Liturgy Lesson: January 31, 2021
Call to Worship: Isaiah 44:6-8; Psalm 95:1-6
Prayer of Invocation
Hymn: Come, Christians, Join to Sing (#302)
Confession: James 4:1-10 and prayer
Assurance: from 2 Cor. 5
Hymn of Assurance: Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me
Catechism/Prayers
Reading of the Word: Luke 22:24-38
Gloria Patri: #735
Sermon: “Battles Facing the Church,” Rev. Shiv Muthukumar
Tithes and Offerings
The Lord’s Supper: Behold our God; All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name (#296)
Benediction
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on!
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be
And through eternity I’ll sing on!
– American Folk Hymn
Just over a year ago, those of us in America heard news of the virus, which was encroaching and threatening like a meteor. Where will it hit? How bad will the damage be? Are we prepared? Well, last week was the first anniversary of the Covid-19 impact on American soil. That initial fragment landed in Kirkland, leaving local casualties and sending shock waves around our region. Six weeks later, the entire country (and a third of the global population) had gone underground to escape the now toxic air. For most of the nuclear spring of 2020, we were hunkered down in our bunkers, the screen our only connection to the world above. Since then we have been in various stages of confinement and containment. When we do wander outside again, we find the landscape changed. Whole industries are flattened, public buildings boarded up, and amidst the rubble are the pictures of friends and family we once held close. What does remain is covered over with plexiglass, which blurs even the friendliest of faces. We wish to share a smile, but even that is hidden by the mask. Everyone is at a distance, and the tainted air around them is thick with fear.
But one thing remains unchanged. There is a tree on a hill that withstood the blast. It is fed from an inexhaustible underground spring. Hidden in the embrace of its branches is a nest. Every day, without fail, a thrush emerges at sunrise and takes his position on the highest limb. Then he begins to sing. He comes here to greet the Sun. Often, in the ever-thickening clouds of winter, he cannot see the Sun nor feel its warmth. But from his vantage point he can glimpse just over the hills where there is often a shaft of light on the horizon. Each day he feels the shift of the wind and knows whether or not it heralds a storm. But still he sings. Even in the foulest weather, he does not spend his day to sow or reap or store away. He sings. Always, he sings.
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
Text: Edward Perronett, st. 1-5 (1780); John Rippon, st. 6 (1787)
Tune: Coronation, Oliver Holden (1793)
The year is 1780. A fledgling American republic is embroiled in a war for independence, and across the Atlantic a preacher with a similar revolutionary spirit is writing hymn verse for his own parish which has dissented from the Church of England. His text is based on Philippians 2:9-11 (“every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord”) and Revelations 4:10-11 where all the living creatures and elders cast their crowns before the throne and cry out:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
The original stanzas of “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” which was first entitled “On the Resurrection,” are an impassioned acknowledgement that Christ transcends all, conquers all, and unifies all. “Crown Him Lord of All” finishes each verse, and there is a real defiance and fierceness to the triumphant tone of every stanza. It is no wonder that this hymn has become so popular in American churches. It has even been called “The national anthem of Christendom.”
The author of this famous hymn was Edward Perronet. Peronnet was family friends with John and Charles Wesley. He met them through his father, a clergyman in the Church of England. Like many sons in the 18th century, Edward planned to follow his father’s footsteps, but the Wesleys lured him away and he became a traveling Methodist preacher. Edward is remembered in history books as a gifted preacher and skilled writer who, over time, developed a strong antagonism toward the Church of England. Apparently his quick temper and impatience were trouble for the Wesleys, who must have become weary with their disagreeable and fussy colleague. Edward eventually left the Methodist movement altogether and decided to lead his own independent church until his death in 1792. History books can color character in certain ways, and we can’t be sure as to the true measure of Edward’s ministry. But no matter how irascible his nature or fierce his independence, one thing is clear from the writing in this singular and timeless hymn: Edward lauded the Lord Jesus Christ, and was committed to His glory. Here is a seemingly stubborn man who found in Jesus a love so powerful, a grace so compelling, a forgiveness so formidable that these overwhelmed him and he surrendered his soul and could not help but declare “All hail the power of Jesus.” I imagine he is now among those who are kneeling before the throne, to his left are probably the Wesleys, and to his right are the Pentecostals. Across from him in the circle of praise are the Anglicans and the Presbyterians who are finally (to the shock and delight of all) raising their hands! I pray that one day we will join Edward and all the others in true ecumenical praise. With harmonies not yet heard, producing an overflow of overtones, we will delight in these hymns as never before.
One of the things I love about the great hymns of our faith is that they have a way of making manifest, even if only for a few minutes, the reality that we are, in all our distinctions and denominations, the body of Christ. During this prolonged pandemic crisis, when the church is dispersed, divided, and drowning in dispute, our gathered worship (and our singing, in particular) can be healing. The Spirit’s grace can, if only for a brief moment, form harmony from discord. This is because our songs are a momentary realization of our oneness in Christ. Congregational singing is an embodiment of an eternal reality, a beautiful manifestation of the unity in the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
More than that, in Christ we are being joined together and are growing into a holy temple for the Lord (Eph. 2:21). Together we are becoming a dwelling place for God’s Spirit, a sanctuary of His praise. Singing together exhibits this reality and reminds us of our ultimate identity and purpose. “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 15:5-6).
In this unifying spirit, I offer the following recording. This exuberant arrangement combines a global children’s choir with a fun Irish reel. It captures the celebratory spirit of all God’s children from around the world combined in praise for Jesus Christ who conquered death and hell. Each of these children are, in their own languages, exalting the Savior of the world. Let us join them in proclaiming…
“Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball, to him all majesty ascribe and Crown Him Lord of All” And we respond by singing, “O that with yonder sacred throng, we at His feet may fall. We’ll join the everlasting song and Crown Him Lord of All.”
– Recording
– Sheet music