Maggie's Top Hymns

Portrait of John Wesley, Library of Congress

As you may have surmised, the serious chap above is the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. His "Directions for Singing." was printed in Select Hymns, 1761. Being the methodical man that he was, Wesley carefully listed and elucidated in 7 points how Methodists should sing. This one above is Number 4. Wesley was not a "laugh a minute" kind of guy, but he was earnest and on fire... in a "strangely warmed" kind of way. (I'm sorry, but you have to be Methodist to get that "strangely warmed" joke. I just might explain that some day.)

I am including the lyrics to the hymns that show up in the Saint Maggie books, but decided to include links to them on YouTube, as well, so you could hear the tunes. Granted, most of what you hear will not be performed in the manner that someone in the 1860s would recognize, but just the same, it’s important read the words and hear the music that goes with them.
Today I’m focusing on the three hymns appearing in Saint Maggie.
Click on the title of each hymn to hear how they sound, but first read my comments.
 

1. “Rejoice, the Lord Is King”

 
Frankie is jealous of the fact that her cousin Leah had sung the hymn, “Rejoice, the Lord is King” by Charles Wesley for the new pastor and, being a bit love-struck, reacts accordingly.

“I can sing that!” Frankie announced and launched into a wobbly, “Rejoice the Lord is King; Your Lord and King adore; Mortals, give thanks and sing, and triumph—“
Maggie cut her off. “Thank you, Frankie. Some other time, perhaps.”

I don’t believe Maggie was stopping Frankie because her singing was not up to par. Rather, I think she cut her daughter short because Frankie was acting out in front of the new pastor. Propriety is important! And we don’t want to scare the pastor off.

This version of the hymn is sung by a traditional church choir with organ, brass section, and timpani. Now… try to imagine a fourteen-year-old girl with an uncertain singing voice warbling it!

Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing,
And triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains
He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope!
Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up
To their eternal home;
We soon shall hear th’ archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!
 
 
O For a Thousand Tongues

This hymn, written by Charles Wesley, appears in chapter two of Saint Maggie. The little congregation sings the hymn as they prepare to meet the new pastor.

Some information on this piece: “O For a Thousand Tongues” is always – I repeat always – the first hymn in the United Methodist Hymnal. It is considered the “official” hymn of the United Methodist Church, if not perhaps for all the other denominations claiming the name of Methodist. Oh, and by the way, I’ have only printed verses 1, 2, 3, and 6 here. The original hymn has a whopping 17 verses, which no one in their right mind sings today. It would make contemporary congregations collapse in a heap.

The tune you’re most likely to hear in a United Methodist church is something called AZMON, written by Carl G. Glaser, arranged by Lowell Mason (1839). However, I chose a video of a choir singing a new musical setting by Mark A. Miller. You will hear a bit of AZMON as the introduction to the anthem, and the choir will sing a piece of the original tune at the end.

Mark Miller is a composer in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, which also happens to be my Conference, so I kind of know him. We’re not besties or anything, but our paths sometimes cross. So… shout out to Mark!

I love this video, I love the way the song is presented, and I also love the children’s choir seated in front of the adults. Can you say, “adorable?” I probably need to explain that videos of church choirs often are recorded by cameras mounted on a tripod or by cell phone cameras, so don’t expect great camera work. And once the anthem ends, the video goes on for another minute with the camera focusing on random stuff. My guess is someone forgot to turn the camera off and uploaded the video without editing. It happens. But never mind all that. The music is great fun.

O for a thousand tongues, to sing
my great Redeemer's praise;
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace.
 
My gracious Master, and my God,
assist me to proclaim,--
to spread, through all the earth abroad,
the honours of thy Name.
 
Jesus!—the Name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life, and health, and peace.
 
Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
your loosen'd tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Saviour come;
and leap, ye lame, for joy.
 
 
And Can It Be That I Should Gain

Oh, look! Yet another hymn by Charles Wesley. Let me assure you that the United Methodist Hymnal does have hymns from other composures. Seriously. But Charles Wesley wrote some fine stuff, even though his language may seem antiquated. Still, it’s worth listening too and/or reading his poetry.

Here’s how “And Can It Be That I Should Gain” shows up in Saint Maggie. During Camp Meeting, Maggie feels beset by the attitudes of her brother and the town. When she can take no more, she seeks some privacy in a field, where she prays and unburdens her heart. And then, out of nowhere, something happens.
 
And now she could hear people singing.  The wind must have been coming from the direction of the camp, carrying the sound of worship with it.  The melody and voices were faint, but she recognized the hymn nonetheless – “And Can It Be That I Should Gain” by Charles Wesley.  Suddenly the words were clear and bright as angels’ wings
.
Long my imprison’d spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night:
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light:
My chains fell off, my heart was free,--
I rose, went forth, and follow’d thee.
 
She heard only that one verse, which was odd.  Odder still was that the words and the beautiful voices disappeared as quickly as they had come.  Had the wind changed so abruptly?
 
And then Maggie understood.  The verse had been a gift.  She had been told that she was free – had been so ever since she had accepted Christ as her savior.  She was, in essence, being asked, whom will you follow?
 
The music video is of a huge British choir singing the hymn in its entirety, and the lyrics are posted so I don't need to put them in this post.

If anyone ever tells you that the British are cold, they are wrong, at least when it comes to this hymn. That choir is into it. The notes below the video say that it was taken from “Songs of Praise broadcast Sun 21 Oct 2007.”

I feel “And Can It Be” is one of Wesley’s most powerful hymns, and I think the choir in the video would say “Amen” to that..
 
Tomorrow, the three hymns found in Walk by Faith, A Time to Heal, and Seeing the Elephant.
 
Maybe, since I’ve covered hymns in the Saint Maggie novels, I might look at the rock songs in Heart Soul & Rock ‘n’ Roll. That should be fun.