Some time ago, wise-and-insightful blogger Michele Morin (over at Living Our Days) shared that she was journaling through some of the old hymns. Isn’t that a brilliant idea?
I imagined her digging into the meaning of some of the rich language and theology, personalizing the truths, and/or using them as the basis for prayer.
Most often we sing through the lyrics so quickly we miss their full significance. But if we intentionally slow our thinking by putting pen or pencil to paper, we make room for wonderful blessings to emerge—blessings like increased understanding of God and his Word, renewal of the mind, and augmented intimacy with God.
Our contemplations can become worship.
So far I’ve journaled through seven hymns. For Advent I chose to contemplate a Christmas carol: Charles Wesley’s “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” which offers both rich language and theology. (The story behind the song is also interesting. You can read it here: “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.”)
Over the next three weeks we’ll savor the three best-known verses of this carol. No doubt you’re familiar with the first:
My journaled prayer included the following.
“Hark!” the hymn writer begins, inviting me to listen with close attention. His lyrics take me back in time to that night when angels declared life-transforming news for those who embrace it:
A new King has been born—a king like no other (1)!
That’s YOU, Lord Jesus. You are the Prince of Peace, the One who offers inner tranquility to all who desire it (2), and universal, all-encompassing peace when the new heaven and the new earth are established (3).
I praise You, O Christ, for Your comforting peace
that steadies me and gives me hope.
You’re the One who bestows mercy—tender-hearted forgiveness—when I confess the wrongs I’ve committed. You’re the One who put ultimate mercy into action by “being obedient to God and dying a criminal’s death on a cross” (4).
I praise You, O Christ, for your unceasing mercy.
You have not punished me
the way I deserve, and You never will.
You’re the One who reconciled me to God (5). First, You chose to do the unthinkable, to die in my place and pay the penalty for every sin I commit.
Then You restored my broken relationship with God, as I put my trust in You and accepted Your free gift of eternal life. Because of You, I have right standing with God and access into His presence at any time.
I praise You, O Christ, for your unimaginable sacrifice,
making the impossible possible.
For all these blessings (and so much more) I rise up with Jesus-followers from around the world to sing joyful praise to You (6)!
Our voices join those of the angels to give you glory (7)–celebrating Your attributes, rejoicing in Your excellent works, and taking pleasure in the privilege of being sons and daughters of Almighty God.
I praise You, O Christ, for leaving the wonders of heaven
to be born in the humble village of Bethlehem
and live among ignoble humanity—
all for our benefit.
I praise You, O Christ, for the incredible FREE gift
of eternal ecstasy in paradise with You.
And I praise You for being my compassionate Christ,
my glorious Emancipator, and my powerful King!
Notes:
- Revelation 1:5-6
- Romans 5:1
- 2 Peter 3:13
- Philippians 2:8 TLB
- 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
- Psalm 67:4
- Psalm 148:11-13
Photo credits: http://www.pxhere.com; Nancy Ruegg; http://www.openclipart.com and http://www.canva.com; http://www.negativespace.com (3); http://www.publicdomainpictures.net.
From the Inside Out 
Amen, Nancy! What a wonderful idea to read the hymns with an eye for worship, praise and reflection on the wonder that we have in Jesus Christ. I just might have to try this exercise myself during this Advent season.
Blessings!
Your writer-self will find it an inspiring endeavor for sure, Martha!
I agree Nancy, that this is a wonderful idea. It’s funny, because though not a Christmas hymn, I was re-listening to a song called “Sing to Jesus” recently (by Fernando Ortega). I found myself concentrating on every word of the song and how much those words meant. What Jesus did for us. Thank you for sharing your idea with us. I am thinking about doing that with Christmas hymns.
God Bless,
Shelley
Indeed, what Jesus did for us warrants pausing, listening, and reflecting! Thank you, Shelley.
I love this, Nancy. Beautiful.
So glad you found beauty here, Deb. Praise God for his inspiration!
The hymns are beautiful and have so much meaning. I think my mom has a book that goes over the stories behind what was going on in the lives of the authors when they wrote the hymns. Journaling about the hymns is a great idea, Nancy.
Yes, we have one of those books too, plus the internet offers much info. I enjoy learning about the origins of our old hymns and praise songs. The stories are often uplifting and inspiring.
There’s nothing like the old hymns. Those are the songs and the words that come in the middle of the night and give us comfort with their rich cadence and biblical truth.
Amen, Linda, there’s much to be said for some of the old hymns and carols–although “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” might keep me awake in the middle of the night with its rousing Mendelssohn tune! 😁
I find a certain reverence given to “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” (like “Silent Night”). It’s always sung as it was meant to be sung; a slow, powerful hymn. Many carols have been modernized (ex. added drum beat) to appeal to younger ears, but not this one. Your journaling shows how its message resonates as powerfully today as it did when it was first written.
This IS a carol that lends itself to regal fanfare, Dave–kettle drums, perhaps, but not the snares! Praise God this reflection manifested to you some of the power behind Wesley’s lyrics. “God and sinners reconciled” is a glorious reality!
I love hymn stories too. In fact just today I wrote next week’s blog post on one of the Advent hymns we sung at our midweek services this week. Looking forward to this series from you!
Thank you, Jean! I’ll look forward to your post too. I’m another who loves hymn stories. They do add to our appreciation of the melodies and lyrics.
Thank you for sharing your contemplation with us, Nancy. Beautiful! I love how your prayer is saturated with praise. I also enjoyed reading your post on Hark the Herald Angels Sing’s history. A friend gave me the advent book “Hosanna in Excelsis” which has a hymn for each day with the story behind both the hymn and tune plus a devotional. This week it had me sitting in another of Wesley’s hymns- Come Thou Long Expected Jesus. According to the book, he published a book in 1744 titled “Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord.” Of the 18 hymns featured, only two are still sung today- Hark the Herald (which I guess would have been called “Hark, how all the welkin ring”)and Come Thou.
Thank you, Beth! Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus is another carol with lyrics well worth meditation. I’ll have to journal through that one next year! Thank you for sharing about that book Wesley hymns for the Nativity, that these two are the only ones we still sing today. And yes, his original title would no doubt have reflected the first line of the carol as he wrote it! He was NOT pleased with George Whitefield’s revision!
Thank you for sharing your prayers and thoughts on this majestic Christmas hymn. I love the idea of worshipping using these familiar Christmas songs. Have a blessed day, Nancy.
You’re welcome, Patty. It IS a delight to let familiar hymns and carols lead into worship!
What a great idea!! What really caught my attention is that I was actually singing this hymn within minutes before reading your post! So neat how God works!
How about that?! Such fun!
What a wonderful idea and song choice! I love investigating the origin of hymns. I have a two-volume set of the history of particular hymns. There is much to benefit from knowing what prompted a lyricist to write a hymn. Some are heartbreaking and leave me with a renewed appreciation to see the fruits of the Holy Spirit at work.
I agree that knowing the back story of some hymns can greatly enhance our appreciation for the lyrics. “It Is Well with My Soul” is a prime example.
I love the old hymns and Christmas carols! They contain sound theology. No secular carol can compete. ❤
You are so right, Anna, though we might need to give the lyricists some poetic license. We don’t know, for example, if the herald angels sang; Luke wrote that the angels SAID “Glory to God in the highest. Nonetheless, Wesley’s carols certainly outshine “The Little Drummer Boy” with its more than twenty Pa-Rum-Pa-Pa-Pums! 😁
Thanks and God Bless! 👍💗🕊😇 Have an AWESOME Christ-mas Season, Sister Nancy, you and your whole family!!
We ARE enjoying an awesome Christ-mas season, Roland. Last Sunday we participated in a Sing-Along of Messiah–a delightful afternoon that brought back so many memories of performances in our past. That music never fails to inspire! Now the family is gathering–more memories in the making. May you also enjoy a blessed Christmas!
Amen! Nancy, I find much to reflect upon from this post. Your journaling technique definitely pulls the inner meaning from these verses. There are times when I write freely as my own thoughts wrap around a hymn or Scripture’s verses. Blessings to you for sharing.
Thank you, BSB. To be honest, what appears here is a revised version of my journal free-write. (I tend to get wordy and have to tighten–among many other changes as I revise!) ‘Don’t want to leave the impression that this post represents an exact copy from my journal. Though the quality of the writing there may be lacking, I do love the discovery process as I seek to put thoughts into words. I’m guessing you do too!