in a different vein, is high-quality Catholic contemporary church music, which is several notches above the bad folk mass stuff of the 1970s. (Though even in the 1970s there was some decent music.)
Okay, Mimi...great video! And how sweet to see Tennessee Ernie. Now there was a man with a great voice...
ReplyDeleteFor our hymns today
#391 Before the Lord's Eternal Throne
#444 Blessed be the God of Israel
Offertory was" How shall I sing that majesty" A poem by John Mason (1646-1694) set by Kenneth Nicholson Naylor (1931-1991). It is not in the hymnal. But it is very lovely.
"How shall I sing that majesty
which angels do admire?
Let dust in dust and silence lie;
sing, sing, ye heavenly choir.
Thousands of thousands stand around
thy throne, O God most high;
ten thousand times ten thousand sound
thy praise; but who am I?
Thy brightness unto them appears,
whilst I thy footsteps trace;
a sound of God comes to my ears,
but they behold thy face.
They sing because thou art their Sun;
Lord, send a beam on me;
for where heaven is but once begun
there alleluias be.
How great a being, Lord, is thine,
which doth all beings keep!
Thy knowledge is the only line
to sound so vast a deep.
Thou art a sea without a shore,
a sun without a sphere;
thy time is now and evermore,
thy place is everywhere."
I hope we sing that again!.
Closing hymn #616 Hail to the Lord's Anointed
So I guess we all had a great Christ the King Sunday.
And thanks again for the Crouch video.
Sadly I attended our 7.30am liturgy on Sunday and it is the one and only music free mass...
ReplyDeleteSo I was most delighted to imagine the sound of the first hymn and the video and music from your link! That video of Andre Crouch was GREAT. I am singing and dancing around my kitchen early in the day as a result! How I love gospel music and I did not grow up around it.
We did have a great homily from our Fr. Pat, a gifted preacher, so that was great. I wrote about the antithetical Kingship of Jesus on our parish blog. (which if someone wants to see they can write to me and I will give you access festinalente07 at gmail dot com).
Thank you Grandmere - prayers and peace as we begin our journey towards Advent.
A slight digression is the pope's latest crusade. Some will approve. Some will be very unhappy.
ReplyDeleteI loved "Soon and very soon." We need more gospel music (and jazz) in our churches.
ReplyDeleteFor music comments by an Orthodox priest in East Tennessee, see the recent blog http://fatherstephen.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/america-and-the-church-more-thoughts/.
The link didn't come out. Go to http://fatherstephen.wordpress.com and scroll down to Nov. 23.
ReplyDeleteSusan, those lyrics are lovely
ReplyDeleteFran, no music and great sermon. You take what you can get and give thanks. I can see you dancing, girl. It looks good.
Piskie, while I was still in the RCC, I was weary of the 70's folk music, which was ever-present at the mass I attended, which was the "folk mass". The time of the mass was convenient for me. There were a few good hymns in the mix, but not many. I sympathize with him a little on this.
However, I lean more towards congregational singing than performance at services, and I wonder if the congregation will join in with the kind of music the pope has in mind, especially the Latin sung masses.
He's right that there is gorgeous liturgical music from across the ages to choose from. He seems so out of touch in so many ways that I wonder if he will make wise choices in music matters.
Ormonde, love, the link still doesn't work.
I'll try again. Click on here.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ormonde, for your persistence! 3rd time's the charm, they say.
ReplyDeleteSoon And Very Soon was our final hymn yesterday, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the video, Mimi. I apologize for confusing "Soon and Very Soon" with praise music drivel.Stirring music, that, and right in tune with the bitter-sweet eschatology of C the K day.
ReplyDeleteSorry to be SOOO white-bread!
Ormonde, I like what Fr. Stephen said. We must be true to ourselves as best we can and not strive to follow the trends of the present day, which will be gone tomorrow, replaced by new trends. We can use what's best from our rich history and tradition, and take what's good (not trendy) from the present day, and welcome all comers lovingly, and all shall be well.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see more Gospel music in our church, too.
Padre Mickey, that's Spirit-led synchronicity!
John, I'm pleased that you liked the song.
Hymns sung at Canterbury Cathedral service for the feast of Christ the King: "Crown Him with Many Crowns" (Diademata, of course); "Alleluia, Sing to Jesus" (Hyfrydol, all verses), and "Christ triumphant, ever reigning" (Guiting Power).
ReplyDeleteI too love "Alleluia, sing to Jesus" which is right for many occasions. Who can resist lines like "Where the songs of all the sinless sweep across the crystal sea"?
"Soon and very soon" is great! I had never heard it before but it really lifted me up. And yes, what a joy to catch a glimpse of Tennessee Ernie again .... (God, I'm getting old.)
Susan S., "How shall I sing that majesty" seems to be a favorite here in the UK, and I have grown to love it -- the words even more than the music. Perfect for this feast!
This thread is making me very lonely for Ed Murray (Simple Village Organist). I keep checking back at his blog and saying prayers that he is okay and will find his way back to us.
Now, where is that tambourine of mine?
Just found your site through a post on Turbulent Clerics blog. I led worship on Sunday Morning and although the British Methodist church don't place much emphasis on Christ the King Sunday I always do if I am leading worship and preaching.
ReplyDeleteAs I write this I am just listening to one of the latest DVD's from Bill Gaither and the Homecoming Friends (Amazing Grace) and Andrae Crouch is among the singers. I used Soon and very soon as well as 'All hail the power of Jesus' name' 'I will sing the wndrous story (Hyfrydol)' 'Christ Triumphant ever reigning' and 'From heaven you came helpless babe (The Servant King)
The evening before we had a potatoes and praise event where we sang 35 hymns and it was a ral blessing to all of those who attended.
Mary Clara, it's good to have you back here. Your feast day at Canterbury sounds lovely, too. I'm glad you like "Soon And Very Soon".
ReplyDeleteI check in at Ed's site, too. I wonder what happened?
Fat Prophet, welcome. So many lovely celebrations for the feast day of King Jesus, king of the upside-down world.
I read your post at your blog about the hymn-singing evening. Sounds like all had a rollicking good time.