The Pender UMC Traditional Service Closing Hymn “Amazing Grace” on Sunday October 23, 2022 was played by Liz Eunji Moon on piano, Brian Stevenson on organ and sung the Pender Sanctuary Choir and congregation.
On 10/9/2022/postlude not yet uploaded
December 1772 in Olney England John Newton began the writing a hymn that would grow increasingly more popular over the years.
In his hymn, “Amazing Grace,” Newton writes about a grace that is immense and one that saved himself out of his wretchedness. By looking within the hymn “Amazing Grace,” one is able to understand a little bit about Newton’s personal conversion
Newton grew up with both his parents, however, his mother died while his father was away at sea. Newton’s father remarried and the couple had another child. Following in his father’s footsteps, Newton began his life’s career by searching throughout the African coast for slaves to capture and eventually to sell for profit.
On one journey, Newton and his crew encountered a storm that swept some of his men overboard and left others with the likelihood of drowning. With both hands fastened onto the wheel of the boat, Newton cried out to God saying, “Lord, have mercy on us.” After eleven hours of steering, the remainder of the crew found safety with the calming of the storm. From then on, Newton dated March 21 as a day set aside for a time of humiliation, prayer, and praise.
Upon arriving safely home, Newton did not venture out to seek more slaves, instead he began to learn Hebrew and Greek. He occasionally accepted requests to speak about his conversion in front of various congregations. Newton was eventually ordained and began to lead his own church. God changed him from a man who was an advocate for the slave trade to a man actively working towards abolishing it. Newton’s literary work against the slave trade encouraged abolitionist William Wilberforce to continue his legal fight against slavery in England.
In later years, Newton began to lose his memory. Although his thoughts were limited, Newton said he could remember two things, “That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.” With this conviction of newly found life that he found only in Christ, Newton passed from his earthly life in 1807, at the age of 82. Newton did live long enough to see the signing of The Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.
The hymn appeared in the colonies later accompanied with a different tune, more commonly known as “New British.” It grew in popularity, but not because it was catchy tune, but because the words that Newton wrote related to every human being who encountered the saving grace of Jesus Christ and touched many people at various stages of their spiritual walks.
Since the day that Newton penned the lyrics to “Amazing Grace,” it has grown in popularity and has been present at numerous key moments in our country’s history. Newton experienced the darkness and hopelessness of his sin and the consequence of following his own corrupt ways. He focused on fulfilling what he wanted to do in his life instead of looking to the direction of God.
“Amazing Grace” speaks of the sweetness found in Christ’s grace for his children. As humans we are lost, blind in sin, and need saving. Jesus’s saving grace is amazing!
In his later years, Newton became the pastor of a larger church in London, where he helped lead many people to the God he had once mocked. He was also active in the movement to abolish the British slave trade. When the prime minister appointed a committee to investigate the slave trade, Newton was a key witness. He explained the horrors of the “industry” from the inside out. His compelling testimony helped make the slave trade—and eventually slavery—illegal.
“Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart”
Edward H. Plumptre
The UM Hymnal, Nos. 160 and 161
Rejoice, ye pure in heart;
rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
your glorious banner wave on high,
the cross of Christ your King.
Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks, and sing.
“Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart” was the middle hymn at Pender’s 9:00 am Traditional Service on October 15, 2023 It was sung by Pender’s Sanctuary choir, congregation, directed by Patrick King and accompanied on piano by Heidi Jacobs.
The Pender UMC Traditional Service Closing Hymn “Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart” on May 29, 2022 was directed by Brian Stevenson and accompanied by Liz Sellers on piano and sung by the Pender Sanctuary Choir and Congregation.
Anglican priest and professor Edward Hayes Plumptre (1821-1891) composed “Rejoice, ye pure in heart” as a processional hymn for a choir festival in one of England’s majestic places of worship, Peterborough Cathedral.
Writing in the mid-20th century with perhaps a hint of condescension, hymnologist Albert Bailey describes the context for this hymn by saying that the “untravelled American can hardly realize the emotional effect of a processional made up of choirs from a dozen different communities, marching with full panoply through ‘long-drawn aisle’ and under ‘fretted vault’ while we hear:
The storm their high-built organs make,
And thunder-music, rolling, shake
The prophets blazoned on the panes.
“The massiveness of the old Norman Peterborough makes a marvelous background and amplifier for such a processional.”
Plumptre was a distinguished scholar of his day. Educated at University College, Oxford, he then became a fellow at Brasenose College, Oxford, receiving his ordination in the Anglican Church in 1846. After serving as a clergyman, he became chaplain and professor of New Testament exegesis at King’s College, London, and dean of Queen’s College, Oxford. His most prominent position as a clergyman was that of dean of Wells Cathedral.
Of the original 11 stanzas, five or six stanzas appear in most hymnals. Stanza one refers (in the original text) to the “festal banner” and “Cross of Christ your King,” symbols of the faith that would be carried at the head of such a procession in the Anglican context.
Omitted stanzas refer to this processional in martial terms as warriors who “march in firm array.” This kind of imagery is not only consonant with the times, but also reflects the theology of the Anglican Communion that views its role on earth as the “Church Militant” while the church in heaven is the “Church Triumphant.”
Of course, the music used for this text must reflect the spirit of a stately processional. American hymnologist Leonard Ellinwood said that the tune MARION was written for this text by Arthur Messiter (1834-1916). Messiter added the refrain drawn from the first two lines of stanza one: “Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice give thanks and sing” echoes Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”
Hymnologist William Reynolds noted that it “was not unusual for a cathedral processional to take from ten to thirty minutes, and the hymn that was sung by both the choir and the congregation needed to have enough stanzas for this.”
Mr. Bailey’s earlier comments notwithstanding, not all participants in festival worship were enamored by such lengthy processionals. Mr. Reynolds goes on to say that “A review of a hymnal… [commented] that some of the processional hymns were so long that some of the congregation would need to walk about in order to stay awake.”
The United Methodist Hymnal includes a second tune, VINEYARD HAVEN, with this text. Richard W. Dirksen composed this tune in 1974 for the installation of John M. Allin as the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in Washington Cathedral.
Carlton Young, editor of The UM Hymnal, found this text less than worthy, and notes: “Dirksen’s setting… [saves] a maudlin hymn from its deserved place in hymnic obscurity.”
Regardless of how one evaluates the quality of this text, we can all be grateful to be spared from 30-minute processionals in worship.
Dr. Hawn is professor of sacred music at Perkins School of Theology.
“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”
by Henry Alford The United Methodist Hymnal, 694
Come, ye thankful people, come, Raise the song of harvest home; All is safely gathered in, Ere the winter storms begin. God our Maker doth provide For our wants to be supplied; Come to God’s own temple, come, Raise the song of harvest home.
The Pender UMC Traditional Service Opening Hymn “Come Ye Thankful People, Come” on Thanksgiving Sunday November 20, 2022 was played by Liz Eunji Moon on piano, Teresa Rothschild on clarinet, Brian Stevenson on flute and sung the Pender Sanctuary Choir and congregation.
With the upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving, people in churches, schools, and other events will sing the traditional harvest song, “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come,” by Henry Alford (1810–1871).
Born into a long line of Anglican clergymen, Alford was raised early by his father and later by his uncle, Rev. Samuel Alford, due to his mother’s death during his birth. This instability resulted in his early education being scattered between private tutoring and a variety of schools, but in 1827 he became a scholar at Trinity College where he received all his secondary education (B.A. 1832, M.A. 1835). He was ordained a priest in the Anglican church in 1834, served in the vicarage at Wymeswold in Leicestershire (18 years), at Quebec Street Chapel in Marylebone, London (4 years), and as Dean of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England (14 years).
This hymn first appeared in Alford’s Psalms and Hymns, adapted to the Sundays and Holydays throughout the year (1844). Methodist hymnologist J. Richard Watson details several revisions of the text both by Alford and others, resulting in the author’s final revision in 1868 (Watson, Canterbury Dictionary, n.p.). In this hymn, Alford used traditional language and imagery of the rural community to lend words of thankfulness for God’s provision and to expand upon Matthew 13:24–30:
He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat in my barn.’” (NRSV)
Tom Stewart, in his writing, says:
[The hymn] addresses the common theme of harvest festivals, called in England the Harvest Home, which is celebrated in English churches usually during the month of September. A thanksgiving service would be held in the church, where the bounty of the harvest is collected, displayed with the fall trappings of pumpkins and autumn leaves, and then dispensed to the needy. And, of course, unlike the humanist that is essentially grateful to only himself, a true Harvest Home celebration acknowledges the provision of God, as did the Pilgrims in 1621 and the ancient Hebrews in their Feast of Firstfruits in the spring on the first day after Passover at the time of the barley harvest. (Stewart, 2016, n.p.)
The eminent minister and hymnologist, Erik Routley (1917–1982), took great offense at this hymn in his book, Hymns Today and Tomorrow. For the most part, his criticism concerns the musical setting, ST. GEORGE’S WINDSON, yet Routley feels that it is “extremely doubtful whether the [imagery of the last judgment] makes any impact on congregations at all” (Routley, 1964, p. 126). The hymn is complex, but it is by no means obscure or opaque.
The first stanza focuses directly on the physical harvest, an image used throughout scripture from early in Genesis through Revelation. We give thanks for the physical harvest as we give thanks for our daily bread in the Lord’s Prayer. Thanksgiving begins with the most concrete blessings in our lives. As well as a physical harvest, the first stanza alludes to Jesus’ remark in all three synoptic gospels—the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few, and the thankful people who are called to come are those who have already been sent by the Lord of the harvest, Jesus Christ.
The second stanza begins Alford’s expansion upon the parable of Jesus concerning the wheat and the tares (weeds) from Matthew 13:24–30. It is a challenging parable, which Alford interprets in this hymn to describe how joy and sorrow grow together in life, and how God does not eliminate sorrow until after the final harvest when God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4. (NRSV).
The third and fourth stanzas move more directly to the apocalyptic reference, “For the Lord our God shall come.” Erik Routley felt this imagery out of place. However, connecting thanksgiving with the coming of Jesus is imagery that is used at every celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
The hymn tune ST. GEORGE’S WINDSOR, composed in 1856 by George J. Elvey (1816–1893) for the hymn “Hark! The Song of Jubilee,” has been associated with “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” since the publication of Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861). As noted above, some reviewers of the hymn have pointed to the incongruity of this sturdy and joyful tune with these words, but there is some beauty in this pairing as well, especially with text painting at some points. Among others, one such case is the use of a dotted rhythm, balanced throughout the music, as a compelling invitation to sing, notably on the opening “Come.” One might also notice the phrase “all is safely gathered in” where the pitch begins and ends on A, but feels “gathered” by the use of the neighboring tones, Bb and G. Midway through the hymn, the phrases, “first the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear,” are sung in an ascending sequence that seems almost like corn growing in the field. Later, the leap upward for ‘raise the song’ and ‘raise the glorious’ helps to paint the intent of the final phrases in stanzas 1 and 4.
Regardless of Routley’s misgivings, the discerning hymn singer cannot help but appreciate the vibrant eschatological final stanza that amplifies Christ’s parable. It is offered here in the author’s original language and punctuation:
Even so, Lord, quickly come,
Bring Thy final Harvest-home!
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin;
There, forever purified,
In Thy garner to abide:
Come with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious Harvest-home!
SOURCES
Erik Routley, Hymns Today and Tomorrow (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1964).
“Jesus, United by Thy Grace”
by Charles Wesley The United Methodist Hymnal, 561
Jesus [Jesu], united by thy grace
and each to each endeared,
with confidence we seek thy face
and know our prayer is heard.
“Jesus, United by Thy Grace” was the closing hymn at Pender’s 9:00 am Traditional Service on September 3, 2023 It was sung by Pender’s congregation and accompanied on piano by Heidi Jacobs.
The Pender UMC Traditional Service Closing Hymn “Jesus United by Thy Grace” on Sunday July 24, 2022 was played by Liz Sellers on piano and sung by Brian Stevenson and the Pender Congregation.
This hymn appeared first in the collection titled Hymns and Sacred Poems (1742), one of a series of collections published by the Wesley brothers bearing this title. This hymn must have been prominent in the Wesley canon, since all nine of the original stanzas were included nearly forty years later in the monumental A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People called Methodists (1780) in the section “For the Society, Praying.” Published initially as a long four-part hymn with twenty-nine stanzas titled “A Prayer for Persons Joined in Fellowship,” most of six stanzas in The United Methodist Hymnal come from Part IV. Though appearing as a unified theological whole in the hymnal, this is an excellent example of careful editing. Stanza 1 comes from Part IV (stanza 1). Stanza 2 is taken from Part 1 (stanza 3). Stanza 3 was first cited in Part I (stanza 5). The remaining stanzas (4, 5, and 6) are from Part IV (stanzas 4-6) (Young, 1993, p. 449).
The preface to the collection (most likely by John Wesley) focuses on the Christian perfection doctrine. A misunderstanding at that time was that Christians could achieve perfection in this life. This misinterpretation of Christian perfection was causing disunity in the Methodist fellowship (See J. Wesley, “Christian Perfection,” 1741). John Wesley states his position in the Preface of this collection in unequivocal terms:
First, we not only allow, but earnestly contend. . . that there is no Perfection in this life which implies any dispensation from attending all the ordinances of God; or from doing good unto all men, while we have time, though especially unto the household of faith. And whosoever they are who have taught otherwise, we are convinced are not taught of God. We dare not receive them, neither bid them Godspeed, lest we be partakers of their evil deeds (Wesleys, 1742, pp. i-ii).
Nourishing Christian unity was a part of the process of Christian perfection. The preface to the earlier 1739 collection offers an expansion of the strong message of Christian unity conveyed by the hymn text. Citing Ephesians 4:15-16, the Wesleys emphasize that “we are knit together [my emphasis], that we have nourishment from him, and increase with the increase of God” (J. Wesley, 1739, p. vii).
Each of the stanzas chosen for The United Methodist Hymnal emphasizes unity in some way:
Stanza 1: “united by thy grace”
Stanza 2: “Help us to help each other, Lord, / each other’s cross to bear”
Stanza 3: “Up unto thee, our living Head, / let us in all things grow”
Stanza 4: “let all our hearts agree, / and ever toward each other move”
Stanza 5: “To thee, inseparably joined, / let all our spirit’s cleave”
Stanza 6: “This is the bond of perfectness, / thy spotless charity”
Charles Wesley employs a particularly original metaphor in stanza 4—“Touched by the loadstone of thy love, / let all our hearts agree. . .”. British Wesley scholar, J.R. Watson, notes that this stanza “has proved very attractive to hymnbook editors” (Watson, Canterbury Dictionary, n.p.). A loadstone has strong magnetic qualities. Thus, the sonorous alliterative pairing—loadstone/love—is also a theological truth that stresses the magnetic (attractive) quality of God’s love—a love that draws us to God. This magnetic quality underscores the reality that God takes the initiative in God’s relationship with humanity.
The final two of the three omitted stanzas employ soaring language that moves us toward eschatological truth, a common destination in Charles Wesley’s hymns, and beyond the present-day text’s focus on Christian living while on earth:
With ease our souls through death shall glide
Into their paradise,
And thence on wings of angels ride
Triumphant through the skies.
Yet when the fullest joy is given,
The same delight we prove,
In earth, in paradise, in heaven
Our all in all is love.
The published text remains grounded in Christian unity only possible through the grace of Jesus, rather than on the commonality of opinion or politics. Given these times in which we live and the state of disunity in the church, these words serve as a reminder that we are joined with one another through our determination to be one in mind with Jesus. According to the hymn, the commitment to be one in Christ results in “the bond of perfectness,” while acknowledging continuing need to pray that we “possess the mind that was in thee” (stanza 6).
S T Kimbrough Jr. refers to Charles Wesley as a lyrical theologian, defining Charles’ theology as one “couched in poetry, song, and liturgy, characterized by rhythm and expressive of emotion and sentiment” (Kimbrough, 2014, p. 3). Kimbrough points out that some Wesley hymns (such as this one) demonstrate Wesley’s “way of working through theological issues, thought and concepts, and of shaping theological ideas,” through the use of poetry (Kimbrough, 2014, p. 54). This compelling text provides a thorough “working through” of this theme for a service focused on unity. As lyrical theology, the hymn might be sung in a variety of worship contexts. The Common Meter (C.M.) text allows for a variety of tune options in addition to ST. AGNES printed in The United Methodist Hymnal. In the more than 150 hymnals in which this hymn appears in Hymnary.org, hymnal editors pair eleven tunes with this text. Common Meter presents an opportunity to consider which tune would be the most appropriate contextually. In a lament-focused worship service, the slower, more somber ST. AGNES may be a reflective choice. If the focus on unity intends a more firm and declamatory statement of faith and unity, AZMON could be a compelling expression of the words in the opening stanza, “with confidence we seek thy face and know our prayer is heard.”
This hymn, with its focus on unity through Christ, articulates a lyrical theology that may prove helpful when considering the complex and divisive issues present today in church and society.
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3
“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3
“How Great Thou Art” was the opening hymn at Pender’s 9:00 am Traditional Service on October 1, 2023 It was sung by Pender’s Sanctuary choir, congregation and accompanied on piano by Heidi Jacobs.
“How Great Thou Art” was the opening hymn at Pender’s 9:00 am Traditional Service on October 1, 2023 It was sung by Pender’s Sanctuary choir, congregation and accompanied on piano by Heidi Jacobs.
“How Great Thou Art” is a Christian hymn based on a Swedish poem written by Carl Gustav Boberg (1859–1940) in Sweden in 1885. The melody is a Swedish folk song. Its popularity is due in large part to its wide use by gospel singers, notably George Beverly Shea of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Team.
The original Swedish text was a poem entitled “O Store Gud.” written by a Swedish pastor, the Reverend Carl Boberg, in 1886. In addition to being one of the leading evangelical preachers of his day. Boberg was also the successful editor of the periodical Sanningsvittnet. His inspiration for this text is said to have come from a visit to a beautiful country estate on the southeast coast of Sweden. He was suddenly caught in a midday thunderstorm with awe-inspiring moments of flashing violence, followed by a clear brilliant sun. Soon afterwards he heard the calm, sweet songs of the birds in nearby trees. The experience prompted the pastor to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God, He penned his exaltation in a nine-stanza poem beginning with the Swedish words “O Store Gud, nar jag den varld beskader.”
Several years later Boberg was attending a meeting in the Province of Varmland and was surprised to hear the congregation sing his poem to the tune of an old Swedish melody. It is typically characteristic of many other hymn tunes, i.e., “Day by Day” with its lilting, warm, singable simplicity.
With his original English lyrics and his arrangement of the Swedish folk melody, Mr. Stuart K. Hine published what we know today as the hymn “How Great Thou Art.” Assignments of copyrights and publication rights to an American publishing firm in 1954 helped spread the popularity of this hymn. In April of 1974 the Christian Herald magazine, in a poll presented to its readers, named “How Great Thou Art” the No. 1 hymn in America.
How Great Thou Art
Verse 1:
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Verse 2:
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Chorus
Verse 3:
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Chorus
Verse 4:
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”
News and Views 