This is the editorial from the February 2023 edition of the Parish Magazine by Roger Wookey which encouarged us to share our favourite hymns in Lent. The videos are just a selection I found, I hope you like them!. Some of the more well known hymns are ones you might like to write about... do let us know. Andrew.
Hymns that have inspired me.
On the first of January, I preached a sermon at St George’s and St Cyr’s in which I mentioned hymns some of which have become neglected and have all but disappeared from present day hymn books. I cannot think why? Many of these hymns have inspired me in my ministry and will continue to do so.
“Looking upward every day, sunshine on our faces” was very popular in the 1940s and 1950s. it was a Victorian hymn written by Mary Butler in 1881. Very few days go by that I don’t think of the words of this hymn, and the words of the 3rd verse encapsulates the Christian’s relationship with our Saviour Jesus. “Walking every day more close to our elder Brother” and how we should behave to fellow Christians “Growing every day more close unto one another”. It is a very prayerful hymn which, I believe underlines the Christian belief. (I could only find one verse of music but did find the words. Andrew)
Looking upward every day,
Sunshine on our faces;
Pressing onward every day
Toward the heavenly places;
Growing every day in awe,
For Thy name is holy;
Learning every day to love
With a love more lowly;
Walking every day more close
To our elder brother;
Growing every day more true
Unto one another;
Leaving every day behind
Something which might hinder;
Running swifter every day;
Growing purer, kinder—
Lord, so pray we every day:
Hear us in Thy pity,
That we enter in at last
To the holy city.
Another hymn which we rarely hear now is “Come ye, who love the Lord” by Dr Isaac Watts. It continues “and let your joys be known; Join in the song with sweet accord, whilst ye surround His throne” It epitomises the joys of being a believer. The chorus is perhaps even better known “Marching to Zion. Beautiful, beautiful Zion, we’re marching to Zion, That beautiful city of God”. Dr Watts was the hymn writer who encouraged Charles Wesley to write his hymns. Several of Dr Watts hymns are in the versions of the Wesleyan Methodist hymnal. These included “When I survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Jesus shall reign where’re the sun.”
Reverend Charles Wesley was himself a great hymn writer. Who can fail to be inspired by “O for a thousand tongues”, “Hark the Herald Angels sing”, and my own favourite of his “And can it be”? I was very surprised when listening to “Songs of Praise” on BBC TV recently not to hear the 4th verse with its spine-tingling lines “My chains fell off, My heart was free, I rose went forth and followed Thee”. To me they are such wonderful words inspirational for sermons both by others and myself.
Some of the best hymns have come out of the Sankey-Moody Christian witness of the 19th century. Dwight L Moody and Ira D Sankey were evangelists in the 1870s and 80s in the style later taken up by Billy Graham. Much of their ministry and liturgy revolved around the hymns that they inspired and were written for their services. “Trust and Obey, (When we walk with the Lord)” written by John Sammis. “What a Friend we have in Jesus” by Joseph Scriven, my special favourite hymn, though not written for Sankey/Moody, ended up in their Crusades.
Frances Ridley Havergal was also important to Sankey/Moody writing very singable hymns such as “Who is on the Lord’s side” (another neglected hymn sung to the tune “Armageddon”). This powerful hymn asks us for total commitment - probably the reason for its neglect today.
She also wrote “Take my life and let it be” which asks us to give ourselves completely to our Lord. This hymn is sung usually to the tune of “Nottingham" composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“To God be the Glory” written by Frances Van Alstyne (also known as Fanny Crosbie) has survived the ravages of time, and like her other great hymn “Blessed Assurance”, is a hymn of praise. This is the more remarkable when you discover that the author suffered almost complete sight loss when still a small child, as well as a failed marriage which in the 19th century was more of a social problem then than it is now. She felt that her blindness gave her the ability to concentrate on her writing.
One of my Good Friday services is based around three hymns of my Methodist Sunday School days, “God has given us book full of stories”, “For thy Holy Book we thank thee”, and “Tell me the stories of Jesus, I love to hear”. I also used “Children of Jerusalem” to illustrate one of the sections with its thrilling chorus “Hark, Hark, Hark, while infant voices sing, Loud Hosannahs to our King”. I see no reason why Sunday School hymns should not be used in adult services, as they contain much good theology that we, in our supposedly more knowledgeable time, neglect.
My cousin, Joyce, who died in her 90s about 4 years ago, left very specific instructions that we should sing “Jesus loves me, this I know” at her funeral. I had not before, nor since heard a hymn sung with such gusto and feeling. We almost raised the roof that day! It was a most uplifting experience which will stay with me for the rest of my life.
This is only a portion of the hymns that have given me inspiration in the past and still do today. I have only to listen and sing Charles Wesley’s “Hark the herald angels sing” at Christmas to know the glory of God. Similarly, “Come ye thankful people come” the first Anglican Harvest hymn dating from 1844 by Henry Alford to celebrate the revival of Harvest Festival in the Church of England is exhilarating to sing.
We have a wonderful array of great hymns, which my Methodist teachers told us provides a basis of liturgy, teaching aids, and material for sermons, if only we look for them. Our vicar, Fiona, suggests that for Lent we select our favourite hymn and place it on the web site to be provided. There are no prizes for guessing mine.
Roger Wookey.