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Hymn History: Majesty

“Majesty” was the prelude at Pender’s 9:00 am Traditional Service on February 19, 2023. It was played on piano by Tammy Chipman.

Jack William Hayford (b. 1934) is a native of Los Angeles, Calif. He grew up in the Foursquare Pentecostal tradition, attending L.I.F.E. Bible College (now Life Pacific College), graduating in 1956 and completing his studies at Azusa Pacific University in 1970.

In 1969 he became pastor of the First Foursquare Church of Van Nuys, Calif., which was then a struggling, aging congregation with only 20 members. He was also dean of students at L.I.F.E. and agreed to lead the congregation on a temporary basis for six months.

But after receiving a call to a much larger congregation, he decided to stay with the smaller church in Van Nuys. By 1980 it had been renamed The Church on the Way, and membership was over 3,500.

Mr. Hayford retired as pastor in 1999, passing leadership of the church on to his son-in-law, Scott Bauer. The tiny congregation of the late 1960s is now a leader in the megachurch movement with over 7,000 members.

A prolific writer with at least 55 books, Mr. Hayford has received numerous awards as a pastor and author. He has received honorary doctorates from Oral Roberts University, California Graduate School of Theology and Life Pacific College. Most recently he has served as the fourth president of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.

According to the Rev. Carlton Young, editor of the UM Hymnal, Mr. Hayford has composed over 400 hymns, songs and other musical works.

Hymnologist Donald Hustad has the following account of our hymn’s composition: “Author Jack Hayford says that in 1977 while he was traveling in Great Britain he developed interest in the actions and symbols of the royal family, relating them to Christ and his kingdom. We need to cultivate a sense of the majestic presence of God. He is a close friend, by his grace, but he is also the majestic, holy awesome God of the universe and we need constant reminding not to take His royal presence lightly. In this short song we are called to recognize His majesty and then ascribe the glory due His name.”

Of course, throughout the Bible—but especially in the psalms—the concept “majesty” and “majestic” is common, especially in the King James Version, the translation most commonly used by Mr. Hayford. Psalm 93:1 is a good example: “The LORD . . . is robed in majesty and is armed with strength.” Psalms 29:4, 45:3-4, 68:34, 96:6 and 104:1 are but a few of the many references using this term.

Mr. Hayford’s “Majesty” is often sung along with Michael W. Smith’s “How Majestic is Your Name” (The Faith We Sing, No. 2023, a paraphrase of Psalm 8:9) and “Great is the Lord” (The Faith We Sing, No. 2022)—a song set that focuses of God’s majesty and greatness.

In “How God Evaluates Worship,” an article published in a series of pamphlets entitled “Survival Guides,” Mr. Hayford describes a theology of worship that sheds some light on his songs: “In my experience, theological discussions about worship tend to focus on the cerebral, not the visceral—on the mind, not the heart. True worship, we are often taught, is more about the mind thinking right about God (using theologically correct language and liturgy), rather than the heart’s hunger for him.”

“Majesty” reflects the heartfelt emphasis of the composer. Though one might read in this quotation a slight protest against liturgical worship that focuses on the mind and not the heart, the composer’s sentiment is consistent with his tradition. The author chooses a single theme and wants the singer to feel that theme in the text and the music above all else.

The central theological theme is straightforward: Christ is King, and as King of all, he is the sovereign of all (“kingdom authority”) and his name is to be exalted. The music attempts to convey a majestic tone, especially in the triplet rhythms that contribute a sense of fanfare throughout the song. One can easily hear this song played by a brass ensemble and used as a dignified instrumental processional for a stately gathering.

Although monarchy has never been the political structure of the United States, this metaphor continues to resonate with certain faith traditions as a primary means for envisioning God and Christ. While there is certainly substantial biblical support for this perspective of deity, it is only one of many images offered in the Bible and by hymn writers about our relationship to God.

“Majesty” is now one of the classic songs of the contemporary Christian genre, approaching 30 years of continuous use—a long time for songs in this style.

Adapted from https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-majesty-worship-his-majesty

Hymn History: On Eagle’s Wings

16 Oct

“On Eagle’s Wings” was the prelude at Pender’s 9:00 am Traditional Service on September 17, 2023. It was played on piano by Heidi Jacobs.

“On Eagle’s Wings,” by Michael Joncas;
The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 143

And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of His hand.*

“Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4, NRSV).

Many recent composers for the church draw from biblical sources, making allusions to specific images. Father Jan Michael Joncas (b. 1951) uses the providential image of “eagle’s wings” as the anchor metaphor for his widely sung refrain. This refrain is a response for Psalm 91, usually sung by a cantor.

In a presentation for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) convention in Long Beach in 1989, Joncas stated, “Scripture grounds my life as a Christian, a preacher, and a priest” (Joncas, GIA Publications, Inc. website). “On Eagles’ Wings” is an example of the high scriptural content of Fr. Joncas’s compositions. The composition appeared first in the liturgical music collection On Eagles’ Wings in 1979.

Dr. Joncas is one of the most prominent liturgical scholars and musicians in Catholic music today. He was granted the BA (English) magna cum laude from St. Thomas College, St. Paul, Minnesota (1975), the MA (Liturgical Studies) summa cum laude from University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana (1978), and the SLL and SLD summa cum laude from the Pontificio Istituto Liturgico at the Collegio Sant’Anselmo (Roma, Italia) in 1989 and 1991, respectively.

Fr. Joncas has published widely in liturgical journals, written books, and composed and recorded numerous collections of liturgical music. He served as co-editor of Gather, one of the most widely used collections of liturgical music in Catholic parishes. He has served in parish ministry and is currently serving as University Artist-in-Residence and Fellow, Center for Catholic Studies, in the Department of Catholic Studies, University of St. Thomas.

The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) was the first major Protestant hymnal to include the refrain, “On Eagle’s Wings.” The only changes were the substitution of “God” and “God’s” for “He” and “His” for inclusive language purposes. Many Protestant congregations might view this song as a chorus or praise song. The roots are, in fact, much different. The song was written in 1978 as Joncas was concluding his MA in liturgy from Notre Dame. He was ordained in 1980 as a priest for the archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis.

While serving in Minnesota, Fr. Joncas collaborated with two of his colleagues, Marty Haugen (b. 1950) and David Haas (b. 1957), in producing some of the most effective music for the church’s worship that has appeared in the days following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). This music written for the Catholic liturgy should not be confused with shorter choruses composed by contemporary Christian artists whose roots are in evangelical Christianity. At the National Pastoral Musicians conference in Long Beach, Fr. Joncas noted, “We pastoral musicians do not sing to entertain bored worshipers or to seduce them into brainless ecstasy; we may sing in the Spirit, but we also sing with our minds” (Joncas, GIA Publications, Inc. website).

In the Catholic liturgy, “On Eagle’s Wings” would be used most often on Sundays when the lectionary calls for Psalm 91. Joncas’s solo setting of the psalm for cantor is not included in The United Methodist Hymnal. The refrain allows the congregation to participate more fully in the singing of the psalm.

Most Protestant congregations know only the refrain. The beautiful, soaring melodic line and the rich, providential images of the text allow it to stand on its own. “On Eagle’s Wings” is often used in United Methodist worship as a congregational response to the benediction at the conclusion of the service. It also has a broader use, being sung at many 9/11 memorial services and at the memorial service for those who died in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995.

How music will be used once it is published may be much different from what the composer intended. In correspondence with this writer, Fr. Joncas noted, “I wasn’t aware that by printing only the refrain in [The United] Methodist Hymnal, members of that denomination treat it more as a detachable benediction than a verse/refrain setting of Psalm 91.”

Adapted from https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-on-eagles-wings

Hymn History: Tell Out My Soul/Be Still My Soul

04 Sep

The above is the melody to Finlandia by Jean Sibelius, which is commonly used for “Tell Out, My Soul” as well as “Be Still, My Soul”.

“Be Still My Soul” was the prelude at Pender’s 9:00 am Traditional Service on August 6, 2023. It was played on piano by Heidi Jacobs.

“Tell Out My Soul” by Joel Raney was sung at Pender’s 2022 Christmas Cantata by Laura Connors, soprano and Brian Stevenson, baritone

The main melody was based on Finlandia, a tone poem by Jean Sibelius.

From the publisher: This paraphrase of the Song of Mary calls for Christians to proclaim the greatness of the Lord, the greatness of his name, the greatness of his might, and the greatness of his word. For soprano and baritone solo with choir backup, this piece is equally effective with piano accompaniment or full orchestra. It originally appeared in Mary McDonald and Joel Raney’s best-selling Christmas musical, Sing Christmas.

Special thanks to the Sanctuary Choir, Liz Sellers, accompanist, Brian Stevenson, director and the Orchestra: Gwyn Jones, flute; Jeff Kahan, oboe; Alisha Coleman, clarinet; Jeanne Kim, violin; Sean Wittmer, violin; Ethan Chien, viola and Kyle Ryu-cello for all the effort in presenting Pender’s Christmas Cantata!

More from the Christmas Cantata at https://penderumc.org/music-ministry/concert-series/

The Finlandia hymn refers to a serene hymn-like section of the patriotic symphonic poem Finlandia, written in 1899 and 1900 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was later re-worked by the composer into a stand-alone piece.

Finlandia used in Be Still My Soul: