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Hymn History: Jesus United by Thy Grace

“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.

Adapted from https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-jesus-united-by-thy-grace

Hymn History: How Great Thou Art

28 Oct

A favorite hymn is How Great Thou Art

“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” 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!”

Chorus

Hymn History: Be Thou My Vision

12 Sep

“Said to be a favourite of King Charles’, ‘Be Thou my Vision’ is one of the oldest hymns in the world. Its text has its origins in 6th-century Ireland, in a poem attributed to early Christian Irish poet Dallán Forgaill. In the early 20th century, Forgaill’s Gaelic words were translated into English by Mary Elizabeth Byrne, and soon after adapted into verse by Eleanor Hull.

“Today, the text is usually sung to an Irish folk tune known as ‘Slane’, an ever-rising and deeply satisfying melody which gradually opens up through the verse, before resolving on the tonic on the final three notes.”
from The 15 greatest, most rousing hymns of all time

“Be Thou My Vision” was the middle hymn at Pender’s Music Appreciation Sunday on June 11, 2023 It was sung by Pender’s congregation, accompanied on piano by Heidi Jacobs and guitar by Brian Stevenson.

“Be Thou My Vision”
Versified by Eleanor Hull
The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 451

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me save that thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day and by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Sometimes hymn singing invites us to connect with the saints who have gone before. Such is the case with the famous Irish hymn, “Be Thou my vision.” The original poem, found in two Irish manuscripts in the library of the Royal Irish Academy, may be dated as early as the 8th century.

Quite often, older hymns come to us as a collaborative effort before we are able to sing them from our hymnals. The Irish text, beginning “Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride,” was translated into literal prose by Irish scholar Mary Byrne (1880-1931), a Dublin native, and then published in Eriú, the journal of the School of Irish Learning, in 1905. Byrne was also known for her academic publications, including Old and Mid-Irish Dictionary, Dictionary of the Irish Language, and a treatise, England in the Age of Chaucer.

The original prose translation comes to us in 16 couplets.

The first is: Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens.

And the last is: O heart of my heat, whate’er befall me, O ruler of all, be thou my vision.

It is at this point that Eleanor Hull (1860-1935) enters the story. Born in Manchester, England, she was the founder of the Irish Text Society and president of the Irish Literary Society of London. Hull versified the text and it was published in her Poem Book of the Gael (1912).

Following the original publication in Ireland, the hymn was included in a number of British hymnals. After World War II, the hymn came to the attention of hymnal editors in the U.S. and it has become a standard hymn in most hymnals today.

Irish liturgy and ritual scholar Helen Phelan, a lecturer at the University of Limerick, points out how the language of this hymn is drawn from traditional Irish culture: “One of the essential characteristics of the text is the use of ‘heroic’ imagery to describe God. This was very typical of medieval Irish poetry, which cast God as the ‘chieftain’ or ‘High King’ (Ard Ri) who provided protection to his people or clan. The lorica is one of the most popular forms of this kind of protection prayer and is very prevalent in texts of this period.” The original chieftain language of the “High King of heaven” has given way to the more inclusive “Great God” in the UM Hymnal.

When Hull’s versification was paired with the lovely traditional Irish tune SLANE in The Irish Church Hymnal in 1919, its popularity was sealed. The folk melody was taken from a non-liturgical source, Patrick Weston Joyce’s Old Irish Folk Music and Songs: A Collection of 842 Airs and Songs hitherto unpublished (1909).

“Most ‘traditional’ Irish religious songs are non-liturgical,” says Dr. Phelan. “There is a longstanding practice of ‘editorial weddings’ in Irish liturgical music, where traditional tunes were wedded to more liturgically appropriate texts. This is a very good example of this practice.”

It was on Slane Hill in County Meath around 433 CE that St. Patrick lit candles on Easter Eve, defying a decree by High King Logaire of Tara that no one could light a fire before the king signaled the beginning of the pagan spring festival by lighting a fire on Tara Hill. King Logaire was so impressed by Patrick’s devotion that, despite his defiance, he was permitted to continue his work as Ireland’s first Christian missionary.

Dr. Hawn is director of the sacred music program at Perkins School of Theology.