Noteworthy Blog

Reginald Heber, an Anglican Bishop, originally intended this hymn to be sung between the creed (Nicaean) and the sermon, specifically on Trinity Sunday. But he met opposition because hymn singing, rather than metrical Psalm reading, was forbidden in the liturgy of the Church of England at the time. Despite his efforts to persuade, Heber would never hear his hymn sung in the church he loved so much. It’s unclear as to when exactly, but Heber may have just missed hearing it sung by parishioners by a few years. It was around the same time of this hymn’s publication that the Archbishop of York sanctioned the use of hymns in the liturgy. Written in 1826, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” finds it’s inspiration in two main scriptures, Isaiah 6:1-7 and Revelation 4:2-11. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee. Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty! God in three persons, blessed Trinity! I’m reminded of a more recent lyric, “The sun comes up, there’s a new day ...

This is arguably the 2nd most well-known hymn of the 20th and 21st Centuries. It has to be, Carrie Underwood sang it! Ok, well maybe that’s not THE reason for it being second only to Amazing Grace. But, if you were to Google the title, there’s a good chance the top result will be one of Carrie’s versions. (My favorite is the live version with Vince Gill performed at the ACM Girls Night Out event in MGM Grand’s 17,000-seat auditorium. It brought everyone to their feet. https://youtu.be/rk6gtZZgsNo ) Originally written by a Swedish author named Carl Boberg in 1885, it reached the United States in 1949 via the translating work of an Englishman by the name of Stuart Hine. Prior to Hine’s work, it had already been translated into German in 1907 and then Russian in 1912. In 1954, J. Edwin Orr heard Hine’s version performed by a local tribe in North East India. That same year, George Beverly Shea was given a copy and later sang it at the 1955 Billy Graham Crusade in Toronto. However, it wasn...

This week we’re looking at another very well-known hymn, sung in churches all over the world since it was first published in 1882. The author, George Matheson, shares the incredibly sad story that preceded his writing of this hymn. It took him all of 5 minutes to write and was the only hymn he ever wrote that did not require any editing. Matheson began to go blind in his late teens. When he broke the news of his blindness to his fiancée, she concluded she could not handle life with a blind husband and broke off the engagement. In the following years, he authored two theology books before going completely blind and leaving the academic world for life as a pastor. His eldest sister helped him for many years, even helping to take on some of the pastoral duties made difficult or impossible by his blindness, until she wed in 1882. On the eve of his sister’s wedding, alone and blind, Matheson feels inspired to write this hymn. In his own words, he felt more like it was dictated to...

“From Everlasting (Psalm 90)” comes to us from Sovereign Grace Music. Written by Lisa Clow and Lacy Hudson in 2022, this song beautifully captures the prayer of Moses found in Psalm 90. VERSE 1 O God, before the mountains were brought forth Or days of spring and summer filled the earth From everlasting, You are God VERSE 2 We dwell beneath the stars in ancient skies A thousand years are nothing in Your sight From everlasting, You are God Moses writes in Psalm 90:2, “…from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” This is not an easy concept for humans to understand. Not having an ending is palatable because we accept the idea of the Earth continuing long after we’re dead and gone as it has after our ancestors. But when we attempt to think about not having a beginning, I, maybe you too, struggle to comprehend.  To have always been, to always be, to have existence not bound by time is everlasting. And that is our God. VERSE 3 O God, when joy and trag...