Ward Choir Christmas Program 2011

I thought I'd go ahead and put our entire Christmas program line-up here, complete with narration so that in the future, if other choir directors are looking for ideas for their own ward choirs, this may be useful. Also, for the benefit of my choir, the last two songs, "God Loved Us So He Sent His Son" and "Carol of Joy" have links to hear the entire piece.   And "Come to See Jesus the King" (SSA) has a link to a site where you can listen to a preview of the piece.    

Come into His Presence with Singing

By Cindy Berry

Narration:  And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.  And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.  (Luke 2:1-5)

When Joseph Went to Bethlehem

Arr. Larry Beebe

 Narration:  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:6-7)

Away in a Manger

arr. Mack Wilberg

 Narration:  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.  (Luke 2:8-14)

Far Far Away on Judea’s Plains

Arr. Amy Dalton

Narration:  And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.  And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.  (Luke 2:15-16)

Come to See Jesus The King

By Kristen Allred

 Narration:  And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.  (Luke 2: 17, 20)

God Loved Us So He Sent His Son

Arr. Daniel McDavitt

Narration:  The prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said, “My heart is subdued when I think of the great love of my Heavenly Father. How grateful I am to know that God loves us. The incomprehensible depth of that love found expression in the gift of His Only Begotten Son to come into the world to bring hope into our hearts, to bring kindness and courtesy into our relationships, and above all to save us from our sins and guide us on the way that leads to eternal life.

“When all is said and done, when all of history is examined, when the deepest depths of the human mind have been explored, nothing is so wonderful, so majestic, so tremendous as this act of grace when the Son of the Almighty, the Prince of His Father’s royal household, He who had once spoken as Jehovah, He who had condescended to come to earth as a babe born in Bethlehem, gave His life in ignominy and pain so that all of the sons and daughters of God of all generations of time, every one of whom must die, might walk again and live eternally. He did for us what none of us could do for ourselves.”   (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas,” Dec. 2000 Ensign.)

Carol of Joy

Music by Dan Forrest, Lyrics by Eileen Berry

Now Thank We All Our God

Text: Martin Rinkart; Trans. by Catherine Winkworth 
Music: Johann Cruger; Harm. by Felix Mendelssohn 
Tune: NUN DANKET


Martin Rinkart (1586-1649) was a Lutheran pastor in his home town of  Eilenburg, Saxony, Germany.  He began his services there at the beginning of the Thirty Year War (1618-1648).  Eilenburg became a refuge for political and military refugees and became highly over-crowded.  It was plagued with pestilence and famine, and was overrun by armies three times.

Rinkart's home was a refuge for the victims, even though he was struggling to care for his own family.  During the height of the plague in 1637, Rinkart was the only remaining pastor.  As a result he conducted 40-50 funerals a day, totaling 4,480 in all, including that of his own wife.

Despite the death and disease that he dealt with everyday, he kept his heart full of gratitude.  It was during this time of great affliction that he wrote this hymn "Nun danket alle Gott"  (Now thank we all our God) for his family to sing as a prayer before mealtimes.   The hymn became so widely known that it was sung at a celebration for the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648, which ended the Thirty Year War.

This hymn has so much more meaning for me now that I know the circumstances it was born of.  I feel like I'm generally a grateful person, but I don't have much to make me feel ungrateful, I guess.  So this example of pastor Rinkart's thanksgiving to God amidst such terrible tribulation really inspires me.  I think if I were in his position, I would be longing to die and be released from this lone and dreary world. But instead of wishing for death, Martin Rinkart taught his children gratitude as they sang this hymn before sharing their meager meals.

Now Thank We All Our God

Now thank we all our God,

With hearts, and hands, and voices

Who wondrous things hath done,

In whom His world rejoices

Who, from our mothers' arms,

Hath blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love,

And still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God

Through all our life be near us,

With ever-joyful hearts

And blessed peace to cheer us,

And keep us in His grace,

And guide us when perplexed,

And free us from all ills

In this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God

The Father now to be given,

The Son, and Him who reigns

With Them in highest heaven:

The one eternal God,

Whom earth and heaven adore;

For thus it was, is now,

And shall be evermore.

I Stand All Amazed

Text and Music by Charles H. Gabriel 1856-1932

Charles Gabriel was a gospel song writer/composer.  He is said to have written between 7 and 8 THOUSAND songs, many of which are in 21st century hymnals.

"I Stand All Amazed" became an "LDS" hymn in 1909 when it was included in Deseret Sunday School Songs, only 10 years after its first publication in a gospel-song collection.  It has been arranged a little more simply in each of the three printings.  In 1909 the tenors had the melody and women's voices sang the harmony.  In the 1950 hymnal the setting was simplified by moving the melody to the sopranos, but the chorus retained the women's voices alone on the words "That He should care for me enough to die for me" while the men's voices sang "Wonderful! Wonderful!" in harmony with certain words in the chorus.  The 1985 version simplified it further by omitting the men's response of "Wonderful! Wonderful!"

The arrangement our choir is singing is by Gordon Jessop, whose setting reflects some of the characteristics of the original 1909 setting.  For most of the piece, the men have the melody while the women sing harmony.  He has also brought back the echo of the word, "Wonderful" during the chorus, however, that part is sung by the women while the men continue on the melody.  It is a very tender setting that beautifully evokes the deep gratitude I feel when I sing this hymn.

I am attaching a link to an address entitled, "I Stand All Amazed," by Jeffrey R. Holland, then president of the Brigham Young University.  It is a wonderful message that will deepen the feelings conveyed by this hymn and will help make our worship through this hymn more meaningful and heartfelt.  Take a few minutes to read it and I'll bet you won't ever sing this hymn as a "vain repetition" again.

Here are some excerpts from Elder Holland's address, but really, you ought to try to read the whole thing, because it's so good!

For me, there is no greater amazement and no more difficult personal challenge than when, after the anguish in Gethsemane, after being mocked, beaten, and scourged, Jesus staggers under his laod to the crest of Calvary and says, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34.) 

If ever there is a moment when I indeed stand all amazed, it is here, for this is an amazement of a different kind. So much of the mystery of his power and ministry tear at my mind: the circumstances of his birth, the breadth and variety of his ministry and miracles, the self-summoned power of his resurrection—before all of these I stand amazed and say, “How did he do it?” But here with disciples who abandoned him in his hour of greatest need, here fainting under the weight of his cross and the sins of all mankind which were attached to it, here rent by piercing spikes in his palms and in his wrists and in his feet—here now the amazement tears not at my mind but at my heart, and I ask not “How did he do it?” but “Why did he do it?” It is here that I examine my life, not against the miraculousness of his, but against the mercifulness of it, and it is here I find how truly short I fall in emulation of the Master. 

Every generation in every dispensation of the world has had its own multitudes crowding around that cross, laughing and jeering, breaking commandments and abusing covenants. It isn’t just a relative handful in the meridian of time who are guilty. It is most of the people, most of the places, most of the time, including all of us who should have known better. 

Surely the reason Christ said “Father, forgive them” was because even in the weakened and terribly trying hour he faced, he knew that this was the message he had come through all eternity to deliver. All of the meaning and all of the majesty of all those dispensations—indeed the entire plan of salvation—would have been lost had he forgotten that not in spite of injustice and brutality and unkindness and disobedience but precisely because of them had he come to extend forgiveness to the family of man. Anyone can be pleasant and patient and forgiving on a good day. A Christian has to be pleasant and patient and forgiving on all days. It is the quintessential moment of his ministry, and as perfect in its example as it was difficult to endure. 

I stand all amazed that even for a man like me, full of egotism and transgression and intolerance and impatience, there is a chance. But if I’ve heard the “good news” correctly there is a chance—for me and for you and for everyone who is willing to keep hoping and to keep trying and to allow others the same privilege.

I Stand All Amazed

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,

Confused at the grace that so fully He proffers me;

I tremble to know that for me He was crucified,

That for me, a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died.

I marvel that He would descend from His throne divine

To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine;

That He should extend His great love unto such as I,

Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of His side, pierced and bleeding to pay the debt,

Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?

No, no! I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,

And testify all my desires He doth fully meet.

O it is wonderful that He should care for me

Enough to die for me!

O it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

I Will Come Unto Christ

This hymn was published in the New Era in 1992.  It was written by Janice Kapp Perry, with words by Rodney Turner.

Here's something new I learned about Janice Kapp Perry:  In 1970 she got what she called her "two lucky breaks" when she broke her ankle playing basketball, and at the same time, the family TV broke.  With lots of time off her feet and no TV to watch, her ward Bishop asked her to write some music for the ward roadshow, which initiated her future musical success.

I couldn't find very much information about Rodney Turner, except that he is an emeritus BYU professor of Ancient Scripture.  I believe he has written some books, and of course, the lyrics to this hymn.  It's a lovely message about the Savior.  I love its simplicity and the imagery from the Savior's life it conveys.  Enjoy!

I Will Come Unto Christ

I will come unto Christ, who calls to me

As others were called by that ancient sea,

Whose shores He walked in Galilee,

When once He taught the blind to see,

The ones who were blind like me.

I will look unto Christ—let come what may—

In all that I do and in all I say.

For He’s the Potter, I, the clay,

And I will serve Him day by day,

And walk in the narrow way.

I will sing the dear Lord’s redeeming song

Of infinite love for the human throng,

Of blood and tears shed for each wrong

Of hope made bright for all who long

To sing His redeeming song.

I will honor the Father’s Holy One,

Redeemer of stars and of moon and sun—

Of kingdoms, glories He has won

For great and small when judgment’s done—

All praise the Beloved Son.

Press Forward Saints

This hymn is unique to the LDS faith, and not found in other Christian denominations because it is based on a wonderful Book of Mormon scripture.

2 Nephi 31:20 "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

I love this scripture.  I remember reading it at a time in my life that was particularly crazy and busy, and when I felt that the universe had combined to hedge up my way.  And one morning during that time I read this scripture and I felt like it was written just for me.  "Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ--having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and all men!"  I lived by those words until I had successfully finished the huge project I was working on, and I feel like those words literally carried me through to the end.

The words of the scripture were set to verse by Marvin K. Gardner who said that 2 Nephi 31:20 had been one of his favorite scriptures all through seminary and on his mission.  One night he heard them quoted at a stake conference and realized that the words fell perfectly into a hymn format.  He said "The words of the scripture kept going through my mind well into the night and during the following weeks.  Because I wanted the hymn to focus continually on the Father and the Son, I placed the words God and Christ at consistent points in all three verses.  The repeated alleluias allow us to respond to Nephi's words and to express gratitude for the Savior's atonement."

Knowing that other musical settings were being considered for this hymn text, Vanja Watkins, the composer, was "puzzled to hear a tune to these words insistently going through [her] mind one evening."  She says, "I wasn't home, and it was several hours before I could put the tune down on paper.  Then I awoke several times during the night thinking of it and mentally harmonizing it.  In the morning I wrote the harmony I had heard and continued to work with it for several days.  Then, since I knew of no reason to submit it, I put it away in a drawer with out mentioning it to anyone."

It was later when the Hymnbook Committee decided to look for a new musical setting for the hymn text that Vanja Watkins submitted her work and it was accepted. She said, "I knew it was through the Lord's inspiration that I was given the music to accompany these choice words."

Press Forward Saints

Press forward, Saints, with steadfast faith in Christ,

With hope’s bright flame alight in heart and mind,

With love of God and love of all mankind.

Press forward, feasting on the word of Christ.

Receive his name, rejoicing in his might.

Come unto God; find everlasting light.

Press on, enduring in the ways of Christ.

His love proclaim thru days of mortal strife.

Thus saith our God: “Ye have eternal life!”

[Chorus]

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Be Thou My Vision

This hymn is a traditional Irish Hymn.  The Old Irish poem "Rop tu mo bhoile a Comdi cride" is attributed to early Christian Irish poet Dallan Forgaill of the 6th Century.  His words were translated into English in 1905 by Mary Byrne, and later put to verse by Eleanor Hull in 1912.

The tune is an 8th century Irish tune called "Slane."  That tune has reference to Slane Hill where in 433 A.D. St. Patrick defied the pagan High King of Tara by lighting candles on Easter Eve.  The king was so impressed by St. Patrick's defiance, that he allowed him to continue his ministry.

The arrangement of this piece that our choir is singing is by Dan Forrest, one of my new favorite composers.   I just love the way he conveys the simple beauty of the melody in this piece, and I love how he adds open fourths in the harmony that keeps the historic feel of the melody, but also adds some great dissonance that makes it an aurally rich experience.  Here is a link to a recording of the piece, primarily for the benefit of the choir, but anyone will enjoy it I'm sure.  (This link takes you to Dan Forrest's choral library.  You have to scroll down almost to the bottom of the page to find this title.)

The words are lovely.  They portray a strong devotion to Christ and a make me feel an increased desire to know Him better, to serve Him better, and to make Him a greater and greater part of my life.  In particular I like the many different names by which we refer to the Savior in this song.  Some of them are quite thought provoking:  Vision, Best Thought, Light, Wisdom, True Word, Great Father, Inheritance, High King of Heaven, Treasure, O Bright Heavn's Son, Heart of my own heart, Ruler of All.

Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is known by many names.  And it is only through His name that we may hope to obtain salvation.  Mosiah 3:17 "And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent." (emphasis added)

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;

Nought be all else to me, save that Thou art-

Thou my best thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,

Thou mine inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,

May I reach heaven's joy, O bright heaven's Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O ruler of all.

I'm also including the original English translation because it's a step closer to the original Irish text than this setting that has been put into verse and it could help us understand a little better some of the original intent of the poem.

English Translation

by Mary Byrne, 1905

Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart

None other is aught but the King of the seven heavens.

Be thou my meditation by day and night.

May it be thou that I behold even in my sleep.

Be thou my speech, be thou my understanding.

Be thou with me, be I with thee

Be thou my father, be I thy son.

Mayst thou be mine, may I be thine.

Be thou my battle-shield, be thou my sword.

Be thou my dignity, be thou my delight.

Be thou my shelter, be thou my stronghold.

Mayst thou raise me up to the company of the angels.

Be thou every good to my body and soul.

Be thou my kingdom in heaven and on earth.

Be thou solely chief love of my heart.

Let there be none other, O high King of Heaven.

Till I am able to pass into thy hands,

My treasure, my beloved through the greatness of thy love

Be thou alone my noble and wondrous estate.

I seek not men nor lifeless wealth.

Be thou the constant guardian of every possession and every life.

For our corrupt desires are dead at the mere sight of thee.

Thy love in my soul and in my heart --

Grant this to me, O King of the seven heavens.

O King of the seven heavens grant me this --

Thy love to be in my heart and in my soul.

With the King of all, with him after victory won by piety,

May I be in the kingdom of heaven O brightness of the son.

Beloved Father, hear, hear my lamentations.

Timely is the cry of woe of this miserable wretch.

O heart of my heart, whatever befall me,

O ruler of all, be thou my vision.

Jesus the Very Thought of Thee

Jesus the Very Thought of Thee is known by several other titles, including, "Jesu! The Very Thought is Sweet!", "O Hope of Every Contrite Heart" and "Of Him Who Did Salvation Bring."  We typically sing only three or four of the fifteen verses Bernard wrote.  Bernard wrote words for five other hymns including eleven verses of "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," (we are familiar with the message of this hymn from # 197 of our hymnal, "O Savior Thou Who Wearest a Crown of Piercing Thorns.")

I found the following information regarding the composer and lyricist at cyberhymnal.org.

Words by: Bernard of Clairvaux 

Born: 1091, in his fa­ther’s cast­le at Les Fon­taines (near Di­jon), Bur­gun­dy.
Died: Au­gust 21, 1153, Clair­vaux, France. 

Bernard’s fa­ther Te­ce­lin was a knight and vas­sal of the Duke of Bur­gun­dy. Ber­nard was ed­u­cat­ed at Cha­ti­llon, where he was dis­tin­guished by his stu­di­ous and med­i­ta­tive ha­bits. He en­tered the mon­as­tery of Ci­teaux (the first Cis­ter­cian in­sti­tu­tion) in 1113. Two years lat­er, he was sent, with 12 other monks, to found a daugh­ter mon­as­te­ry in the Val­ley of Worm­wood, about four miles from the Ab­bey of La Ferté, on the Aube. He rose to em­i­nence in Church po­li­tics, and be­came em­broiled in the pa­pal schis­ms of the 12th Cen­tu­ry. He was well known in Rome, and found­ed 163 mon­as­ter­ies through­out Eur­ope. The Ca­tho­lic En­cy­clo­pe­dia car­ries a large ar­ti­cle on him. 

Bernard was a man of ex­cep­tion­al pi­e­ty and spir­it­u­al vi­tal­i­ty. Mar­tin Lu­ther, 400 years lat­er, called him, “the best monk that ever lived, whom I ad­mire be­yond all the rest put to­ge­ther.” 

Music by: John Bacchus Dykes, 1823-1876, England 

At age 12, Dykes be­came as­sist­ant or­gan­ist at St. John’s Church in Hull, where his grand­fa­ther was vicar. He stu­died at Wake­field and St. Cath­er­ine’s Hall in Cam­bridge, where he was a Dikes Scholar, Pre­si­dent of the Cam­bridge Uni­vers­i­ty Mu­sic­al So­ci­e­ty, and earned a BA in Clas­sics. In 1848, he be­came cur­ate at Malton, York­shire. For a short time, he was canon of Dur­ham Ca­thed­ral, then pre­cent­or (1849-1862). In 1862 he be­came Vi­car of St. Os­wald’s, Dur­ham (he named a son John St. Os­wald Dykes, and one of his tunes St. Oswald). 

Dykes pub­lished ser­mons and ar­ti­cles on re­li­gion, but is best known for com­pos­ing over 300 hymn tunes. In his mu­sic, as in his ec­cles­i­as­tic­al work, he was less dog­ma­tic than ma­ny of his con­temp­o­rar­ies about the the­o­log­ic­al con­tro­ver­sies of the day—he oft­en ful­filled re­quests for tunes for non-Anglican hymns. In ad­di­tion to his gift for writ­ing mu­sic, he played the or­gan, pi­ano, vi­o­lin, and horn.

Jesus The Very Thought of Thee

Jesus, the very thought of Thee

With sweetness fills my breast;

But sweeter far Thy face to see

And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, nor heart can frame,

Nor can the memory find

A sweeter sound than Thy blest name,

O Savior of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart,

O joy of all the meek,

To those who fall, how kind Thou art!

How good to those who seek!

Jesus, our only joy be Thou,

As Thou our prize wilt be;

Jesus, be Thou our glory now

And thru eternity.

Come Ye Children Of The Lord

"When I was a young man in my twentieth year, I wrote a poem to which I paid but little attention. Some one saw it and set it to music. It appeared a simple thing at the time… but somehow there was that something in it that struck a popular chord in the hearts of the people and it will live on after I have passed away…it was such a small effort. There must have been some particular appeal or inspirational setting in it, or it would not have been so universally loved."


~James H. Wallis, 1881  (http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/c/y/c/cycolord.htm)

1.  Come ye children of the Lord,
Let us sing with one accord.
Let us raise a joyful strain
To the Lord who soon will reign
On this earth when it shall be
Cleansed from all iniquity

When all men from sin will cease,

And will live in love and peace.

2. Oh, how joyful it will be

When our Savior we shall see!

When in splendor he’ll descend,

Then all wickedness will end.

Oh, what songs we then will sing

To our Savior, Lord, and King!

Oh, what love will then bear sway

When our fears shall flee away!

3. All arrayed in spotless white,

We will dwell ’mid truth and light.

We will sing the songs of praise;

We will shout in joyous lays.

Earth shall then be cleansed from sin.

Ev’ry living thing therein

Shall in love and beauty dwell;

Then with joy each heart will swell.

I love this hymn because it is so full of hope in the anticipation of the second coming of Christ.  As I read this past week about the tragic youth camp shootings in Norway 

I felt sick when I thought of that gunman going on for 30 minutes killing everyone in sight.  

It brought to my mind this scripture, "And because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12).   

I sincerely mourn with all the families who are grieving their lost loved ones right now.  

When I think about the senseless violence that occurs daily all over the world, I become very disheartened.  So I love this hymn because of the hope it promises;  that when Christ comes again, the world will be cleansed from iniquity,  the earth, cleansed from sin.  Christ will bring with him an end to all iniquity and men will dwell in love and peace one with another.  We will all rejoice with each other singing songs of praise and shouting for joy at the coming our Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ.

"Oh how joyful it will be when our Savior we shall see!"

Battle Hymn of the Repubic

I'm backtracking a little bit.  Our choir sang this hymn around the 4th of July, and even though I've always heard it sung around 4th of July, I just didn't really get why it is considered a patriotic song.  I read the words over and over and thought, "This is a great song to sing anytime.  It's a shame we only sing it once a year."


So in case you were wondering why it is classified as a "patriotic song," here's why:  The tune was a very popular tune sung by soldiers fighting in the Civil War.  It had a lot of different words. (In fact, people are still making up words for it today. I sang a version when I was a Beehive at Girls Camp.  "She waded in the water and she got her feet all wet . . ." )  Brother Russell told me that in the armed forces they used to sing it with words that he couldn't tell me in church.  The chorus went something like, "Glory, Glory What a heck-of-a-way to die."  (Except I think most people didn't say "heck.")


Julia Ward Howe, the author of the words wrote the following regarding her inspiration for her famous poem:


"In spite of the excitement of the day I went to bed and slept as usual, but awoke the next morning in the gray of the early dawn, and to my astonishment found that the wished-for lines were arranging themselves in my brain. I lay quite still until the last verse had completed itself in my thoughts, then hastily arose, saying to myself, I shall lose this if I don't write it down immediately. I searched for an old sheet of paper and an old stub of a pen which I had had the night before, and began to scrawl the lines almost without looking, as I learned to do by often scratching down verses in the darkened room when my little children were sleeping. Having completed this, I lay down again and fell asleep, but not before feeling that something of importance had happened to me."



The poem was published in the Atlanta Monthly and the words were quickly put to the tune.  It has since become one of the most well-loved patriotic songs of our nation.


When we were preparing this hymn, I went through all the phrases in this hymn and looked up lots of correlating scriptural references.  There are several.  But since this post is already longer than I anticipated, I won't elaborate on the references.  It makes for a nice scripture study session, though if you feel like delving into this hymn a bit.  It is basically talking about the days before the Lord's 2nd Coming;  The gathering of the elect, and spreading the gospel to all men.

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:  (Matthew 24:30)

He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; (Revelation 14:19)

He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: (Hebrews 4:12)

     His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,

They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;

I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:

     His day is marching on.

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; (Matthew 24:31)

He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:

Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!

     Our God is marching on.

I love the line, "Oh be swift, my soul, to answer Him!  be jubilant my feet!"  I love the idea of not shying away when the Lord needs us, but quickly answering His call, and doing His work jubilantly!

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,

With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:

As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,

     While God is marching on. 

The original words of this verse are "As he died to  make men holy, let us die to make men free" which was appropriate for the Union soldiers fighting against slavery.  As it was put into hymn books later on, the word "die" was changed to "live."  Let us "live" to make men free, by sharing the gospel the best we can so that all of God's children can partake in the liberating power of Christ's atonement, and be free from sin and death.


     Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!
     Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!
     Glory, Glory, Hallelujah!
     His truth is marching on!

Here is some information about the word, "Hallelujah" that I found on Wikipedia.

"The word hallelujah occurring in Psalms is therefore a request for a congregation to join in praise toward God. It can be translated as "Praise God" or "Praise Yahweh, you people", and is usually worded in English contexts as "Praise the Lord"  In standard modern Hebrew, the word "hallelujah" is the word for requesting a congregation to join in praise. "Hallel" means to recite praise, "hallelu" is the plural form, and "halleluhu" is the imperative form of the verb. The grammatical extension "yah" is a way of expressing magnanimity for many Hebrew words."

I knew that Hallelujah meant to praise God, but I had never thought of it as an invitation for all to praise God.  So we invited the congregation to join us on one of the choruses, and as we sang  and there was a powerful spirit present as we all lifted our voices in praise of our God. I told the choir that as we sang the words of the chorus to truly feel them rather than sing vain repetitions--to keep in their minds all of the tender mercies of the Lord, and to let their whole souls sing those words.  I think when we are truly sincere in our worship through the hymns, the Lord truly pours out His Spirit upon us, and that's when we receive the blessing promised in Doctrine & Covenants 25.

Ward Choir-Best Experienced from the Inside

This is basically a repeat of a post I wrote on my personal blog, but I think it's an appropriate way to start this blog out, so if you've already read it, good for you.  If not, it's a good little ward choir pep-talk.

I love music, and I feel like the Lord has blessed me with talents in that area that I'm grateful to be able to use for His purposes.  But I'll be honest, I sometimes question the importance of the ward choir.  Sometimes it seems like it doesn't do very much good--not like a calling as a primary teacher or a youth  leader where you feel like your efforts are foundation-building.  Ward Choir feels rather inessential.

So, why do we have ward choirs?  Anyone who's ever been a ward choir director can tell you that many times it's like pulling teeth to get people to come.  It's pretty much the first thing on everybody's chopping block. I never know who might show up to rehearsals and performances, and the people who do come are often the busiest people in the ward, with heavy ward or stake leadership responsibilities.  What does ward choir do for them besides adding another meeting to their already busy Sundays?  And what does ward choir do for the people in the congregation who sit by passively and listen?  Is it worth people's time to come and rehearse each week? Is it worth the time and energy I put into it? 

I know in my head that it's important because the church handbook instructs that every ward should  have a functioning ward choir to sing at least once or more a month. In fact, a past prophet, Spencer W. Kimball has said, "Every congregation should have a choir.  If you don't have a ward choir, you are not organized fully any more than if you do not have a Relief Society" (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 518).

I guess I am trying to figure out why it is important and verbalize it's value somehow.  And honestly, I don't know if you can verbalize the value of a ward choir, or any choir.

But as I've thought about the purpose of ward choir and how it blesses the ward, these are some thoughts that I've had about it:

The biggest reason I feel we have ward choirs, is because sacred music, excellently expressed, (sometimes with the help of unseen angel voices) has the ability to quickly invite the spirit in an easily recognizable way.  It crosses language barriers, social and cultural differences, and idealogical divisions.  Children and youth and adults are equally responsive to it.  (In fact, sometimes I think it's the only way to get kids to be still enough to recognize the spirit.)  It can penetrate hearts that might not otherwise be penetrated.

Through beautiful sacred music, I have felt God's love for me and all of His children.  I have been comforted.  I have felt truth witnessed powerfully to me.  I have been inspired to do good, and be good, sometimes even with very specific thoughts about an action I can take.   I have felt encouraged and uplifted in the face of challenges.  My testimony has been strengthened.

I can only hope that everyone in the congregation feels so uplifted by the music offered by the ward choir, but I can assure you that those feelings are so much more far-reaching and have a deeper impact on the choir members who are singing the music.  Because we repeat the words over and over and work on making the music expressive in choir, there is more opportunity to ponder on the words, and more opportunity for the spirit to bear witness of their truth.  And because we sacrifice our time to be there, we get to be the recipients of the blessings of heaven.  ("Praise to the Man," Hymn #27, verse 4).  :)

The choir is meant to uplift and edify the congregation, but I'll just say it plain: 

The people who get the most out of ward choir,
are the people who sing in the ward choir. 

Ward Choir is best experienced from the inside. 

I am, of course, not perfect at meeting these goals, but as I've thought about it, here's what I hope my ward choir members are getting from their participation:

1.  Coming closer to Christ

Of course, that is the end-all goal of everything we do in the church.  I hope that by learning and performing sacred music the ward choir is strengthening testimonies by providing extra opportunities to learn from the spirit. In rehearsals, as we fix different things, we repeat the text over and over--often we need that repetition for the message to really sink in and become internalized.  Ward choir provides opportunities to worship and praise God through song, and helps to create an environment in Sacrament Meeting where the spirit can be more readily felt.

2.  Fellowship and Unity

I don't know how choir members can help but be friends--Choirs are so unique in that there is just absolutely no competition.  Instead of trying to see who can finish the phrase first, we work on finishing all at the same time.  Instead of trying to sing louder than everyone else, we try to blend our voices.  We work on  pronouncing the words the same way, and interpreting the text sensitively as a group.   We crescendo and diminuendo together. With that much teamwork, you'd be hardpressed to find a more unified group than a choir.

3.  Developing Talents

Covenant Latter-Day Saints have made promises to give our talents to the Lord.  I can attest to the fact, that when you do this, the Lord magnifies those talents he has given you and helps you become better and better at those things.  Seriously, if you wish you could sing better, join the ward choir--You'll improve.  Besides, when it comes down to it, you don't need a good voice to sing--all you need is a willing heart.

Finally, for me, music is a way for my soul to express things that I cannot find the words for. I love this thought from Ammon in the Book of Mormon: "There are not words to express my joy."   I am grateful for sacred music sung by ward choirs and stake choirs and primary children's choirs that picks up where the words run out in expressing feelings that run too deep.

When I think of all the wonders of the earth, the miracle of the human body, the vastness of the universe, of the goodness and love I feel in the relationships I enjoy with my family and friends and most importantly, "When I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in.  That on the cross, my burdens gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sins.  Then sings my soul, . . . . my God how Great Thou Art!"  ("How Great Thou Art," Hymn #86).

I am thankful for the music that helps me express the love I have for my Heavenly Father and my Savior, that wells up inside me and spills out in song.  Truly, how can I, or anyone, keep from singing?