Sections covered: Church, Parables/Teachings of Jesus
Reminder: * = new to the Worship series
*726 The Church of Christ Cannot Be Bound ("McKee") - I'll let you readers judge this one!
*727 Sing a New Church ("Nettleton") - Excellent tune. Text is a complete abomination! I'll say it again, quoting a former pastor of mine: Why don't we sing of the ONE TRUE CHURCH?
*728 Where Christ Is, His Church Is There ("Salzburg") - text seems ok. Tune excellent!
*729 You Strode within the Temple, Lord ("Kingsfold") - again text seems ok. Tune excellent, but too many of the same tune can make a hymnal very boring. "Halifax" ("Great Shepherd of a Loyal Flock", "'Mid Canyons Deep of Brick and Stone") would be a nice alternative.
*730 Christ, You Formed the Church, Your Body ("Fortunatus New") - the tune Worship II used (and Worship IV revived) for "Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle".
*731 One Is the Body (Bell) - garbage
732 Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation ("Westminster Abbey") - always an excellent hymn, but there is text altered for the umpteenth time.
*733 Church of God, Elect and Glorious ("Abbot's Leigh") - good. I used to use it at my former parish. The Music Issue (OCP) uses "Hyfrydol".
*734 As a Fire Is Meant for Burning ("Beach Spring") - text: garbage (that dang "Gathered as One" motif again!)
*735 Living Stones ("Nettleton") - same critique as #734
736 The Church's One Foundation ("Aurelia") - Was in Worship II, changed in Worship III to "O Christ the Great Foundation", restored in Worship IV as "The Church's One Foundation", but someone killed the last verse. It should end "O happy ones and holy, Lord give us grace that we, like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee."
*737 If Like Is Like a Wedding Feast ("Resignation") - Was the author of this "hymn" inspired by Forrest Gump or something? After all, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know whatcher gonna git!
738 O Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit ("Kontakion"/Russian Chant) - Now that we have this, we no longer need "Blest Are They".
*739 My Elder Son, Go Work Today (Krisman) - Text sounds like a dialogue (but then, so did the much more dignified "Watchman, Tell Us of the Night", between "Watchman" and "Traveler"). Tune isn't too bad. I liken it to something like the "Sussex Carol".
*740 Baited, the Question Rose ("St. Bride") - The passage about the "coin used for the tax".
*741 Build Your City on the Hill ("Puer Nobis Nascitur"/G. Shaw) - This is more of a Christmas tune, as I hear "Unto Us a Boy Is Born" with it. Low key for this one - C. "Unto Us" is in D.
*742 O Blest Are You ("St. Columba") - another Beatitudes translation.
*743 To Love Just Those Who Love You ("Aurelia") - Text is ok if you like a Romper Room intelligence, thus killing a nice tune.
*744 What Is the World Like (Morris) - garbage
*745 The Keeper of a Vineyard Dreamed ("Kingsfold") - I'll leave the judging of this text to you, our readers!
*746 If Christ Is Charged with Madness ("King's Lynn") - cool, two Vaughan Williams-harmonized tunes side by side. But "Madness"? Christ really didn't go "mad", did he?
Next installment: Christian Life
Peace,
BMP
1 comment:
"As a fire is meant for burning, so we set this page alight;
Tear it out: it's not for singing, 'cause the words are not too bright;
For it disavows our customs and it disrespects our creeds,
Though the godly revelation that we bear is what man needs."
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