Each week, you may find information here about the music in the traditional 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:
A Tudor Trumpet - Franklin Ashdown
(c.2019, Birnamwood Publications)
John Haynes Holmes (1879-1964) graduated from Harvard University, Phi Beta Kappa. His grandfather, John Cummings Haynes, manager of the Oliver Ditson music publishing house, helped pay his Harvard tuition. Holmes was ordained in 1904, and became minister of the Unitarian Third Congregational Church, Dorchester, Massachusetts. In 1907 Holmes was called to the Church of the Messiah (Unitarian) in New York City and served as its Senior Minister until 1918, when he left the American Unitarian Association (AUA) because of the AUA's policy requiring Unitarian ministers to pledge their support for the United States participation in World War I. Among those in his congregation there was not universal support for his stand against the USA participation in World War I, but his church did support his principled stand on the subject. Consequently, his church became non-denominational and renamed itself the "Community Church of New York". Members of the church, however, insisted that the church retain its AUA membership. Holmes was named Senior Minister of the new church, and served until his retirement in 1949, when he became Minister Emeritus. He rejoined the AUA in 1960, just before the Unitarian and Universalist churches merged; newly accepted again into AUA fellowship, he was then featured in the last AUA yearbook published before the merger.
Holmes engaged in interfaith efforts, working closely with Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise of New York. The book Rabbi and Minister details this friendship and their working relationship on social, religious and political causes. Holmes was also among the leading American Christian supporters of Zionism in the 1930s. He was a leading member of the Pro-Palestine Federation, which called on the British government to keep Palestine open to Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in Europe. At the same time, Holmes favored cultural forms of Zionism that stopped short of calling for Jewish statehood. He also publicized the work of Gandhi, from his pulpit, and describes his meetings and interactions with the Mahatma in his book My Gandhi. Later, He was a recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award.
Although primarily a minister, Holmes helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) in 1909, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1920, serving as its chairman from 1940 to 1950, after the resignation of Harry F. Ward.
His varied pursuits included authoring numerous books, hymns, and a play, If This Be Treason, which had a brief run on Broadway. The play crystalized his opposition to war, personifying the peaceful impulses of the majority of people on both sides of a conflict, (in the case of the play, between the USA and Japan). His books include: I Speak for Myself, 1959, and Collected Hymns, 1960. He was also a popular lecturer and debater. For example, Holmes argued in favor of Prohibition in a public debate with Clarence Darrow.
TALLIS CANON is one of nine tunes Thomas Tallis contributed to Matthew Parker's Psalter (around 1561). There it was used as a setting for Psalm 67. In the original tune the melody began in the tenor, followed by the soprano, and featured repeated phrases. Thomas Ravenscroft published the tune, with the repeat phrases omitted, in his Whole Book of Psalmes (1621). The Ravenscroft version is the setting that virtually all modern hymnals use for this text.
O Father, thou who givest all The bounty of thy perfect love,
We thank thee that upon us fall Such tender blessings from above.
We thank thee for the grace of home, For mother's love and father's care;
For friends and teaches, all who come Our joys and hopes and fears to share;
For eyes to see and ears to hear, For hands to serve and arms to lift,
For shoulders broad and strong to bear, For feet to run on errands swift.
For faith to conquer doubt and fear, For love to answer every call,
For strength to do, and will to dare, We thank thee, O thou Lord of all.
Franklin Ashdown is a composer and a medical doctor, and has pursued dual careers for the past three decades. Born in 1942, he was recruited to play the organ for a local congregation at age 13. He is a widely published composer of organ and choral music. A resident of Alamogordo, NM, Dr. Ashdown enjoys a full life as an internist, composer, and organist-choir director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
About the Piano Music:
Jesus, Name Above All Names - Mark Hayes
(c.1990, Scripture in Song, admin. Marantha! Music)
Naida Hearn (1931-2001) was a New Zealand housewife doing ordinary household chores one day in 1974, but her thoughts were on Jesus rather than laundry. She had made a list of the Biblical names of Jesus, and placed the list on the windowsill of her washhouse where she could see it as she worked. As she worked, the words to this song began to come to her mind and then a tune. Finding herself singing a line, she interrupted her chores to play a few notes on the piano and to transcribe the words and music onto paper. But by the end of the day, she felt that she had created something important, and she had, indeed.
The words to this song are quite simple—only one stanza of four lines—no chorus. Its words are inspired by various scripture verses:
The title and first line are based on Philippians 2:9-11. Paul had been telling about Jesus emptying himself of his Godly glory so that he might come to earth to minister among us—and die for us. Then he said: Therefore God also highly exalted him,and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
The second line refers to Jesus as “Beautiful Saviour” (the British spelling). The word Savior (or Saviour) is found frequently in the New Testament—for instance, the angels’ announcement to the shepherds, “For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11; see also John 4:42; Acts 5:31; Ephesians 5:23; Philippians 3:20, etc.). The second line also refers to Jesus as “Glorious Lord.” The primary Biblical words associated with glory are kabod (Hebrew) and doxa (Greek). Glory is characteristic of God, and refers to God’s awe-inspiring majesty. God shared this glory with Jesus. Like God’s glory, Christ’s glory is revealed in his presence with us, in his salvation work, and in judgment. We saw Jesus’ glory revealed at the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-36) and through his death and resurrection (Luke 24:26). At the parousia (the Second Coming), Jesus will return “in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27).
The third line says “Emmanuel, God is with us.” This comes from Matthew 1:23, which says: Behold, the virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;
which is, being interpreted, “God with us.” The word Emmanuel (or Immanuel) comes from the Hebrew, ‘Immanu-el. The word El is one of the Hebrew words for God, and Emmanuel means “God with us.”
The last line says, “Blessed Redeemer.” In the Bible, redemption involves bringing liberty to a captive, usually through the payment of a price. The New Testament presents Jesus’ death on the cross as a redemptive act for humanity—as a “ransom for many”—a ransom from our slavery to sin (Mark 10:45). Paul speaks of “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). He tells us that “we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7)—and that Jesus Christ is the one “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14). The last line also says, “Living Word.” As the Word (Greek logos) Jesus was both God’s messenger and God’s message—the ultimate revelation of God to humans. If we want to know God, we can see him in the face of Jesus. If we want to know how God would have us live, we need only read the Gospels (and, perhaps, Philippians 2:5-11) to see a perfect example of a Godly life. If we want to know something of God’s grace, we need only look at the cross. If we want assurance of our future, we need only look at the open tomb.
This song was first sung in the North Palmerston, New Zealand New Life Church. Missionaries heard it, and carried it to other lands, where its popularity quickly spread. It has been sung by many Christian recording artists, and is included in a number of Christian hymnals.
Jesus, name above all names,
Beautiful Saviour, Glorious Lord,
Emmanuel, God is with us,
Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.
The stanzas of “Oh How I Love Jesus” were written in 1855 by Frederick Whitfield (1829-1904), an English clergyman. Mr. Whitfield's works in prose and verse number upwards of thirty, including Spiritual unfolding from the Word of Life; Voices from the Valley Testifying of Jesus; The Word Unveiled; Gleanings from Scripture, &c. Several of his hymns appeared in his Sacred Poems and Prose, 1861, 2nd Series, 1864; The Casket, and Quiet Hours in the Sanctuary. This text was first printed in hymn sheets and leaflets, and was published in 1861 by Whitfield in his Sacred Poems and Prose in London. It was first published in the United States no later than 1864. The refrain is anonymous, and was paired with many other hymns in the second half of the nineteenth century, including “Amazing Grace” by John Newton and “Alas! and Did My Savior Bleed” by Isaac Watts. Its earliest known appearance in publication was during the 1860s.
There is a Name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear, The sweetest Name on earth.
It tells me of a Savior’s love, Who died to set me free;
It tells me of His precious blood, The sinner’s perfect plea.
It tells me of a Father’s smile Beaming upon His child;
It cheers me through this little while, Through desert, waste, and wild.
It tells me what my Father hath In store for every day,
And though I tread a darksome path, Yields sunshine all the way.
It tells of One whose loving heart Can feel my deepest woe;
Who in each sorrow bears a part That none can bear below.
It bids my trembling heart rejoice; It dries each rising tear;
It tells me, in a “still small voice,” To trust and never fear.
Jesus, the Name I love so well, The Name I love to hear:
No saint on earth its worth can tell, No heart conceive how dear.
This Name shall shed its fragrance still Along this thorny road,
Shall sweetly smooth the rugged hill That leads me up to God.
And there with all the blood-bought throng, From sin and sorrow free,
I’ll sing the new eternal song Of Jesus’ love for me.
Oh, how I love Jesus, Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus, Because He first loved me!
Mark Hayes is an award-winning concert pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. His personal catalog, totaling over 1,000 published works, includes work for solo voice, solo piano, multiple pianos, orchestra, jazz combo, small instrumental ensembles, and choruses of all kinds. Mark received a Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude in Piano Performance from Baylor University in 1975. He has conducted the SWACDA and MCDA Community and Church Honor Choir, and served as guest conductor at Carnegie Hall, featuring his Te Deum and Magnificat. In 2010, Baylor University Center for Christian Music Studies awarded Mark the Award for Exemplary Leadership in Christian Music. Mark arranged and orchestrated the music for Civil War Voices, which won six awards including "Best Musical" in the 2010 Midtown International Theatre Festival in New York. He conducted the world premiere of his work for chorus, orchestra and narrator, The American Spirit, at Lincoln Center in May 2011 and the world premiere of his Requiem in Lincoln Center in May 2013. Whether concertizing on the other side of the globe or composing at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, Mark is blessed to live out his mission "to create beautiful music for the world".
About the Vocal Solo Music:
Sweet, Sweet Spirit - Doris Akers
(c.1963, Manna Music)
One of the most notable "Spirit Songs" of the twentieth century is "There's a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place" by African American gospel songwriter Doris Mae Akers (1923-1995). One of ten children, Dot Akers, as many called her, demonstrated her interest in music at the young age of six, teaching herself to play the piano by ear. By ten, she had composed her first song, "Keep the fire burning in me," and by age twelve had organized a five-piece jazz band, "Dot Akers and Her Swingsters." In 1945, Akers moved to Los Angeles where she met some of the important names in gospel music of that era, including Sallie Martin, J. Earl Hines, and Eugene Douglas Smallwood. Soon after arriving, she joined the Sallie Martin Singers as a pianist and singer, formed the Akers Singers, and established her own publishing company, Akers Music House. In 1958, Akers formed the Sky Pilot Choir, the first interracial choir in Los Angeles. This choir was devoted to African American gospel music. She formed a relationship with Manna Music in the mid-1950s, just a few years before she composed "Sweet, Sweet Spirit" in 1962. In the late 1990s she was featured in Bill Gaither's gospel videos "Old Friends" and "Turn Your Radio On." Honors include being named the Gospel Music Composer of the Year for both 1960 and 1961. Known affectionately as "Miss Gospel Music," she was involved in every aspect of the industry from composing, arranging, publishing, choir directing, recording, as well as performing as a soloist and with ensembles. In 2001, Doris Akers was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
"Sweet, sweet Spirit" expresses in simple, heartfelt language the work of the Holy Spirit as it works in the life of the church. It is a fitting hymn for Pentecost Sunday or any Sunday where God’s people gather to worship. Lindsay Terry comments on the origins of this song in an interview with Doris Akers in the late 1980s:
"She related to me that one Sunday morning in 1962, while directing the Sky Pilot Choir, she said to her singers, 'You are not ready to go in.' She didn’t believe they had prayed enough! They were accustomed to spending time with her in prayer before the service, asking God to bless their songs. She said, 'I feel that prayer is more important than great voices.' They had already prayed, but this particular morning she asked them to pray again, and they did so with renewed fervor.
"As they prayed, Doris began to wonder how she could stop this wonderful prayer meeting. She said, 'I sent word to the pastor letting him know what was happening. He was waiting in the auditorium, wanting to start the service. Finally, I was compelled to say to the choir, We have to go. I hate to leave this room and I know you hate to leave, but you know we do have to go to the service. But there is such a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.'"
The phrase stayed with her and she wrote the song the next day. Matthew 3:16-17 inspired the specific line "Sweet heavenly Dove." This text focuses on the baptism of Jesus when "he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place,
and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord;
There are sweet expressions on each face,
and I know they feel the presence of the Lord.
Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly dove,
Stay right here with us filling us with your love.
And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise:
Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived
When we shall leave this place.
There are blessings you cannot receive,
Till you know Him in His fullness and believe;
You’re the one to profit when you say,
I am goin’ to walk with Jesus all the way.
If you say He saved you from your sin,
now you’re weak, you’re bound and cannot enter in,
You can make it right if you will yield
You’ll enjoy the Holy Spirit that we feel.
About the Hymns:
To God Be the Glory
Fanny Jane Crosby (1820-1915), born in New York and died in Connecticut, wrote over 8,500 gospel hymns. In 1972, Hope Publishing Co. found over 1,000 unpublished manuscripts. Her work defined what it meant to be a successful writer of gospel hymns. By the age of six weeks, Fanny Crosby was completely blind. She entered the New York School for the Blind at age twelve. She began writing hymns and poetry at age twelve. Her collaborators in publishing gospel hymns included the most successful and popular composers of her day, including William Bradbury, William Doane, Robert Lowry, Ira Sankey, and William Kirkpatrick. Crosby used numerous pen names in publishing her songs, including: Ella Dale, Mrs. Kate Gringley and Miss Viola V. A. She married blind musician Alexander Van Alstyne, and the British most often refer to her by her married name rather than Fanny Crosby. She was a lifelong Methodist and her contributions to The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) include: “Blessed Assurance,” “Close to Thee,” “I Am Thine, O Lord,” “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross,” “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior,” “Rescue the Perishing,” and “To God Be the Glory.”
This text is unique from Crosby’s other hymns because, rather than focus on our experience of God, the words are wholly about God and His perfect glory. In a sense, the hymn perfectly displaces us, removing us from the pedestal on which we so often place ourselves. This displacement is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith. It feels very natural for us to seek attention, approval, and our own glory. We like to be in control and present our own image to the world, an image we seek to improve through any means possible. On the other hand, there is great comfort in knowing that the image we try to make for ourselves doesn’t matter. We are made in the image of God, which means that whatever we do has to bring Him and Him alone glory. Our lives are wrapped up in God, and so too are the mistakes we make, the wounds we inflict, and all of our shortcomings. These are the things we try to avoid while we maintain control of our lives. But what a joy and a comfort to know that though these things may happen, because God is ultimately in control, and because our own image does not matter, God is still glorified. While we should still try to live a holy and upright life, we should do so to bring God glory, not ourselves. What a beautiful freedom that is.
Frances Jane Crosby’s hymns have historically been among the most popular songs sung by Methodists. The tune TO GOD BE THE GLORY was written and the refrain was added by George Washington Doane (1799-1859). “To God be the glory” was included in William Doane’s Songs of Devotion in 1870. Ira Sankey probably saw the hymn in Doane’s collection and incorporated it into the first edition of his Sacred Songs and Solos (1875). Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey helped to establish the hymn’s popularity during their revivals in Great Britain in the late 19th century. It also appeared in some British hymnals including the Methodist Hymn Book (1933).
However, it was not until the 1954 Billy Graham Crusade in Nashville that Cliff Barrows introduced this song to congregations in the United States. Mr. Graham and Mr. Barrows had learned the song during the 1952 revivals they had conducted in Great Britain. Hymnologist William J. Reynolds, writing in his hymnal companion Hymns of Faith (1964), documented the return of this hymn to the USA: “It is most extraordinary that this long-forgotten American gospel song should have been imported from England and become immensely popular during the last decade.”
To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.
Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.
Because He Lives
UM Hymnal editor Carlton Young says this gospel hymn “is one of the five most requested... to be included in this hymnal.” Based on John 14:19c—“because I live, you also will live”—the hymn’s theme is effectively supported by a soaring melody in the refrain. The words were written by two of the longest-lasting performing couples of Christian contemporary music, Gloria (b. 1942) and William J. (b. 1936) Gaither. “Because He Lives” was awarded the recognition of Gospel Song of the Year for 1974 by the Gospel Music Association and the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP). This gospel song has undoubtedly offered hope for many people because of its connection between the Resurrection and a “life... worth the living.”
The Gaithers said this about this hymn: “‘Because he lives’ [1971] was written in the midst of social upheaval, threats of war, and betrayals of national and personal trust. It was into this world at such a time that we were bringing our third little baby. Assassinations, drug traffic, and war monopolized the headlines. It was in the midst of this kind of uncertainty that the assurance of the Lordship of the risen Christ blew across our troubled minds like a cooling breeze in the parched desert. Holding our tiny son in our arms we were able to write:‘How sweet to hold our newborn baby, And feel the pride, and joy he gives; But greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain day because He lives.’”
Bill Gaither began as a teacher of English, literature and journalism in 1959 in his hometown of Alexandra, La. Gloria Sickal taught French and English in the same high school. They started to sing together and were married in 1962. By 1967, the couple left the teaching profession to become full-time recording and performing artists. Gloria Gaither has authored several books since 1971 including Make Warm Noises, Rainbows Live at Easter, Because He Lives, Decisions: A Christian Approach to Making Right Choices and Let’s Make a Memory (co-authored with Shirley Dobson). In addition to a number of popular Christian musicals, the Gaithers co-edited the hymnal Hymns for the Family of God (1976) with the assistance of the late composer Fred Bock.
God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!
And then one day, I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, Just because He lives!
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