Hymn of the Month

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748 / Lowell Mason, 1792-1872
Written: 1707

Galatians 6:14 – But God forbid that I should boast save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world was been crucified to me, and I to the world.

This hymn by Isaac Watts, labeled by the well-known theologian Matthew Arnold as the greatest hymn in the English language, was written in 1707 for use at a communion service conducted by Watts. Its original title was “Crucifixion to the World by the Cross of Christ”.

Isaac Watts was born on July 17, 1675, in Southampton, England. He was the eldest of nine children. Young Watts showed an unusual aptitude for study and learned Latin at the age of five, Greek at nine, French at eleven and Hebrew at thirteen.

Watts is frequently referred to as the father of English hymnody. One of his early concerns was the deplorable state to which congregational singing had degenerated in most English-speaking churches. One Sunday after returning from a typically poor service, Watts continued to rail against the congregational singing. His father exclaimed, “Why don’t you give us something better, young man!” Before the evening service began, young Isaac had written his first hymn. For a period of two years Watts wrote a new hymn every Sunday.

In March of 1700, Watts received a long letter from his brother, Enoch, urging him to publish the hymns he had written. Watts, however, hesitated. He had other obligations including serving as the pastor of London’s Mark Lane church. Finally in 1707, he published the hymns, selling the copyright to a publisher for ten pounds. “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” appeared in this book of hymns.

The tune for the text is known as the “Hamburg” tune. It was the work of Lowell Mason, who was often called the father of American public school and church music. Mason stated that he arranged this tune in 1824 from an ancient Gregorian chant, the earliest church music known. Charles Wesley reportedly said he would give up all his other hymns to have written this one.

Watts composed more than 600 hymns including “Jesus Shall Reign (May 2020 Hymn of the Month), “O God, Our Help In Ages Past” (October 2017 Hymn of the Month) and “Joy To The World” (December 2017 Hymn of the Month). He is also the author of a children’s hymn, “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” (July 2015 Hymn of the Month).

Taken from 101 Hymn Stories Copyright © 1982, 2012 by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Taken from Then Sings My Soul Keepsake Edition by Robert J. Morgan Copyright © 2011 Robert J. Morgan. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Charles Wesley, 1707-1788 / John Zundel, 1815-1882
Written: 1747

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. I John 4:9

Charles Wesley was a prolific hymn writer of the 18th century. He was born in Lincolnshire, England, the youngest of 18 children. Coming from a musical family, he left a legacy of congregational music. It is estimated that during his lifetime, Wesley penned more than 9,000 poems of a spiritual nature, 6500 of which are hymns.

“Love Divine All Loves Excelling” is another of his well-known hymns. The text was written in 1747 and was published in a collection of hymns entitled “Hymns for those that Seek, and those that Have, Redemption in the Blood of Christ”. The hymn extols the love of God as expressed in the incarnation of Christ.

The third stanza emphasizes the truth that the Spirit of God indwells the temple or body of each believer. Then in the fourth stanza Wesley’s phrase, “changed from glory into glory” is almost a direct quotation from II Corinthians 3:18 (KJV). Wesley also anticipates the glorious culmination of faith when we “cast our crowns before Thee, lost in wonder, love and praise.” The hymn seems to be set most often to the tune “Beecher” by John Zundel from Christian Heart Songs, 1870); and to the stately Welsh tunes “Hyfrydol” by Rowland Hugh Prichard (1811–1887) in Great Britian. The hymn was sung at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022.

There are few stories behind specific hymns because Wesley was always writing them. He didn’t need events to inspire him or quiet stretches of meditative time in which to develop his thoughts and he had few if any dramatic stories to tell about the occasions for writing them. Many of his hymn texts are solidly based on the Scriptures.

Henry Moore, one of his friends, described Wesley saying: “When he was nearly eighty, he rode a little horse, gray with age. As he jogged leisurely along, he jotted down any thought that struck him. He kept a card in his pocket for this purpose, on which he wrote his hymn in shorthand. Not infrequently he had come to our house in City Road, and, having left the pony in the garden in front, he would enter, crying out, ‘Pen and ink! Pen and ink!’ These being supplied he wrote the hymn he had been composing.”

Scholars suggest that he was able to compose about 10 lines of verse daily for 50 years. Wesley’s brother John sometimes served as editor of his hymns. John is credited with improving the sing ability of the hymns. Several of Wesley’s works have been the KHCB Hymn of the Month including “And Can It Be” (March 2018), “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” (April 2014), and the carol “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (December 2016).

Taken from Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions

Used by permission from “History of Hymns” by Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Director of the Sacred Music Program and Distinguished Professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

Blessed Assurance

Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915 / Phoebe P. Knapp, 1839-1908
Written: 1873

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22

Fanny Crosby, the blind American poetess, has often been called the queen of gospel song writers. Although she did not begin writing gospel songs until she was forty-four years of age, from her radiant heart and prolific pen flowed more than 8,000 gospel hymns before her home-going at the age of ninety-five. Her hymns have been and are still being sung more frequently than those of any other gospel hymn writer.

At times, musician friends would first compose the music and then ask Fanny Crosby for the words. Such was the case for the hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” One of Fanny’s dearest friends was Phoebe Knapp, the wife of Joseph Knapp, founder of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company where Fanny was a frequent houseguest.

One day in 1873, while she was staying at the Knapp Mansion, Phoebe said she had a tune she wanted to play. Going to the music room, she sat at the piano and played a new composition of her own while the blind hymnist listened. Knapp asked, “What does this tune say?” Fanny responded immediately, “Why, that says: ‘Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine.’” Fanny quickly composed the words, and a great hymn was born. Knapp published more than 500 gospel songs herself.

Many years later, D.L. Moody was preaching in New York at the 23^rd Street Dutch Reformed Church. The Moody/Sankey meetings had popularized Crosby’s hymns around the world and had made the blind poetess a household name. But whenever she attended a Moody/Sankey meeting, she refused to be recognized, disavowing acclaim.

This day the church was so crowded she could find nowhere to sit. Moody’s son, Will, seeing her, offered to find her a seat. To her bewilderment, he led her onto the platform just as the crowd was singing “Blessed Assurance.” Moody jumped to his feet, raised his hand, and interrupted the singing. “Praise the Lord!” he shouted. Here comes the authoress!”

Fanny took her seat amid thunderous ovation, humbly thanking God for allowing her to be a blessing to so many.

Taken from 101 Hymn Stories Copyright © 1982, 2012 by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Taken from Then Sings My Soul Keepsake Edition by Robert J. Morgan Copyright © 2011 Robert J. Morgan. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882 / J. Baptiste Calkin, 1827-1905
Written: December 25, 1863

Luke 2:14 – Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (KJV)

Heny Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland Maine, February 27, 1807. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825. After graduation, he was offered a job as professor of modern languages at his alma mater. He went to Europe for four years for further studies to qualify for the position and then returned to begin his teaching career. In 1835, Longfellow was offered a professorship of Modern Languages at Harvard. He began publishing his poetry in 1839 including such classics as “Paul Revere’s Ride”, “Hiawatha” and “Evangeline”. In 1854, he retired from Harvard, devoting himself entirely to writing.

In 1861, two years before writing this poem, Longfellow’s personal peace was shaken when his wife tragically died when her dress caught fire in their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That same year, the Civil War broke out, tearing the nation apart. The cruel miseries of the war greatly distressed Longfellow. Two years later, Longfellow’s oldest son, Charles, who was 17, ran away from home and joined the Union Army without his father’s blessing. Charles was soon appointed as a lieutenant, but in November, he was shot through the left shoulder at the Battle of Mine Run in Viriginia. The bullet nicked his spine and came close to paralyzing him. He was taken to Washington to recuperate.

Receiving the news on December 1, Longfellow left immediately for Washington. He found his son well enough to travel and they headed back to Cambridge, arriving home on December 8. For weeks Longfellow sat by his son’s bedside, slowly nursing his boy back to health. Charles recovered, but his time as a soldier was finished.

Longfellow wrote “Christmas Bells” on Christmas Day of 1863. He gave vent to his feelings in the carol that can only be understood against the backdrop of war. The text tells of hearing Christmas bells during the Civil War but despairing that instead of the message of “peace on earth, good will to men,” the message is a strong one of hate that mocks such a song. The text concludes, however, with a final ringing of the bells that proclaims, “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep” and that there will ultimately be “… peace on earth, good will to men”. The refrain “peace on Earth, goodwill to men” is a reference to the King James Version of Luke 2:14.

John Baptiste Calkin, the composer of this music, was a prolific American composer of church music and hymns. It was not until 1872 that the poem is known to have been set to music. “Christmas Bells” was first published in February 1865, in Our Young Folks, a juvenile magazine.

For the Beauty of the Earth

Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917 / Conrad Kocher, 1786-1872
Written: 1864

Philippians 4:8 – Whatsover things are true, whatsoever things are honest…just, … pure, … lovely, … of good report, … think on these things.

This hymn expresses many of the blessings of life so commonly taken for granted and directs our “grateful praise” to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. The author, Folliott S. Pierpoint, was 29, when walking in the countryside on a beautiful Spring day saw the ocean of green, the blue dome of heaven, and the winding Avon River cutting through the flowery landscape. Overwhelmed with God’s creative brilliance, he wrote this poem. He begins by reminding us of all the physical beauties of the world-the sun, flowers, and shining stars. He then reminds us of the social joys of friends and home-those relationships that bring such enriching dimensions to life. Above all, however, he gives thanks for the church, God’s ordained agency for accomplishing divine purposes in this world.

This hymn first appeared in a collection of poems published in 1864. It was entitled “The Sacrifice of Praise.” Each verse ended with: “Christ, Our God, to Thee we raise/This our sacrifice of praise.” That line was eventually changed to, “Lord of all, to Thee we raise/This our hymn of grateful praise.” It consisted of eight six-line stanzas of which four are omitted in some hymnals. A verse not included in most hymnals gives thanks for God Himself, who has made all of the joys and beauties of life possible:

For Thyself, best Gift Divine! To our race so freely given;

For that great, great love of Thine, peace on earth, and joy in heaven”

Lord of all to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

Folliott Perpoint was born in the historic town of Bath, England in 1835, and was a lay member of the Anglican Church. Following his graduation from Queen’s College, Cambridge, he taught the classics at Somerset College, and later became an independent writer. Although he published seven volumes of poems and hymn texts, he is best remembered for this one beautiful hymn.

For the Beauty of the Earth is mostly commonly sung to the tune of Dix, written by German composer and organist Conrad Kocher (1786-1872) in 1838. The tune name “Dix” came from the association of this melody with William Dix’s hymn, “As With Gladness Men of Old.” “For the Beauty of the Earth” was first written for use at a communion service of the church but has since become one of the favorite hymns during the Thanksgiving season.

What A Friend We Have In Jesus

Joseph Scriven, 1819-1886/Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918
Written: 1868

…the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Though this hymn is not considered to be an example of great literary writing, it’s simply stated truths have brought solace and comfort to countless numbers of God’s people since it was first written in 1857. So relevant to the basic spiritual needs of people are these words that many missionaries state that it is one of the first hymns taught to new converts. The very simplicity of the text and music has been its appeal and strength.

Joseph Scriven was born September 10, 1819, of prosperous parents in Dublin, Ireland. After attending classes at Trinity College, Dublin, he pursued a military career, where he trained for service in India; but had to abandon that ambition because of his poor health. He returned to Trinity and graduated in 1842. In 1844, at the age of twenty-five, he decided to leave his native country and migrate to Canada after the accidental drowning of his fiancée the night before their scheduled wedding. Scriven organized a private school in 1850 in Brantford and preached in the area.

Scriven published a collection of his poetic works, Hymns and Other Verses, which included seventy-one hymns “intended to be sung in assemblies of the children of God on the first day of the week and on other occasions when two or three are met together in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” “What a Friend” does not appear in the collection.

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” was never intended by Scriven for publication. Upon learning of his mother’s serious illness and unable to be with her in far-off Dublin, he wrote a letter of comfort enclosing the words of this text. The poem was originally titled “Pray Without Ceasing”. Some time later when he himself was ill, a friend who came to call on him chanced to see the poem scribbled on scratch paper near the bed. The friend read it with keen interest and asked Scriven if he had written the words. Scriven, with typical modesty, replied, “The Lord and I did it between us”.

The composer of the music, Charles C. Converse, was well-educated and his talents ranged from law to professional music. Though he was an excellent musician and composer with many of his works performed by the leading American orchestras and choirs of his day, his life is best remembered for the simple music so well suited to Scriven’s text. He composed the tune in 1868 and renamed the poem.

Ira D. Sankey discovered the hymn in 1875, just in time to include it in his well-known collection, Sankey’s Gospel Hymns Number One. Later Sankey wrote, “The last hymn which went into the book became one of the first in favor.”

Used by permission from “History of Hymns” by Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Director of the Sacred Music Program and Distinguished Professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

Redeemed, How I Love To Proclaim It

Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915 / William James Kirkpatrick, 1838-1921
Written: 1882

Oh give thanks to the LORD for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary. Psalm 107:1,2 (NASB)

Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or god from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. I Peter 1:18,19 (NASB)

Fanny Crosby was born March 24, 1820 in the village of Brewster, about 50 miles north of New York City. She became blind at the age of six weeks from maltreatment of her eyes during a spell of sickness. At age eight, Crosby wrote her first poem which described her condition. She later stated: “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”

In the fall of 1850, Crosby was invited to attend revival meetings. At the end of the service on November 20^th, she was the only person to answer the call and come forward to accept Jesus Christ as her Savior. The congregation began to sing Isaac Watt’s consecration hymn, “Alas and Did My Saviour Bleed.” It was during the fifth and last verse—“Here, Lord, I give myself away. Tis all that I can do”, that Crosby said, “for the first time I realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand, and the Lord in the other.”

Through faith in Jesus Christ as her personal Savior, Fanny found the spiritual forgiveness, peace and life for which she had been searching. For the remainder of her life she was a devoted disciple and servant of Jesus. Eventually she was led into her primary ministry as a hymnwriter. She composed the lyrics for nearly 9,000 hymns.

Once she was asked, “Is there a special hymn written for your conversion experience? She replied, “I would write many hymns to describe the joy of my salvation. The one that stands out them most to me right now is “Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It.” The hymn was written in 1882.

The hymn originally had five stanzas, although the last stanza is often omitted from hymnals today. The fifth stanza says:

I know there’s a crown that is waiting,

In yonder bright mansion for me,

And soon, with the spirits made perfect,

At home with the Lord I shall be.

In her joyful gospel song, Crosby lists several blessings she enjoys because of the redeeming work of Christ. We rejoice with her when we sing these words about our salvation. We are made His children forever (verse 1); we live constantly in the light of His presence and we are happy in the Lord (verse 2); we joyfully meditate on the things of the Lord (verse 3); we have a song in our hearts, even in dark times ( verse 3 & 4); we are guarded and guided by Him and will be with Him in heaven one day (verse 4); and we will have heavenly rewards and dwelling places there (verse 5).

William J. Kirkpatrick, whom Crosby often teamed with for her songs, provided the jubilant tune for this popular hymn. It first appeared in the hymnal Songs of Redeeming Love, published in 1882.

Some of her other well-known hymns include “To God Be the Glory (KHCB Hymn April 2021), “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”, (KHCB Hymn April 2015), and “Blessed Assurance”, (KHCB Hymn May 2014).

Taken from Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions

Used by permission from dianaleaghmatthews.com

Used by permission from Wordwise Hymns by Robert Cottrill wordwisehymns.com

America the Beautiful

Katherine Lee Bates, 1859-1929 / Composer- Samuel A. Ward, 1847-1903
Written: 1912

Proverbs 14:34 – Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people.

Katharine Lee Bates was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts, On August 12, 1859. She graduated from Wellesley College, in 1880. After teaching high school for six years, Katharine returned to Wellesley and eventually became head of the English Department.

Miss Bates was first inspired to write patriotic verse, in 1892, in recognition of the 400^th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of America. The following year, she was visiting and teaching during the summer months in the state of Colorado. While viewing the countryside from the beautiful summit of Pike’s Peak, a summit which towers more than 14,000 feet above sea level, she was further inspired to write a national hymn that would describe the majesty and vastness of our great land.

She writes, “It was there, as I was looking out over the sea-like expanse of fertile country, spreading away so far under the ample skies, that the opening lines of this text formed in my mind. The expression ‘Alabaster Cities” was the direct result of my visit to the Columbian Exposition of the World’s Fair in Chicago. It made such a strong appeal to my patriotic feelings that it was, in no small degree, responsible for at least the last stanza. It was my desire to compare the unusual beauties of God’s nature in this country with the distinctive spectacles created by man.”

Though this text sparkles with distinctive language, it is interesting to note, that each stanza is rounded off with the earnest prayer, that God will always help our land to attain its real destiny. In this hymn, as in her other writings, Miss Bates spoke often of the truth, that unless we crown our good with brotherhood, of what lasting value are our spacious skies, our amber waves of grain, our mountain majesties or our fruited plains? She would add, “We must match the greatness of our country with the goodness of godly living.”

The completed poem stayed in Miss Bates’ notebook for some time, until she came upon it again in 1899, and sent it to a publisher in Boston. Several years later, she rewrote the text, simplifying the phraseology, and this revised version was first printed in November, 1904. Slight further revision was made fourteen years later to produce the hymn as it is known today.

At least sixty tunes have been composed and tried with this text through the years. The one most commonly used today is known as the “Materna” tune, meaning “motherly.” It was written nearly ten years before the text by a New Jersey music businessman named Samuel A. Ward. In 1912, permission from the composer’s widow made it possible to join this tune with the text.

I Love to Tell the Story

A. Katherine Hankey, 1834 - 1911 / Composer – William G. Fischer, 1835 - 1912
Written: 1875

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Proverbs 11:30 (KJV)

Katherine Hankey was born in 1834, the daughter of a wealthy English banker.

She lived in an elite suburb of southwest London known as Clapham. Her father was a leader in the “Clapham Sect” that was a group of evangelicals who gave freely of their time, talents, and money to spread the gospel. Early in life, Katherine, or Kate, as she was affectionately known, became involved in ministry. As a young girl she taught Sunday School, and when she was eighteen, she organized a Bible study for factory girls in London. She also did considerable writing, including such works as Bible Class Teachings and a number of books of verse. All of the royalties received from these publications were always directed to some foreign missions project.

During the winter of 1865-1866, at the age of 30, she became seriously ill. The doctors warned her to abandon her Christian activities and remain in bed for a full year. To occupy her time, she wrote a poem of one hundred stanzas on the life of Christ entitled “The Old, Old Story.” She began the first section, “The Story Wanted,” on January 29, 1866. It was from this part of her poem that she later adapted the words for another of her familiar hymn texts, “Tell Me the Old, Old Story.” Later that year, she wrote a second section entitled, “The Story Told.” From these verses came the text for “I Love to Tell the Story.”

The personal, intimate language comes through in such phrases, for example, as “it (the story) satisfies my longings as nothing else can do” (stanza one) and “it did so much for me, and that is just the reason I tell it now to thee” (stanza two). Hankey is passionate about this story and how it has changed her life.

The following year, at the international convention of the Young Men’s Christian Association, Major General Russell ended his powerful sermon by quoting from Hankey’s poem. It left the audience breathless. In the audience that day was a noted American gospel musician, William H. Doane, composer of more than 2,000 gospel songs including music for many of Fanny Crosby’s hymns.Mr. Doane was greatly moved by these lines and promptly composed musical settings for both texts, “Tell Me the Old, Old Story” and “I Love to Tell the Story.”

Later a new musical setting, which replaced Doane’s music for “I Love to Tell the Story”, was composed by William G. Fischer, a Philadelphia musician and piano dealer, who composed some 200 tunes for Sunday school hymns and gospel songs. Fischer also added the refrain for the hymn, “I love to tell the story! Twill by my theme in glory—to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” In the refrain the word “love” takes on a double meaning—both about the state of the singer and the message of Jesus: “I love to tell the story…of Jesus and His love.”

It was first published in an American hymnbook, Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs, and was later popularized around the world in the great evangelistic campaigns of D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey.

Taken from Then Sings My Soul Keepsake Edition by Robert J. Morgan Copyright © 2011 Robert J. Morgan. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson
Taken from 101 Hymn Stories Copyright © 1982, 2012 by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Used by permission from “History of Hymns” by Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Director of the Sacred Music Program and Distinguished Professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

Author: Vernon J Charlesworth, 1838-1915 / Composer: Ira D. Sankey, 1840-1908
Written: Published in 1885

Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 (KJV)

Vernon John Charlesworth was a British pastor born April 28, 1839. He was educated at Homerton College and was married in 1860 to Eliza Moore. They had nine children. Charlesworth is remembered in history for three things. First, he wrote an enduring biography of Rowland Hill, the British preacher who used his personal wealth to build London’s famous Surrey Chapel, where Charlesworth began serving as co-pastor in 1864.

Second, he left Surrey Chapel in 1869 to become administrator of Charles Spurgeon’s Stockwell Orphanage. Spurgeon’s early biographer, W. Y. Fullerton, wrote that “Charlesworth’s influence on the boys, his advocacy of the orphanage, and his guidance of affairs were a great asset for many years until in 1915 he finished his course”.

Third, he wrote “A Shelter in the Time of Storm,” based, it is said, on his study of Psalm 32:7: “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.” The hymn was written in 1880. Charlesworth died on January 5, 1915, in London, England, serving as the headmaster of the orphanage until his death.

The hymn was apparently set to music, and it became popular along the coast of England. Ira Sankey, in his autobiography, wrote, “I found this hymn in a small paper published in London called The Postman. It was said to be a favorite song of the fishermen on the north coast of England, and they were often heard singing it as they approached the harbors in the time of storm. As the hymn was set to a weird minor tune, I decided to compose one that would be more practical, one that could be more easily sung by the people.” In 1885, Sankey copyrighted the text with his music and the chorus, which he added, and titled the new hymn “My God is the Rock of My Refuge” based on Psalm 94:22: “But the Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge”. Sankey included this hymn in his publications of Sacred Songs and Solos, as well as in Gospel Hymns No. 5.

Sankey resigned a government position in 1871 and moved to Chicago with his family to begin his fruitful ministry with evangelist Dwight L. Moody and later became knowm as the “Father of the Gospel Song.” For nearly thirty years, Sankey and Moody were inseparable in the work of the gospel both in this country and throughout Great Britain.

Other gospel hymns by Sankey include: “Trusting Jesus”, “Hiding in Thee”, and “The Ninety and Nine.”

Lead Me to Calvary

Author: Jennie Evelyn Hussey, 1874-1958 / Composer: Willliam J. Kirpatrick, 1838-1921
Written: Published in 1921

And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him… Luke 23:33 (KJV)

Jennie Hussey was born in Henniker, New Hampshire on February 8, 1874, and lived most of her life in a farmhouse where four generations of her ancestors had lived. She was an avid writer of poems, including 150 hymns, and published her first hymn in 1894, at the age of twenty-four. Much of her time was devoted to care for her invalid sister, but Hussey wasn’t known to complain or grumble. Whenever weary, she would open her Bible and turn to the story of Calvary, where she found renewed strength.

Hussey eventually became disabled with deformative arthritis, but her attitude remained positive. “Please, Lord,” she said, “make me willing to bear my cross daily without complaining because you bore yours for me.” It was out of that experience that she wrote “Lead Me To Calvary,” with its last verse:

May I be willing, Lord, to bear daily my cross for Thee;

Even Thy cup of grief to share—Thou hast borne all for me.

When Hussey was baptized in her later years, she told the pastor, “I’ve spent so much of my life hidden away in the country, and I’d like to have the opportunity before God takes me home to tell everybody that I love Jesus.” Her request was fulfilled in this famous hymn.

The specific mention of Calvary is particularly prominent in nineteenth-century gospel songs, especially in the United States. Some more notable examples include “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross” (1895) by Fanny Crosby; “I Will Sing the Wondrous Story” (1886) by Francis Rowley; and “At Calvary” (ca.1895) by William R. Newell. The word “Calvary” was still central to evangelicals in the mid-twentieth century as evidenced in Hussey’s hymn, “Lead Me to Calvary” which was published in 1921.

The hymn, written in the first-person singular, invites the singer to participate directly in the passion narrative. In stanza 1, the singer crowns the “King of my life” –a sign of royal devotion that alludes to Christ’s “thorn-crowned brow”—an effective play on words. The refrain alludes to the Garden of Gethsemane. Stanza 2 describes the tomb where Christ lay in the time between His death and resurrection. In stanza 3, —“Let me like Mary…” the singer joins Mary in the garden to witness the empty tomb. Stanza 4 takes a sudden turn in a different direction. Rather than continuing the narrative toward the risen Christ’s triumphal appearance, the hymn writer seeks to identify totally with the suffering Christ as a sign of devotion and solace—to bear the cross and cup of grief first borne by Jesus.

William J. Kirkpatrick, a gospel song composer wrote the tune for the song and titled it DUNCANNON. Duncannon is both a village in Ireland (reflecting the composer’s Scottish/Irish roots) and the name of a town in Pennsylvania where the composer was born. The hymn first appeared in New Songs of Praise and Power, No. 3 in 1921 and has been translated into Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish.

Used by permission from “History of Hymns” by Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Director of the Sacred Music Program and Distinguished Professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

When We All Get to Heaven

Author: Eliza Edmunds Hewitt, 1851–1920 / Composer: Emily D. Wilson, 1865-1942
Written: 1898

Eliza Edmunds Hewitt was born in Philadelphia on June 28, 1851. After graduation from high school Hewitt became a teacher. However, she suffered a very serious spinal injury which cut short her career. The injury was so severe that she was placed in a body cast and was bedridden for six months. She would eventually make a recovery. She used her convalescence to further her studies in English literature. She also began to write poems in which she proclaimed her faith in the Lord and His grace and mercy. Hewitt went on to teach Sunday School and served as a Sunday School superintendent at her church until she died. She was one of the premier hymnwriters of the late 1800s and early 1900s.She became very close friends with Fanny Crosby and these two women would spend much time together, encouraging one another, and working on hymns.

Hewitt is the author of “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place (August, 2020 Hymn of the Month), “More About Jesus”, “Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown?”, and this hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven.”

The text for the hymn came to her as she studied John 14 and the promises Jesus gave His disciples. Each stanza includes a reference or paraphrase of verses about Heaven. In stanza 1, the phrase “in the mansions bright and blessed, / He’ll prepare for us a place” is a rephrasing of John 14:2: “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Stanza 2 reminds us that in heaven, light replaces “shadows”: “and the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it” for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23). The “sighs” of sorrow and pain will be left behind: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

In stanza 3, Hewitt notes that, “just one glimpse of Him in glory/will the toils of life repay”; this phrase paraphrases 1 Peter 4:13, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad with exceeding joy.”

Stanza 4 references “the pearly gates” and “streets of gold,” images clearly drawn from Revelation 21:21: “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”

Hewitt attended the summer Methodist camp meetings in Ocean Grove, NJ. She met Emily Divine Wilson there and they formed a great friendship. Wilson was also a life-long Philadelphian. She was a pastor’s wife and a musician. She composed 56 hymns. Hewitt, the poet, and Wilson, the musician, worked together to compose this hymn. It was first included in a song book in 1898. The tune named “HEAVEN” was ascribed to Wilson’s music by the editor of the Baptist Hymnal in 1956.

Used by permission from “History of Hymns” by Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Director of the Sacred Music Program and Distinguished Professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

Taken from From Darkness to Sunshine, The Life of Eliza Edmunds Hewitt by Al Maxey from Reflections May 29, 2014. Used by permission.

What Wondrous Love Is This

Author - Anonymous
Written: Published in 1811

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

This hymn with its plaintive sound, is one of the best known of our authentic American folk hymns. Like all true folk music, we have few clues as to the author and composer of this profound hymn of wonder at the love of Jesus for all humanity. It simply is the product of people who reflect on the sacrificial gift of God’s Son and respond spontaneously with amazed adoration for this “wondrous love’.

“What Wondrous Love Is This” captures our attention right from the beginning with its simplicity and persistence – “What wondrous love is this” is sung three times. This repetition is not the sign of a weak poet who has a narrow range of expression, but a fellow traveler who has experienced profoundly the sacrificial love of Christ and can only express again and again –”What wondrous love is this.” It is the kind of repetition that sounds trite when spoken yet gains strength and power through singing. These are not the carefully crafted words of a theologian, but utterances directly from the heart or, even more profoundly from the soul. Depending on how one reads the first stanza, it is either a statement of pure awe or a profound question.

One typical folk hymn characteristic found in these words is the repetition of key phrases such as “O my soul” and “I’ll sing on.” Since folk music is generally learned aurally, without the assistance of the printed page or musical notation, such repetition is necessary. Six stanzas were originally written but some hymnals only include four of them. The song of the lone singer takes on cosmic proportions in stanza three as “millions join the theme.” In stanza four, we find that this is an unending song of praise as “through eternity, we’ll sing on.”

The text was first published in 1811, during the Second Great Awakening, which was a revival in the United States from 1795 to 1835. Its melody was derived from a popular English ballad. The hymn’s lyrics were first published in Lynchburg, Virginia in the 1811 camp meeting songbook “A General selection of the Newest and Most Admired Hymns and Spiritual Songs Now in Use”. The lyrics may also have been printed, in a slightly different form, in the 1811 book Hymns and Spiritual Songs published in Lexington, Kentucky. It also appeared in 1835 in a collection titled Southern Harmony by William Walker.

“What Wondrous Love Is this” is now a widely known hymn and is included in many major hymnals.

Used by permission from “History of Hymns” by Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Director of the Sacred Music Program and Distinguished Professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

Like A River Glorious

Author: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836 - 1879) / Composer: James Mountain (1844 - 1933)
Written: Written in 1876

. James Mountain

Tune Name – “Austrian Hymn”
Scripture Reference – Isaiah 66:12 and Isaiah 26:3

…I will extend peace to her like a river…Isaiah 66:12

Frances was born December 14,1836 in Astley, Worcestershire, England. She was reading by age four and began writing verse at age seven. She learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew, and memorized the Psalms, the book of Isaiah and most of the New Testament.

In 1876, while vacationing in the south of Wales, Frances caught a severe cold and suffered inflammation of the lungs. Told she might die, her response was: “If I am really going, it is too good to be true.” Her friends were amazed at how peacefully she faced the prospect of dying. She survived the illness and later that year, she wrote the hymn:

Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace,

Over all victorious, in its bright increase;

Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,

Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest

Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Frances echoed Isaiah in “Like a River Glorious” in which God promises “peace like a river.” She also incorporated Isaiah 26:3, which states “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” The hymn paints the picture of this peace.

Frances died three years later, on June 3, 1879, at the age of 42. Her tombstone includes the Scripture verse she claimed: The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin. I John 1:7

The hymn was first published in its present form with the name “Perfect Peace” in Hymns of Consecration and Faith complied by the composer, James Mountain.

James Mountain was born in 1844 in England, He pastored a church at Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire. He left the field due to ill health, but then conducted evangelism campaigns in Britain from 1874 to 1884 and then worldwide from 1882 to 1889. James Mountain also composed the tunes for “I Am His and He Is Mine”, and “Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting (January 2022 Hymn of the Month).

The First Noel

Author: unknown / Arranger: John Stainer (1840 - 1901)
Written: Published in 1833

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. (Luke 2:8)

No Christmas season would be complete without the singing of this carol, but very little is known about its origin. It is believed to have had its rise in France during the fifteenth century and is thought to have been brought across the channel to England by the wandering troubadours.

Historically, carols such as this were still thought of as popular religious songs and were meant to be sung outside the church rather than within. They were sung at gatherings and were spread through oral tradition. The carols would have been ways of preserving and spreading biblical narratives among those who were not literate. The First Noel became a great favorite for Christmas Eve festivities, especially in western England when the entire village gathered to sing and celebrate the bringing in of the Yule log. Telling the story of the birth of Christ in song has been an important tradition, especially in the Western Church.

This carol raises several questions. First, “What is a carol?” While most carols are associated with Christmas, the folk carol tradition was employed at other high seasons of the Christian year, including Holy Week and Easter. Although Christmas carols are found throughout the world, their origin is largely European. In most cases, the composers of these carols have long been lost in time, partly a function of their oral tradition. Carols existed in oral forms long before being published in collections.

The second question is, “What does ‘noel’ mean?” Noel (spelled noël in French) is a word originating in Latin meaning, “birthday”, a joyous expression of greeting to celebrate the birth of the Christ child. “The First Noel” portrays in vivid narrative style the story of Christ’s birth, with all six verses needed to complete the entire event. Though the angels’ appearance to the shepherds (Luke 2:1-20) is the subject of the first stanza, most of the carol focuses on the journey of the magi (Matthew 2:1-12), giving the carol an Epiphany focus. The sixth stanza urges us to join to sing praises to God for the marvels of His creation and for the salvation provided through Christ’s shed blood. The repetition of the joyous “noel” in the refrain is equivalent to our singing “happy birthday” to someone.

The carol first appeared in published form in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern in 1833. The harmonization of this tune was done by John Stainer, a noted English composer of sacred music.

It is interesting to observe that the “King of Israel” was first announced to “certain poor shepherds” only but in the final stanza the phrases “let us all” and “mankind hath brought” remind us that Christ came to redeem the whole world.

Used by permission from “History of Hymns” by Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Director of the Sacred Music Program and Distinguished Professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

Now Thank We All Our God

Author: Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) / English Translation: Catherine Winkworth (1827- 1878) / Music: Johann Crüger, 1598-1662
Written: 1636

Catherine Winkworth

. Johan Cruger

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving… Psalm 147:7 (NASB)

Upon hearing the hymn, one would never realize that this paean of praise was forged during times of tragic experiences. From some of the most severe human hardships imaginable during the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) came this stately hymn.

Martin Rinkart, born on April 23, 1586, in Eilenberg, Saxony, Germany was the son of a poor coppersmith. He worked his way through the University of Leipzig and was ordained to the ministry. At the age of 31, he was called to be the pastor in his native town of Eilenberg. He arrived there just when the dreadful bloodshed was starting. Throughout these war years several waves of deadly pestilence and famine swept the city. The Rinkart home served as a refuge for the afflicted victims. The plague of 1637 was particularly server. At its height Rinkart was the only remaining minister. Yet, amazingly enough, he was a prolific writer of seven different dramatic productions on the events of the Reformation as well as a total of 66 hymns.

No hymn, with the exception of Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” has been used more widely in German churches than this hymn. The fine English translation by Catherine Winkworth in 1858 has aided its popularity in the English-speaking countries as well as in Germany. Catherine is also the translator of “Praise Ye the Lord, The Almighty” (July 2014 Hymn of the Month). The majestic tune was written by one of Germany’s finest and most prolific composers, Johann Crüger. This tune with Rinkart’s text first appeared in the 1647 edition of Crüger’s hymnal.

The first stanza of this hymn is a general expression of gratitude to God for His “countless gifts of Love”. The second verse is a petition for God’s continued care and keeping, with perhaps just a suggested hint of Rinkart’s own personal hardships. The final stanza is a grand doxology of praise to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven

Author: Henry F. Lyte (1793 - 1847) / Composer: John Goss (1800 - 1880)
Written: 1834

Henry F. Lyte

John Goss

Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Psalm 103:1 (NASB)

Henry F. Lyte was born in Scotland on June 1, 1793. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and graduated in 1814. At one time he had intended to study medicine, but he chose to become a pastor and was ordained in 1815. Throughout his lifetime he was known as a man frail in body but strong in faith and spirit. Despite his physical frailties he was a tireless worker with an established reputation as a poet, musician, and minister. He coined the phrase, “It is better to wear out than to rust out.”

For the last twenty-three years of his life, Henry pastored a parish church in the fishing village of Lower Brixham, Devonshire, England. Lyte and his wife Anne, lived in an elegant estate that was most likely provided for them by the King of England in appreciation of Lyte’s ministry. The estate was at the water’s edge, and there in the tranquility of that house and grounds he wrote most of his sermons, poems, and hymns.

Despite frail health and weak lungs, Lyte established a Sunday school of eight hundred children in Brixham. In addition to preaching and tending his flock, he ministered to sailors on the docks. In 1834, he published a small book, The Spirit of the Psalms that included the now-famous hymn, “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” based on Psalm 103.

The hymn emphasizes God’s providence and includes a sense of jubilation. English literary scholar J. R. Watson notes that the poet “consistently emphasizes the reliability of God.”

In stanza two, God’s “grace and favor to all people in distress” is praised. Later in the same stanza, God is exalted as the One who is “the same as ever, slow to chide, and swift to bless.“ The popularity of this hymn has been greatly aided by LAUDA ANIMA, John Goss‘ tune written in 1869 for this text.

The hymn was chosen by Princess Elizabeth, who became Queen Elizabeth II, for her wedding hymn in Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947 –the one hundredth anniversary of Lyte’s death.

Suffering from chronic asthma and tuberculosis, he retired from his parish at age 54 in September 1847. That afternoon after walking along the coast in pensive prayer, he retired to his room, emerging an hour later with the hymn “Abide With Me” (September 2020 Hymn of the Month). Shortly afterward he departed for a better climate in Italy. He died November 20,1847 in Nice, France, on his way to Rome.

Henry Lyte also authored the hymns “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken” and “God of Mercy, God of Grace”.

Used by permission from “History of Hymns” by Dr. C. Michael Hawn, Director of the Sacred Music Program and Distinguished Professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

Calvary Covers It All

Ethelwyn Robinson Taylor
Written: 1934

Walter Grand Taylor and his wife Ethelwyn, were the directors of the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago from 1918 to 1936. They were affectionately known as Pa and Ma Taylor.

One night in the early 1930’s, a dancer named Walter “Happy Mac” MacDonald, stumbled into a meeting at the Pacific Garden Mission. Comedian, Eddie Cantor, said MacDonald had the fastest feet in the world. Mac was talented, but he was also in bondage to sin, and addicted to alcohol. When an invitation was given for those present to trust in Christ as Savior, Mac did not respond. But, as he returned, night after night, workers gradually came to know more about him.

Ethelwyn Taylor watched Mac, and her heart went out to him. She prayed, “Dear Lord, please help us say and do the right things, so that we may win Mac to Thee.” Finally, MacDonald did seek counseling, and Ma Taylor listened as he struggled with his past. “You don’t understand,” he prayed. “You don’t know how bad I am, Lord. Really, I’m the worst man in the world. You can’t save me; I’m too bad.”

Mrs. Taylor recalled a message she had heard weeks before. Evangelist Percy Crawford had been a rebel in his youth. But one day he accepted Christ as his Savior. The theme of Crawford’s testimony was, “Calvary covers it all,” and Taylor shared those words with MacDonald.

He asked her to repeat them, and suddenly the light dawned. “Oh! Mrs. Taylor, I’m so glad it’s true, and you told me. Calvary does cover it all! My whole past of sin and shame.” The former entertainer trusted in the Savior that night in 1934 and lived to become an outstanding servant of Christ.

A few days later, Taylor went into the mission chapel, sat down at the piano, and created the words and music of a gospel song.

Far dearer than all that the world can impart
Was the message that came to my heart;
How that Jesus alone for my sin did atone,
And Calvary covers it all.
Calvary covers it all,
My past with its sin and stain;
My guilt and despair
Jesus took on Him there,
And Calvary covers it all.

We see this principle of a “covering” in operation in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. The offering of a sheep or some other animal on an alter couldn’t really pay for the sins of a human being (Hebrews 10:4). It was only a temporary covering. Each of the thousands of sacrifices offered was an enactment of the principle of substitution—of the innocent dying in place of the guilty. And each one pointed forward to the final great sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

When a person laid his hand in faith upon the slain animal on the altar, it was “accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him” (Leviticus 1:4), as though it had died in his place. No wonder David cries, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered…to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity” (Psalm 32:1,2). Forgiveness was granted in anticipation of what Christ would do one day, when He offered Himself as God’s Lamb, dying for the sins of the world (John 1:29). The final provision for our sins and our reconciliation came at Calvary. Calvary covers it all!

Taken from wordwisehymns.com by Robert Cottrill., June 2013 Used by permission.

I Will Sing of My Redeemer

Author: Philip P. Bliss, 1838 - 1876
Composer: James McGranahan, 1840 - 1907
Written: 1876

For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. -I Corinthians 6:20

Philip P. Bliss was born in a Pennsylvania log cabin in 1838 where his father led in daily prayer and where music was the primary entertainment. As a result, he found himself drawn to both the Lord Jesus and to music at an early age. He left home as a young boy to make a living by working on farms and in lumber camps, all while trying to continue his schooling. He was converted at a revival meeting at age twelve. Bliss became an itinerant music teacher in 1860, sometimes traveling on horseback, while continuing his studies at the Normal Academy of Music in Genesco, NY. He worked for four years as a staff composer and editor of gospel song collections. His first song was published in 1864. His career direction became clearer in 1868 when he and his wife Lucy became associated with Chicago evangelist Dwight L. Moody who encouraged Bliss and Lucy to become evangelistic singers as members of Moody’s revival singing team. Bliss and Moody’s famous musician, Ira D. Sankey published a popular series of hymn collections in 1875 and 1876. For the last two years of his life Bliss traveled with evangelist Major D. W. Whittle and led the music at revival meetings in the Midwest and Southern United States.

Bliss and his wife, Lucy died in a bridge-failed train wreck near Ashtabula, Ohio in December,1876, en route to sing for a revival led by Whittle in Chicago at the Moody Tabernacle. He was thirty-eight.

Bliss’ trunk finally arrived in Chicago safely. In it were found the words to the last hymns he had written, one of which was:

I will sing of my Redeemer;
And His wondrous love for me;
On the cruel cross he suffered,
From the curse to set me free.

James McGranahan, composer of the hymn, loved music and his father let him attend singing school. He became a noted musician and hymns composer. He and Phillip Bliss were friends and shortly before he died, Bliss encouraged McGranahan to use his voice to serve God in ministry. McGranahan traveled to Ashtabula, OH after the train accident and met Major Whittle for the first time in person. Whittle thought upon meeting McGranahan that here is the man Bliss has chosen to replace him in evangelism. The men returned to Chicago and prayed about the matter. McGranahan gave up his post office job and served the next 11 years with Whittle evangelizing in the United States, Great Britain and Ireland.

Bliss was a prolific writer of gospel songs throughout his brief lifetime. His songs are strong in emotional appeal with tunes that are easily learned and sung. Other hymns by Bliss include “Jesus Loves Even Me”, “I Gave My Life for Thee”, “Dare to Be a Daniel,” and “Hallelujah! What A Savior” (Hymn of the Month April 2022). He also composed the tune for “It Is Well With My Soul.” (Hymn of the Month January 2016)

Nearer, My God, to Thee

Author: Sarah F. Adams, 1805 - 1848
Composer: Lowell Mason, 1792 - 1872
Written: 1841

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. -James 4:8a

Sarah Flower Adams was born in Harlow, England on February 22, 1805. She died at the early age of forty-three. In this brief lifetime, however, she lived a full and productive life.

Sarah grew up enjoying the spotlight. She showed great interest in the stage and dreamed of being an actress. In 1834, she married William Bridges Adams, a civil engineer. The couple lived in London where Sarah could be near the great theaters. In 1837, she played “Lady MacBeth” in the Richmond Theater in London to rave reviews.

Her frail health hampered her career, however, and she found herself focusing more on her literary gifts. Among her compositions were hymns of praise to the Lord. Sarah’s sister, Eliza, a gifted musician, often wrote the music for her hymns. The two were very close.

One day in 1841, their pastor paid a visit. He was compiling a church hymnbook and he wanted to include some of their hymns. He also mentioned that he was frustrated at his inability to find a hymn to go along with the upcoming Sunday’s message from Genesis 28:11 – 22. It was the story of Jacob and the dream he had in the desert when he was fleeing from his brother Esau. Sarah offered to write a hymn based on those verses. For the rest of the week, she studied the passage, visualizing Jacob sleeping with a stone for his pillow as he dreamed of a ladder reaching to Heaven. She began to write and soon told the complete Biblical story in the five stanzas still in use today. The following Sunday, the church sang “Nearer, My God, to Thee.” In addition to this hymn, the sisters contributed thirteen texts and sixty-two new tunes for the new hymnal published in 1841.

The hymn was introduced in America three years later in 1844. It did not gain real popularity for twelve years until it was wedded with the present tune, “Bethany”, composed especially for the text by Lowell Mason, often known as the father of American church and school music. Other hymn tunes by Mason include “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (April 2014, Hymn of the Month), “Joy to the World”, (December 2020, Hymn of the Month) and “My Faith Looks Up To Thee”, (August, 2020 Hymn of the Month).

Eliza, who was suffering from tuberculosis, died in 1846. Sarah had faithfully cared for her sister during the illness, but by the time Eliza died, Sarah, too, was showing signs of consumption. She passed away on August 14, 1848, at age 43.

This hymn is associated with two presidents. The hymn was played as President James Garfield’s body was interred in 1881. President William McKinley claimed this was his favorite hymn. The hymn was widely sung and played at his funeral and at memorial services held throughout our land in 1901.

“Nearer, My God, to Thee” has been used to bring spiritual comfort and blessing to many as it expresses the common yearning of people to know God and to experience His nearness and victory.

Taken from Then Sings My Soul Keepsake Edition by Robert J. Morgan Copyright © 2011 Robert J. Morgan. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson.
Taken from 101 Hymn Stories Copyright © 1982, 2012 by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Wonderful Grace of Jesus

Haldor Lillenas, 1885 - 1959
Written: 1918

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.
– II Corinthians 8:9

Haldor Lillenas was born on the Island of Stord in the fjord district of Norway in 1885. He immigrated to the United States as a child and lived with his family in South Dakota for two years before settling in Oregon. In 1906 he became saved and soon felt the call to preach and write songs that would touch the hearts of people. After attending Pacific Bible College in Los Angeles (later renamed Pasadena College), he married Bertha Mae Wilson, who was also a songwriter. For the next several years, they traveled extensively throughout this country, conducting evangelistic meetings as well as furnishing songs and choir music for many of the foremost song leaders of that era.

During this period, Lillenas also served short pastorates in churches in California, Texas, Indiana and Illinois. It was while he was pastoring in Illinois that he wrote “Wonderful Grace of Jesus”. It is the best known of his 4,000 hymns. He later gave this following account of how it came to be composed:

In 1917, Mrs. Lilllenas and I built our first little home in the town of Olivet, Illinois. Upon its completion, we had scarcely any money left to furnish the little home. Having no piano at the time, and needing an instrument of some kind, I managed to find, at one of the neighbor’s home, a little wheezy organ which I purchased for $5.00. With the aid of this instrument, a number of my songs were written which are now popular, including, “Wonderful Grace of Jesus.” It was sung by the great chorus in 1918, at the Northfield, Massachusetts Bible Conference, being introduced for the first time by Homer Hammontree.

The hymn was first published in 1922 and he was paid $5.00—just enough to pay for the organ on which it was composed. Although we generally sing this hymn with a brisk tempo, Lillenas often complained that most congregations sang the hymn too fast. “A song should be performed in such a fashion that the words can be comfortably pronounced without undue haste,” he often said.

In 1924, Lillenas founded the Lillenas Music Company in Indianapolis, Indiana, which was later merged with the Nazarene Publishing Company in 1930. Lillenas remained with this company as music editor until he retired in 1950 and then served in an advisory capacity until his death in 1959. Today Lillenas Publishing Company is one of the largest church music publishers in the world, owning more than 20,000 song copyrights.

Taken from 101 More Hymn Stories Copyright © 1985, 2013 by Kenneth W. Osbeck. Published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Taken from Then Sings My Soul Keepsake Edition by Robert J. Morgan Copyright © 2011 Robert J. Morgan. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson

Hallelujah! What a Savior

Philip P. Bliss, 1838 – 1876
Written: 1876

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;…He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. -Isaiah 53:3

Philip P. Bliss was born in Clearfield County in Pennsylvania in 1838. He left home as a young boy to make a living by working on farms and in lumber camps, all while trying to continue his schooling. He was converted at a revival meeting at age twelve. Bliss became an itinerant music teacher in 1860, sometimes traveling on horseback, while continuing his studies at the Normal Academy of Music in Genesco, NY. He worked for four years as a staff composer and editor of gospel song collections.

His first song was published in 1864. His career direction became clearer in 1868 when he and his wife Lucy became associated with Chicago evangelist Dwight L. Moody who encouraged both of them to become evangelistic singers as members of Moody’s revival singing team. Bliss and Moody’s famous musician, Ira D. Sankey published a popular series of hymn collections in 1875 and 1876. For the last two years of his life Bliss traveled with Major D. W. Whittle and led the music at revival meetings in the Midwest and Southern United States.

“Hallelujah, What a Savior” is one of the most enduring of the songs produced by Bliss. It is said that the word “hallelujah” is basically the same in all languages. He uses the word to tie the cross with the triumph of the risen and reigning Lord. The first four verses tell the crucifixion story, that Jesus, the “spotless Lamb of God” stood condemned in our place. He took on our sins, the “guilty, vile and helpless.”. Completing each stanza, is the response of praise, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!” The last stanza “When He comes…” is in an entirely different mood, joyful and triumphant in its anticipation of the praise that will continue throughout eternity.

Ira D. Sankey provides the following account of the composition of this hymn:

Written in 1876, shortly before his death, this was the last hymn I heard Mr. Bliss sing. It was at a meeting in the Farwell Hall in Chicago, conducted by the English evangelist, Henry Moorhouse. A few weeks before his death Mr. Bliss visited the State prison at Jackson, Michigan, conducting a service for the 800 inmates. After a very touching address on “The Man of Sorrows,” he sang this hymn with great effect. Many of the prisoners dated their conversion from that day.

Bliss and his wife died in a train crash near Ashtabula, Ohio in December,1876, en route to sing for a revival led by evangelist Daniel Webster Whittle in Chicago at the Moody Tabernacle.

Bliss was a prolific writer of gospel songs throughout his brief lifetime. His songs are strong in emotional appeal with tunes that are easily learned and sung. Other hymns by Bliss include “Jesus Loves Even Me” and “I Gave My Life for Thee.” He also composed the tune for “It Is Well With My Soul.” (Hymn of the Month January 2016)

Hymn of the Month

Take My Life And Let It Be

Previous Months

March

Isaac Watts, 1674-1748 / Lowell Mason, 1792-1872

February

Charles Wesley, 1707-1788 / John Zundel, 1815-1882

January

Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915 / Phoebe P. Knapp, 1839-1908

December

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882 / J. Baptiste Calkin, 1827-1905

November

Folliott S. Pierpoint, 1835-1917 / Conrad Kocher, 1786-1872

October

Katharina von Schlegel, 1697-1768/Jean Sibelius, 1865-1957

September

Joseph Scriven, 1819-1886/Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918

August

Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915 / William James Kirkpatrick, 1838-1921

July

Katherine Lee Bates, 1859-1929 / Composer- Samuel A. Ward, 1847-1903

June

A. Katherine Hankey, 1834 - 1911 / Composer – William G. Fischer, 1835 - 1912

May

Author: Vernon J Charlesworth, 1838-1915 / Composer: Ira D. Sankey, 1840-1908

April

Author: Jennie Evelyn Hussey, 1874-1958 / Composer: Willliam J. Kirpatrick, 1838-1921

March

Author: Eliza Edmunds Hewitt, 1851–1920 / Composer: Emily D. Wilson, 1865-1942

February

Author - Anonymous

January

Author: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836 - 1879) / Composer: James Mountain (1844 - 1933)

December

Author: unknown / Arranger: John Stainer (1840 - 1901)

November

Author: Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) / English Translation: Catherine Winkworth (1827- 1878) / Music: Johann Crüger, 1598-1662

October

Author: Henry F. Lyte (1793 - 1847) / Composer: John Goss (1800 - 1880)

September

Ethelwyn Robinson Taylor

August

Author: Philip P. Bliss, 1838 - 1876Composer: James McGranahan, 1840 - 1907

July

Author: Sarah F. Adams, 1805 - 1848Composer: Lowell Mason, 1792 - 1872

June

Charles Weigle, 1871 - 1966

May

Haldor Lillenas, 1885 - 1959

April

Philip P. Bliss, 1838 – 1876

Author: Philip P. Bliss, 1838 - 1876
Composer: James McGranahan, 1840 - 1907

Author: Sarah F. Adams, 1805 - 1848
Composer: Lowell Mason, 1792 - 1872