A Charge to Keep I Have – Charles Wesley

This 55-year was still studying, and that was so typical of his pattern for spiritual life. It was also something that Charles Wesley apparently did not take for granted. Duty, obligation. That was what Charles was thinking as he penned the words, many of them borrowed from a commentary that helped spur what he would say in “A Charge to Keep I Have” in 1762. It was a well-worn method that Charles used, although the part of the bible that he used to collect his thoughts might not have been one that others would use for inspiration. But, given the experiences of Charles and his brother and their cohorts in faith, the attachment to a calling and being steadfast even in the face of opposition was like a heartbeat for them. How could they not do what God bid them to do?

Charles Wesley must have felt a little like a soldier guarding a tomb or some other very strategic asset as he set about writing about the duty of a Christian in “A Charge…”. Impressed as he was with what Moses said to Levites (Leviticus 8:35), and what a commentator (Matthew Henry) noted also there, Charles decided that he felt the same sense of commitment. He evidently thought the words of Matthew Henry were so very good that he paraphrased some of what this commentator had written, especially the title of his poem and other key thoughts in verse 1 – ‘…a God to glorify and a ‘…never-dying soul to save’.  What does it mean to have a charge? Certainly, Charles would have recognized the charge he had accepted when he was ordained into the Church of England. Perhaps he felt this more acutely than his brother John, for we know that Charles disagreed with John’s sense that a break with the state church once they had initiated the Methodist movement was necessary. Indeed, Charles reportedly asked on his deathbed to be buried in the cemetery on the grounds of that church, as a last sign of his loyalty to it. 

The Wesleys had both known commitment by the time Charles’ pen crafted this song, though their walks were not completely smooth. Starting in college, they adopted a strict regimen to guide their spiritual activities, one that was so systematic that some observers ridiculed their ‘method’, and hence the name of their movement that has remained into the 21^st Century. As young men, both Wesleys later spent time in the New World (1735-36 in present-day Georgia), but Charles returned to England after an apparently negative experience in the colonies as a chaplain. It wasn’t until 1738, when he was at a London church (at Aldersgate), that Charles formally converted to Christianity, a commitment he would maintain for the remainder of his life. But, because Methodism challenged the established Church of England, the Wesleys and their movement were not immune to controversy on a broader scale. Some theological challenges from the established Anglican Church, as well as some violence –including one episode that nearly saw John Wesley murdered in 1743—might have been enough to deter weaker men than the Wesleys.  

So, when he read of keeping a charge, this resonated deeply with Charles, for he’d been living a deep commitment. He wrote this song, perhaps as a personal prayer to God to help him maintain what he’d been doing for some 30 years. He called out to God about ‘my calling’, ‘my powers’, and ‘my master’s will’ (v.2), so he was evidently concerned about himself and entreated God for his aid. Verses’ 3 and 4 likewise show Charles’ using of the 1^st person pronouns ‘me’ and ‘I’, as he sought His intervention. He was a 55-year, but still needed the Lord, on a very personal level. Don’t we all!        

   

See more information on the song story in these sources: The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990; and 101 More Hymn Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1985.

Also see this link, showing all four original verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/c/h/a/chargkeep.htm

Also see this link for author’s biography: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/w/e/s/l/wesley_c.htm

And here also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley

Glorious God -- David Baroni, Bob Fitts, Paul Smith, Claire Cloninger

There were four of them, with a common objective in mind. Whether or not they were actually in Colorado Springs (see the map here) when “Glorious God” was first created in 1995, David Baroni, Bob Fitts, Paul Smith, and Claire Cloninger had a musical relationship via the company called Integrity (based in Colorado) that must have been part of the cement for the song. But, that was just the vehicle; the contents inside the vehicle could not be contained in one space so easily, as the words they collaborated to write show. This God whom they proclaimed has a reputation across the globe, as David and Bob had seen many times over in their travels and associations. And so, what they penned has a calling ‘to every nation’ (end of song), words that they must have thought could be useful in the many cultures they wanted to touch. What glorious characteristics of this God did they want to relate?

All four of these writers came together from geographically different locations: David and his family live in the Nashville, Tennessee area; Bob is from southern California originally and has lived in Hawaii for nearly 40 years; Paul hails from Texas; Claire grew up in Louisiana. So, what happened to bring these four together for “Glorious God”? With David and Bob, particularly, maybe it was the international focus of their experiences that helped them see how big God is. David and his wife (Rita) relate that they’ve served in over 25 nations, and have lived in 49 different states. That surely must be a significant spur for David’s service as a faculty member of the International Worship Institute for 15 years. Likewise, Bob and his wife (Kathy) have been to over 50 nations to carry the message about God, and still call a church in Singapore their spiritual home. Let’s assume that Paul and Claire likewise felt that God’s reach was far beyond the borders they inhabited. What did they collectively say about Him? Repeatedly, He’s the ‘glorious God, a powerful Savior’, the One who distributes mercy and grace, possesses divine goodness, and inspires creation’s cries of adulation. His voice is like ‘a crashing cymbal’, and his touch causes earthly tremors (v.1) – that’s how this God’s power manifests itself. His risen nature is not just to show Himself powerful, but to extend mercy and grace in an ultimate way to redeem all of us from death; we ‘soar like eagles’ (v.2) to celebrate this truth. Those are universal notions that reverberate in all ears. One can imagine that David and Bob knew experientially this resonated far and wide on earth.

Claire died in August 2019, so the words she co-wrote some 25 years earlier undoubtedly have more meaning for her currently – she’s seeing the glorious God face-to-face. Did she and the other three collaborators imagine together what each would face one day? What specific circumstances transpired to spark their teamwork? Perhaps there were none that stand out; maybe the life experience of each of them brought enough to the music-drafting table, and into the sound-mixing room to bring about ‘Glorious God’. God can shape a song any way He wants, using things we may not even notice. You think He’ll share those with us someday? I’m looking forward to His music lessons!

See this site for the author-composer listed first among the four credited with this song: http://www.davidbaroni.com/

And here: https://www.last.fm/music/David+Baroni/+wiki

See also: https://www.bobfitts.com/   and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Smith_(Christian_music_singer)  and here: http://www.hallels.com/articles/22091/20190901/claire-cloninger-christian-author-and-songwriter-dies-at-77.htm

We Believe -- Chris Lindsey

This musical artist believes in two words, one might fathom after looking at his biography and his work from 10 years ago (as of 2019). Chris Lindsey believes in the ‘we’ and the ‘worship’ that he brings to the church and the music he’s written, so what else could someone like him write besides a song he calls “We Believe”? He was most likely thinking of spurring worship in the church where he was, most likely in the Nashville, Tennessee area, though that wasn’t the only place about which he might have been thinking as he wrote ‘we’. He went on a worldwide musical tour for a decade, and he might say himself that that was one way of discovering the ‘we’. There’s lots of people inside of that ‘we’ concept, an idea which is embedded in the church where he finds himself. He’s back in the mid-Tennessee area where he was born, where that ‘we’ and ‘worship’ continue to motivate his pursuits.

Chris Lindsey probably still remembers a night at a church in Rochester Hills, Michigan in August 2009. That’s when he himself suggested to an audience that the song he and his friends would play was just a few weeks old. Chris indicated that he’d just taught ‘We Believe’ to a church in acapella (singing-only) style, so his motivation and the audience to whom he presented this musical message were obvious. Believers respond with worship when prompted, especially in the company of others where synergy is at work. That’s why they gather – to edify, to proclaim to each other, and get bit of a preview of what’s to come. It’s a powerful thing to tell each other what we see, to capture a corporate vision. To dream big -- that is what Chris says about himself and the church where he guides the worship and creative arts of the body of believers in Hendersonville, northeast of Nashville. See something larger and grander than what you can actually see with your two human eyes right now. This sensation is embedded in ‘We Believe’, an encouragement to look up and see Him and what He can do, and to thank Him for what He will mean to the believer in the not-too-distant future. ‘Free’ is how Chris describes the believer (v.2) today, a transformation that can be a testimony to others who may be in close proximity but feel the opposite reaction to their circumstances. Expose the darkness to light, that’s what Lindsey says can happen. And, this doesn’t have to end, but is ‘renewed’ (v.3) when He’s in ‘glory’ – what believers comprehend is the great afterlife, heaven.

Chris highlights in his poetry the only response that one can imagine when circumstances have worked out in an amazing way. How do you react when you feel ebullient, perhaps in the best moments of your life? ‘We will sing’ (vv. 1, 3), he exults. All that ‘we believe’ – in the Lord Almighty God, in Jesus, and His kingdom (v.1) – have been verified, and you and I are there to experience the fruits of those beliefs, to see Him in His breathtaking nature (v.3). His ways have also prompted freedom and a receding darkness in the world in which I live terrestrially (v. 2), before I actually receive my eternal reward. These are what made Chris sing in 2009. Do you see what Chris does? Do you want to?  Chris says something else that you and I may not have contemplated: God will sing too! (See Zephaniah 3:17) Imagine that! Is that where that synergy originates?                     

  

See the premier of the song recorded in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i_r6E3kRMk

Also see here for a brief biographic sketch of the author and the church where he ministers: http://wellhousenorth.org/staff/chris-lindsey/