Logos Alethias

With its heartfelt poetry and moving melody, “Be Thou My Vision” beautifully expresses the desires of the Christian heart. Though its popularity rose only in the past 50 years or so, the hymn actually has a rich history dating back to the 8^th century.

Between the years of 400 and 700 AD the Irish people lived out a passionate faith in Christ. Ireland took up the missionary endeavor with excitement, and the country became known for its all-absorbing efforts to share Christianity throughout the world. Irish missionaries were found from Scotland to Switzerland, spreading the Good News wherever they went.

Some scholars believe that the words to the hymn are the product of a man known simply as St. Patrick. Patrick was born in A.D. 373 along the banks of the River Clyde in what is now called Scotland. When he was 16 he was kidnapped by pirates and taken as a slave to Ireland. There he gave his life to Jesus Christ. He eventually escaped, but he never forgot this experience and when he was about 30 he returned to his former captors with only one possession: the Latin Bible. History tells us that St. Patrick was the man most responsible for the Good News of Christ coming to Ireland. As a result of his preaching, more than 200 churches were established and 100,000 converts were baptized.

“Be Thou My Vision” undoubtedly comes from this spiritually rich period. Its prominent theme encourages single-hearted focus and devotion to Christ. In the hymn lyrics, the poet expresses his adoration of God through the many titles he gives him: Vision, Wisdom, Word, Great Father, Power, Inheritance, High King of heaven, Treasure, bright heaven’s Sun, Ruler of all.

Today, we continue to sing the words of this hymn, echoing the poet’s response to God’s many titles. “Thou my best thought, Thy presence my light.”

Use this information each week during your family devotion times to prepare your hearts for the teaching of God’s Word on the upcoming Lord’s Day.

• Read the scripture text together.
• Meditate on the scripture passage.
• Sing the hymns and songs.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
• Ask God to make your heart supple and receptive when the Word is preached from the pulpit Sunday morning.

This Sunday’s Text:
Acts 15

This Sunday’s Sermon Title:
9 Biblical Principles for Handling Problems – Part II

This Sunday’s Music:

John MacArthur’s outstanding Pulpit Magazine blog should be on your shortlist of daily internet stops. Always well thought out and presented in an excellent manner, the posts at this blog will edify, encourage and convict you.

The following post from the Pulpit Magazine blog is reprinted here in its entirety. But please visit Pastor MacArthur’s blog and enjoy the daily food for thought.

Style or Substance?

by John MacArthur

What’s the Biggest Problem with Contemporary Church Music?

It should be clear to anyone who examines the subject carefully that modern church music, as a rule, is vastly inferior to the classic hymns that were being written 200 years ago.

And incidentally, my own assessment is that the style in which music is written today isn’t really the biggest problem with contemporary music. Styles change. Bad church music isn’t bad just because it is “contemporary.” But the content of the lyrics is what reveals most graphically how low our standards have slipped.

This is not a problem that arose with the current generation. It dates back to an era whose musical style would seem quite old-fashioned by anyone’s standards today.

Before the middle part of the 19th century or so, hymns were wonderful didactic tools, filled with Scripture and sound doctrine, a medium for teaching and admonishing one another, as we are commanded in Colossians 3:16. Most hymns were written not by teenagers with guitars, but by pastors and theologians: Charles Wesley, Augustus Toplady, Isaac Watts.

Consider the profound content of this hymn about God’s attributes, written by Walter C. Smith in the 1800s:

Immortal, invisible
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

Around the start of the twentieth century, however, church music took a different direction. Musicians and singers without formal pastoral or theological training (such as Ira Sankey and Philip Bliss) became the dominant songwriters in the church. Choruses with lighter, simpler subject matter proliferated. Popular Christian music became more subjective. Songs focused on personal experience and the feelings of the worshiper. The newer compositions were often called “gospel songs” to distinguish them from “hymns.”

Consider this familiar chorus, written in 1912 by C. Austin Miles:

In the Garden
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Aside from an oblique reference to “the Son of God” in the last line of the first stanza, there’s no distinctly Christian content to that song at all.

“In the Garden” is by no means the only wretched favorite from the gospel-song era, either. “Love Lifted Me” (1912) and “Count Your Blessings” (1897) are two more “gospel songs” without much actual gospel content. If you want to see what thin gruel some of the “oldies” offer by way of actual biblical or doctrinal substance, review almost any random list of favorite old “gospel songs.”

Modern musicians have pushed this trend even further and often see music as little more than a device for stimulating intense emotion. The biblically-mandated didactic role of music is all but forgotten.

The effect is predictable. What we have sown for several generations we are now reaping in frightening abundance. The modern church, fed on choruses with insipid lyrics, has no appetite for her own great tradition of didactic hymnody.

We are in danger of losing a rich heritage as some of the best hymns of our faith fall into neglect and disuse, being replaced with banal lyrics set to catchy tunes. Thankfully, there are some wonderful exceptions to this trend — exceptions which we hope will soon turn the tide. In the meantime, our prayer is that both pastors and church musicians will come to realize the severity of the crisis and the vital importance of theologically-sound worship music.

Use this information each week during your family devotion times to prepare your hearts for the teaching of God’s Word on the upcoming Lord’s Day.

• Read the scripture text together.
• Meditate on the scripture passage.
• Sing the hymns and songs.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
• Ask God to make your heart supple and receptive when the Word is preached from the pulpit Sunday morning.

This Sunday’s Texts:

• 1 Timothy 2:2-8

This Sunday’s Sermon Title:
TBD

This Sunday’s Music:

The Great Mystery

Everybody loves a good mystery. You might say that our hymn for this week describes a great mystery. Charles Wesley wrote it soon after He came to Christ. As he looks back on his life, he sees himself as a prisoner in a dark dungeon, chained by the sins that he committed—and even more “made captive” by the sin that was a part of his very being.

Charles Wesley

One night, the gospel of Christ—the good news that Christ had died to meet his need—seemed to flood his own personal dungeon with light, breaking the chains and setting him free. The guilt was finally gone. For the first time, Wesley seemed to be really alive because he possessed the supernatural life of Jesus Christ!

Perhaps you may think that this hymn describes the dramatic experience of one who was rescued from the life of terrible sin and ruin… perhaps drugs, adultery, murder or who knows what? But at the time of his conversion, Charles Wesley had been a pastor in his church for over three years. And he had just returned from a “missionary” trip to America.

But in all of this religious activity, he had never experienced peace—the peace that only God can give. Peace cannot be manufactured or “faked.” Christ had never come to dwell in his life. He looked good on the outside, but the mystery of a life committed to Christ was not to be found in him.

On May 20, 1738, around midnight, Charles Wesley was saved. Finally, he began to understand the great mystery of being “in Christ.” It’s a little like that night, 1900 years ago, when Jesus said to the Jewish religious leader: Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Nicodemus was a respected religious leader, but he wasn’t born again. He had never experienced the “mystery.”

Perhaps you heard, recently, of a 71 year old minister, who after spending 50 years in the service of the church, had just come to Jesus Christ. Like the experience Charles Wesley describes in his hymn, the old minister finally understood the “mystery” of being “in Christ.” He realized, as we must also, that “doing good” means nothing to God. To accept Christ’s love and sacrifice for himself was to find the source of eternal life. This, indeed, is the best—and greatest mystery of all!

This thought-provoking article is from The Center for Church Music web site. Feel free to post your thoughts below.

Why Hymns?

In a time when music serves as a source of conflict in many churches, the goal of the Center is to return peace-and power-to the Church. Music can do this.

Martin Luther

As Martin Luther said, “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise.”
When music and the Word of God are combined, a powerful force for good is unleashed. The singing of hymns encourages the best of the Christian faith. Again, in the words of Luther, “The gift of language com-bined with the gift of song was given to mankind to let him know that he should praise God with both word and music.”

We believe that hymns must remain at the forefront of congregational song. No other musical form can re-place the singing of hymns in the church. For only hymns can unite a musical language (harmony, melody and rhythm) of varying styles with a theologically minded text inspired by a strong personal experience. And the singing of a hymn allows the contemporary Christian to sing with the saints through centuries of triumph and tragedy.

Thus, by proclaiming God’s truth through hymns, the believer enters a unique place. A place where truth and beauty unite to inspire hope and confidence.

The beautiful hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy, contains these words: “Only Thou art holy, There is none beside Thee, Perfect in power, in love and purity.”

In singing a hymn, the mind is nourished and the spirit lifted as this thrice holy God becomes the object of worship and adoration. Singing a hymn is not only a great privilege, it is truly a great opportunity!

Use this information each week during your family devotion times to prepare your hearts for the teaching of God’s Word on the upcoming Lord’s Day.

• Read the scripture text together.
• Meditate on the scripture passage.
• Sing the hymns and songs.
• Pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
• Ask God to make your heart supple and receptive when the Word is preached from the pulpit Sunday morning.

This Sunday’s Texts:

• 1 Timothy 2:2-8

This Sunday’s Sermon Title:
No Fear

This Sunday’s Music:

The author of this humorous account is unknown. From an email circulated in the late 1990s. Enjoy!

Praise Songs explained…

Not long ago a farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the farmer, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”
“Praise choruses,” said his wife, “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.

The farmer said, “Well it’s like this—If I were to say to you:
`Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn.

If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Martha Martha, Martha,
Oh, Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,
the cows, the big cows,
the brown cows,
the black cows,
the white cows,
the black and white cows,
the COWS, COWS, COWS
are in the corn,
are in the corn,
are in the corn,
are in the corn,
the CORN, CORN, CORN

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that would be a praise chorus.”

Hymns explained…

A young, new Christian from the big city attended the small town church one weekend. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the young man, “It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns,” said his wife, “What are those?”

“Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man.

“Well, what’s the difference?” asked his wife.

The young man said, “Well it’s like this—If I were to say to you, `Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song.

If, on the other hand, I were to say to you:

Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth.
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

For the way of the animals who can explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense,
Hearkenest they in God’s sun or his rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed.
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

So look to that bright shining day by and by,
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn.
Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.

Then, if I were to do only verses one, three, and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn.”

Phil Johnson’s Pyromaniacs blog has begun a collection of posters that satirize the tempestuous issues surrounding the Emergent Church. The posters are funny and thought provoking. But do we miss the point if we consider these issues to be the unique territory of the so-called “Emergent Church”?

Given a change of graphics, many of the statements on these posters would apply just as well to Fundamental Baptists, Conservative Southern Baptists, conservative independent congregations, and conservative Presbyterian churches. Let’s all strive to hold to the truth and to be honest with others—not putting spin on our statements and our actions, but owning up to the truth because we believe that there is absolute truth in Jesus Christ.

The question of what style of music should be used in corporate worship has plagued contemporary evangelical churches with argumentative conversations between members of the same congregation who prefer one musical style over another. Pastor Ron Man has written an article that addresses theological and biblical reasons why it is good for us to include both hymns and contemporary praise songs in our worship services. Read this article and contribute your comments to this discussion.

Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart
—Ephesians 5:19