For all my reformed and baptistic brothers...
The following Christmas hymn was written by Benjamin Keach (1640-1704... the first pastor to introduce the regular singing of hymns into corporate worship... wrote over 400 hymns and published two hymnals!). It gets way too little attention, so I thought I would highlight it here and you could use it in one of your services this month! (Sorry, it is the Worship Professor in me coming out!)
Awake, My Soul, Awake, My Tongue!
Awake, my soul, awake, my tongue,
My glory wake and sing,
And celebrate the holy birth,
The birth of
Which makes the blind to see,
The Dayspring from on high came down
To cheer and visit thee.
The careful shepherds with their flocks
Were watching for the morn,
But better news from Heav’n was brought;
Your Savior now is born!
Within a place obscure,
Your Savior’s come, O sing God’s praise!
O sing His praise fore’er.
I wonder if GFC will sing that hymn on Christmas...hmmmmmm
ReplyDeleteCurrently reading The Excellent Benjamin Keach. Fellow US blogger Joe Thorn, it turns out, named his son after Keach!
ReplyDeleteKen,
ReplyDeleteYou could use a number of tunes actually... it is Common Meter (8.6.8.6.). So, the tunes for Amazing Grace, O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing, Jesus the Very Thought of Thee or, for the "full-fledged Christmas experience," Joy to the World!
If those don't work for you, you can always click on www.cyberhynmnal.org and use their search feature to listen to about 4 million CM tunes! I tend to stick with the more familiar ones...
The tune we sing to 'O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing' is fast becoming one of my favorites! Thanks for introducing me to it Paul :-) Glory be to God! I love that second verse to Keachs' hymn...O happy light etc. It brings be great joy to remember my own conversion and to hear of the conversion of others, where God brings the blind to see!! Glory be to God Alone!!
ReplyDeleteTwin#2