Getting To Know Hymn: Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee

I wonder how many people in contemporary Christian churches today are unfamiliar with the hymns of old?

 

I am grateful, that as an adult, at my little church here in Florida, we still sing a few hymns on a weekly basis, along with more contemporary songs.  Looking back though, I don't remember exactly when my church, (as I was growing up in New Hampshire), switched over to doing mostly choruses and worship songs, but there came a point in time when singing hymns all but became a thing of the past.  It's not that they fell out of existence entirely, but choruses and worships songs were new and exciting, and people seemed to favor them more.

 

Don't get me wrong, choruses and worship songs are good and can be appropriate, but sometimes they can get kind of repetitive and give the impression that it's more about the "experience" and "warm fuzzies".   As I've gotten older I've come to appreciate the depth and fullness of what the old hymns have to say to us about who God (Father, Son & Spirit) is and what he has done for us, and the hope that we, who believe in him have for our future.

 

There are so many wonderful messages to be found within these hymns, and so I thought that I would begin a series of blog posts that I decided to call...Getting to Know Hymn.  I borrowed one of our church's hymnals a while back and went through it page by page and made a list of all the hymns I was familiar with.  My thought was that I would post about each of those hymns, including lyrics and perhaps even a video and write about what speaks to me.  I'm not sure how often I will post...I'd like to say I will do it on a weekly basis...but considering my blogging record in recent months, that may be putting too much pressure on myself!  I hope you will enjoy these posts, and be patient with me on the frequency of them.  I'd love to read your thoughts on each of the hymns I share, so please feel free to leave me  your comments about them...and I will try to visit your blog and leave a comment too!

 

First on the List is  Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee...

 

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,
Op’ning to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!

 

All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heav’n reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
Flow’ry meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in Thee.

 

Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blest,
Wellspring of the joy of living,
Ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
All who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.

 

Mortals, join the happy chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward
In the triumph song of life.

These lines..."Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day!" really speak to me, especially as my husband is going through a bit of a rough time at his job right now.  But, this hymn is also special to me, because it reminds me of my dad.  He always liked "Ode to Joy"...at least a certain version of it, done by someone in the 60's or sometime, that I haven't a clue now who it was.  And Ode to Joy (by Beethoven) of course is the basic tune of this hymn.  We found this great version by Casting Crowns (even though a lot of the lyrics from the hymn aren't used) and played it as part of my dad's memorial service.  I love the images in this video too...lots of flowers and scenery, which really suited my dad.

Enjoy...