Sunday's Hymn

Next Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we’ll be worshiping in tongues in my church. We’ll be singing hymns in several of the native languages found in our congregation, including Mandarin, Japanese, Tagalog, French, German, Spanish, Dutch and Slovak.

Here’s one we’ll be singing. Can you tell which hymn it is and what language it’s in?

O Cristong kaibigibig,
Umaako ng sakit,
Sa dalangi’y ninanais
Lagi Kang makaniig.

Kay bigat ng kasalanan
Kung kami ang papasan;
Kung Ikaw ay kaagapay,
Hirap ay naiibsan.

Completely stumped? Here is is in English.

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• Lord’s Day 21, 2009 at The Thirsty Theologian
• O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus at The Happy Wonderer
• O Christ, Thou Hast Ascended at Nova Scotia Scott
• Ah, Holy Jesus at Hiraeth
• Be Thou My Vision at Fieldstone Cottage
• Commit Whatever Grieves Thee at joythruChrist

Have you posted a hymn today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

My Ten Favorite Hymns

Because Sherry wants to know.

1. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Can you name a line from a hymn that’s more beautiful than “Sorrow and love flow mingled down”? I’m not alone in holding this hymn in such high esteem. Charles Wesley, I’ve read, said he would give up all his other hymns to have writ­ten this one. I like it best sung to Hamburg, which is the tune that Fernando Ortega sings in this video from YouTube.
   
   
2. Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting. This hymn points to the beauty of Christ and his work and reminds us that trust in him is resting in what he is done and is doing for us. I have several versions of this hymn on my iPod. I’d have to say my favorite is this one by Buddy Greene, which combines the old tune with one of the new ones.
3. It Is Well With My Soul. This is a hymn that will get you through tough times. During my husband’s illness, I once woke, on a Sunday morning, to a simple bluegrass version of this hymn on the radio. Nothing suits this song like a voice that sounds like it’s seen suffering. I’ve never found the version I heard that morning, but I’ve downloaded It Is Well With My Soul done by Bluegrass Worship Band from iTunes and I quite like it.
4. O Sacred Head Now Wounded. My favorite lines? “O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.” Here’s a lovely orchestral rendition of this hymn.
5. Like a River Glorious. I think Frances Havergal might be the best hymnwriter of the 19th century. This is a hymn that must be sung strongly, so how about listening to a rather large men’s choir singing it?
6. All Hail the Power of Jesus Name. I enjoy listening to this piano and cello rendition of Coronation, the melody I prefer.
7. Holy, Holy, Holy. Is there anyone who doesn’t love this hymn, except, I suppose, non-trinitarians? This is another one that should be sung lustily. I like my recording by the St. Olaf Choir, but I don’t know where to tell you to find it.
8. God Moves in a Mysterious Way. I have to include one of Cowper’s hymns and this is the best of William Cowper. Cowper was a fine poet and it shows in this ode to God’s meticulous providence. This hymn reminds us that even trials work God’s good purposes—that “behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.”  Isn’t it ironic that a hymn teaching truth that brings me joy comes from a man who, in God’s providence, suffered from a debilitating mental illness that robbed him of joy for much of his life? It’s proof that God does indeed move in a mysterious way! Listen to Lori Sealy.
   
   
9. Jesus Paid It All, which reminds me all the blessing of salvation come from Christ. I recommend Fernando Ortega on iTunes for this one.
10. Children of the Heavenly Father. Because it’s the perfect lullaby for singing children to sleep. You can hear it sung in Swedish and English by the Augustana choir in this video from YouTube. (Update: If I’d known this hymn would be unfamiliar to some, I’d have linked to this video, which has all the words in English and is less embellished than the first, but is just as lovely.)

Speaking of Hymns

This is such a good idea that it makes me with I’d thought of it.

Sherry of Semicolon is doing a hymn project she’s calling The Top 100 Hymns Poll. Here’s how it works:

1. Make a list of your top ten hymns of all time. Hymn (according to Webster): a song of praise to God a metrical composition adapted for singing in a religious service. For the purposes of this poll, I’m limiting the choices to Christian hymns, but the form of the song doesn’t matter. In other words, the songs on your list should be suitable for congregational singing and should be Christian. Handel’s Messiah is Christian but probably not suitable for congregational hymn singing. Anything you sing in worship service, even what are normally called choruses, is fine. (Oh, English, please, or at least translated into English. Sorry, but it’s all I really speak.)

2.List these hymns in your order of preference. So your #1 hymn would be the one you feel is the best, and so on. I will be giving your first choice 10 points, your second choice 9 points, and so on.

3. Submit your list to me at sherryDOTearlyATgmailDOTcom. Write “Hymn Survey” in the subject line. I’d rather you didn’t leave your votes in my comments here because it’ll be easier to tabulate all the votes if they’re all in my email (plus I want everyone’s votes to be a surprise). Deadline for votes to be sent to me is May 31, 2009.

4. If you like, you can submit a justification for each hymn. Or you can send me a link to an audio or video version online. Include the name of the hymn’s author or lyricist and the composer of the melody you prefer if at all possible, especially if you think I might be unfamiliar with your particular hymn.

Sherry says she will  tally everything and

pull from the submitted pieces why one reader or another liked a particular hymn (naming the reader, of course). That way we’ll be able to hear from a whole bunch of people why they love one hymn or another. I will then count down from 100 to 1 over the course of the summer the top choices of what folks feel the best hymns of all time are.

I know a lot of you readers are hymn fans and I hope you’ll take the time to participate in Sherry’s poll. If you have a blog, I hope you’ll grab the details from Sherry’s post and publicize her hymn project on your blog, too. Let’s help her reach her goal of at least 100 lists of top 10 hymns.

And while you’re at it, why not publish your list of top ten hymns on your blog? Because I really do want to see it, you know.