Hymns: 2003 Memories

Posted on by HiberniaGospel

The following hymns were published in 2003:

Still
Here I Am To Worship / The Call 
Across the Lands
Newsboys – You Are My King (Amazing Love)

I had no interest in new hymns back in 2003, but I am trying to familiarize myself with them now. Perhaps this isn’t a golden age of hymn writing, but I’d like to think that some will last a couple of centuries. There’s a series of albums called The New Hymn Makers, which features the following artists:

  • Graham Kendrik
  • Stuart Townend
  • Keith & Kristyn Getty
  • Noel & Tricia Richards, Chris Bowater

Maybe some of their works will last. I sometimes wonder if the 21st Century could produce someone like Charles Wesley, who lived in the 18th Century. He composed over 6,000 hymns. Some are still sung today. These include the following:

  • And Can It Be That I Should Gain
  • Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
  • O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
  • Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
  • Jesus, Lover of My Soul

And Fanny J Crosby composed over 8,000 hymns, including the following:

  • Blessed Assurance “This is my story, this is my song…”
  • To God Be the Glory
  • Praise Him! Praise Him!
  • Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It
  • Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior
  • Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross

Perhaps they were many mediocre hymns in the past too, but these ones stood the test of time. You don’t hear many older hymns in evangelical churches nowadays, but you can always listen to them at home.

I didn’t keep much of a diary in 2003, but I do remember being quite pleased to discover the Evangelical Movement of Wales website, which had plenty of useful resources. We did quite a long series on the Holy Spirit that year in Tipperary. In 2003, I remember discovering Sunday Half Hour on BBC Radio 2. That ended in 2013, but I listen to Sounds Sacred now on BBC Radio Ulster. And we used to enjoy Songs of Praise on the TV. There was something special about listening to hymns with thousands of others around the British Isles or maybe even around the world.

We went to Southport for our holidays in the summer of 2003, with day trips to places such as Hebden Bridge, Haworth, Blackpool, the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and York.

The one place that was new to me was the delightful town of Hebden Bridge. We went back there a few times, the last time being 2016. I still walk around it on Google Earth Street View quite regularly 😀.

Hebden Bridge

A big hit in the secular charts that year was Where is the Love by the Black-Eyed Peas. I don’t think that it’s a Christian song as such, but it seems to have some kind of Christian influence here and there. And of course, there was Swing Low Sweet Chariot by UB40, an African American spiritual song based on the Old Testament account of the Prophet Elijah’s ascent into Heaven by chariot. But for them, it was a rugby anthem 😀.

Matt 22:37-40
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And of course, there’s You Raise Me Up, which Irish country star had a hit with in December 2003. Some interpret it as a romantic song, but others see God as the object. Or, it could be just about friendship, but ultimately, I can’t imagine a human giving me the level of support that God gives.

Daniel O’Donnell – You Raise Me up

Here’s some music, events, and films/TV shows that would have formed the background to 2003. I don’t necessarily endorse all the songs or films. 😀.

10 Songs

  • The Ketchup Song (Asereje) – Las Ketchup
  • Ka-Ching!​ – Shania Twain
  • Sunrise​ – Simply Red
  • 7 Nation Army​ – The White Stripes
  • Bring Me To Life​ – Evanescence
  • There There​ – Radiohead
  • Crazy In Love​ – Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z
  • White Flag​ – Dido
  • I Believe In A Thing Called Love​ – The Darkness
  • Superstar​ – Jamelia

10 Events

  • Invasion of Iraq
  • Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster
  • Dublin hosted the Special Olympics World Summer Games, opened by Nelson Mandela
  • Remains of Jean McConville found, 31 years after her abduction by the IRA
  • London congestion charge introduced
  • Serbia and Montenegro: Yugoslavia was officially renamed and restructured
  • Treaty of Accession: Signed in April, admitting 10 new countries to the European Union
  • Sinn Féin and the DUP made major gains in Northern Ireland elections
  • The Jeanie Johnston famine replica ship made its maiden voyage to America
  • Westlife’s Nicky Byrne married Georgina Ahern, daughter of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern

10 Films or TV Shows

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • Finding Nemo
  • Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
  • The Magdalene Sisters
  • Kill Bill: Vol. 1
  • The Last Samurai
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
  • The Matrix Reloaded
  • Peter Pan
  • Little Britain

10 Famous People Who Passed Away

  • Katharine Hepburn – Legendary American actress, died June 29.
  • Johnny Cash – Iconic country musician, died September 12.
  • Bob Hope – Comedian and actor, died July 27.
  • Maurice Gibb – Member of the Bee Gees, died January 12.
  • Charles Bronson – Action film star, died August 30.
  • Gregory Peck – Oscar-winning actor (To Kill a Mockingbird), died June 12.
  • Roy Jenkins – British politician and EU Commission President, died January 5.
  • Barry White – Soul singer and producer, died July 4.
  • Nina Simone – Jazz and blues legend, died April 21.
  • Robert Palmer – Rock Musician 26 September

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