Each week, you may find information here about the music in the worship services at First United Methodist Church in Lewisville, Texas. Some of this information is original; most of it is copied from other websites such as Wikipedia, GBOD, and hymnary.org. It is my hope that this information will enhance your understanding and enrich your worship experience.
About the Organ Music:
Prelude on "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence" - Albert Travis
(c.1991, MorningStar Publishers)
“Let all mortal flesh keep silence” is an ancient chant of Eucharistic devotion based on words from Habakkuk 2:20, "Let all the earth keep silence before him". The original was composed in Greek as a Cherubic Hymn for the Offertory of the Divine Liturgy of St James; it probably antedates the rest of the liturgy and goes back at least to 275 AD, with local churches adopting arrangements in Syriac.
The text expresses awe at Christ's coming and the mystery of our perception of Christ in the body and blood. With images from Isaiah 6 and Revelation 5, it portrays the glory of Christ and his victory over sin. Although it has eucharistic emphasis, the text pictures the nativity of Christ in a majestic manner and in a much larger context than just his birth in Bethlehem. We are drawn into the awe and mystery with our own alleluias.
Gerard Moultrie (1829-1885) translated the text from the Greek; his English paraphrase was first published in Orby Shipley's Lyra Eucharistica (1864) and entitled "Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn." The Psalter Hymnal alters that paraphrase in part to solve Reformed sensitivities about eucharistic theology. Moultrie's great-grandfather had settled in South Carolina, but after siding with England during the American Revolution, he had moved back to Britain. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, England, Moultrie served as a pastor and chaplain in the Church of England. In addition to writing his own hymns he prepared translations of Greek, Latin, and German hymns. He also edited several hymnals, including Hymns and Lyrics for the Seasons and Saints' Days (1867) and Cantica Sanctorum or Hymns for the Black Letter Saints' Days in the English and Scottish Calendars (1880).
The text contains much language which is unfamiliar today: the concept of approaching God with so much awe that it causes “fear and trembling”. Seraphim are a type of celestial being in the highest rank in the Christian angelic hierarchy. A passage in the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8) used the term to describe six-winged beings that fly around the Throne of God crying "holy, holy, holy". This throne scene, with its triple invocation of holiness (a formula that came to be known as the Trisagion), profoundly influenced subsequent theology, literature, and art. Its influence is frequently seen in works depicting angels, heaven and apotheosis. Seraphs are mentioned as celestial beings in an influential Hellenistic work, the Book of Enoch, and the Book of Revelation. Cherubim are a winged angelic beings who are represented in ancient Middle Eastern art as a lion or bull with eagles' wings and a human face, and regarded in traditional Christian angelology as an angel of the second highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy. Cherubim are mentioned throughout the Old Testament and once in the New Testament in reference to the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Hebrews 9:5).
Picardy is a hymn tune based on a French carol. Its name comes from the province of France from where it is thought to originate. The tune dates back at least to the 17th century, and was originally used for the folk song "Jésus-Christ s'habille en pauvre". First published in the 1848 collection Chansons populaires des provinces de France, "Picardy" was most famously arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1906 for the hymn "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence", in the English Hymnal, the words of which are taken from the Byzantine Greek Liturgy of St. James translated by Gerard Moultrie a chaplain at Shrewsbury School.
Let all mortal flesh keep silence, and with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded, for with blessing in His hand,
Christ, our God to earth descendeth, Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary, As of old on earth He stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture, In the body and the blood;
He will give to all the faithful His own self for heav’nly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the Light of light descendeth From the realms of endless day,
That the pow’rs of hell may vanish As the darkness clears away.
At His feet the six-winged seraph, Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence, As with ceaseless voice they cry:
“Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Lord Most High!”
It started in a farm pickup truck. To be precise, on the truck’s dashboard. Al Travis (b.1940) was born on a cotton farm in Batesville, Miss., and rode many times in his dad’s truck, sometimes with his grandfather also in the cab. He was about 6, he recalls, and he was playing on the dashboard as if it were a piano keyboard. “My grandfather said to my dad, ‘I think you need to get that boy a piano.’ Nobody in our family was a musician. So within a year, I was taking piano with our church organist and it took. “
Travis received a Bachelor of Music from Oklahoma Baptist University and a Master of Music from Syracuse University. He then studied with Helmut Walcha in Frankfurt for a year. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts from University of Michigan.
Travis served as organist at Broadway Baptist Church, Fort Worth, for 41 years, which included overseeing the installation of the Rildia Bee O’Bryan Cliburn Organ. He taught at Dallas Baptist College and Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth.
Voluntary on the 100th Psalm Tune - Henry Purcell
OLD HUNDREDTH is a hymn tune in Long Metre from Pseaumes Octante Trois de David (1551) (the second edition of the Genevan Psalter) and is one of the best known melodies in all Christian musical traditions. The tune is usually attributed to the French composer Louis Bourgeois. Loys "Louis" Bourgeois (c.1510-1559) was a composer and music theorist of the Renaissance. He is most famous as one of the main compilers of Calvinist hymn tunes in the middle of the 16th century. In 1549 and 1550 he worked on a collections of psalm-tunes, most of which were translated by Clément Marot and Théodore de Bèze. Unfortunately, he fell foul of local musical authorities and was sent to prison in December, 1551 for changing the tunes for some well-known psalms "without a license." He was released on the personal intervention of John Calvin, but the controversy continued: those who had already learned the tunes had no desire to learn new versions, and the town council ordered the burning of Bourgeois's instructions to the singers, claiming they were confusing. Shortly after this incident, Bourgeois left Geneva never to return: he settled in Lyon, and his Geneva employment was terminated.
The Genevan Psalter was compiled over a number of years in the Swiss city of Geneva, a center of Protestant activity during the Reformation, in response to the teaching of John Calvin that communal singing of psalms in the vernacular language is a foundational aspect of church life. This contrasted with the prevailing Catholic practice at the time in which sacred texts were chanted in Latin by the clergy only. Calvinist musicians including Bourgeois supplied many new melodies and adapted others from sources both sacred and secular. The final version of the psalter was completed in 1562. Calvin intended the melodies to be sung in plainsong during church services, but harmonized versions were provided for singing at home.
The Genevan Psalter, the source for the hymns of both the Reformed Church in England and the Pilgrims in America. In the original versions by Bourgeois, the music is monophonic, in accordance with the dictates of John Calvin, who disapproved not only of counterpoint but of any multiple parts; Bourgeois though did also provide four-part harmonizations, but they were reserved for singing and playing at home. Many of the four-part settings are syllabic and chordal, a style which has survived in many Protestant church services to the present day.
“Old 100th” was originally associated with Psalm 134 in the 1551 French-Genevan Psalter. The 1551 text source for Psalm 134 in the Genevan Psalter (Pseaumes octantetrois de David) is a French metrical paraphrase written by the theologian Theodore Beza (1519–1905), building upon the work of Clément Marot. "Ô sus, serviteurs du Seigneur" (or "Or sus, serviteurs du Seigneur”) was translated as “Come Bless the Lord with one Accord” by Lambertus J. Lamberts (1859-1941)
Come, bless the LORD with one accord, you faithful servants of the LORD,
who in his house do stand by night, and praise him there with all your might.
Lift up your hands, in prayer draw nigh unto his sanctuary high;
O bless the LORD, kneel at his feet, and worship him with rev’rence meet.
The LORD now bless you from above, from Zion in his boundless love;
our God, who heav’n and earth did frame, blest be his great and holy name.
Henry Purcell (1659-1695), was an English composer. Although incorporating Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, Purcell's legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music. He is generally considered to be one of the greatest English composers; no other native-born English composer approached his fame until Edward Elgar. As the son of a musician at Court, a chorister at the Chapel Royal, and the holder of continuing royal appointments until his death, Purcell worked in Westminster for three different Kings over twenty-five years. In addition to his royal duties Purcell also devoted much of his talent to writing operas, or rather musical dramas, and incidental stage music. He also wrote chamber music in the form of harpsichord suites and trio sonatas, and became involved with the growing London public concert scene. One of the most important musical developments in Restoration London was the gradual establishment of regular public concerts. The writing of incidental theater music was not to be regarded as embarrassing or beneath Purcell’s dignity as Organist of Westminster Abbey. He was in the very midst of a tradition that not only permitted but actually encouraged well-known church musicians to provide lighter music for the theatre and opera. Purcell contributed to every genre of music known in his day with true distinction. His anthems rank with the great music of the church; there are fine orchestral movements in his works for the theatre; his fantasies and sonatas and keyboard works contributed much to chamber music of his time; his one true opera, Dido and Aeneas, is an enduring masterpiece, and his other dramatic works (sometimes called operas) contain significant music; Purcell's songs are characterized by a great sensitivity to text. His reputation was so strong that a popular wedding processional was incorrectly attributed to Purcell for many years. The Trumpet Voluntary and Trumpet Tune were, in fact, written for harpsichord around 1700 by a British composer named Jeremiah Clarke.
About the Piano Music:
On Eagle’s Wings - Laura Wasson
(c.1999, Augsburg Press)
Michael Joncas (b. 1951) was ordained in 1980 to the Roman Catholic priesthood, and has served since 1991 on the faculty of the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota. He has written three books, more than a hundred published articles, and has compiled more than 20 collections of liturgical music. Father Joncas was visiting a friend at the major seminary in Washington. One evening, Father Joncas’ friend got word that his father had suffered a fatal heart attack. Father Joncas wrote “On Eagle’s Wings” in the days that followed and it was was sung for the first time publicly at the friend’s father’s wake service. The song is based on Psalm 91 and Isaiah 4031:, its lyrics drawing from the Scripture’s descriptions of God’s protection and providence.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord
Who abide in His shadow for life
Say to the Lord, "My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!”
The snare of the fowler will never capture you
And famine will bring you no fear
Under His wings your refuge, His faithfulness your shield
You need not fear the terror of the night
Nor the arrow that flies by day
Though thousands fall about you, near you it shall not come
For to His angels He's given a command
To guard you in all of your ways
Upon their hands they will bear you up Lest you dash your foot against a stone
And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn, Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand,
Laura E. Wasson (b.1952) is a pianist, music educator, and composer known for her collections of sacred piano and choral arrangements. She has also authored instructional piano books, and teaches private piano and violin.
About the Choral Music:
O For a Thousand Tongues - Deane Shure
(c.1945, Edwin H. Morris & Co.)
"O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing" was written by Charles Wesley, who wrote over 6,000 hymns. Wesley was suffering a bout of pleurisy in May, 1738, while he and his brother were studying under the Moravian scholar Peter Böhler in London. At the time, Wesley was plagued by extreme doubts about his faith. Taken to bed with the sickness on May 21, Wesley was attended by a group of Christians who offered him testimony and basic care, and he was deeply affected by this. He read from his Bible and found himself deeply affected by the words and at peace with God. Shortly, his strength began to return. He wrote of this experience in his journal and counted it as a renewal of his faith; when his brother John had a similar experience on the 24th, the two men met and sang a hymn Wesley had written in praise of his renewal.
One year from the experience, Wesley was taken with the urge to write another hymn, this one in commemoration of his renewal of faith. This hymn took the form of an 18-stanza poem, beginning with the opening lines “Glory to God, and praise, and love Be ever, ever given” and was published in 1740 and entitled “For the anniversary day of one's conversion”. The seventh verse, which begins, 'O for a thousand tongues to sing', and which now is invariably the first verse of a shorter hymn, recalls the words of Peter Böhler who said, “Had I a thousand tongues I would praise Him with them all.” The hymn was published first in John Wesley's A Collection of Hymns for the People Called Methodists in 1780. It has traditionally held a place of honor as the opening hymn in Methodist hymnals ever since.
Apparently the only publication of all original eighteen stanzas was in the 1740 hymnal. Seventeen stanzas were included as number 58 in The United Methodist Hymnal (1989). The number, ordering, and wording of the text stanzas have varied in the different hymnals. The original stanza seventeen was omitted from the 1989 hymnal as being perceived as possibly racist, and stanza six includes an editorial note that it may be omitted because it may be perceived discriminatory or offensive to people who cannot hear, speak, or see. Stanza seven of the 1989 hymnal's number 5, (which is the original stanza eighteen) has also been altered, changing "With me, your chief" to "In Christ, your head." In the original language, Charles Wesley was identifying himself with Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15 as "the chief of sinners.”
Lowell Mason adapted AZMON from a melody composed by Carl G. Gläser in 1828. Mason published a duple-meter version in his Modern Psalmist (1839) but changed it to triple meter in his later publications. Mason used (often obscure) biblical names for his tune titles; Azmon, a city south of Canaan, appears in Numbers 34:4-5.
O for a thousand tongues to sing my dear Redeemer's praise!
The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace.
Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, Ye ransomed from the fall
To spread through all the earth abroad The honors of Thy name.
Jesus, the name that charms our fears, That bids our sorrows cease,
“Tis music in the sinner’s ears, “Tis life and health and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean; his blood availed for me.
Amen.
R. Deane (Ralph Deane) Shure (1885–1980) was an American composer, organist, choir director, and educator. Over a career spanning more than half a century, he became highly regarded for his extensive portfolio of religious and symphonic compositions. Shure graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio. He later traveled to Dresden, Germany, to study composition. In 1953, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from American University in Washington, D.C. Shure directed music departments at Central College (Iowa), Clarendon College (Texas), and State Teachers College (Indiana, Pennsylvania). In 1921, he took a position as the Minister of Music and Choirmaster at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. He served there for 48 years before retiring in 1969. He also taught voice, organ, piano, and music theory at the Mount Vernon School of Music.
About the Hymns and Responses:
I Love to Tell the Story
"I Love to Tell the Story" is a well-known hymn which was written as a poem by an English evangelist, Katherine Hankey (1834-1911). Hankey was the daughter of a wealthy banker and was associated with the Clapham sect of William Wilberforce, a group of prominent evangelical Anglicans from the Clapham area. This group helped to establish the British and Foreign Bible Society, promoted the … abolition of slavery, and was involved in improving the lot of England's working classes. Hankey taught Bible classes for shop girls in London, visited the sick in local hospitals, and used the proceeds of her writings to support various mission causes. Her publications include Heart to Heart (1870) and The Old, Old Story and Other Verses (1879).
Hankey had a serious spell of sickness while in a mission in Africa. During her long days of convalescence, she wrote a long on the life of Jesus in 1866 in two parts. The first part was a poem of fifty stanzas, titled "The Story Wanted" (dated January 29, 1866) and second part titled "The Story Told" (dated November 18, 1866). Certain verses were taken from Part I. by Dr. W. H. Doane in 1867 to make the popular and familiar hymn beginning, "Tell me the old, old story". From Part II. certain verses were selected to make the hymn, "I Love to Tell the Story".
Apart from the context of the larger poem, some of the couplets of this text appear rather shallow or repetitious; thus the Psalter Hymnal includes only the original stanzas 1, 3, and 4. But the entire original poem provides a fine autobiographical testimony to Hankey's evangelical fervor, which she expressed in her writings and in her support of foreign and home missions (she taught church school classes to the rich and poor of London). The text simply affirms the Christian's zeal to "tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love" to the unsaved as well as to the saved, here on earth and in glory.
The tune HANKEY was composed by William G. Fischer and appeared in Fischer's Joyful Songs, Nos. 1 to 3 published in 1869 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Methodist Episcopal Book Room. Fischer also added a refrain to the original text. The tune set to Hankey's text was published in Joyful Songs (1869) and in many gospel hymnals. The hymn was popularized through its use in the Ira D. Sankey and Dwight L. Moody crusades.
In his youth, Fischer (1835-1912) developed an interest in music while attending singing schools. His career included working in the book bindery of J. B. Lippencott Publishing Company, teaching music at Girard College, and co-owning a piano business and music store–all in Philadelphia. Fischer eventually became a popular director of music at revival meetings and choral festivals. In 1876 he conducted a thousand-voice choir at the Dwight L. Moody/Ira D. Sankey revival meeting in Philadelphia. Fischer composed some two hundred tunes for Sunday school hymns and gospel songs.
I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story, because I know 'tis true;
it satisfies my longings as nothing else could do.
I love to tell the story; 'tis pleasant to repeat
what seems, each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story, for some have never heard
the message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.
I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting to hear it, like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
'twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.
Refrain:
I love to tell the story; 'twill be my theme in glory
to tell the old, old story of Jesus and his love.
The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve
(c.1993, Delores Dufner, admin OCP Publications)
“Let us bring to life and liturgy the gifts that differ . . . for the building up of our sisters and brothers into the one Body of Christ,” proclaims Delores Dufner in her introduction to her hymn collection, Sing a New Church. She actively motivates us in this collection to “Sing a new church into being, one in faith and love and praise.”
Sister Dufner (b. 1939), a member of St. Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph, Minn., has published over 155 hymns in her lifetime, much to the acclaim of Alan Hommerding who named her the foremost female Roman Catholic hymn text writer in the United States in the October 2000 issue of the journal, The Hymn.
Sr. Dufner holds master’s degrees in liturgical music and liturgical studies and is a very active member of her monastery as well as the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minn. She has received several awards throughout her lifetime for her contributions to liturgy and music following Vatican II (1962-1965), from institutions such as St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., and the University of Notre Dame.
Her work has taken her to various conventions, hymn festivals and meetings throughout the United States and the world. Music consultant work has even taken her on a 15-month journey to the Diocese of Ballarat, Victoria in Australia. Several of her texts have appeared in anthems, cantatas and even an opera/oratorio by prolific contemporary composers. One of her most famous texts is “Sing a New Church,” commissioned for the 1991 convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.
Her hymnody is derived from her experiences of the Roman Catholic Church during Vatican II along with her involvement with liturgy and music. Sr. Dufner writes texts that function within Catholic liturgy, as well as texts which speak centrally from the Word of God.
It was her realization that the Catholic Church was in need of English texts after the Vatican II reforms which challenged her to follow in the ways of Martin Luther. She began her hymn writing by creating texts for specific public domain tunes, free of copyright restrictions.
Her texts challenge congregations to keep the church progressing into the future and have earned her a respected presence in hymnals of several denominations throughout the world. Sr. Dufner is also known for her award-winning hymn texts centered on the Virgin Mary and her passion to speak out about women’s rights and injustices.
“The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve,” based on Isaiah 61:1-4 and Luke 4:16-22, highlights our Christian mission here on Earth by challenging readers to live out the gospel. Sr. Dufner’s modern English writing style is simple and dynamic, calling the assembly into vibrant prayer and action.
This hymn flourishes with action verbs: bring, comfort, help, serve. Sr. Dufner cleverly reiterates the first stanza through the last stanza, as she sends the congregation forth in Jesus’ name through the working of the Holy Spirit.
Her texts are often paired with familiar hymn tunes, for practical purposes and to remind us as citizens of the world of our rich ecumenical heritage shared between all. We sing tunes from the past to connect us with our past, and by pairing a fresh text with a durable and loved tune, we bridge the gaps between the past and present and become active witnesses to our evolving faith and church.
Sr. Dufner suggests the familiar Common Meter tunes AZMON or ST. ANNE for “The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve.” But in The Faith We Sing, it is published with the lighthearted tune LAND OF REST, also familiar to many congregations.
LAND OF REST is an American folk tune with ballad roots from Northern England and Scotland. It is traced back to The Christian’s Harp, published in 1832, and has associations with the Appalachians as a shape note tune. Previously assigned the title NEW PROSPECT in the 1844 edition of The Sacred Harp, it was named LAND OF REST for its pairing with the hymn, “O Land of Rest! For Thee I Sigh.” Annabel Morris Buchanan is responsible for the common harmonization of this tune, as she published it in her 1938 Folk Hymns of America.
The Spirit sends us forth to serve; We go in Jesus' name
To bring glad tidings to the poor, God's favor to proclaim.
We go to comfort those who mourn And set the burdened free;
Where hope is dim, to share a dream And help the blind to see.
We go to be the hands of Christ, To scatter joy like seed
And, all our days, to cherish life, To do the loving deed.
The let us go to serve in peace, The gospel to proclaim.
God's Spirit has empowered us; We go in Jesus' name.
Goodness of God - Jenn Johnson, Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, Ben Fielding, and Brian Johnson
(c.2018, Alletrop Music/Shout! Music Publishing Australia/Fellow Ships Music/So Essential Tunes/Bethel Music Publishing)
Jennifer "Jenn" Johnson (b.1982) is an American Christian worship singer, songwriter and worship pastor. She is a co-founding member of Bethel Music, and is one-half of the husband-and-wife worship duo Brian and Jenn Johnson. She is also a senior worship pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California, and a Senior Overseer of WorshipU, an online school of worship sponsored by Bethel.
The story behind Bethel Music's "Goodness of God" centers on Jenn Johnson's personal experience of adopting her fourth child, Ryder Moses.
Johnson related this story: “We had just gotten home from our adoption of our son, Ryder. He was a gift that we never saw coming. We have three kids already. We thought we were done having children. Brian and I were always open to adoption. But, out of the blue, we just felt like the Lord say to us, 'I have this for you if you want this--like a gift. I have a present for you." We knew adoption was the Lord's plan for us; to have a baby again when you've been out of baby season for eight years was such a blessing. Darlene Zschech, who had been with us, told us the translation of the verse 'Here I am, send me' from Isaiah 6:8 says, 'my answer is yes before you even ask.' I was so struck with that phrase. When we had the chance to adopt, I felt myself saying yes before I was even asked. Within the next year, we were matched up. And, we brought our new son home to our family. During the adoption process, I found myself driving on a long country road. I was just singing to the Lord when I recorded a song on my phone about the "faithfulness" and "kindness of God." I wrote and sang most of "Goodness of God" as an overflow of my heart at that moment. That led to finishing and recording this song with Ed Cash, Jason Ingram, and Ben Fielding.”
This unplanned recording session became the foundation for the song, which expresses gratitude for God's unwavering presence and goodness through life's challenges and joys.
I love You, Lord. For Your mercy never failed me.
All my days I've been held in Your hands.
From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head,
Oh, I will sing Of the goodness of God.
And all my life You have been faithful;
And all my life You have been so, so good.
With every breath That I am able,
Oh, I will sing Of the goodness of God.
I love Your voice, You have led me through the fire.
And in darkest night You are close like no other.
I've known You as a Father; I’ve known You as a Friend.
And I have lived In the goodness of God, yeah.
'Cause Your goodness Is running after, It's running after me;
Your goodness is running after, It’s running after me.
With my life laid down, I’m surrendered now.
I give You everything, ’Cause Your goodness
Is running after, It’s running after me, oh.
May God Bless and Keep You - Jim Strathdee
(c.1994, Desert Flower Music)
Internationally known artists, Jim and Jean Strathdee sing with thousands of people each year as they offer their music in concerts, worship, conferences, reteats, and workshops. Most often they travel throughout the United States and Canada, but over the 40 year span of their ministry they have shared their music in India, New Zealand, Cuba, and Central America. Their music spans a diversity of sound and style and includes use of guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, African drums, and Native American flute. They see music as an agent of transformation where ecumenical and inter-faith communities come together to make a stand for positive change. Jim and Jean have served on the staff of United Methodist churches in southern and northern California and Hawaii. They have written hundreds of hymns, songs, and anthems.
May God bless and keep you,
May God's loving face now shine on you and be gracious, gracious, Amen.
About the Modern Band Music:
King Of Glory - Brett Younker, Hank Bentley, Jason Ingram, Kristian Stanfill, and Matt Maher
(c.2019, Capitol CMG Publishing)
Kristian Stanfill and the team wrote "King of Glory" (released by Passion) in early 2019 alongside writers like Brett Younker, Hank Bentley, Matt Maher, and Jason Ingram, with additional writing sessions alongside creators like Jonathan Smith and Brandon Lake. The writers wanted an anthem for tens of thousands of college students gathering at massive venues (like the Passion Conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium). They recognized that life isn't always easy, and students walk through personal storms, discouragement, and dark seasons where the sun isn't always shining. The song was crafted as a declaration of faith to help people not lose heart, remember that God is Lord over the storm, and turn their eyes toward Jesus—the strong and mighty King of Glory. The lyrics heavily draw from biblical passages including Psalm 24 (the King of Glory), Psalm 121 (where help comes from), and 2 Corinthians 4 to anchor the listener's hope in God's unshakable power.
Oh don't lose heart oh my soul oh my soul
Don't give up there is hope there is always hope
And there is peace in the storm in the storm
No don't forget He is Lord He is Lord of all
There is a King of glory There is a God who saves
One who is strong and mighty Freedom is in His name
Open the gates of heaven Lift up a shout of praise
There is a lion roaring Jesus the King of glory
So lift your eyes stand in awe stand in awe
There is one only one where my help comes from
Nations bow mountains shake At the sound of just one name
Over all Jesus reigns (I know) I know
Evidence - Ed Cash, Ethan Hulse, and Josh Baldwin
(c,2020, Capitol CMG Paragon)
The Christian worship song "Evidence" was co-written by Josh Baldwin, Ed Cash, and Ethan Hulse in February 2019, and later released by Bethel Music in June 2020. Josh Baldwin shared that the opening line—"All throughout my history, Your faithfulness has walked beside me"—is a reflection of his family's generational story. His grandfather struggled with alcoholism and had no relationship with God, and his father was headed down the same path before experiencing a life-changing encounter with Jesus in college. That turning point changed the trajectory of his entire family, eventually leading his grandfather to faith as well. Baldwin started writing the song with Ethan Hulse during the week of the Super Bowl in 2019. They wanted to write about their history and God's ongoing goodness. The two later met up with songwriter and producer Ed Cash to finish the track. Baldwin noted that the song was born out of a desire to combat fear and anxiety by looking back at God's track record. When current circumstances feel dark, the song serves as a reminder of God's unchanging nature and faithfulness across generations. The message culminates in the bridge, pointing to the cross and the empty grave as the ultimate, endless proof of God's love and sacrifice.
All throughout my history Your faithfulness has walked beside me
The winter storms made way for spring In every season from where I'm standing
I see the evidence of Your goodness All over my life, All over my life
I see Your promises in fulfillment All over my life, All over my life
Help me remember when I'm weak Fear may come but fear will leave
You lead my heart to victory You are my strength and You always will be
I see the evidence of Your goodness All over my life, All over my life
I see Your promises in fulfillment All over my life, All over my life
Why should I fear, The evidence is here
The Lord Is With Me - Chris Brown & Tyler Roberts
(c.2025, Elevation Worship Publishing, Upside Down Under, Be Essential Songs, Red Rocks Worship, All Essential Music, Songs of Red Rocks Worship Publishing, Red Rocks Worship.
Red Rocks Worship’s “The Lord Is With Me” holds special meaning for the group for a number of reasons. First, it features Elevation Worship’s Chris Brown, who helms lead vocals alongside Red Rocks Worship member Tyler Roberts. Second, it was recorded in the Denver-based collective’s backyard, which happens to house the iconic Red Rock Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. Finally, the song was captured at the storied venue during a celebration that marked 20 years of ministry for their church family at Red Rocks Church.
“The Lord Is With Me” passionately affirms the promise that no matter what we face, God will always be with us. While the song references life’s inevitable hardship, it holds fast to the hope that our Heavenly Father will sustain us through His enduring presence. Referencing the three Hebrew boys who discovered God was with them in the fiery furnace, the convicting original serves up an anthem for fighting fear. Haunting strings and contrasting light accent the performance of the song, captured on a chilly night last November with a capacity crowd in attendance, who joins in the swelling chorus.
“The Lord Is With Me” was initially written as a companion resource for pastor Shawn Johnson’s book, “Kiss the Fire,” and swiftly evolved into a declaration for their congregation when Red Rocks Worship began leading it on Sunday mornings. “This song has been such an anthem for our church, and we are excited to now share it with the world! We can’t wait to hear the stories of how God uses this song to help His people,” Roberts says. “I am praying this song will be an anthem for those who are walking through some really hard stuff, that it will strengthen their faith and encourage their spirit to keep moving forward, knowing that they’re not alone; the Lord is with them.” “I had the best time recording ‘The Lord Is With Me’ with Tyler and the Red Rocks family at Red Rocks Amphitheatre,” Brown adds. “Gathering with their church in the beautiful Rockies, under an open heaven, was incredible. And what a song! It is packed with truth we all need as a reminder that, no matter what we’re facing, we’ve got a Helper. He’s with us. He’s for us at all times. I hope this song ministers to you.”
I've felt the flame and wrestled the dark But I never knew ’til I had the scars
How good Your grace could be, how You would be my strength
No matter what I have resolved On my lowest day You’re still in control
I will not be afraid, I’ll get back up and say
The Lord is with me, the Lord is with me
Ever present in my hour of need, the Lord is with me
You never said it wouldn’t be a fight You promised that You’d be right by my side
No matter how it seems, my confidence shall be
The Lord is with me, the Lord is with me
Ever present in my hour of need, the Lord is with me
Though fear may tell me to tremble, I’m not gonna bow
I may be thrown in the fire, but I’m gonna walk out
The heat of the flame won’t consume me, it’s nothing but smoke
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m not alone
Though fear may tell me to tremble, I’m not gonna bow
I may be thrown in the fire, but I’m gonna walk out
The heat of the flame won’t consume me, it’s nothing but smoke
It may look like I’m surrounded, but I’m not alone
The Lord is with me
The Lord is with me, the Lord is with me
Ever present in my hour of need
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
