Originally in five stanzas, “Easter People, Raise Your Voices” by Rev. William M. James first appeared in the Songs of Zion Hymnal (1981), in its present form…

Can you imagine what the disciples and followers of Jesus must have said as word spread that he was not in the tomb?   The words “He lives” seem to be one plausible option…

All glory, laud, and honor, 
To thee, Redeemer, King, 
To whom the lips of children 
Made sweet hosannas ring. 
 
Thou art the King of Israel, 
Thou David’s royal Son, 
Who in the Lord’s name comest, 
The King and Blessed One. 

We love because He first loved us.  1 John 4:19  

This simply stated, lilting musical testimony has been one of the Sunday School favorites since it was first published in leaflet form in 1855.  It has since been translated into various languages and has been included in numerous evangelical hymnals…

The word worship is a contraction of an old expression in the English language, woerth-scipe, denoting the giving of reverent praise to an object of superlative worth…

John and Charles Wesley strongly believed in having congregational singing at their meetings.  They believed that their hymns would help to convict sinners, encourage the saints, and educate all in the Christian faith…

Lead On, O King Eternal 

When Ernest Shurtleff’s seminary class was preparing for their graduation, they turned to Ernest, who had written two volumes of poetry and asked him to write a hymn for their graduation ceremony.  He wrote “Lead on, O King Eternal” for that occasion...

On a cold, windy night in Germany in the early 1500s, a young peasant, Martin Luther, came very near being hit by a bolt of lighting during a thunderstorm. Following his close call with death, he changed his course of study from law to theology...

The hymn “When Morning Gilds The Skies” was written by a German author whose name has been lost in time.  It first appeared in a Roman Catholic hymnal, Catholisches Gesangbuch in 1828.  That hymnal originated in Wurzburg, on the Main River near Frankfurt.  Wurzburg in known for its picturesque countryside, with hills and streams.  It’s no wonder that a poet, seeing that beauty, would be inspired to write a hymn praising God for natural wonders...

Among the most prominent New Testament texts is the discourse on love found in I Corinthians 13. Hal H. Hopson has paraphrased part of this beautiful text in what has become one of the most popular late 20th-century hymns, appearing in many major hymnals published in the U.S. since 1980...

Life can often be a restless, disrupted existence until we give ourselves wholeheartedly to something beyond ourselves and follow and obey it supremely.  Such implicit trust in God’s great love and wisdom with a sincere desire to follow His leading should be every Christian’s goal.  Our willingness to trust and obey is always the first step toward God’s blessings in our lives...

William P. Merrill (1867-1954) was a Presbyterian pastor who served several churches during his lifetime—most notably Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City, where he served from 1911 until his retirement in 1938. Merrill wrote several hymns during his lifetime, to include “Rise Up, O Men of God.”  He wrote it to support a burgeoning men’s movement within the church...

In 1925, 19 year-old Albert E. Brumley left his home with nothing but $1.25 in his   pocket. Driven by a dream, he walked 26 miles from Spiro, Ok to Hartford, AR, and knocked on E.M. Bartlett’s door. “Mr. Bartlett, I hear you can teach a fella ‘bout music’”, the young Albert said.  Even though they’d never met, Bartlett took Brumley in, letting him sleep on his couch with the understanding that Albert would go to work for the Hartford Music Company after graduating from the Hartford Music Institute...

Though John Wesley is called the father of Methodism, his brother Charles Wesley may be called the father of Methodist congregational singing...

Robert Robinson was known as an unruly child while growing up.  At only eight years old his father died, and he was raised by his loving mother. In spite of Robert’s intellectual giftedness, he had a penchant for mischief...

“When Jesus came to Jordan” is appropriate for the First Sunday after Epiphany, designated as the Baptism of the Lord, for services of Baptismal Covenant, and reaffirmation of baptism. Each of the four gospels mention Christ’s baptism (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; and John 1:29-34). However, this hymn is not a descriptive retelling of the biblical narrative...

Throughout the Christmas season we see ads, signs and Christmas cards encouraging us to “BELIEVE!” In most cases it is a reference to Santa, but we want to encourage you to let it prompt you to think and pray about what you really believe about Jesus and how wonderful your abundant, eternal life is because you “believe in Him.” May “the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)...

Our Symbols of Christmas service this Sunday will focus on several of our Chrismon ornaments on our Chrismon Tree.  The word “Chrismon” draws from the words “Christ” and “monogram,” translating to “symbols of Christ.” Historically, there have been times when Christians were not free to worship in public, or even acknowledge their faith...

The hymn, “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” by Charles Wesley, looks forward to Jesus’ Second Coming and is one of our Advent Hymns.  It begins, “Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free.”  Wesley looked forward to the time when Jesus would come again to set us free from fear and sin...

John Mason Neale (1818-1866) not only founded a nursing order of Anglican nuns, helped social welfare organizations care for orphans and young woman, and was a warden of Sackville College, but he translated early and medieval Greek and Latin hymns in his spare time—focusing on the ancient ones that were written around the feasts and the fasts of the Christian year.  He is most well known for bringing us the beloved advent carol “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”...