First off, for shock effect: I am a Mormon. Also a trained organist. Ralph Vaughan Williams, oh my! His early 20th c. contributions to the Anglican hymmal. For two examples, his harmonization of the tune "lasst uns erfreuen" (aka "All Creatures of Our God and King") which cannot be improved and which none if us could do without. Then at random "Come Down, O Love Divine." No words, really. Just awe and big thanks for such revelatory beauty, truth and goodness. In our common Sunday worship every woman, man, teen, sometimes children like on Mothers or Fathers Day is in a +/-2 year rotation to give a +/-12 minute sermon usually on an assigned topic. Over the last two years or so we have been particularly encouraged to witness as to the impact of Jesus Christ on our individual lives. I was up for 'the talk' at the pulpit last Sunday, in addition to regular organ duty. i requested the slot for special music bc I could not get this hymn "At the Name of Jesus" out of my head. The assigned topic was "taking upon ourselves the Name of Jesus." I started off with the meanings of the divinely instructed given- name Yeshua. *Rescuer, Savior, Healer." Also the meaning of the add-on title "Christ," which came to us from the Greek and the close takeover into Latin. Christ = Annointed One. i gave witness towards the end of my 12 minutes truthfully as could, in the interest of not breaking that major command about "false witness." [(Which commandment is rampantly broken by too many of our Calvinist elected officials who aggressively insist they are the one and only true *Christians." And who unthinkingly accuse as easily as we all breathe.)] I ended by reading all the verses of Mrs.Noel's marvelous text. It was hard for me and all present to maintain our composure as I read the high demands imposed on us by the words and by the very presence of our common Son of Man and Son of God ""... all that is not holy, all that is not true... ." " Name Him, name Him..." I then played ftom the excellent 1982 Episcopal Hymnal the tune " King's Weston" as composed by V. W. in a progressive builildup typical to the pipe.organ. What an unforgetable exprrience. It has become for me the most powerful hymn in all Christendom. Let me just say that if I were not a cinvinced member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Lattee-day Saints I could easily be an adherent to the theology of the fine Wesley Brothers, or of Hus (the Moravians), Zwingli (Swiss Reformed), or Luther (Evangelical Lutheran). Always I am in the presence, with all of you, of likeminded brothers and sisters All this to say many thanks for your performance of this great hymn, which seems to get tiptoed over, probably bc the doctrine expressed pulls no punches. Indeed, here it is plain as can be. And you do it good justice. Mark (Arizona)
First off, for shock effect: I am a Mormon. Also a trained organist. Ralph Vaughan Williams, oh my! His early 20th c. contributions to the Anglican hymmal. For two examples, his harmonization of the tune "lasst uns erfreuen" (aka "All Creatures of Our God and King") which cannot be improved and which none if us could do without. Then at random "Come Down, O Love Divine." No words, really. Just awe and big thanks for such revelatory beauty, truth and goodness.
In our common Sunday worship every woman, man, teen, sometimes children like on Mothers or Fathers Day is in a +/-2 year rotation to give a +/-12 minute sermon usually on an assigned topic. Over the last two years or so we have been particularly encouraged to witness as to the impact of Jesus Christ on our individual lives. I was up for 'the talk' at the pulpit last Sunday, in addition to regular organ duty. i requested the slot for special music bc I could not get this hymn "At the Name of Jesus" out of my head. The assigned topic was "taking upon ourselves the Name of Jesus."
I started off with the meanings of the divinely instructed given- name Yeshua. *Rescuer, Savior, Healer." Also the meaning of the add-on title "Christ," which came to us from the Greek and the close takeover into Latin. Christ = Annointed One. i gave witness towards the end of my 12 minutes truthfully as could, in the interest of not breaking that major command about "false witness." [(Which commandment is rampantly broken by too many of our Calvinist elected officials who aggressively insist they are the one and only true *Christians." And who unthinkingly accuse as easily as we all breathe.)]
I ended by reading all the verses of Mrs.Noel's marvelous text. It was hard for me and all present to maintain our composure as I read the high demands imposed on us by the words and by the very presence of our common Son of Man and Son of God
""... all that is not holy, all that is not true... ."
" Name Him, name Him..."
I then played ftom the excellent 1982 Episcopal Hymnal the tune " King's Weston" as composed by V. W. in a progressive builildup typical to the pipe.organ. What an unforgetable exprrience.
It has become for me the most powerful hymn in all Christendom.
Let me just say that if I were not a cinvinced member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Lattee-day Saints I could easily be an adherent to the theology of the fine Wesley Brothers, or of Hus (the Moravians), Zwingli (Swiss Reformed), or Luther (Evangelical Lutheran). Always I am in the presence, with all of you, of likeminded brothers and sisters
All this to say many thanks for your performance of this great hymn, which seems to get tiptoed over, probably bc the doctrine expressed pulls no punches. Indeed, here it is plain as can be. And you do it good justice.
Mark (Arizona)