The Lyrical Poetry of Hymns

Today at Church we sang the song In Christ Alone. We've sang this modern hymn many times but for some reason part of the lyrics caught my attention.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!

The song is written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend. I think I was especially struck by the poetic beauty of the line "Light of the world by darkness slain." It is funny how you can sing a song many times but not notice the line. We've sung this song at Easter, Funerals and in weekly services. I've even seen it on a Christmas CD by Christopher Williams.

I was reminded of the Charles Wesley hymn, And Can it Be. I've loved this song for years and we even used it as part of our wedding ceremony. Wesley wrote 6,500 hymns over his lifetime and this one was written near his conversion. I'm especially struck by verse four.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night,
Thine eyes diffused a quickening ray
I awoke; the dungeon flamed with light
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee

There are a few modern hymn writers that reach the depth of classic hymns. I think of Twila Paris, Melody Green, and the previous song by Getty and Townsend. But there is something rich that we can't miss in the classic hymns of the faith. That is the sad part of the modern churches move away from hymns. Singing the same chorus over and over again might create a momentary high, but the theological depth is lost.

Writers like Wesley were packing theology into their songs as a way of teaching important truths to people that didn't read. Charles' brother John was instrumental in starting the Sunday School movement and these songs were an important teaching tool for them. Even though we read today, we can still benefit from the great truths these songs have to share.

The next time you sing a hymn take time to reflect on what you're singing. I think you'll come away challenged. I can't wait until we sing And Can It Be again in church.