The term "Advent" is an anglicized version of the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming." The Advent season is popularly thought of as the period (generally, the preceding month) during which Christians anticipate and prepare for the coming Christmas holiday. On a deeper level, though, it is a time for reflection on the central thread of all human history: the need of mankind for redemption from sin, and the promised coming of the Messiah to lead us out of its darkness and reconcile the world to our loving Creator.
The Messiah's coming into the world, and His miraculous work of redemption, were foretold in a host of prophecies set forth in the Hebrew Scriptures later incorporated into the Old Testament. It is truly breathtaking to see how fully and accurately they point to Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah! His birthplace, family history, nature, deeds, and even the time, manner, and purpose of his death--and His resurrection--were all foretold many hundreds of years before they became accomplished fact (at least as far back as the Jewish captivity in Babylon, 605 to 538 B.C.). They also reveal the tragic fact that he would not be recognized or accepted by the very people he came to save (Isaiah 53:3), and that His glorious kingdom would be established on Earth as well as in Heaven only upon Israel's delivery at the last battle by "me whom they have pierced." (Zechariah 12:10) Thus, there would be not one Advent, but two. But for a precious few disciples and followers, mankind "missed" the First Advent, though it led to our spiritual salvation. Ever since Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven, we have been engaged in the "Second" Advent, looking forward to that "great and awesome" day (Joel 2:31 (ESV)) when the Lord comes to us again in person, to establish His righteous kingdom here on Earth. And we've done so even as we've looked back, year after year, to that precious First Coming in Bethlehem.
The fervent longing and anticipation of both Advents is expressed in the great hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Like the Christmas holiday itself, this moving work has a long and rich history, winding through many religious, cultural, and musical traditions.
THE HYMN AND ITS HISTORY
This hymn, as we know it today in English, is based on the 12th century Latin poem "Veni Veni Emmanuel," a lyrical paraphrase--with an added chorus--of the famous "O Antiphons." The antiphons--anthems sung to a short verse--themselves date from at least the 8th century. In the medieval Christian church (and continuing today in many), each night before the Magnificat at Vespers on the seven days before Christmas, monks would sing one of these antiphons. The word "antiphon" implies that the lines of each anthem were sung alternately by two choirs sitting opposite each other in the chancel. Each antiphon featured a prayer beginning with "O Come" and including one of the names or attributes of the Messiah mentioned in Scripture. Here they are in their original order, with reference to their scriptural basis:
Dec. 17: "O Sapientia, quae ex ore altissimi. . ." (O Wisdom from on high...) (Isaiah 11:2-3, 28:29)
Dec. 18: "O Adonai et dux domus Israel. . ." (O Lord and leader of the house of Israel...) (Isaiah 33:22)
Dec. 19: "O Radix Jesse qui stas in signum populorum. . ." (O Root of Jesse who stood as a standard of the people) (Isaiah 11:1, 10)
Dec. 20: "O Clavis David et sceptrum domus. . ." (O Key of David and scepter of our home...) (Isaiah 22:22)
Dec. 21: "O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae. . ." (O Dayspring, splendor of eternal light...) (Isaiah 9:2)
Dec. 22: "O Rex gentium et desideratus. . ." (O longed-for King of the nations...) (Isaiah 2:4, 9:6)
Dec. 23: "O Emmanuel, rex et legiter noster. . ." (O Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver...) (Isaiah 7:14)
The monks who originated these antiphons arranged them with a definite purpose: if one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one in ascending order—Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia—the Latin phrase ero cras is formed, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come."
The Prophet Isaiah
The title of the climactic antiphon, as well as of the 12th century poem and the hymn we know today, is based on the prophecy contained in Isaiah 7:14: "[T]he Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Confirming the fulfillment of this prophecy, Matthew observed: "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." (Matthew 1:22-23)
John Mason Neale
Veni Veni Emmanuel apparently remained in obscurity until an unknown editor included it in the 7th edition of the collection Psalteriolum Cantionum Catholicarum, published in Köln, Germany in 1710. Almost a century and a half later, the poem came to the attention of Anglican clergyman and hymn writer John Mason Neale (1818-1866). Despite his evangelical upbringing, Neale was heavily influenced by the Anglo-Catholic Oxford Movement, and endured much opposition from those who thought him a closet Roman Catholic--he was once attacked at the funeral of a sister in a nursing order of Anglican nuns he founded, and at various times unruly crowds threatened to stone him or to burn his house. Kept by ill health (and possibly by resentment of his supposedly "Romish" tendencies) from serving in a parish, Neale divided his time between social ministry and the wardenship of Sackville College. He devoted most of the rest of his time to translating early and medieval Greek and Latin hymns for the holy days and seasons of the Christian year. Indeed, more than anyone else, Neale made English-speaking congregations aware of the centuries-old tradition of Latin, Greek, Russian, and Syrian hymns. His most widely known legacy is probably his contribution to the Christmas repertoire, particularly--in addition to O Come, O Come, Emmanuel--his translation of Good Christian Men, Rejoice and his original Boxing Day carol, Good King Wenceslas.
Henry Sloane Coffin
Thomas A. Lacey
Neale translated five of the seven "O Antiphons" from Latin to English, and first published these stanzas in his Mediaeval Hymns and Sequences, in 1851 (Neale's original translation began, "Draw nigh, draw nigh, Emmanuel"). In later years and compilations, several of these stanzas and the refrain were revised and reordered by others, particularly Rev. Thomas A. Lacey (1853-1931), an editor of the first edition of The English Hymnal (1906) (click here to see his complete revised version), and American Presbyterian minister Henry Sloane Coffin (1877-1954). The first five stanzas below are Neale's translation, while the last two are those most widely associated with Lacey and Coffin:
O come, O come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel, That mourns in lonely exile here Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free Thine own from Satan's tyranny; From depths of hell Thy people save, And give them victory o'er the grave.
Refrain
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer Our spirits by Thine advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night And death's dark shadows put to flight!
Refrain
O come, Thou Key of David, come, And open wide our heavenly home; Make safe the way that leads on high, And close the path to misery.
Refrain
O come, O come, Thou Lord of Might, Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height In ancient times didst give the law In cloud, and majesty, and awe.
Refrain
O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree, An ensign of Thy people be; Before Thee rulers silent fall; All peoples on Thy mercy call.
Refrain
O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Refrain
Thomas Helmore
The haunting, E-minor-key melody VENI EMMANUEL associated with the hymn was a 15th-century processional originating in a community of French Franciscan nuns in Lisbon, Portugal (Collins, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, p. 128 (Zondervan, 2001)), which was eventually traced to a manuscript in the National Library of Paris. Anglican clergyman Rev. Thomas Helmore (1811-1890) adapted this chant tune and published it in Part II of his The Hymnal Noted (1854), in collaboration with John Mason Neale. It served as the underlying theme music in opening and closing scenes of the 2006 film The Nativity Story (you can hear it in the video linked here).
REFLECTIONS
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is a matchless expression of our lost and helpless human condition, and our desperate need for deliverance by a loving Power far greater than ourselves. It is also an anthem of hope and confidence that our Messiah will indeed soon return to save us finally from the darkness of this world, and gather us into the eternal light of His presence. In singing it we both look back upon our Lord's first Advent in Bethlehem, and forward to the glorious day He appears in the clouds to take us home. Thus are wedded together all generations of mankind in the greatest story ever told.
Popular author Ace Collins aptly summed up the historical and spiritual significance of the hymn and of the medieval works from which it sprang:
For the people of the Dark Ages--few of whom read or had access to the Bible--the song was one of the few examples of the full story of how the New and Old Testament views of the Messiah came together in the birth and life of Jesus. Because it brought the story of Christ the Savior to life during hundreds of years of ignorance and darkness, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" ranks as one of the most important songs in the history of the Christian faith. (Collins, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas,p. 127 (Zondervan, 2001)).
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
There are many worthy video performances of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Some of the following have been chosen for this post because the presentation conforms generally to the original text and music and is fairly representative of how the hymn is generally sung. Others are included because they are especially inventive and engaging, while remaining faithful to the hymn's original text, tune, and meaning. An unusually large number of videos are presented here, in order to convey the wide range of moving interpretations that this great work is subject to.
Here is a traditional rendition by an unidentified choir, with a beautiful slide show of stained glass art:
Perhaps you're curious what the hymn sounds like sung in the original Latin--Veni Veni Emmanuel. Here is a lovely example, which includes the Latin text:
The music to O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is indispensable to the hymn's moving power--even without the text, as you'll hear (and see) in this instrumental version by The Piano Guys:
And now for something completely different: a very moving and robustly sung performance by the contemporary duo Sugarland, from the Country Music Association Christmas special on Nov 29, 2010. The hymn comes through, if anything, even more powerfully with the rhythmic presentation and guitar/banjo accompaniment:
Click here for a similarly moving (essentially) and anonymous solo performance accompanied on guitar, with impressive Christian artwork.
Finally, what may be the most engaging rendition of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel you'll see and hear. The hymn is usually performed in a quiet, plaintive way, but Mike Massé and Wendy Jernigan have used percussion instruments and (synthesized?) strings, along with a skillfully edited, stunning presentation of Marian and Nativity art, to transform the piece into an anthem of irresistible urgency and power. Watch and experience His coming in a most compelling way!
MAY YOU KNOW THE JOY AND PEACE OF HIS COMING
IN YOUR OWN LIFE THIS CHRISTMAS!
Presentation in the Temple (Philippe de Champaigne, 1648)
. . . For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of Thy people Israel.
On November 28, here in the United States, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. This event was instituted nationwide in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, who proclaimed it a day of "Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." Traditionally, the holiday is typified by the gathering of families and and friends around a dinner table heaped with fruits of the harvest, and the recitation of good things which the participants are thankful to have. But do we think beyond the good things or "blessings" we have, and reflect sufficiently on where they came from and why we have them?
In this context, a "blessing" is not just a desirable state of affairs or a beneficial thing or event that fell to us by chance. Rather, it has been defined in various dictionaries as "the bestowal of a divine gift or favour" and as "a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness." Thus, the ultimate source of the benefit--our Father in Heaven--is just as important as the thing itself. Otherwise, getting it is just "good luck." Moreover, blessings are a gift, and not just a reward for good behavior. Scripture tells us that "a faithful man shall abound with blessings" (Proverbs 28:20), and surely a steady faith in God and obedience to His Commandments will bring those spiritual and familial benefits that the Commandments were intended to secure to us, if not all the worldly benefits men desire. But if you think about it even for a moment, you should realize that you're blessed far beyond anything you could possibly earn or deserve, no matter how "good"--or bad--you are. If you don't feel very blessed, perhaps it's because you haven't thought about this very much, or at all.
So, WHY does our Heavenly Father bless us so abundantly, and freely? I submit that it's simply because, as John says, God is Love (John 4:8). Like any good parent, His love is unconditional and beyond measure, and He wants nothing so much as our happiness. This is the core of His nature, and the way He always is. This commitment, this determination, is so great that He sent His only begotten Son into this world to ransom us from sin and death with His own blood, His own death--while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8)--so that we could know eternal happiness with Him. This is the greatest gift of all!
Moreover, God's love and provision for us never fail; we can count on them absolutely. As the Bible puts it, He is ever "faithful" in blessing us:
Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations . . . (Deuteronomy 7:9) It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23) But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
Thomas O. Chisholm
One of the most moving celebrations of God's absolutely faithful love for us is the beautiful hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness.The text was written in 1923 by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm (1866-1960). He was born in Franklin, Kentucky on July 29, 1866, little more than a year after the end of the American CIvil War, in a log cabin. He attended a small country school and became its teacher at the age of only 16. At age 21, he became associate editor of Franklin's weekly newspaper. In 1893, at the age of 27, he accepted Christ as his Savior during a revival in Franklin led by Methodist evangelist Dr. Henry Clay Morrison. Chisholm later moved to Louisville, Kentucky at Morrison's request and became editor of the widely read Pentecostal Herald, and was himself ordained a Methodist minister in 1903 at the age of 36. He served a pastorate in Scottsville, Kentucky, but had to resign after one dear due to poor health. After moving his family to a farm near Winona Lake, Indiana (also home of the famous preacher Billy Sunday and, until 1990, headquarters of the Free Methodist Church), he became an insurance salesman. In 1916, at the age of 50, he moved his family again, this time to Vineland, New Jersey. He finally retired in 1953, when 87 years old, and passed away in February 1960 at the age of 93.
Chisholm had a hard adult life. His health was fragile and he was sometimes confined to bed, unable to work. Between illnesses he put in extra hours at various jobs in order to make ends meet. Nevertheless, he found great comfort in the Scriptures, and in the fact that God was faithful to be his strength in time of sickness and to provide for his needs. One of his favorite Bible passages was Lamentations 3:22-23: "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.”
William M. Runyan
In addition to selling insurance, and despite poor health, Chisholm wrote during his lifetime more than 1,200 poems and hymns (including among the latter O To Be Like Thee and Living for Jesus). He also often wrote to friends, among them fellow Methodist minister and composer William Marion Runyan (1870-1957) in Kansas, who was affiliated with both the Moody Bible Institute and Hope Publishing Company. Chisholm sent Runyan several of his poems with these letters, including the text of Great is Thy Faithfulness. Runyan found it so moving that he decided to set it to music, and the hymn was published in 1923.
For some years thereafter the hymn received little recognition, until it was discovered by Moody professor William Henry Houghton, who loved it so much and requested it sung so often at chapel services, that the hymn became the unofficial theme song of the Institute. It was not until 1945, however, when George Beverly Shea began singing Great is Thy Faithfulness at the Billy Graham evangelistic crusades, that the hymn was heard around the world. Despite its eventual popularity, Thomas Chisholm wrote that were no special circumstances which caused the hymn's writing—just his experience and Bible truth.
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee, Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not, As Thou hast been,Thou forever wilt be. Refrain:
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest, Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above; Join with all nature in manifold witness, To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
(Refrain)
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth, Thine own great presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.
(Refrain)
The best reflection on this great hymn that I've read observes as follows:
Verse 1 speaks of God’s faithfulness revealed in his Word, and is adapted from James 1:17: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Verse 2 tells us of God’s faithfulness revealed in creation. The seasons, the sun, moon, and stars all continue on their courses perfectly, orderly, quietly – guided by God’s faithful hand, without any help from us. Verse 3 reminds us of God’s faithfulness revealed in our lives. He pardons all our sins, fills us with his peace, assures of his presence, gives us strength, hope, and blessings to numerous to count!
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
Great is Thy Faithfulness is marvelous to hear sung by a large congregation, making the rafters ring with their happy, exultant praise of our Lord for His ever-faithful goodness to us. Here's just such a presentation, by the congregation of Southwark Cathedral in London, England:
Click here for a lovely small group performance by the Blue Rock Mennonite Youth.
Great is Thy Faithfulness also lends itself well to solo performance, in a spirit of quiet, humble gratitude. Here is such a rendition, highlighted with stunning scenes of nature, by contemporary Christian artist Chris Rice:
Another Christian artist, Fernando Ortega, is known for new arrangements of traditional hymns and gospel songs that are very appealing, as well as faithful to the spirit of the original works. Here is his version of Great is Thy Faithfulness:
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As you give thanks for abundant blessings this holiday--or at any time--reflect not just on the things and advantages you enjoy, but especially on the One who lovingly bestowed them on you, and who blesses you beyond all deserving. Remember that His goodness goes hand-in-hand with His faithfulness, so that you may know that blessed assurance of a place with Him in eternal peace and happiness!
Autumn, in much of the United States and Canada, immerses us in brilliantly colored leaves and flowers, cool breezes, and spicy fragrances. The summer haze has given way to stunning sunsets and crystal clear nights, and a new arrangement of stars is unfolding in the sky. Geese begin their annual migration south, while squirrels, deer, and many other animals are moving about, eating all they can, and getting ready for the coming of winter. As in springtime, we thrill again to the wonder and beauty of God's creation.
There are many people who can see and even appreciate this magnificent thing we call Creation, but can't bring themselves to acknowledge that it had a Creator. They believe that it all came from nothing and resulted by pure accident. Could the Pieta have sculpted itself? Did the Mona Lisa really spring forth from random molecular collisions? Creation is infinitely more vast, complex, and compelling than these works, as wondrous as they are; how could it have been brought into being without a Mind to so masterfully organize all that matter and space, and the intricate laws that govern them?
Scripture only declares what we should already know by observation and insight: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." (Psalm 19:1) As St. Paul observed, "[t]he invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse . . ." (Romans 1:20) When we pause to reflect on these profound truths, we're apt to say with the Psalmist: "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?" (Psalm 8:3)
Children seem to intuitively understand the divine authorship of Creation, and are awed--yet comfortable--with it. Perhaps this was part of the insight behind one of the sweetest Christian hymns, All Things Bright and Beautiful.
THE TEXT AND ITS LEGACY
Cecil Frances Alexander
The text was written in 1848 by English writer and poet Cecil Frances Alexander (1818-1895), the wife of Anglican clergyman William Alexander, who later became Primate of All Ireland. It has been said
that Mrs. Alexander was inspired to write this hymn when trying, with
difficulty, to teach a group of children the meaning of the Apostles' Creed.
When traditional teaching methods failed, she decided to write a series
of hymns based on selected passages in the Creed. She developed All Things Bright and Beautiful
from the phrase, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of
heaven and earth." That may be more abstract than the typical child can
appreciate, but the text of the hymn expresses this fundamental truth
in terms familiar to a child's (as well as an adult's) experience and
interest. Here are the original words (today, due to its seeming
endorsement of the class system, the stanza referring to "the rich man
in his castle" is generally omitted):
Refrain
All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings.
Refrain
The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, He made them, high or lowly, And ordered their estate.
Refrain
The purple headed mountains, The river running by, The sunset and the morning That brightens up the sky.
Refrain
The cold wind in the winter, The pleasant summer sun, The ripe fruits in the garden, He made them every one.
Refrain
The tall trees in the greenwood, The meadows where we play, The rushes by the water, To gather every day.
Refrain
He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well.
Refrain
This hymn celebrates the wonders of Nature that fascinate children and adults alike: flowers, birds, mountains, rivers, trees, meadows, sunshine, sunsets, wind. But its central teaching is that "The Lord God made them all"--and made them well!
Mrs. Alexander wrote more hymns to illustrate other elements of the Apostles' Creed, including Once in Royal David's City, and There Is a Green Hill Far Away. She published these and others in a collection entitled Hymns for Little Children in 1848. It was enormously successful and went through 69 editions during her lifetime and 100 editions altogether. Mrs. Alexander donated the profits from Hymns for Little Children to a school for the deaf, adding to her other endeavors supporting a ministry to unwed mothers and establishing a district nursing service.
It has also been suggested that All Things Bright and Beautiful may have been inspired by a verse from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: "He prayeth best, who loveth best; All things great and small; For the dear God who loveth us; He made and loveth all." (the verse appears in the graphic at right)
Llanwenarth House
The place of the hymn's composition also figures in its story. It has been claimed that Mrs. Alexander wrote All Things Bright and Beautiful while staying at Llanwenarth House in Govilon, in the Usk valley of Monmouthshire, Wales. In this connection, the refrain "the purple headed mountains, the river running by," may refer to the Sugar Loaf and Blorenge mountains and the River Usk (interestingly, Llanwenarth House was sold in 2012). The place of composing the hymn's text has also been attributed to Markree Castle in County Sligo, Ireland, and to Mineheadand the nearby village of Dunster in Somerset, England.
All Things Bright and Beautiful has been matched with several melodies over the years. The earliest (1887), and my favorite, is BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL by English organist, church musician, and music editor William Henry Monk (1823–1889) (who also composed the tune "Eventide" used for the hymn "Abide with Me"). This tune is set forth below (only the music to the refrain and first stanza is presented here; I couldn't find a complete rendering of the text and music):
Martin F. Shaw
At least as popular today, especially in Great Britain, is the 17th-century English melody ROYAL OAK as adapted and arranged in 1915 by English composer Martin F. Shaw (1875-1958). The original tune takes its name from a tree at Boscobel, Shropshire, England, in which King Charles II hid during the Battle of Worcester in 1651), which concluded the English Civil War. Here is the music to Mr. Shaw's arrangement:
Also quite popular today, at least outside church services, is a full choral arrangement by contemporary English composer and conductor John Rutter (b. 1945).
REFLECTIONS ON THE HYMN
While All Things Bright and Beautiful may have been written specifically for children, in a way that appeals to their natural curiosity and sense of wonder, it affirms some of the most profound truths of being--truths that even adults tend to forget, lost as we become in the murk of worldly distraction and self-absorption.
The Book of Genesis in the Old Testament teaches that God created the heavens and the stars, sun and moon; the seas with all its creatures; the earth and all its flora and fruit; the birds and animals; and finally, the pinnacle of His Creation, Man (and Woman!). He saw that they were all very good, and enjoined them to "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." (Genesis 1:1-1:31) That God created this magnificent universe is declared joyfully in the New Testament as well as the Old (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11). We learn that He cares for us and for all creatures and elements of His Creation, the small and the great--and especially for us, His children: "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26)
Attitudes of wonder, humility, thankfulness, and joy need to be cultivated from the earliest age, if children are to grow into spiritually healthy and happy adults. Appealing, instructive hymns like All Things Bright and Beautiful serve that purpose well.
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
The following rendition of All Things Bright and Beautiful is by an unidentified chorus singing William H. Monk's tune "Bright and Beautiful," accompanied by a charming video.
Martin F. Shaw's arrangement of "Royal Oak" is the tune sung by another unidentified choir in the following video; both the visual and musical experiences here are matchless:
Featured in the following video--another gem--is John Rutter's arrangement ofAll Things Bright and Beautiful. The choir is not identified, but I believe it is The Cambridge Singers:
* * * * *
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. ~ Isaiah 11:6
Perhaps the hardest test of faith for a Christian believer comes when he or she is struck by a tragic or profound loss: grave illness, the death of a loved one, natural disaster, family or financial turmoil, or the like. Especially when times are good, we come to expect that "following the rules" and "living right" will ensure a safe, comfortable life; that God will look with favor upon us and protect us from the calamities that befall others, especially those who don't know the truth or follow upright ways. Then, when the worst happens to us anyway, we may wonder in anguish whether God is really there. We may feel betrayed, hurt, and angry: "I don't deserve such punishment! I'm a GOOD person! What more do you want of me?"
The Old Testament Book of Job sheds much light on this problem. In this beautiful parable, Satan suggests to God that the righteous man Job is pious only because God has blessed him with prosperity, and that if Job were deprived of everything he had, he would certainly forsake his faith and curse God. Agreeing to this test, God allows Satan to take away from Job his herds, his servants, and then most tragically, his ten children. Still Job does not curse God, but blesses His name, acknowledging Him as the source of all that we have, now or ever. ("Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."Job 1:21) When Satan then smites Job with boils, he again refuses his wife's suggestion to "curse God, and die," replying: "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:9-10) Job was in spiritual as well as physical agony almost impossible to imagine, but he knew that a humble follower of God must be ready to accept afflictions as well as all the blessings and mercies He bestows on us. Although God had allowed Satan to do everything he wanted to Job except kill him, Job's reaction nevertheless was, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15).
More light yet is shed in the New Testament. Here we are taught to "glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope . . ." (Romans 5:3-4) Even more illuminating is Christ's own teaching as recounted in the Gospel of John:
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. (John 9:1-3)
Thereupon Jesus bid the blind man go and wash in a certain pool, which he did--and received his sight! Being found by Jesus a while later, the man humbly acknowledged Him as the Son of God. The man had been a sightless beggar all his life, but his suffering had had a precious purpose: providing an occasion for Christ to manifest His power and His compassion, and for the man to see and be personally touched by his own Savior!
Maybe these truths were in the mind of Horatio Gates Spafford (1828-1888) when, in the mid-1870s, he wrote the words to one of Christendom's most moving and beloved hymns, It is Well With My Soul. Although it appears in hundreds of hymnals and gospel music publications, and has been a favorite among believers for well over a century, it's surprising how many people still aren't familiar with this hymn or don't know the incredible story behind it.
THE STORY BEHIND "IT IS WELL"
If ever there was a modern-day counterpart of Job, it was Horatio Spafford.
Born in Troy, New York in 1828, Spafford excelled academically and after law school, traveled west to Chicago where he taught law, championed the abolition of slavery, and supported the election of Abraham Lincoln. A devout Christian and Presbyterian church elder, by the 1870s Spafford had become wealthy as a senior partner in a large Chicago law firm. He and his Norwegian-born wife Anna were prominent socially and close friends with Dwight L. Moody and other leading evangelists of the day. After the Civil War Spafford invested large sums of money (much of it borrowed) in Chicago-area real estate. At this point all seemed well indeed in the Spaffords' life.
Horatio and Anna Spafford
But suddenly, their fortunes took a dramatic turn for the worse. On October 8, 1871, Horatio Spafford was financially ruined--literally overnight--when the Great Chicago Fire consumed all of his real estate holdings as well as his law office. Although their finances were largely depleted, Anna and Horatio used what resources they had left to help those who were suffering because of the Fire and assist in rebuilding the city.
In 1873, concerned about Anna's declining health, Horatio planned a vacation for his wife and four young daughters in England, where they could also take part in a revival being conducted there by Dwight Moody and musical evangelist Ira D. Sankey. Shortly before their departure the Spaffords' finances were further strained by the Panic of 1873. Nevertheless, they proceeded with their plans. Anna and the children--11-year-old Anna, 9-year-old Margaret Lee, 5-year-old Elizabeth, and 2-year-old Tanetta--boarded the French steamship Ville du Havre in New York. Horatio was not with them, however; he had been held back at the last minute by business developments--someone had inquired about buying one of his heavily-mortgaged properties--so he promised Anna and the children that he would follow them on another ship to England in a few days.
The Spafford daughters
At two o'clock in the morning of November 22, 1873, the Ville du Havre was struck by the Scottish iron clipper Loch Earn, and sank in 12 minutes. Of the 273 people on board, only 47 survived. Anna Spafford was found by the Loch Earn's crew dazed and clinging to a piece of wreckage, but the four Spafford girls had all drowned, despite Anna's frantic efforts to save them. When she reached Cardiff, Wales a few days later, having been picked up with other survivors by an American vessel, she cabled home, "Saved alone, what shall I do?"
The Sinking of the Steamship Ville du Havre
Needless to say, Horatio was wracked with grief upon learning of his daughters' fate. He immediately booked passage on another ship to join Anna in England. According toBertha Spafford Vester, another daughter born to Horatio and Anna several years later--and presumably the story she was told by her father--the captain en route called Horatio to his private cabin and told him that they were then passing the place where the Ville du Havre had gone down. Though at that moment he was surely passing through the "valley of the shadow of death," Horatio returned to his own cabin and wrote out the lines that would be known ever after as the hymn It is Well With My Soul. Other accounts, however, suggest that Horatio returned to his cabin and wrote simply, "It is well; the will of God be done", and completed the text based on these words about two years later, when Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey were staying at the Spafford home in Chicago.
Either way, no other hymn better expresses the faith, hope, confidence, and contrite submission of the true Christian believer than this one:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain: It is well, (it is well), With my soul, (with my soul) It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Refrain
But Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.
Refrain
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain
[Bertha Spafford Vester noted years later that the fourth stanza above was added to the familiar version some time after the rest of the hymn was composed.]
Gospel singer and composer Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876), another close associate of Moody and Sankey, was so impressed with Spafford's life and the words of his hymn that he composed a beautiful piece of music to accompany the text. It was published by Bliss and Sankey in 1876. Bliss called the tune Ville du Havre, after the name of the stricken vessel on which the Spafford girls were lost. Tragically, Bliss himself died with his wife in a train wreck in Ohio, not long after this music was written.
THE REST OF THE STORY
It would be satisfying to say that it was altogether well with the Spaffords after their terrible ordeals with the Great Fire, and then the loss of their daughters. But that wouldn't be quite accurate. In February 1880 their only son, Horatio Goertner Spafford, died at the age of four years, of scarlet fever. Horatio also came into increasing conflict with the Presbyterian church he attended, over theological and financial issues, and he angrily left the church amid whispers by other church members that his family's trials were divine retribution for their heresy and misconduct. Horatio's law practice suffered, as he became increasingly consumed with a belief that the second coming of Jesus, to Jerusalem, was imminent. The Spaffords formed their own Messianic sect, dubbed "the Overcomers" by the American press. In August 1881, the Spaffords set out for Jerusalem as a party of thirteen adults and three children, and set up what became known as the American Colony.
At first this community was seen as something of a bizarre cult, and regarded with suspicion and disdain, by many Westerners living in Jerusalem. However, in time their work was blessed with success. Colony members, later joined by Swedish Christians, engaged in philanthropic work amongst the people of Jerusalem regardless of their religious affiliation and without proselytizing motives, thereby gaining the trust of the local Muslim, Jewish, and Christian populations. During and immediately after World War I, the American Colony played a critical role in supporting these communities through the great suffering on the eastern front by running soup kitchens, hospitals, orphanages, and other charitable ventures. Although the American Colony ceased to exist as a religious community in the late 1940s, individual members continued to be active in the daily life of Jerusalem. Toward the end of the 1950s, the society's communal residence was converted into the American Colony Hotel. The hotel is now an integral part of the Jerusalem landscape where members of all communities in Jerusalem still meet. In 1992 representatives from the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel met in the hotel where they began talks that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accord.
Given the calamitous series of events that led to the penning of It is Well With My Soul, no one would be surprised if it had brimmed with woe and painful resignation over the agonizing, unfathomable will of God. Instead, the hymn is suffused with the most vibrant faith and thankfulness for Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, banishing sin and death and conferring the "blest assurance" of eternal peace and happiness with Him--despite all of the trials and defeats that burden us in this life. It is Well echoes not only Christ's agonized submission in the Garden of Gethsemane ("My soul is exceeding[ly] sorrowful unto death . . . Nevertheless, not what I will, but what Thou wilt."Mark 14:34-36), but also the joyful promise of Revelation: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
VIDEO PRESENTATIONS
The first presentation below is by an unidentified choir, with beatiful nature scenes accompanying a thoroughly traditional rendition including solos on some verses:
The next rendition is by a large congregation--more than 5,000 people, if I'm reading the notes right-- from the album, Together for the Gospel Live, by Sovereign Grace Ministries. This video also features beautiful nature scenes and lyrics on the screen as the hymn is sung.
My favorite solo rendition is by contemporary Christian artist Chris Rice--again, accompanied by beautiful natural and Christian imagery:
A still more contemporary performance by Christian singer Brian Doerksen can be viewed here, weaving the story behind the hymn with the music using photographs of Horatio Spafford and his family (although it errs about the year in which their 4-year-old son died).
For an impressive video presentation on the history behind It is Well With My Soul, see the following:
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Every one of us, regardless of how righteously we live, will experience some profound loss during our lives. Christ Himself gives us the warning, and the solution: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) The issue isn't whether grave misfortune will or should befall us at some time, but how we deal with that challenge. Will it be with bitterness and despair? Or will it be with humble submission to the will of our sovereign Lord, thanks for the suffering He endured to purchase us from death, and firm faith in His promise of eternal peace? It's that "blest assurance" that enables us to overcome the world with Him, and to echo Horatio Spafford in declaring, "It is well with my soul."
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. ~ Psalm 126:5
Irish Brigade Monument, Antietam National Battlefield
A couple of weeks ago (May 27) people in the United States observed Memorial Day, on which we remember and honor those who gave their lives while serving our country in the armed forces. In less than a month (July 1-3), we will mark the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the costliest and, perhaps, most decisive engagement in the American Civil War. Dark clouds of wars past, as well as the "wars and rumors of wars" today, are on our minds. For centuries, people have resorted to sacred music as a way to find meaning, comfort, and inspiration amidst the terrible trials that wars produce. Sometimes a hymn will reflect on what has been lost in past conflicts, especially fallen warriors, and at other times (and often in the same hymn) on the causes for which the war was fought.
War, for a Christian, is among the most troubling features of life in this world. We believe that our God is loving and merciful, yet untold millions of innocent human beings have been killed, maimed, starved, enslaved, and otherwise suffered in countless wars down through history, a scourge which seems to have no end. God commands us not to kill (Exodus 20:13), but legions of professing Christians have taken up arms, and still do, to defend their homelands or way of life--and too often in the past, most regrettably, to engage in conquest and even to war against each other. We pray fervently for peace and look forward to the blessed day when "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:3-4) And yet, we "put on the whole armour of God" (Ephesians 6:11) and sing rousing hymns that are full of military imagery, such as Onward Christian Soldiers, Who Is on the Lord’s Side?, and Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, Ye Soldiers of the Cross. Ultimately, perhaps, war is but one facet of the opposition and conflict that came into the world with sin, and will be our lot until Christ returns and banishes Satan forever.
This view suffuses one of Christendom's (and the world's) most famous hymns, The Battle Hymn of the Republic. This remarkable work may be less of a "hymn" as commonly understood, than an anthem, for it became the inspirational "theme" music for the Union (or perhaps more precisely, the abolitionist) cause in the American Civil War. While it reflects on the issues that gave rise to that war and invokes images common to the 19th century soldier's experience, the Battle Hymn elevates the conflict to a higher, sacred plane and speaks to what many Christians believe about evil, the destiny of the world, and our role in fulfilling that destiny.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THE HYMN
The text of the Battle Hymn was written in 1861 by Julia Ward Howe (1819–1910), a prominent American social activist and wife of Samuel Gridley Howe (1801–1876), a famed scholar in education of the blind. Samuel and Julia were both deeply involved in the anti-slavery or "abolitionist" movement, in which thousands of Americans had, for more than thirty years, worked tirelessly to end the practice of slavery in the United States through religious and moral persuasion, political agitation, and even spiriting slaves away to the Northern states and Canada from their places of bondage in the South. Many abolitionists had exhausted their fortunes and risked (and some suffered) prison or death in the cause. The movement grew out of the American religious revival known as the the Second Great Awakening in the 1820s and 1830s, and its most passionate and committed members were motivated by the conviction that "all people were equal in God's sight; the souls of black folks were as valuable as those of whites; [and] for one of God's children to enslave another was a violation of the Higher Law, even if it was sanctioned by the Constitution." (James Brewer Stewart, Holy Warriors: The Abolitionists and American Slavery (1976)). They were also convinced, as were most zealous believers since the Second Great Awakening, that the Millennium was near and that Jesus Christ would return to the earth soon to usher it in. That society could and should be transformed for the better in furtherance of God's purpose, and that it was the Christian's duty to help bring about that transformation, was an article of faith among religious abolitionists and social reformers of that day.
John Brown
By the 1860s the abolition movement seemed--but for the liberation of some thousands of slaves through the "underground railroad"--to have borne little fruit but to set the Northern and Southern sections of the United States implacably against each other. The 1859 assault on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia led by John Brown, a deeply religious abolition zealot who sought to spark a slave uprising--and which was funded in part by Samuel Gridley Howe--only hastened the rupture. Finally, five months after anti-slavery Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States in November 1860, and several Southern states seceded from the Union, the conflict became an open and deadly Civil War.
According to various accounts, the Battle Hymn was born in the wake of a public review of federal troops outside Washington, D.C. in November 1861, which Julia Ward Howe attended along with her husband Samuel--now a member of President Lincoln's military Sanitary Commission--and the Rev. James Freeman Clarke. At some point the passing soldiers began singing John Brown's Body, a popular Union marching song that referred both to the famous antislavery martyr John Brown and to a certain irrepressible Union soldier of that name from Massachusetts. John Brown's Body itself originated from a popular religious camp-meeting song known as Canaan's Happy Shore or Brothers, Will You Meet Us?, which carried an old folk tune transcribed (and often attributed to) William Steffe (1830–1890), (of whom no known image exists) and published in about 1856. Although the words to John Brown's Body were thought by the more genteel people of the time as rather coarse and irreverent, Mrs. Howe and her party joined in the singing as the soldiers marched by. Reverend Clarke suggested to Mrs. Howe that she write some new lyrics to the familiar tune, and she resolved to do so. As she later recalled:
I went to bed that night as usual, and slept, according to my wont, quite soundly. I awoke in the gray of the morning twilight; and as I lay waiting for the dawn, the long lines of the desired poem began to twine themselves in my mind. Having thought out all the stanzas, I said to myself, 'I must get up and write these verses down, lest I fall asleep again and forget them.' So, with a sudden effort, I sprang out of bed, and found in the dimness an old stump of a pen which I remembered to have used the day before. I scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper. [Howe, Julia Ward. Reminiscences: 1819-1899. Houghton, Mifflin: New York, 1899. p. 275]
Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic was first published on the front page of the February 1862 issue of the Atlantic Monthly (editor James T. Fields (1817-1881), who paid Mrs. Howe $5 for the piece, is credited with having given the song the name by which it is known today). By the time federal forces took the field for their spring campaigns, soldiers were already singing and marching to the song.
Since the Civil War, the Battle Hymn has become one of the USA's most beloved patriotic songs. It also appears in many hymnals, and is widely sung at church services on such national holidays as Memorial Day and Independence Day. It is probably second in eminence only to The Star Spangled Banner as an American patriotic anthem.
THE MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF THE HYMN
One cannot fully appreciate the meaning and significance of the Battle Hymn without reading and pondering its text in detail:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord: He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on.
(Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps, They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps: His day is marching on.
(Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His day is marching on.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel: "As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel, His truth is marching on."
(Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat: Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on.
(Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me: As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.
(Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave, He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave, So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave, Our God is marching on.
(Chorus) Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic is certainly different from most of the works featured in this or like collections of hymns, which tend to focus on the individual and his or her personal transformation through God and Jesus Christ. The Battle Hymn, on the other hand, focuses on the world and the injustice and evil within it, and its impending transformation by Christ, heralded by and working through the armies of His faithful.
The first stanza presents a clear vision of the Lord's return and the fearful judgment coming in its wake: "glory of the coming of the Lord" (". . . the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."Matthew 24:30); "grapes of wrath" ("And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God."Revelation 14:19); "terrible swift sword" (". . . out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword . . ."Revelation 1:16).
As has been noted elsewhere, the main element of the chorus--"Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!"-- was probably also inspired by the book of Revelation: " . . . I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God . . ." (Revelation 19:1).
In the second and third stanzas, the Lord is seen in "the watchfires;" His righteous sentence and His fiery gospel are read in "the dim and burning lamps" and in "burnished rows of steel" (ranks of polished musket barrels). These are things characteristic of soldier life, so the hymn suggests that the army itself constitutes the Lord's "terrible swift sword" and, perhaps, the "Hero born of woman" which is to "crush the serpent" underfoot.
The fourth stanza's reference to the "trumpet that shall never call retreat" also invokes a familiar thing to soldiers of that day, the bugle, and suggests a stern call to duty and action, as well as to Judgment Day, "a day of the trumpet and alarm" (Zephaniah 1:14, 16). Tthat call is not one to be shirked or dreaded by a soldier in God's army, but embraced joyfully: "Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!"
The fifth stanza is the true climax of the hymn, and reveals its core inspiration: Christ, the beauty and glory of his Person. As He died to free all people from sin, so should we be ready to give our lives to bring freedom to others ("As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free"). While the word "slavery" is never used in the Battle Hymn, its implication is unmistakable, given the times and the circumstances of the hymn's author and authorship.
In thus replacing the words to the earthy marching song John Brown's Body, Mrs. Howe clearly intended to give the soldiers' agonizing work a new and higher meaning: not just the conquest of a menacing adversary, not just restoration of the Union, but a deliverance of millions of helpless souls from the crushing evil of bondage, and redemption of the whole nation from guilt for that terrible sin. As another perceptive observer explains: "[Mrs. Howe's] hymn was an attempt to frame [the soldiers'] sacrifice, to place it within the context of a great and glorious cause. . . . the advance of God’s Kingdom on earth."
OUR CALL TO ACTION?
Perhaps it is well that the Battle Hymn omits specific reference to the racial slavery over which the Civil War was fought 150 years ago, for as it is written the hymn speaks eloquently to us today, and calls us to be defenders of the freedom God intended for all our brothers and sisters. No wonder that the Battle Hymn became an anthem of the 20th century's civil rights movement. In his final sermon delivered in Memphis, Tennessee on the evening of April 3, 1968, the night before his assassination, Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. closed with the first line of the Battle Hymn: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!" The Battle Hymn has also come to be associated with the American cause in confronting evil and oppression around the world. It was a favorite of British Prime Minister and World War II leader Winston Churchill, for example, and at his request was played at his funeral in 1965.
Some modern Christians are uncomfortable with the militancy of the Battle Hymn and its call to men and women for such deep and forceful involvement in worldly matters. In any such critique we need to be mindful of the social and religious currents, as well as of the desperate moral and political struggles, out of which it arose. Different conditions and attitudes prevail today, when the initiative for social reform has been largely assumed by, or ceded to, secular forces working through governments and their allied organizations. Moreover, and ominously, there is in our society a growing resistance to the involvement of religious elements in public life. Nevertheless, who but those inspired by the love and teachings of Christ are better suited to show the compassion and self-sacrifice today's world so desperately needs? Do Christian believers simply stand aside and let the relentless tide of evil (violence, class/ethnic/sectarian enmity, abortion) wash over the world while we gaze upwards waiting for deliverance? To put it in Civil War terms, should we yield the moral battlefield and ground arms until our General appears to do the fighting for us? Or do we, in Christ's name and spirit, march forward now and do what we can, until He returns, to dispel Satan's lies and extend God's deliverance to all His beleaguered children? Even if we do so with plowshares instead of swords, the Battle Hymn of the Republic would still be a perfect anthem for our efforts.
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VIDEOS ABOUT THE HYMN
It's unusual to have multiple videos telling how a hymn came to be, and of its enduring significance--but the Battle Hymn is a very special piece. Here is the story of the hymn as told by the great actor and director Orson Welles:
Here is another fascinating video relating the story of the Battle Hymn by the great-great-great grandson of Julie Ward Howe:
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PERFORMANCES OF THE HYMN
There are many excellent (and some not so satisfactory) video renditions of the Battle Hymn. Most present only the first, second, and fifth stanzas. I suppose they're the best-known and easiest to understand and relate to for modern listeners, although the fourth stanza is just as clear and inspiring as the others, in my humble opinion.
Most modern renditions also substitute "live" for the original "die" in the third line of the fifth stanza, making the line read: "As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free." It is unclear when and why this change became commonplace. Perhaps it was in reaction against what some find to be the hymn's unsettling militancy. Others believe that "live" is preferable because it embraces commitment and potential sacrifice of one's whole being, in life as well as in death. Out of faithfulness to the original work I generally prefer its wording, but philosophically I prefer "live" for the reason just given. I find either formulation most inspiring.
Here is the video I thought most impressive musically and visually, featuring full orchestration and a large (though, unfortunately, unidentified) choir:
Good solo performances on video are harder to come by. Here is a good one by Judy Collins, joined by a U.S. Army chorus and the Boys Choir of Harlem in a 1993 concert televised live from Washington, D.C.:
For those who prefer a more spiritual, less military presentation, here's one featuring singer Jim Nabors along with images of Christ and scenes from His life and mission on Earth (in contrast to most other renditions, this one features the first, fourth, and fifth stanzas of the hymn):
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Triumph
of Christ, by Gustave Dore (1868)
. . . [T]hey shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet . . . ~ Matthew 24:30-31
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