Today's episode featured two hymns by Isaac Watts: "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" (LSB 425/426) and "Joy to the World" (LSB 387).
____________________
When Isaac Watts (1674-1748) published his hymns, he divided them into three sections: hymns that paraphrased texts of Scripture, hymns of human composition on divine subjects, and hymns "for the celebration of the Lord's Supper." We may think that Watts would place "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" in the second section, but in fact Watts included this hymn among his Lord's Supper hymns.
In the preface to his 1717 hymnal, Watts explained why he placed certain hymns in the Lord's Supper catecgory: "There are Expressions used in all these, which confine them only to the table of the Lord, and therefore I have distinguished and set them by themselves." Watts, therefore, considered this specifically a hymn for the Lord's Supper. When sung within that context, references to the body and blood of Christ, the flowing of sorrow and love, the power of such amazing love, and the transformation of one's life, all take a deeper and richer meaning. If the more specific references Lutherans expect are lacking, that is hardly surprising, as Watts was a Nonconformist and as he did not recognize the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper.
This hymn is divided into two main sections. The first two stanzas offer a poetic paraphrase of Galatians 6:14, with the poet's cry to god in the second stanza ("Forbid it, Lord") voicing the language of the King James Version ("But God forbid that I should glory"). In this section, the first wo lines offer the object of devotional contemplation ("the wondrous cross"), and the next six lines rehearse the parallel couplets the effect of this contemplation upon the poet (renunciation of the world's vain glory).
In the next section, the poet enters a deeper, closer inspection of the cross only to experience a higher, more comprehensive reevaluation of the world. This section is evenly divided between a contemplation of the body of Christ (stanza three) and a reevaluation of the world (stanza four). The poet's contemplation moves from the particulars of Christ's body (stanza three) to the whole body and then from the whole world to particulars of his life within the world (stanza four).
Beginning at Christ's head, the poet's gaze flows downward over the crucified body, finding within Christ's flowing blood both God's sorrow over sin and His merciful love toward all sinners. Recognizing that Christ's death is Christ's reign of love, the poet returns his gaze to Christ's head, only to see it now richly crowned in thorns.
1 When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.
2 Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
3 See, from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4 Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a tribute far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!
Text: Public domain
____________________
"Joy to the World" was first published in 1719 in "The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament." Watts wrote this as a paraphrase of Psalm 98. He gave this hymn the heading "The Messiah's Coming and Kingdom."
By the 19th century, English-speaking Lutherans had embraced this hymn, although not always as a Christmas hymn. After Lowell Mason, the Boston music educator and compiler of tunebooks, popularized the hymn in his publications of 1837 and the following years, it grew to become an essential part of the celebration of Christmas in America.
"Joy to the World" is an exuberant invitation to the world to praise God on the occasion of Christ's coming. The peoples are to rejoice because He has come, has seved us all from our sins, has comforted His people, and has had compassion on the afflicted.
1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
4 He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.
Text: Public domain
____________________
The following hymns in the Lutheran Service Book were written by Isaac Watts:
387 - Joy to the World
425-426 - When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
431 - Not All the Blood of Beasts
437 - Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed
669 - Come, We that Love the Lord
705 - The Man is Ever Blessed
707 - Oh, That the Lord Would Guide My Ways
733 - O God, Our Help in Ages Past
812 - Come, Let Us Join Our Cheerful Songs
814 - O Bless the Lord, My Soul
816 - From All That Dwell Below the Skies
832 - Jesus Shall Reign Where'er the Sun
867 - Let Children Hear the Mighty Deeds
903 - This is the Day the Lord has Made
No comments:
Post a Comment