Song of Glory -- Calvin Nowell and Tony Sutherland

 

They called Him Son of God, the very first words in what they wrote. And so, Calvin Nowell and Tony Sutherland were echoing what the Father-God said when it came time for His son to launch His earthly ministry, when Jesus was baptized and God acknowledged Him (Matthew 3:17/Mark 1:11/Luke 3:22/John 1:29-34; see a representation of that moment in this work of art The Baptism of Christ, by 15^th Century artist Jean Colombe). That time was pretty crucial and has been the reason, along with the earthshaking events that happened at the end of His time on earth, why so many songs have been written about Him, including the “Song of Glory” that Calvin and Tony co-wrote in 2007. The world and the destiny of you and me would be very different if He wasn’t the Son. What Calvin and Tony said poetically was similar to what Jesus Himself said – that if people don’t say who He is, the other parts of creation, even the stones, would cry out (Luke 19:40).   

 

Though Calvin and Tony have not shared explicitly what circumstances spurred what they wrote, their lyrics capture what they felt and express what is so true for all of us. Perhaps that’s why Calvin, in some brief comments he gave at the end of a recording of the ‘Song of Glory’ and two other songs, shared what he obviously felt deep inside. In short, Calvin spoke of what is common for all us humans: that we mess up, but that that doesn’t stop us from being able to approach God with our admission of guilt and regret. He can in fact use our imperfections to speak His power into any situation that troubles us. Calvin urged watchers/listeners to engage with Him, to feel Him deep inside, and know that He loves people, and wants to hear from them so that He can heal them spiritually. That motivation seems to be at the heart of what these two composers shaped into a musical offering to God. The grace and mercy that He has poured out on humankind is so vast, that it cannot be contained just inside us mortals, even if we are His image-bearers. The ‘sky’ and the ‘oceans’ and ‘seas’ that Calvin and Tony mention are also part of His creation that joins in the chorus of praise to Him. That His grace ‘saturates my life’ is really an extension of how the non-human elements of His creative power are expressing – each moment of every day – Him. He forgives and grants mercy that doesn’t just sit there, it ‘sings’ of Him, and if we’ll open our eyes and hearts, we might capture what Calvin and Tony saw – that the ‘strong melody’ He has composed for us overcomes and ‘breaks the chains’ of guilt that we might otherwise bear. He stood in ‘endless light’, but gave of Himself so that ‘a thousand dreams’ became reality. A ‘rescue’ that you and I desperately need has been provided by what He’s done – really, by who He is. He is the love (1 John 4:8) that we proclaim, just as mightily, we aspire, as the ‘seas (that) resound’, the ‘oceans (that) roar’, that ‘fills the sky’, and ‘as the heavens sing’. Just try doing what nature is saying without pausing, Calvin and Tony suggest.

 

That is the life of the believer, this ‘Song of Glory’ that Calvin and Tony coax us to live. ‘Send up a shout’ from the very depths of your insides, as you stop for a moment and contemplate what they’ve said about Him. If you have something that hinders your praise, He wants ‘your deep’ reaching out to His ‘deep’, because He’s not just an everlasting being who is set on casting you aside. You and I are part of His creation, but in fact the most special living things that have been made in His likeness to exercise dominion over the rest of the living things (Genesis 1:26-28). That Jesus came as a man, looking like the rest of us, underscores that Genesis principle. And, Jesus exercised authority over the rest of creation while He was here -- as when He stilled the storm on the sea (Matthew 8:23-27) -- that really epitomized what God said about dominion that He wanted man to exercise. Mistakes entered the picture, seemingly upsetting the perfect picture that God had made. Except, He had a plan. And, it’s still working, and cannot be detoured, as when the first human pair were forced out of Eden. In fact, we’re all looking forward to making our way back to the beginning, to Eden. Jesus Christ is blazing the trail. Wanna join in?    

 

See some brief comments from one of the composers (Calvin Nowell) at the end of the video linked here (10:09-minute mark through 11:40 [end], a collage of three songs he sings [Unrestrained; Song of Glory; and Jesus Come]): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr-edxRbII8

 

see PDF copy + Song Of Glory this site that shows copyright date of song in comments section

 

See information about the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Folio_109v_-_The_Baptism_of_Christ.jpg …The author died in 1493, 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, 1930.

Same God -- Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, Pat Barrett, Steven Furtick

 

Unchangeable. That one word sums up what Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, Pat Barrett, and Steven Furtick were expressing with “Same God” in 2022. This Elevation Worship group in Charlotte, North Carolina was probably looking at some inspiring words that spurred them to think outside of their own experiences in this lifetime. They certainly thought about what different writers have said about the God they worshipped across the centuries, from historical periods separated by some 2,000 years, and even broader than that if they included themselves in this group of humans who have called out to Him. Perhaps what one fellow called Him is most apt – the Ancient of Days (see Daniel 7:9,13,22; and as shown in a reproduction of this 18^th Century artwork The Ancient of Days by William Blake) – because it communicates that He’s existed from before time began and He’ll also be present at the end of time. In other words, He’s not bound by time, so how could He change if He’s outside of our understanding of linear time?  

  

The comments by one of the writers, Chris Brown, further indicates specifically how the group’s focus helped them pen the words about this Same God. Chris and the others must have been thinking about what the writer of Hebrews had to say about God, including that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrew 13:8). And, there’s so many who’ve gone on before those of us who are still living, that we cannot help but think about that great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), as Chris explained. They had no doubt that He was – and is -- the same God that their forefathers had heard, and worshipped, and followed. So, these songwriters wanted people who heard their musical creation to join in, not just in the act of singing and worshipping, but also to think of themselves as being part of that great voyage of humanity, seeking out Him who made us. From the Jacob of Genesis to Mary in the gospels, and so many others in between – like Moses and David, and so many others they do not mention in their lyrics – who talked with, and even wrestled with this same God, one thing they could say was that He’s faithful. He’s dependable, because the pledges that He made to people long ago were honored. And, since He was a promise-keeper for those people, we can think of Him in the same way, and articulate that to succeeding generations. By creating a musical prompt for this goal, the Elevation Worship members have sought to add to the great collection of songs that help preserve a people’s awareness and appreciation for this Same God…as if anyone could reasonably forget or disregard Him.

 

The reality is that too many people do ignore God, until an episode in life just will not allow us to put Him aside. A few pages about ancient history’s people who tried to go around Him should give us reason to pause. Just a glimpse of how He interacted, and the number of people He impacted, was enough for 12 followers to give themselves completely to Him, including martyrdom. And, there were so many others before them, as the Hebrews 11 crowd testifies, and centuries of believers since then. He changed the trajectory of the people He met, and though He went home after 33 years here on earth, He’s still here. The Elevation Worship band reminds us that the Holy Spirit is part of the Divine presence, the same one who’s been called faithful by all those generations we can read about. We all still need Him, something else that they remind us to acknowledge. Have an ailment, lack courage, see giant problems in front of you, don’t know how to swim when an ocean preventing a resolution to an issue is in the way, or just feel insignificant to others? Brandon, Chris, Pat, and Steven recall all of those impediments in their lyrics. Yet, the same God is healer, lifter, protector, rescuer…the list doesn’t really end. He’s still who He’s always been.         

 

 

Read about the song here, including some comments by one of the composers re: its purpose: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same_God

 

Also read about the song’s purpose here: https://jubileecast.com/articles/27286/20220122/7-things-to-know-about-elevation-worships-lion.htm

 

See the composers and their band sing it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LawxIZE9ePE

 

For information on the image, see the following: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Europe_a_Prophecy,_copy_D,_object_1_(Bentley_1,_Erdman_i,_Keynes_i)_British_Museum.jpg …The author died in 1827, 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, 1930.

Resurrecting -- Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Matthew Ntele, Steven Furtick, Wade Joye

 

It would be no small thing to witness something like what they were remembering in 2015. That was what Chris Brown, Mack Brock, Matthew Ntele, Steven Furtick, and Wade Joye were saying essentially with “Resurrecting”, when they sang it as part of an album, an album that proposed that believers in the One with the power to raise someone to life start to live with that hope while still here on earth. Jesus demonstrated that He had power over life, to resurrect the dead (like when Lazarus was raised after four days, as shown in this painting by Leon Bonnat, France, 1857), so when these Elevation Worship band members sang about that in the Charlotte church where they were ministering, they were saying in effect ‘let’s think of that happening in Charlotte today’. What would you think if that sort of thing happened in front of your eyes today?

 

Oh, that must be a hoax! How did they stage that one? Where are the doctors to verify what they claim happened? There would be lots of skepticism, for sure, if someone were to rise from the dead today. And, there are plenty of so-called ‘faith healers’ that do put on a show (as depicted in the Steve Martin/Debra Winger 1992 movie Leap of Faith). But the fact of Jesus’ rising is the foundation of Christian faith, and really, what other better option is there for humanity than to stake our lives upon the hope that God through Jesus’ resurrection gives us? The issue of His rising has been the subject of much historical study, including in lots of books that could be listed here; three come to mind -- The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, by Gary R. Habermas and Michael R. Licona; Evidence the Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell; and The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel. Those are all studies of what happened to Jesus, about a key historical event more than 2,000 years ago. But what about today, and what about the people whose lives are changed radically? The Elevation Worship team also seemed to indicate that that is something that resurrection today brings. Although they don’t spell out explicitly why they wrote ‘Resurrecting’, this team of five songwriters suggests in their lyrics that knowing Jesus has risen can alter someone’s outlook fundamentally. They begin with praise for Jesus and His revival, and use that as a stepping stone for us mortals to worship Him and exercise a new life here and now. ‘Fear’ recedes in this new way of living, because ‘His…breath’ is inside the believer (v.3). And, they sing repeatedly that yes, we can expect to rise in the future, but they follow up that thought with He ‘is resurrecting me’ – in the present. He’s the One who resurrected people while He lived on earth (three people: son of the widow of Nain [Luke 7:11-17]; daughter of Jairus [Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43, and Luke 8:40-56]; and Lazarus [John 11:1-44]), people came out of the graves when He was resurrected (Matthew 27:51-53), and of course He came out of His own grave and appeared to many to prove it was fact. He knows all about resurrection.

 

This Elevation Worship team’s song was written probably at the Charlotte church where they are located, and where they recorded the live album on which ‘Resurrecting’ appears. It’s titled Here as in Heaven, evidently a reference to what Jesus prayed when teaching the disciples the proper way to address God, and how to regard His purposes for humanity (Matthew 6/Luke 11). Bring to earth and its inhabitants the ways of God. So, thinking of resurrecting as not exclusive to the realm of the afterlife is what Jesus wanted people to grasp. It can be now, and our engines are revved as we read about how He raised others physically, came out to the grave Himself, and plans to do that at the end of life for all who want Him and what He offers. That’s how we can start eternity-thinking today. As one of the apostles wrote, it’s now – you and I have it already (1 John 5:14). That is what the Elevation Worshippers in Charlotte also realized in 2015. Do you know it today? You can.  

 

Read some about the song here: Resurrecting - Wikipedia

Read about the album on which the song premiered here: Here as in Heaven - Wikipedia

Read about the group that wrote the song: Elevation Worship - Wikipedia

Watch an inspiring story about related to the song here: Bing Videos

See information about the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bonnat01.jpg …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 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, 1930, and if not then due to lack of notice or renewal. See this page for further explanation.