All posts by Michael Kemp

No east or west

“In Christ There Is No East Or West”

Hymns, Thoughts & Musings,

These words were written by John Oxenham in England, but not intended to be hymn lyrics. They were actually the culminating script for a significant missionary pageant in 1908 London called “The Pageant of Darkness and Light”. The purpose of that pageant was to emphasize that Christians should love and help all people. This pageant was an extravagant production. It had many actors divided into the four corners of the room, prepared to present their dramatic scenes from the north, south, east, and west.

The north story took place in a Native American settlement on the northwest coast. It tells of the beloved daughter of the tribe’s chief, who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared and was never found.

The south story featured the famous physician and missionary, David Livingstone. He gave his life to working in an African village where he created a church and helped take care of the people…but he also had to deal daily with vicious slave traders.

The east story is hard to comprehend because it took place about 112 years ago in India. Its beginning focus was on a young girl, but then the story moves forward to a point when that same girl had become a young widow who was facing a traditional death on the funeral pyre of her husband. A missionary stepped up and saved her life.

The west story took place in Hawaii. An island leader was about to sacrifice two victims in order to appease a legendary goddess, a sacrifice of the day which islanders believed would keep volcanos from erupting. But…yet another missionary intervened, saving those two lives. In all these episodes a missionary or other Christian intervened, resolving the dramatic tension and proclaiming the gospel.

At the end of the pageant, “In Christ There is no East or West” was sung by a quartet as a quiet bridge leading to the final processional of all the actors coming together. The pageant then concluded with the entire audience singing, “All People that on Earth Do Dwell”, followed by shouts of “We Are One”. The standard being conveyed was that being a Christian means to care for and be of service to all.

In Christ shall true hearts everywhere their high communion find; his service is the golden cord, close binding humankind.

How Firm A Foundation

“How Firm A Foundation”

Hymns, Thoughts & Musings, ,

The Civil War tore this country apart…except for the singing of favorite hymns. The author of “How Firm a Foundation”, Richard Keene, was the song leader of a church. This hymn became popular during the contentious Civil War, in both the north and the south. At least they agreed about something. It is too bad that politics cannot be more like music, because in hymn singing, we become one, sensitive and unified with one another.

“How Firm a Foundation” was the favorite hymn of Andrew Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Theodore Roosevelt. Jackson requested that this hymn be sung to him by his bedside, shortly before he died. Lee requested this be the primary hymn sung at his funeral.

Verse 1 states that the foundation of our faith…is God’s word. All following verses describe specific promises that God gave to us.

Unlike verse 1, the following verses indicate God’s promises, and are all in quotation marks, something I had never noticed before:

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed, for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid; I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes; that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”

John of Damascus

“The Day Of Resurrection”

Hymns, Thoughts & Musings, , ,

What do you think about when Syria is mentioned today? Anything in the news about Syria has been troubling these days, and their people have suffered for so long. 

Few people in our congregations know that “The Day of Resurrection”, one of our most loved Easter hymns, was written in Damascus, Syria, in the 7th century, about 1370 years ago. The fact that this hymn has stayed important and meaningful for so many years is already incredible, but the Easter tradition of the time is even more so. The Easter ritual in those 7th century days, which I am about to describe, continues in many ways to this day in the Greek Orthodox Church, which this year will be celebrating Easter on April 19. (Most years, Western Christian churches and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Easter on different dates.)

On the evening of Good Friday, all the church’s worshippers gathered at the church. They then lifted the altar and moved it out of the way. Of course, back then, there were no floors, so the tradition included digging a hole where the altar had been, placing a cross in the hole and burying it with dirt, and then replacing the altar back on top of it. 

In the early days of Christian history, all significant events were celebrated the night before. The whole community gathered at the church on Easter Eve and began by singing “The Day of Resurrection” in the dark. Then everyone lit candles to dispel the darkness.

What had been silence was then suddenly shattered by bells, drums, trumpets, and even canons. Then the real focus of this extraordinary celebration occurred. The altar was lifted and moved, and the buried cross was dug up and lifted high, with shouts from all the people of “Christ is risen!” 

Can you imagine such a feeling of joyous celebration?

At the Abney Park Cemetery

“When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”

Hymns, Thoughts & Musings, ,

This hymn, written by Isaac Watts in 1707, is considered by many scholars to be the finest hymn in the English language. Watts, a young minister, had been becoming more and more frustrated by the church services of the day. The hymns of the day had no energy, no drama, and no sense of emotion. Most of the hymns were slow and ponderous, and they were not at all inspiring or thought provoking to the congregation. Watts thought that the state of congregational singing was dull and deplorable. 

Isaac Watts became so frustrated after church one day that he aggressively complained about the hymns to his father, a respected independent thinking school teacher. His father responded, “Complaining will not help this hymn problem, Isaac. Why don’t YOU write a more meaningful hymn yourself?” That conversation opened the door to his life-long hymn writing which became an innovative departure from dull hymns. 

Watts sat down that day and wrote his first hymn to be used in his own evening service that day. This meant so much to him and to his church that Watts wrote a new hymn every week for the next several years. He was the first in that era to write hymns which expressed personal feelings. Many of his hymns were written to be sung after his sermons, giving expression to the meaning of his preaching.

Had Watts only written the one hymn “When I Survey”, he would already have been highly admired by people like us, but look at what else he left us, plus hundreds more:

  • Joy to the World
  • My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
  • O God Our Help in Ages Past
  • From All That Dwell Below the Skies
  • I Sing the Mighty Power of God
  • Jesus Shall Reign Where’re the Sun

As was his father, a “nonconformist”, Isaac Watts was also an independent thinker, often choosing to go his own way in ecumenical terms. In this hymn, “When I Survey”, he used the word “amazing”, which up until then in England, had meant stupefying or confusing. This word had never been used in a positive way before, but here is how Watts used it: “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all,” words so appropriate for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

This new use of the word “amazing” changed people’s sense of what the word meant, a significant reason why we now have hymns like “Amazing Grace”.

Bishop Theodulph of Orléans

“All Glory, Laud, and Honor”

Hymns, Thoughts & Musings,

This hymn is traditionally the favorite for Palm Sunday, but what most people do not know is that it was written in 820 AD, 1200 years ago, in France. The original hymn had 38 verses, but that was far too much for congregations at the time. In great relief back then, congregations traditionally only sang…19 verses.

But now onto the hymn’s remarkable history. “All Glory, Laud, and Honor” was written by Bishop Theodulph of Orléans, in France. The Bishop had been a personal friend of Emperor Charlemagne of the Holy Roman Empire, who united most of western Europe under his throne. Charlemagne had requested Theodulph to move to France from his home in Spain to serve as a church leader. He was a brilliant man who worked hard to reform the clergy. The Emperor and Bishop became close friends, consulting with each other regularly. As a result, the Bishop became a powerful person in the country.

Upon Charlemagne’s death, his son and successor, Louis I, without any honest reason, immediately incarcerated the Bishop into prison on Easter Sunday, 818 AD. Louis felt that the Bishop had become too powerful for him to control, so he fraudulently claimed that the Bishop had been planning to conspire against him. 

Here was this fine person, Bishop Theodulph, living in prison in dreadful circumstances, who was completely isolated for over a year. But he was an inspired person who would not let these negative circumstances affect his faith and positive spirit. In his early days in prison, he immediately wrote the words to this beloved hymn and sang them over and over every day.

Can you imagine a person who had been wrongly imprisoned, and who was living in miserable circumstances, who would still have the courage and faith to write these words…

Thou didst accept their praises; accept the praise we bring,

Who in all good delightest, Thou good and gracious King.

A year later, Louis I happened to walk past the Bishop’s cell in a monastery. By chance, Louis happened to hear the Bishop singing his hymn, “All Glory, Laud, and Honor”. Louis was so deeply moved that he immediately ordered the Bishop’s release.

What can be learned from this history? When life is hard, hold your head up, put a smile on your face, and stay inspired with positive thoughts. 

refugees

“Fairest Lord Jesus”

Hymns, Thoughts & Musings,

One of our favorite hymns, “Fairest Lord Jesus”, has continuously been referred to as the “Crusaders’ Hymn”. The myth is that the German crusaders sang this hymn as they marched to the Holy Lands, but it is best to do some fact checking. The Crusades took place from 1096 to 1291. This hymn was not written until 1650. It had nothing to do with the crusades. 

The confusion was caused by famous composer Franz Liszt, who used this melody for an oratorio movement called “Crusaders’ March”. Even that historical correction about the “Crusaders’ Hymn” is fascinating, but the real history of the birth of this hymn is even more intriguing.

In 1620, there was a brutal anti-reformation purge in Bohemia. All Christians were driven out of that country into Silesia (now Poland), where they became desperate refugees. They were living in dreadful circumstances, struggling for food and shelter, much as refugees today throughout the world. But their solid Christian faith led them to write the words of “Fairest Lord Jesus”, which they sang daily for inspiration.

How we still have this hymn today is an unbelievable miracle. This powerful hymn, “Fairest Lord Jesus”, somehow disappeared for more than a century. More than one hundred years later, a single copy was found at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, the church where Johann Sebastian Bach was later to be choir director and organist. Whoever found this hymn sensed the beauty and the deep passion embodied within these words. St. Thomas Church loved it, and soon began using it in their own services, the only way we have this cherished hymn today. It eventually got translated into English and somehow found its way to America. 

As you sing this hymn, in spite of the joyful feeling of most of the words, remember those early believers who were desperate refugees, but who still managed the faith and courage to create this inspirational hymn. That explains the final words of verse 2, “Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer, who makes the woeful heart to sing.”

Never sing this hymn with nonchalance, but with passion, and think of refugees.

Image Creator: Andrey Popov; Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

O Master Let Me Walk with thee blog post

“O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee”

Hymns, Thoughts & Musings,

When Washington Gladden wrote these words, it was shortly after the Civil War had ended in 1865. The country was in the throes of an industrial revolution. At such times, common people were often exploited in the greedy rush of the wealthy toward their own personal profit. Social justice was desperately needed. 

This hymn was not so much about seeking comfort by walking with Jesus as it was standing up with courage and strength against those doing bad things. Gladden was a minister who did exactly that with his life. He helped negotiate disputes and strikes on behalf of common people, and looking after their welfare. As a result, he became the object of bitter criticism and continuous attacks from the business world.

People today do not understand the intended meaning of this hymn because the most significant verse has been omitted from our hymnals. Contemplate the depth of the words of this missing verse:

O Master, let me walk with Thee

before the taunting Pharisee;

help me to bear the sting of spite,

the hate of men who hide thy light.

A verse of “O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee”

These rather irascible lines seem out of character with the gentle humility of the other verses. The author said of this text, “It had no liturgical purpose and no theological significance, but it was an honest cry of human need, of the need for divine companionship.”

“Now Thank We All Our God”

Hymns, Thoughts & Musings

When living through difficult times such as the world is facing now, remembering favorite hymns has often lifted spirits and carried people through hard times. “Now Thank We All Our God” is that kind of a hymn, reminding us to rely on our stable faith and to remain positive about life.

The term “hymn” does not refer to the well-known tunes, but to the words of the hymns. In the old days in England, hymnals were spiral bound, with the words at the top and the hymn tunes at the bottom. Hymns were announced in worship, indicating the choice of both poetry and tune. Most people do not realize that the words to hymns were often sung to many different tunes. As a different hymn example, the popular hymn “If Thou but Suffer God to Guide Thee” was set to over 600 hymn tunes in its history. These hymn stories are therefore about the writing of the words and what led the author to convey poetry of such depth.

“Now Thank We All Our God” was written in Germany during the 30 Years’ War, 1618-1648, a violent religious war between Catholics and Protestants. This hymn today is often used to celebrate Thanksgiving, but that is far from the circumstances in which it was written. These words were written by a minister, Martin Rinkart, who lived in a walled village, common in those days. As the 30 Years’ War became more violent, the village was continuously under siege. No one could leave the village, and food and supplies were dangerously low…but then things got worse. The plague then hit the village, and many people died every day. Among those who died were all the other ministers of the village. Rev. Rinkart was the only minister left, and he led as many as 12 funeral services each day. 

Exhausted, Rinkart returned home one evening to find that his beloved mother had also died of the plague. This is the moving part of this historical story which will change your singing of this hymn for the rest of your lives. Rinkart sat down that evening and wrote the words to “Now Thank We All Our God”, including the poignant words that cannot be ignored, “who from our mother’s arms, has blessed us on our way”.  Never sing this hymn nonchalantly again, but use it to remind yourself that the strength of your faith will be there for you.

Endless road

Miracle on a New Mexico Highway

Stories, Thoughts & Musings

In the summer of 1961 when I was 14, our family, Dad, Mom, Julie, Peggy, Kathy, and me, piled into our station wagon and headed west for a vacation. John was not with us, due to a summer job. Leaving Oklahoma City, we passed through New Mexico. The weather in New Mexico that day was extremely hot, over 100°. The towns on this highway were far apart, and we were exactly in the middle between two towns, about 20 miles from either, plus we had not seen another car on that road since leaving the last town. 

The family was, as always, singing canons in the car to stay happy…when Dad happened to glance down at the engine temperature gauge, which was dangerously high. There must have been an engine water leak, and we saw billows of steam pouring from the engine. The car completely broke down. When Dad opened the hood, part of the engine seemed to have melted. There we were, a whole family, 20 miles away from civilization with a dead car…in 100° heat. We were clearly in danger.

The family obviously could not stay in the car, so Mom faced the problem by leading the girls to the side of the road where they found a large drainage pipe under the road, providing some protection from the brutal sun. In Mom’s typical style, she kept the girls happy by leading them in jumping jacks, fun stories, and singing.

Meanwhile, Dad and I had a serious talk about what could be done to get us out of this serious concern. He decided that he would start walking along the highway towards the next town, 20 miles away, with the hope that a car would finally show up and give him a ride. He assigned me the job of protecting Mom and my sisters…but I was only 14. That serious responsibility blew my mind. I told Dad that keeping the girls safe was the most important issue and that I was too young to do that. I then suggested that I begin walking to the next town, instead of him. This was obviously a complicated and heavy decision, but Dad finally agreed. I then set out walking the highway in that 100° weather.

I walked for about 20 minutes when the first car came along. It thankfully pulled over to give me a ride. The car just happened to be from the Highway Patrol. I fervently told the uniformed driver of the serious danger my family was in back on the highway, so we quickly headed for the nearest town to get what was needed to help. While driving to that town, the officer, out of curiosity, started chatting with me. He asked where our family was from, and I told him, Oklahoma City. He casually went on to ask if at my age, I had a summer job, and I told him, yes, at a landscaping nursery.

The patrolman’s demeanor suddenly changed into more serious attention. He asked what nursery. I told him “Garlands’ Nursery”…and he almost drove off the road. He immediately asked if my boss was Lee Garland, and I responded, “Yes…do you know him? Lee sings tenor in my father’s church choir.”

He stared at me for a moment not knowing how to respond, and then said, “Lee is my brother in law. His wife, Joy, is my sister. I am also the head of the New Mexico Highway Patrol. We will immediately pick up your family, tow your car to our garage, repair it for your family at our own cost, and find a motel in which your family can stay until the car is repaired.”

Believe it or not, that really happened…an incredible miracle that saved our family.

Rice Krispies

Concert/Performances, Thoughts & Musings

After finishing my time in the Army, I went to graduate school at the University of Oklahoma. I rented a small apartment, but I found it difficult to cook meals with so much time in classes and studying. I finally found a boarding house down the street where I had dinner most evenings. The other boarders knew nothing about classical music — but I was able to make friends with them. When my graduate voice recital came up, I invited all of them to come hear me sing. Early in the recital, I noticed that my boarder friends were clearly out of the comfort of their world and somewhat bored with the recital…until I sang “Vesti la Giubba” from Leoncavallo’s opera, “Pagliacci”. That music somehow grabbed their interest and drew their hearty applause afterwards.  After that, they started treating me as if I was a hero!

Vesti la Giubba

It wasn’t until dinner the next day that I learned what had caused such wild excitement. At our next dinner, they surrounded me and asked, “How did you ever learn to sing the Rice Krispies commercial in Italian?” What I had not known was that one of the most popular television commercials of the day was an operatic tenor singing the same tune, but to the words, “There’s no Rice Krispies. We are out of Rice Krispies!” I, of course, responded to them that it wasn’t easy, but never told them the truth.

There’s No Rice Krispies!