Before I started posting hymns for you, I always tried to avoid modern worship music. But I’ve learned that some of it is wonderful!
Jesus the Name High Over All–lyrics from the 18th century, by Charles Wesley, and music from the 21st, by Godfrey Birtill: with overall direction by the Holy Spirit.
And it works–it really works. You might want to turn up the volume on this one.
To start the day, a hymn by Charles Wesley, published first in 1739 and still beautiful today–Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise.
If you took out of the hymnal everything by Fanny Crosby, Isaac Watts, and Charles Wesley, what would you have left?
This is by Charles Wesley in the 18th century–Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown, sung by Maddy Prior and played, old-style, by the Carnival Band: a hymn about Jacob wrestling with the angel. Not the kind of thing we hear much of, these days.
May the music of God’s word fortify our spirits for the day.
I just discovered this hymn this morning–And Can It Be That I Should Gain, written by Charles Wesley and published in 1738, here sung by Maddy Prior.
It’s quite a wonderful old hymn, and let me see if I can get the lyrics for you.
Ah, here they are ( http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/c/acanitbe.htm ). Thank you, dear old Cyberhymnal.
This is what Love Divine would have sounded like when Charles Wesley wrote it–if he could have had Maddy Prior to sing it, and the Carnival Band to play the music. It’s a very soothing hymn, full of comfort. I almost think I should have saved it for the end of the day instead of at the beginning: but I like to start my blog off with a hymn.
One more hymn, today, a much-loved Charles Wesley classic–O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing. This is from the Church of the Redeemer in Morristown, NJ, 2008.
Turn the volume way, way up for this! I don’t think there are many churches where this hymn has not been sung today.
Words by Charles Wesley. Message by the Holy Spirit.
Raise high our voices, Christians–God will hear us.
A classic hymn by Charles Wesley, And Can It Be That I Should Gain, presented here by request.
There’s an awful lot of bad stuff out there–fallen world, evil age. But we have God’s promises, and I think He’d like to have our trust.
Sing louder.
Several sets of English lyrics have been written for Hyfridol, depending on which denomination’s hymnal you’re using.
These lyrics, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, are by Charles Wesley. There are Catholic lyrics, too: Alleluia, Sing to Jesus.
I don’t speak a word of Welsh, but I like this melody best with its Welsh lyrics. I let the music, and the tone of the choir, speak to me.