Hidden Treasures

Tucked away in the pages of a hymnal (you know, that dusty hardback book holding a door open in your home, office or church) are phrases and verses that can open up new ways of expressing our hearts in worship.

While we gladly keep looking for new ways to express old and eternal truths, there can be great delight in sharing some old ways those truths have been expressed too. (At least for those already walking with Jesus. Honestly, I'm not sure how well they connect with those far from God, but that's a topic for another day.) That's why my last post included 11 older songs that I find musically very engaging.

Now, thinking about the text, here are three different examples of hidden treasures.

1) The story behind the lyrics. One of the most famous examples of this would be "It Is Well with My Soul" and the tragedy of the SS Ville du Havre. But there are other, beautifully moving stories. Check out "Precious Lord Take My Hand" by Thomas Dorsey, for example.

2) The story inside the lyrics. Here's an example I learned just a couple of years ago. There's a single word in the first stanza of "The Solid Rock" that changes everything. Here's the text:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

I always assumed "sweetest frame" meant another person or a temptation or... who knows, right? But "back in the day" the word frame was used to describe a system of belief, or teaching. We might call it doctrine or theology.

Now, read it again.

YES! We can't lean on even the sweetest belief about Jesus, we have to lean on Jesus! On CHRIST the solid Rock I stand!

Also think of phrases like "Here I raise mine Ebenezer" and "In Light inaccessible hid from our eyes."

3) The story of rediscovered songs. That's right, there are dozens and dozens of good, older songs, that a generation doesn't know. These are the hymns that don't make the "Top 40" in a given 3-5 year period. So there is a very good chance that those under 30 in your church have never heard them. In fact, I was with a good friend (and worship pastor) who is not yet 30 years old a couple of weeks ago. He asked if I'd ever heard "Children of the Heavenly Father," which was brand new to him. I knew it well, but he had just "found" it and thought it was great. (It probably helps that he's expecting his first child!)

His story is not exceptional. I remember one of my mentors, Chip Stam, telling the story of being at a Promise Keepers event and hearing a teenager astounded at the beauty of that new piece (he said, "where do they find these songs!?!?") called--you may have heard of it--"Be Thou My Vision."

And while I know hundreds and hundreds of hymns, I'd never heard of "I Am Not Skilled to Understand" until Aaron Shust shared "My Savior My God" with the world a few years back.

The story behind the song, the story inside the song, and the story of rediscovered songs. All are hidden treasures.

Would you share your favorite example?

(I've linked to some favorite settings of these songs, with the hope that it may serve you.)