Trinity Song -- Sandra McCracken

 

She was listening for Him. While walking on a beach in Portugal (see its flag here), Sandra McCracken says she wrote “Trinity Song”, even as the rhythm of crashing waves and her own steps metered and focused her mind on His three-person character. She found a simplicity and a power in what she heard that day; could it have been like the moments when other God-seekers have bent their ears to hearken to His whispers? It’s a rare commodity in our tech-consumed world, to seek silence. What is the normal human reaction when somebody whispers something that you cannot quite comprehend? Speak up! And yet, the God-seekers we meet in scripture did not dare say that to Him – note what Elijah (1 Kings 19:12) and others (Job 4:12-16; 26:14) said when they heard His voice faintly. That’s a picture of Sandra, as she directed people to listen for Him in 2016.

 

Silence was not a fad with Sandra, as she explained in several forums. It’s a lifestyle, a search with a goal to enter His space and receive His thoughts more intimately. She evidently had lit upon several biblical passages to spur her quest for a Godly silence; these included what ancient wisdom-writers (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, Psalm 46:10, and Psalm 65:1) had concluded was true, but only if one heeds the advice. Be still, say little or nothing, for even in that silence, He can be praised. And so, Sandra thought that approach was how one might more deeply appreciate the parts of Him that even believers find murky – namely, the concept of the Trinity, the three persons of the Godhead. Whether Sandra’s Portuguese beach venue was just a coincidence, or instead a definite plan to find the Holy Troika in solitude, she doesn’t say. But something happened, and Sandra didn’t waste the moments trying to sort out how or why it had transpired – she just absorbed the time. She says she could imagine the three persons ‘danc(ing)’, and perhaps He was feeding her willing spirit with the sound of the waves and the pace of her own steps, which were the ones He made for her, we could say. Her own words were immaterial; only His mattered. Thus, she took a page from her own experience there to imitate for the song that was already in her head about Him in the three persons she’d just heard. Only a few words, repeated to draw the worshipper closer and closer to Him, were necessary. Say His names – Father, Son, and Spirit – and what He provides – Holy Communion. Alternately use a synonym for this Trinity – Three in One – to approach Him reverently. And then solicit what He is only too willing to provide – peace, an invitation, and holy love. That was the uncomplicated formula that Sandra apprehended on a beach in Portugal.

 

Sandra knew she had found something, and upon returning from the beach, she immediately recorded it. Perhaps because she felt it was the three persons of the Trinity, she wondered if harmony in three complementary voices would work in this embryonic composition. Some people might find what she’s accomplished too simplistic, but Sandra felt that space is where He can be encountered. He is the Omnipotent, but amazingly He doesn’t force Himself on you and me. I have to be a surrenderer. I must believe that what He brings me is so much greater, purer, and healthier for me in this world, that I am willing to cast aside my other stuff to get what He wants me to have. Less is more. Heard that one before? Gotta embrace that concept, because that’s what’s awaiting you and me – I’ll take nothing with me and instead inherit everything that He’s been prepping for me. It’s a good idea to start working on that less and more thing now.       

 

Read some of the author-composer’s thoughts on the song here: https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Sandra_McCracken__A_songbysong_rundown_of_her_Gods_Highway_album/58907/p1/ …and here…https://markedministry.com/2016/11/04/song-stories-sandra-mccracken/  … and here also: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/sandra-mccracken-on-how-to-wait-well/

 

See information on the image of the Portuguese flag here:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_Portugal_(official).svg …This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States. The image may be found inside this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal

The King -- Amanda Cook, Chris Davenport, Ran Jackson, Ricky Jackson

We can say He’s “The King”, but that really means something quite different than what historians and most people imagine when they see that title attached to anyone. That difference certainly did not escape Chris Davenport, Amanda Cook, Ran Jackson and Ricky Jackson when they sat together in 2023 and considered how to sing to this king. They must have thought of the moments when Jesus was with Pilate, and how perplexed that governor was when he encountered Him. Pilate thought Jesus was a mere man (see the artwork Ecce Homo [Behold the Man!], by 19^th Century artist Antonio Ciseri), with perhaps a few tricks up His sleeve, and could not imagine that His crowning moment (even while wearing the ignominious crown of thorns) was near when He would, as king of the universe, die and then turn on death and crush it. No king has ever done, nor could one ever accomplish what King Jesus did. No reign has ever been established the way that Jesus brought about this one, and so these four 21^st Century composers thought of how best to acknowledge someone as unique as Jesus. A single shout of praise just doesn’t do justice to how we should respond. It takes a lifetime, and every moment counts.

  

Chris Davenport sat and talked about how “The King” developed the one day that he and his comrades were at Ricky’s house; they were about to suspend their work for the day, when Ran mentioned that he had a chorus, and the others’ reaction when they heard it was that the lyrics and the idea were obviously hitting the bullseye, so they decided to press on with their efforts, rather than quitting for the day. What is the best way to address the God who has done what Jesus did? They settled on the idea that praising and celebrating with every line was the only apt response. Chris said a church should just ‘light up’ as it shouts about the victory that He’s provided. So, let yourself go, and think of it as a party, but also as a time when your absolute conviction that He’s the beginning and the end of everything gives you confidence to approach the overwhelming issues in your life with a renewed sense that the darkness cannot win. He’s won for you and me, and we should consider it an honor and privilege to be called Christians. ‘For the war is won’, these four sang (v.1), and there are so many other words that they used in the lyrics that should lift the spirit of the church, like ‘victory banner’, ‘celebrate’, and ‘joy’ (v.1); and ‘trumpet’, ‘glorious sound’, and ‘Jesus riding on the clouds’(v.3) that provide thrilling mental images that are based in scripture. These aren’t just feel-good faint hopes, but real promises that we can take with us through life from the One who died and rose again to secure them for us. Oh, and there’s that word ‘Hallelujah’ that they sing repeatedly, to cap what should be an ecstatic moment. But, it’s also not a moment when we forget how Jesus paid for this, as the songwriters retell us in verse two that He ‘bore…burdens, and ‘suffered…shame’ for all of us. And yet, He met death head-on, and left its ‘fear’ in an ‘empty grave’ (v.2). Death is robbed of its horror, and we get to see Him ‘fling the gates wide open’ on that eternal morning. Are you excited yet…does that send an electric shock through you? You and I will indeed tremble at these words -- not in dread, but with exhilaration.

 

He will rouse us one day, of that we can be certain. Chris suggested in the interview that being Christian can make us take some things for granted, that we might become too relaxed in our certainty. You might have sung about the glorified Jesus a thousand times, but don’t get ‘too cool’, that you might start to take the same attitude as those who do not have Jesus. Live life remembering what that resurrection moment was like for Him, and how that will be magnified so many times when He does the same for you. It will indeed be personal, and you can start to celebrate it now, as a way to get others’ attention and broadcast to as many others as will listen that they can expect the same if they connect with this king. The album on which “The King” was included was entitled Time. That seems appropriate when we think of this king and what he’s already initiated, and how it will culminate in one never-ending day. Though time will be suspended, it won’t be an eerie place, a la the Twilight Zone. Chris, Amanda, Ran, and Ricky have reminded us that the shadowy domain where Rod Serling invites people to come, versus the one where King Jesus will be light, are quite different. His domain will inspire adventure, wonder, and utter delight. Which place would you rather be in – Rod’s home or the home of King Jesus?

 

See the song story shared here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcebOp2pwsY

 

See some comments from one of the songwriters here: https://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/chris-davenport-releases-new-worship-single-the-king/

 

See the information here re: the album and the year it was released: https://genius.com/Chris-davenport-the-king-lyrics

 

See information on the image here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcebOp2pwsY …The author died in 1891, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931. Find the image inside this article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontius_Pilate

 

Rejoice -- Ben Shive, Bryan Fowler, Keith + Kristyn Getty, Skye Peterson

 

What began as an inspiration from an anonymous author, and from a time over two or three millennia ago, coalesced into something broader with the help of five 21^st Century songwriters. The home of Keith and Kristyn Getty was the scene (see the map of County Londonderry made in 1837, with Portstewart, where the Gettys live, shown outlined in a blue circle) where this pair had invited three others – Ben Shive, Bryan Fowler, and Skye Peterson – to work out a new song they simply entitled “Rejoice”. It’s a theme that not only the original psalmist captured in six short verses of poetry, but which was also picked up by a 1^st Century writer who knew all about this emotional context even if it stood in stark contrast to his own circumstances. Even the Creator Himself would say that praise and rejoicing must be heard, lest the rocks (stones) cry out instead (Luke 19:40).

 

Bryan Fowler first suggested the theme of rejoicing to the group assembled in Northern Ireland, and it quickly stirred the imaginations of the rest of the group (sometime either in, or in the months preceding 2022). Bryan had evidently been reading what the ancient and unknown psalmist had written, and which we now call Psalm 150, especially verse six that is the capstone of the psalms. Bryan’s spark had already allowed him to concoct a chorus based on Psalm 150:6, and the others, especially Kristyn, felt that this spirit of praise was not something based on one’s comfortable conditions, and in fact should ring out despite what someone was experiencing. The apostle Paul’s Philippians 4:4 message to ‘Rejoice!’ spoke to them collectively. These five could not have missed that Paul’s exclamation came though he was experiencing imprisonment at the time. They acknowledged amongst each other that ‘sing(ing) the bible’ meant that anxieties we humans endure, particularly among young people, cannot be ignored. Indeed, that’s where the Christian truths come into play, so that people look upward to recall Jesus’ promises, to pray for one another, to be thankful to Him in all things, and to offer praise as a sign of courage and trust. Their lyrics especially echo what the psalmist and Paul spoke so that others would follow, though difficulties intrude on one’s joy – ‘…be anxious for nothing’ (v.2), ‘the dark cannot destroy’ (v.3), and ‘…throughout every season’ (chorus), we all have reason to lift up a shout of rejoicing. Some might even call ‘Rejoice’ an anthem, something we use to re-center ourselves daily, to remind us that He is worthy and should be the focus of our beings.

 

The Gettys, Bryan Fowler, Ben Shive, and Skye Peterson would be the first to admit that they had recorded something in ‘Rejoice’ that was not new. And yet, the number of times that this refrain is repeated in the bible’s pages underscores that what they have produced musically is reflective of what God wants us to never forget. Run a search in your own bible app for forms of the words rejoice and praise…it should be constantly on our lips, if we recall His character and His actions for us. These five composers have not left those Godly character traits and the transport He gives as mysteries for us – ‘love’, ‘gentleness’, ‘goodness’ ‘grace’ (v.1); that He is ‘peace’, a ‘shepherd’, and ‘reigns eternal’ (v.2); that He gives us ‘hope’ and ‘joy yet to come’ (v.3) – those are what He possesses and translates as offerings to you and me. How could you turn down such an offer?    

Read and hear the entire story of the song’s development here: The Story Behind: Rejoice

 

Read some brief comments about the song’s purpose (from Keith Getty) here: Keith & Kristyn Getty & Rend Collective – Rejoice Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

 

See information on the map-graphic here: File:1837Londonderry.jpg - Wikimedia Commons…This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States. This map-graphic may be found inside this article: County Londonderry - Wikipedia