Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above -- Charles Wesley

No one could have missed what this poet-songwriter was saying when he composed “Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above”, one of the thousands of works by Charles Wesley, an Englishman almost without peer in his phenomenal output. (See the flag of Wesley’s native England here.) His fundamental message was written in the hymn’s opening-title words. And, looking at some of the ancient texts of the songbook that his faith’s forbearers used, one could say that Charles was not afraid nor too proud to borrow a little from what preceded him. Good words flowed from the psalmists, Charles undoubtedly said to himself. So, it was not an accident that Charles got some spiritual and songwriting wind from one of those poets, catching the soul’s devotion that he recognized and decided to repeat in his own version of one of those, perhaps one that God’s own Son and His apostles might have voiced.

 

The word praise appears 10 times in Wesley’s four original verses, and that doesn’t capture all the other words that Wesley used to add some variety to how this praise could be offered. While Charles’s first verse says ‘praise’ four times to emphasize the theme of giving God credit for who He is and what He alone has been capable of doing, this 18^th Century writer was able to find alternate methods for offering God what He deserves in the following three verses. Praise is still on Charles’ lips in those verses another six times, but he adds words and phrases like ‘publish’, ‘spread’, ‘trumpet’s martial sound’, ‘proclaim’, ‘dance’, ‘raise’, ‘advance’, and ‘move’ in verse two alone to diversify the various ways to offer God the adulation a worshipper feels He deserves. Verse three continues this expansion of praise unto Him, with references to instruments other than the human voice – ‘harp’, ‘timbrels’ and ‘cymbals’, and ‘string’ -- telling us who pay attention that Charles thought Godly acclaim was unbounded, and to ‘celebrate’ with the ‘heart’s music’ could take many forms. Verse four was Charles drawing all living things into this orbit of praise to Him, as ‘every creature’ and ‘all things’ give it up for His glory.

 

Charles evidently thought and felt the same as the anonymous author of Psalm 150, as this 18^th Century offering seems to echo many of the same phrases, ideas, and structure present in that psalm; so we can hypothesize that Charles may have been drawing from his open bible and that specific passage for his inspiration. It also seems, to those who have examined the history of hymnody as it unfolded in old England after medieval times, that Wesley was consciously following in the footsteps of Isaac Watts from a generation earlier (in the late 1600s to early 1700s) with his own version of many psalms reworded. Indeed, besides the four verses that Wesley apparently wrote to parallel Psalm 150, another version of Charles’ hymn includes an unattributed verse that appears to be a rephrase of Psalm 97-98, thus carrying on the tradition that Watts and Wesley used in many of their works. It’s a way of saying with intentionality – and striking at the stoic and unbending nature of strict traditionalists – that God isn’t stuck on how you and I praise Him, that the exact words of the ancient Psalms aren’t absolutes. Instead, the keynote is that one word – praise. Whatever you and I do, make certain it is directed vertically. Not much else needs to be said, if we pay attention to how Charles directed his own heart, and ours too, centuries later. Thankfully, God is still making hearts in the same way as He always has.             

 

See here for some information about the hymn’s origin: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-praise-the-lord-who-reigns-above

 

See the original verses here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/p/l/w/r/plwreign.htm

 

Read about the author here: https://hymnary.org/person/Wesley_Charles and here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Wesley

 

See here for information on the flag image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_England.svg …This work has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible: The copyright holder grants any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law….found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England

 

Holy, Holy, Holy (Hosanna) -- Peter Scholtes

What would it be like to encounter a seraph? (See here St. Francis' vision of a seraph, entitled Stigmatization of St Francis [fresco attributed to Giotto; [1267–1337].) We know what one might say, even if its appearance might be something quite unfamiliar, apart from the six wings that Isaiah (6:3) noted were on the seraphim he observed. Peter Scholtes echoed these seraphim calling out “Holy, Holy, Holy” in 1966. It was part of Peter’s determination to bring God into the community where he lived that made him take the words of the seraphim and repeat them, so that they might ring more clearly in the world of 1966 South Side Chicago. How could what angels said to Isaiah be relevant to a culturally diverse neighborhood where Peter’s church resided, and where he tried to minister through a youth choir in a basement? Some people might have thought the rhythm style that Peter chose to accompany the seraphim’s words was rather unusual, maybe even a bit irreverent. It suggested that God could hear people in unconventional ways. Is God conventional? And, is the God of Isaiah’s time connected to other times? Peter answered that in the lyrics he pulled from both bible testaments.

 

Peter probably would have answered ‘no’ to the above question about God’s supposed predictability, when he put together his version of what the seraphim said. He appeared to Isaiah in a vision, after all, a method that God uses with not just anybody. He had a mission for Isaiah, one of prophecy. ‘Deliver my message’, God essentially said. It began with a reassertion of God’s nature, as testified by His servants -the seraphim. God is love, and is also holy. That was not something confined to the 7^th/8^th Century B.C. (700s/600s), as Peter’s words help us recall when he repeated what the crowds said about Jesus Christ when He entered Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9/Mark 11:9/Luke 19:38/John 12:13); with words like ‘Hosanna’ and ‘blessed is the One’, Peter reminded the people in that Chicago basement and in the surrounding community that God has not been confined to one time, nor to one place, and certainly not to just one people. With this kind of diversity, Peter surmised that God should not be restricted to one type of music to accompany the words about Him. The Missa Bossa Nova that Peter used was his way of connecting a Catholic mass with a bossa nova rhythm that would be familiar to those Chicagoans of 1966, though it originated on another continent (in Brazil). To some traditionalists in Christendom, this syncopated samba mingled with American jazz while singing ancient words to laud God was probably a bit too out-of-the-box, at least at first. You can listen for yourself (see the link below), but perhaps Peter was really just using what his observation of Jesus had already taught him. He upset everyone’s applecart with His methods, but did He stop? No, His was a resolute conviction (Luke 9:51).

 

Nothing was going to stop Jesus’ message, and that’s still true today. Only discomfort and stubborn natures can suspend temporarily what He wants done. He’s already spoken loudly in so many ways – like through His creation and through the bible -- that only the spiritually deaf, blind, and unrepentant would reject Him. ‘Bossa Nova’ in Portuguese means "new wave" or "new trend/knack", and that certainly spoke of Jesus. Even people today, particularly of other faiths, still cannot fathom or accept that this God would allow Himself to be sacrificed for our sins. With such utter power, and even after the crowds hailed Him as king, why would Jesus have to die? If you have ever tried to relate to people of a different culture, perhaps you have felt the divide that seems like it cannot be bridged. Is there anything that connects all of us, that overcomes the babel we use with each other? Human nature does indeed connect, and Jesus knew that – that’s why He came, to be like us. All of us humans have needs, which only a Divine Provider can meet. So, don’t let a different style get in the way of communicating a message that’s got a common foundation. Jesus had a different style, but He was still God, still love, and still holy. Now isn’t that something to celebrate with a bit of samba and jazz?        

 

Read about the song/album background here: https://vulcanhammer.org/2013/03/04/peter-scholtes-theyll-know-we-are-christians-by-our-love/ (hear the song here beginning at 15:30 in the distinctive bossa nova beat) and here: https://hymnary.org/person/Scholtes_P

 

Read about the author here: https://pscholtes.com/obituary.htm

 

See more information about the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giotto_-_Legend_of_St_Francis_-_-19-_-_Stigmatization_of_St_Francis.jpg …The author died in 1337, 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.

 

Sovereign -- Chris Tomlin, Martin Chalk, Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin, Jason Ingram

 

We often think of God as sovereign when He created everything in Genesis, but He will also be sovereign when time will reach full flower, as in Revelation, because His purposes for humanity will not be overcome by all the evil forces of the world and the universe. That is what John discovered in his vision of Him when he was on Patmos, and why he bowed in His presence. (See the Sovereign God depicted in The Vision of John on Patmos, woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld [1860]). Chris Tomlin, Martin Chalk, Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin, and Jason Ingram also had some thoughts about His role as “Sovereign”, and how that impacts us today. It really makes a difference in my attitude and outlook to know that He made everything, and that He still is. He’s the I AM and He’s made a way for me. So, the trust that these five songwriters placed in God as they thought about His sovereignty in 2012 was not one that acknowledges Him as mere ruler. Why would anyone trust a ruler who is just powerful? That inspires fear. This Sovereign is also Love.

 

Chris Tomlin shared in a live performance and with an interviewer what ‘Sovereign’ has meant for him and what it should mean for those who take in the song’s words. The initial inspiration came from Matt, as Chris responded to a journalist’s question about how he and the others came to write about this special king. The first words that Matt shared were captivating, so that Chris and the others were able to build on what Matt had started. Just think about what it means to have Him as Sovereign – that was the essence of what Chris said was so powerful, especially when this name for Him is repeated throughout the lyrics. ‘Get that in your hearts, church’, is a paraphrase of what Chris said he hopes believers ingest as they hear and sing the words. He’s in our greatest accomplishments, but also there in our greatest failures. That makes Him someone who is perpetually available, a God who allows us to express the joyous overflow of thanksgiving for blessings, and who is also there to embrace and comfort us during the lowest points, too. He’s also not absent during the in-between, during tedium and ho-hum moments, Chris said, because He knows from moment-to-moment where you are. That quality of Him makes it possible for you and me to respond to Him on any occasion, and that’s how Chris suggested the song could be most effective. Give searchers, who can admit that they feel something must be missing in life, the opportunity to look inside of themselves and draw closer to Him who can fill that gap, no matter how big or small it is. And, as Chris further emphasized, He’s got more than gap-filling capability – He can do the amazing in anyone’s life, so just let Him do what He does to give you purpose. Your life doesn’t have to wallow in a solitary confinement pit when He’s in the picture.    

 

Chris also said that this Sovereign is not only powerful and compassionate, but also omniscient. He knows everything about me. And yet, He still wants me, even if I’m struggling and don’t know at times if He’s really there and has a plan for me. He doesn’t have to have a team of detectives follow me and discover what’s up with me. He already has the insight into me, because He’s got angels – like messengers or protectors -- to send in my direction. And, there’s all those like-believers that He’s given me for fellowship, advice, and edification. He’s got all the tools, all the people placed in my life, to give me a better handle on life’s challenges, and also so that I can mimic Him in lending fellow mortals a helping hand. It’s called community. It’s all the preparatory work of this Sovereign that has made this available. ‘Mountain air’ and ‘ocean floor’, in the ‘calm’ and the ‘storm’, and during the ’dark(ness)’ and at the ‘dawn’ – His fingerprints are on all of that, as these five songwriters remind us. ‘Trust’ emerges from knowing that crucial fact. His ‘everlasting arms’ don’t get weary; but, He’s not got them folded across His chest, either. Instead, He's stretched them out wide – cross-wide for you and me.  

 

One of the songwriters (Chris Tomlin) shares some thoughts about the song in a live performance at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVpk-QmISRo (watch from 0:35 – 1:45)  …and also see this link: https://www.worshiptogether.com/songs/sovereign-chris-tomlin/ for more on the song shared by Chris Tomlin (from 0:15 – 1:50)

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_236.png …The author died in 1872, 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. …found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation