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:
O Full of Glory, Full of Wonders - Everett Titcomb
(c.1963, McLaughlin & Reilly)
Raised in the Church of England, Frederick W. Faber (1814-1863) came from a Huguenot and strict Calvinistic family background. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and ordained in the Church of England in 1839. Influenced by the teaching of John Henry Newman, Faber followed Newman into the Roman Catholic Church in 1845 and served under Newman's supervision in the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. Because he believed that Roman Catholics should sing hymns like those written by John Newton, Charles Wesley, and William Cowpe, Faber wrote 150 hymns himself. One of his best known, "Faith of Our Fathers," originally had these words in its third stanza: "Faith of Our Fathers! Mary's prayers/Shall win our country back to thee." He published his hymns in various volumes and finally collected all of them in Hymns (1862).
The tune was written by Richard R. Terry (1865-1938), who was Tate Choral Scholar at King's College, Cambridge. In 1896 he became organist and music-master at Downside R. C. College and Abbey, Bath; and in 1901 organist and director of the choir at Westminster Cathedral (R. C.) London. He contributed to A. E. Tozer's Catholic Hymns, 1898, thirteen tunes and the words of two hymns.
Full of glory, full of wonders, Majesty Divine
'Mid Thine everlasting thunders How Thy lightnings shine!
Shoreless Ocean! Who shall sound Thee?
Thine own eternity is round Thee, Majesty Divine, Majesty Divine!
Timeless, spaceless, single, lonely, Yet sublimely Three,
Thou art grandly, always, only God in Unity!
Lone in grandeur, lone in glory,
Who shall tell thy wonderous story, Awful Trinity, Awful Trinity?
Splendors upon splendors beaming Change and intertwine!
Glories over glories streaming All translucent shine!
Blessings, praises, adorations
Greet Thee from the trembling nations Majesty Divine, Majesty Divine!
Everett Titcomb (1884-1968) served as organist/choir director at St. John the Evangelist in Boston for over 50 years. In that capacity, he wrote many choral works and a few organ pieces. Much of his output is based on Gregorian chant themes. Titcomb's compositions and writings are the products of a life lived in New England, mainly in Amesbury and Boston. Because the innovations that came about from the Oxford movement reached that part of this country first, Titcomb was one of the first church musicians to become involved with its innovations.
About the Piano Music:
God Leads Us Along - James Stevens
(c.2001 GlorySound, div. of Shawnee Press)
George Young (c. 1855-1935) was a carpenter, and a preacher of the gospel. In the late nineteenth century he laboured in obscurity, serving small rural areas in the United States. Often his income was so small he had difficulty supporting his wife and family. Finally, after a great deal of effort and years of sacrifice, the Youngs were able to move into a small house they had built for themselves. All were delighted with the new place, but tragedy soon overtook them. While George was away holding meetings in another community, some ruffians who were hostile to the gospel he preached set fire to the Young’s home burning it to the ground.
In 1903, George Young published a hymn for which he wrote both words and music. It is a testimony to his faith in God, in spite of this severe trial. It depicts different kinds of circumstances and experiences we face in life, with a reminder that the Lord provides for us in them all. The opening stanza paints a lovely picture, reminiscent of the 23rd Psalm. But the author was well aware that not all of life is like that. The song’s refrain gives a more sobering view of life’s trials.
Around 1942, hymn writer Haldor Lillenas decided to track down George Young’s widow. He got an address in a small town and, driving there, he stopped at a gas station to ask for directions. When the attendant saw the address, he said, “Why sir, that’s the County Poor House up the road about three miles. And mister, when I say poor house, I really mean poor house!” Not knowing what to expect, Lillenas made his way there. He found Mrs. Young, a tiny, elderly woman, in surroundings that were far from congenial. However, she radiated the joy of the Lord, and spoke of how He’d guided her and her husband over many years. Then, she exclaimed, “Dr. Lillenas, God led me here!” I’m so glad He did, for you know, about every month someone comes into this place to spend the rest of their days….So many of them don’t know my Jesus. I’m having the time of my life introducing them to Jesus! Dr. Lillenas, isn’t it wonderful how God leads!”
In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along;
Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,
God leads His dear children along.
Sometimes on the mount where the sun shines so bright,
God leads His dear children along;
Sometimes in the valley, in darkest of night,
God leads His dear children along.
Though sorrows befall us and evils oppose,
God leads His dear children along;
Through grace we can conquer, defeat all our foes,
God leads His dear children along.
Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity’s day,
God leads His dear children along.
Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.
Dr. James M. ""Jimbo"" Stevens (b. 1961) is a published composer of over 200 songs with more than 20 national companies. His music includes works for adult, youth, and children's choirs, handbells, and piano books. Stevens received an undergraduate degree from Samford University, Birmingham, AL; a Masters of Church Music from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY; and a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY. Stevens has won numerous ASCAP Standard Composition Awards and is in demand for his commissioned anthems. Dr. Stevens is Dean of the School of Music at Welch College in Gallatin, TN.
About the Choral Music:
Christ, the Lord, Our Sure Foundation - Lloyd Larson
(c.2006, Lorenz Publishing)
The unity and mission of the Church are the focus of this regal anthem based on Isaiah Peter 2: 4-10:
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and
precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to
be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion,a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7 Now to you who believe,
this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock
that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also
what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are
the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Larson also quotes the familiar hymn “Lead On, O King Eternal”. When Ernest Shurtleff’s seminary class was preparing for their graduation in 1887, they turned to Ernest, who had written two volumes of poetry, and asked him to write a hymn for their graduation ceremony. He wrote “Lead on, O King Eternal” for that occasion. This hymn is really a prayer — a prayer for God’s guidance. It speaks of marching and “fields of conquest” and “battle song” — not because it celebrates war, but because it acknowledges the daily struggle in which good people must engage against evil. It looks forward to the celebration of victory — not with clashing swords and stirring drums, but with “deeds of love and mercy” — acknowledging that Christ calls us to conquer the world by demonstrating love and showing mercy rather than by using force. This hymn acknowledges the difficulties of the Christian life — standing armed only with holiness against “sin’s fierce war. It acknowledges the reality of the cross, but celebrates the reality of the crown — the reward of those who are faithful — and closes, “Lead on, O God of might!” Henry T. Smart composed the tune LANCASHIRE in 1835 for use at a missions festival at Blackburn, Lancashire, England. For that festival, which celebrated the three-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation in England, the tune was set to Reginald Heber's “From Greenland's Icy Mountains.” First printed in leaflets, LANCASHIRE was published In Smart's Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship (1867). It was set to Shurtleffs text in the 1905 Methodist Hymnal. In some hymnals this tune is also associated with "The Day of Resurrection”.
Lloyd Larson (b. 1954) is an active composer and arranger for several major publishing companies of church and school music. His compositions and arrangements include well over 1,000 published works—including choral anthems, numerous extended Christmas, Easter and non-seasonal works, keyboard collections, vocal solo and duet collections, instrumental works for solo and ensembles, orchestrations, and handbell settings. It is Lloyd's work in his local church that continues to be the catalyst for much of his writing. He currently directs the adult choir in his home church in addition to being involved in worship planning and leadership.
Christ, the Lord, is our sure foundation, Christ, the head and cornerstone;
chosen by our God most precious, binding all the church as one.
Jesus Christ, the one rejected, by the faithless cast aside;
Living Stone, ordained to live eternally on high!
Christ, the Lord, is our sure foundation, Christ, the head and cornerstone;
chosen by our God most precious, binding all the church as one.
Chosen race, O holy nation called from darkness into light;
sing of grace and mercy and proclaim God’s power and might.
Your are led by God’s great light!
Lead on, O King Eternal, the day of march has come;
henceforth in fields of conquest your tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation your grace has made us strong,
and now, O King Eternal, we lift our battle song.
Lead on, O King Eternal, till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
and holiness shall whisper the sweet Amen of peace;
for not with swords loud clashing, nor roll of stirring drums,
with deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes.
Lead on, O King Eternal, we follow, not with fears;
for gladness breaks like morning where’er your face appears;
your cross is lifted o’er us; we journey in its light;
the crown awaits the conquest; lead on, O God of might.
Christ, the Lord, is our sure foundation, Christ, the head and cornerstone;
chosen by our God most precious, binding all the church, the church as one.
About the Hymns:
My Hope is Built
Edward Mote (1797-1874) falls into the rare category of hymn writers who grew up without religious training and whose parents were pub owners. He was apprenticed at a young age by his parents to a cabinetmaker, but found faith when he heard the preaching of John Hyatt at the Tottenham Court Road Chapel in London at age 15. Living in Southwark near London, he established a successful cabinet-making enterprise and became a Baptist minister in 1852, at 55 years of age. He ministered for 21 years at Strict Baptist Church in Horsham, Sussex.
Singing hymns was of great interest to him. The master cabinetmaker became a prolific hymn writer, composing more than 100 hymns. The hymn "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" was published anonymously in several hymn collections before first being attributed to Edward Mote in a collection of approximately 100 of his hymns published in 1837 under the title Hymns of Praise, A New Selection of Gospel Hymns, Combining All the Excellencies of our Spiritual Poets, with Many Originals. Hymnologists note that this is the first time the now common term “gospel hymn” appears. Mote's original title was "The Immutable Basis for a Sinner's Hope" in this collection. The refrain of "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" refers to the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders and builds around the metaphor of Christ as a rock with a firm basis (1 Corinthians 10:4).
The Sunday school hymn writer William B. Bradbury composed SOLID ROCK in 1863 for Edward Mote's "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less." The tune name derives from that song's refrain: "On Christ, the solid rock, I stand. . . .” Bradbury published SOLID ROCK in his 1864 children's collection The Golden Censor.
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
In ev’ry rough and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the vale.
When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay.
Not earth, nor hell, my soul can move; I rest upon unchanging love.
I trust his righteous character, his counsel, promise, and his pow’r.
When he shall come with trumpet sound, oh, may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
Have Thine Own Way, Lord
Jeremiah 18:3-6 sets the scene for this hymn: "Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel."
The hymn was inspired in 1902 by a simple prayer of an elderly woman at a prayer meeting: "It really doesn't matter what you do with us, Lord -- just have your way with our lives . . .." The author, Adelaide A. Pollard (1862-1934) was born in Iowa. She moved to Chicago where she became a teacher in girls' schools. In addition, she developed a fine reputation as an itinerant Bible study teacher. Later, she worked with two evangelists, one who developed a healing ministry, and the other who focused on the imminent return of Christ. Pollard had a strong desire to be a missionary in Africa. When this plan was not fulfilled, she taught at a Missionary Training School at Nyack-on-the-Hudson. She finally made it to Africa for a brief period before World War I, but she spent the war years in Scotland. After returning to the United States, she continued her ministry even though she was in poor health.
"Have Thine Own Way, Lord" was composed during a time when Miss Pollard was trying to raise funds to make a trip to Africa. Her unsuccessful attempt to do this left her experiencing a "distress of soul." This crisis of the soul and the simple prayer of an elderly lady provided a setting for personal reflection on the will of God for her life. After the prayer meeting, she returned home and wrote the hymn as we sing it today.
Five years later George Stebbins wrote a tune titled ADELAIDE to accompany the text. The text with its tune ADELAIDE was included in the Northfield Hymnal with Alexander's Supplement (1907).
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after thy will,
while I am waiting, yielded and still.
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Search me and try me, Savior today!
Wash me just now, Lord, wash me just now,
as in thy presence humbly I bow.
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Wounded and weary, help me I pray!
Power, all power, surely is thine!
Touch me and heal me, Savior divine!
Have thine own way, Lord! Have thine own way!
Hold o'er my being absolute sway.
Fill with thy Spirit till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me!
The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve
“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.
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.
Then let us go to serve in peace, the Gospel to proclaim.
God's Spirit has empowered us; we go in Jesus' name.
First United Methodist Church, Lewisville, Texas
A Community of Everyday People Learning to Love Like Jesus
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