Revelation Song -- Jennie Lee Riddle

 

She’d been praying for a decade, and this was the result. Jennie was having more than just ‘one of those days’ when she envisioned “Revelation Song”, and though she says her thoughts were indeed a prayer, she didn’t want any more of the ‘I’ and ‘me’ to emerge from that inner stimulus that she had to write something new. Instead, what she saw as the focus was the throne and the mercy seat upon which He would be sitting, a vision perhaps as awesome and terrifying as it gets, brilliant and stunning in the light surrounding its Creator-Judge. (See the Mercy Seat shown here, as illustrated in the 1890 Holman Bible, representative of what is described in Ezekiel 1:26-28 and Revelation 4). That’s the way to lift the church up off the ‘daily… rubble…and worry’, as Jennie described herself and those with whom she worshipped in the early 2000s (Revelation Song was written in or about 2004).

 

Jenny Lee Riddle was a young mother taking care of her son one day, perhaps an otherwise ordinary day, with the exception that some feeling had been building in her consciousness for some time. From her own words and the story behind ‘Revelation Song’, we can guess that she might even have been humming or listening to another song (Gerrit Gustafson’s I Hear Angels, written in 1989) with the same scenery that she would use for her own lyrics, because she appreciated its awe-inspiring imagery. She fervently wanted to see Him in all this glory described by Ezekiel and John, this God arrayed in ‘rainbows of living color’. Not only sight, but sound will testify about Him, in ‘thunder’ and ‘a new song’, as exotic creatures surround His seat on the throne – His mercy seat (Hebrews 9:5 and Revelation 11:19) -- to utter His praises. ‘Holy, holy, holy…’ is He, this ‘Lamb who was slain’. To ‘adore You’ is the only proper response, as Jennie reminds us. Just let yourself be filled with ‘awestruck wonder’, watch the ‘flashes of lightning’, and join with ‘all creation’ to sing to the ‘King of kings’. The only ‘I’ and ‘me’ in this episode is the one in which I am overwhelmed, and yet loved, in His very presence because His merciful judgement contains compassion mingled with righteousness. ‘You are my everything’ is the only way in which I can momentarily contemplate myself, and it’s only because I’ve been drawn into final one-ness with Him, He  ‘who was, and is, and is to come’. In fact, in that moment He’s no longer in the past or future tense; think of when all of history will culminate into an eternal present. That’s where Jennie was that day, when she set her son down and picked up her guitar and vocalized some words, words she expected to come true. Look at Him upon His mercy seat, and see if you can imagine what the ancient prophets and this 21^st Century songwriter could see and hear.

 

Step into the bright sunshine, an invitation that we all accept here below without even a second thought. Put on the sunglasses, so you don’t have to squint so much, and so your eyes don’t strain with effort. They didn’t have such protection when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (Exodus 34), and a veil was placed over his face to make the people less afraid, so they’d be less apprehensive in the presence of one who had talked with God – they were warned not to look upon Him, after all. I will have an unveiled face to look upon Him. You and I get that now, even as Paul told the Corinthians and all believers in a post-resurrection reality (2 Corinthians 3:7-18). It’s just a warmup for what Jennie wants us to see, and I won’t be given sunglasses to shield my eyes. I’ll see Him completely. Get ready for that rainbow of colors, and Him who will bestow His gift from where He sits.   

 

See the song’s story told here by the songwriter: Bing Videos (story from beginning through 1:25)

 

See a brief blurb here about the song’s genesis: Stories behind songs that changed the way we worship | ChristianToday Australia

See some of the song’s background her Revelation Song - Wikipedia

 

See here for a description of the place where God sits: Mercy seat - Wikipedia

 

See the image information here, and its public domain status: File:Holman The Mercy Seat.jpg - Wikimedia Commons …This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1928, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal. See this page for further explanation. This image might not be in the public domain outside of the United States; this especially applies in the countries and areas that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works, such as Canada, Mainland China (not Hong Kong or Macao), Germany, Mexico, and Switzerland. The creator and year of publication are essential information and must be provided. See Wikipedia:Public domain and Wikipedia:Copyrights for more details.

All My Hope -- David Crowder and Ed Cash

 

He recounts that it was a most unusual party, with a theme that resonated very well with a song he and his friend were preparing to introduce. That’s how David Crowder remembers “All My Hope” and a prodigal party to which he was invited one day in the 2016/2017 period (perhaps the scenes from the party looked a little like the one shown here in this image of a J.J. Tissot late 19^th Century painting, The Return of the Prodigal Son). How many people have parties for convicts released from prison? How many convicts have given themselves to a new life, walking in a totally different and new direction because they’ve seen the consequences of hedonism? David Crowder and Ed Cash can probably name at least one, now that they’ve observed or heard about this one prodigal that gave such potent life to the lyrics they’d shaped into a song. His name was Wilson, and though he had lived in despair and had then felt the exhilaration of physical freedom after decades of incarceration, his redemptive story is not unique. His life’s a metaphor. God didn’t come to die and rise again for people who were already in good shape – all humanity has need of Him, and we’re all prisoners without Him.  

 

David Crowder says he was traveling (place unnamed) and some friends coaxed him to go to the party, to help provide the celebratory musical environment for the event. David’s curiosity was piqued, once he heard the story about the guest of honor and realized that some of his and Ed’s lyrics for ‘All My Hope’ were so fitting for the occasion. This fellow named Wilson was ‘no stranger to prison’ (v. 2 of the song), and he’d worn real ‘shackles and chains’. Something in his prison life had stared him in the face, however – could it have been something like Prison Fellowship (founded by Chuck Colson), which has worked for over 40 years (since 1976) to help fellows like Wilson experience hope in a new direction? David and Ed, however, don’t provide those details. Instead, their focus is on the work that God does on a person…’yesterday’s gone’ (chorus) they write, a recognition that the fresh start is real in that person’s life who reaches out to Him for redemption. Being ‘forgiven’ and ‘washed by the blood’ (chorus) is that ‘salvific action of the one and only son of God’ (David’s words in the video interview). You can be a ‘prodigal returned’ (v.1), just like the once-profligate son (Luke 15:11-32). An amazing thing, isn’t it, to have the guiltless, divine, and eternal God do something like this! David recounts that he’d never heard people sing and rejoice with such energy, as he did at that party. Perhaps that’s because we rarely have such a stark view of someone’s body that has been in a ditch, covered with filth, only to see that same person lifted out of the muck and cleansed to a spot-free condition. This person has ‘been to the river’, and ‘felt fire from above’, and is ‘held by the Savior’ (v.1). That’s the lens through which God sees all those He made in His image – His creation, with self-inflicted wounds, and covered with grime that threatens to infect our insides and kill us with gangrene-like effect. He’s there with the cleansing agent – Himself.  

 

We’re all reclamation projects. Fresh Start was a ministry that had real impact where I live, initiated by a now-departed Christian sister to reclaim people for God’s original purposes for them, and based on what one of the first century’s apostles said. (Thank you, Candace Strother for helping others get in touch with 2 Corinthians 5:17!) Her efforts still echo today, and there may be other Wilsons that you know that help keep you grounded in how rescue happens, and what it looks like. It’s really not a ‘how’, but a ‘who’, right? The who is Jesus. That’s what David Crowder and Ed Cash want us to tell others – it’s ALL about Him, in big capital, italicized letters. ALL My Hope emanates from Him. Nothing can shake what He’s accomplished for you and me.   

 

The song story in brief form is found in this article: All My Hope - Wikipedia

See and watch/hear the more complete story here also, and hear a really rich rendition of the song: Behind The Song: Crowder Shares The Heart Behind His Single “All My Hope (feat. Tauren Wells)” | Freeccm.com

 

See link here for image information, including public domain status: File:Brooklyn Museum - The Return of the Prodigal Son (Le retour de l'enfant prodigue) - James Tissot.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 100 years or fewer.

 

See link here if you want to know more about how a convicted prisoner’s life can be transformed for Christ: Prison Fellowship

Said I Wasn't – Anonymous

 

It’s got spirit, and you cannot help feeling the energy and clapping in time with this one. Who’s responsible for generating the old spiritual “Said I Wasn’t”? Frankly, perhaps no one can say, but it might be a pretty good bet that a group like the Fisk Jubilee Singers (see this 1875 photo of the group) sang this popular song to lift worship and spur audience participation in a celebratory style. They made what are commonly known as the negro spirituals popular in the 19^th Century. But, they were really just helping perpetuate what had already been true for two or three millennia, in a land far from the Nashville, Tennessee area that was home to the Fisk group. The spirit they brought to the gospel music scene is still alive in other groups and audiences that go to see them --- see the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and their rendition of “Said I Wasn’t” in the link below. It’s a spirit that says the joy He brings cannot be held inside a person…it just has to escape and infect others.

 

Whoever conceived the lyrics for ‘Said I Wasn’t’ was likely drawing upon any number of biblical scriptures, including one sung by Hebrews as they approached their worship day – Psalm 126:2-3  -- ‘Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations,     “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.’ This anonymous poet was echoed by another unknown writer centuries later in ‘Said…’. Perhaps this later writer was also purposely drawing others into the song’s story, with a series of verbs to underline how the joyous message could be spread. If you’re good at ‘tell(ing)’ what the Lord has done, others can ‘sing’, ‘preach’, ‘shout’, and ‘pray’ about the same thing. And, that probably doesn’t exhaust the methods of dispatch for this ecstatic proclamation. As the writer has said – he ‘couldn’t keep it to myself’. Confident that his name was ‘on the roll’ as a ‘saved…soul’, he intended to keep proclaiming what he’d received. If the hearers did not actually witness the saving moment for the writer, they are invited to join in as if they had been – ‘You oughta been there’ – by joining in the crowd that’s already participating in what came to be known as the ‘solo call and union response’. One leads the song in a style that allows a group to reply in unison to the leader’s impassioned words with a similar verve. Would anything else but this method be appropriate for something called the Good News!   

 

That’s enough words from this blogger about a nameless songwriter and the dynamic creation that has endured for who knows how long. You are invited to click on the links and read more yourself about this song genre’s background, and especially make use of the link to Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing ‘Said I Wasn’t’ below. Then, go do the same message spreading about which they sing!

 

 

See here for a good, energetic rendition of the song: Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody | Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir - YouTube

 

See here for description of this type of music, oftentimes called ‘Folk’ music: Folk music - Wikipedia

…also see  Spirituals - Wikipedia

 

See this link for the photo and for public domain information about it: File:The Story of the Jubilee Singers.jpg - Wikimedia Commons  …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, 1928.