Here is some background info on a few of the songs we are singing this Sunday!
In Christ Alone
Written in 2002, “In Christ Alone” was
a collaborative effort between Townend and fellow songwriter (and now good
friend) Keith Getty. “The song came about in an unusual way,” Townend explains.
“Keith and I met in the autumn of 2000 at a worship event, and we resolved to
try to work together on some songs. A few weeks later Keith sent some melody
ideas, and the first one on the CD was a magnificent, haunting melody that I
loved, and immediately started writing down some lyrical ideas on what I felt
should be a timeless theme commensurate with the melody. So the theme of the
life, death, resurrection of Christ, and the implications of that for us just
began to tumble out, and when we got together later on to fine tune it, we felt
we had encapsulated what we wanted to say.”
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm…
Townend and Getty both admit they are
motivated by the idea of capturing biblical truth in songs and hymns that will
not only cause people to express their worship in church, but will build them
up in their Christian lives.
“I’ve been amazed by the response to
this song,” says Townend. “We’ve had some incredible e-mails about how people
have been helped by the song through incredibly difficult circumstances.”
One e-mail described how a U.S soldier
serving in Iraq would pray through each verse of the song every day, and how
the promises of God’s protection and grace helped to sustain him through the
enormous pressures and dangers of life in a war zone.
“It seems like this song is timely,”
Townend says. “We in the West have had our sense of safety and security
brutally torn apart by recent world events, and it's caused many to re-evaluate
the foundations of their life. I feel that the song has helped to stir faith in
many believers that God really is our protector; that our lives are in His
unshakable hands.”
What heights of love, what depths
of peace
When fears are stilled and striving cease
My Comforter, my All-in-All
Here in the love of Christ I stand…
Since its initial creation just two
years ago, several versions of “In Christ Alone” have been recorded by artists
around the world, and Townend admits to having a few favorites. “I've heard
some wonderful recordings of it. “The Newsboys’ version is really fresh and
exciting, and the one done by Alan Asbury is superb,” Townend says. “But the
one that always moves me most is when we recorded it with a congregation of
8,000 at the Stoneleigh Bible Week in England a couple of years ago. When we
finish the third verse, about the resurrection of Christ, there’s an
extraordinary burst of praise from the congregation that at the time was
overwhelming, and listening back still sends a shiver down my spine.”
The uniqueness of Townend’s writing
lies partly in its lyrical content. There is both a theological depth and
poetic expression that some say is rare in today’s worship writing. And not
surprisingly, it’s an emphasis that Townend and Getty both maintained within
the composition of this song in particular.
“I think content is vitally important
to our corporate worship,” Townend shares. “Sometimes great melodies are let
down by indifferent or clichéd words. It’s the writer’s job to dig deep into
the meaning of Scripture and express in poetic and memorable ways the truth he
or she finds there. Knowing the truth about God and who we are in Him is
central to our lives as believers. Songs remain in the mind in a way sermons do
not, so songwriters have an important role and a huge responsibility.”
No guilt in life, no fear in
death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny…
He continues, “The lyric [of this song]
excites me because it places our hope, our assurance, our eternal destiny in
the right place—on the solid foundation of Christ. I know in my own life I need
reminding continually not to live by my feelings or my circumstances, but by
the unchanging truth of the gospel.”
“In Christ Alone” was the very first
collaboration between Townend and Getty. In fact, it was Townend’s first
collaboration with any other songwriter. But it was an experience he found to
be very fruitful and well worth the effort. So much so that the two have continued
their musical partnership on other songs, and are currently working on a series
of songs based around the Apostles’ Creed. They are hoping to have a recording
available next year, and are excited about the possibility of making it into a
live presentation.
Lyrics copyright 2001 Kingsway/Thankyou Music
Crown Him With Many Crowns
The text of this great hymn is a composite or combination by two different authors, both of whom were inspired by Revelation 19:12. The first printing was a six-stanza hymn in Hymns of the Heart (1851) by Matthew Bridges, who later in his life left the Church of England and became a Roman Catholic. Bridges' hymn was originally titled: "The Song of the Seraphs."
In 1874, Godfrey Thring feared that some of the Bridges' verses spoke too much of Catholic doctrine. Verse two, for example, said:
Crown Him the virgin's Son, the God incarnate
born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose, as of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows, the Babe of Bethlehem.
He wrote six new stanzas for the hymn. The new six stanza text was published in Thring's Hymns and Sacred Lyrics."
Over the years, the twelve stanzas (six by Bridges and six by Thring) became intermingled in various hymnbooks.
Hence, the hymn that had two entirely different six-stanza texts appears in most hymnals with a composite 4 stanza text.
Devotional Thought by Charles SpurgeonOn His head are many crowns.
Revelation 19:12
That head "crowned with many crowns" was once bowed in infancy as a babe. It was a head bowed in obedience to a carpenter. A head which became a reservoir of tears. A head which "sweat as it were great drops of blood." A head which was spit upon and which at the last in the grim agony of death was crowned with thorns. A head that cried out in a terrible death-shriek: "It is finished." A head which slept in the grave, but now is alive forever. Who would have thought that a head, the visage of which was more disfigured than that of any man, should now be surrounded by these many diadems-these star-studded crowns!
The crowns upon the head of the victorious Jesus Christ are numberless. For on His head are the crowns of creation-for it is He who created and holds everything together. Think of it, if it were not for Christ, the center of our great universe would crumble and every bit of matter would be obliterated into nothingness.
But, also on that head are the crowns of providence, grace and mercy. Jesus alone holds the key of heaven. What He opens no man can shut; He calls and the stubborn heart obeys; He wills and the rebellious spirit bends its knee; for he is Master of men and when He wills to bless, none can refuse His benediction.
His power is so great that the angels are forever singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts." The keys of heaven and hell hang at His waist; He is supreme and to Him be glory for ever and ever.
And yet the most important crowns upon His head are from those who have turned from their sin and placed their crown of life upon His head. Many of these are mentioned in Scripture: Saul of Tarsus and Rahab the prostitute come to mind at first, but there are many, many others. They were washed in the blood of the Lamb: the love of Christ reclaimed them from a future as black as hell. They sing with the angels: "Crown Him with many crowns...the lamb upon the throne."
Today, perhaps you feel that you're too weak to receive a crown, the
crown of life; too faithless to deserve such a great award. But, no
matter how fragile your faith, you can have life in Christ. If you crave
pardon and forgiveness through the blood of Christ, then go boldly to
Him right now and say:
"Jesus, I am the chief of sinners; today I
trust in You. Forgive my sins and make me whole again. Please take
control of my life!"
Make this day your day to crown Him as Lord of Lords. You'll sing
with all the saints:
"I crown Him as my Savior and Lord."
Comments