I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the very modern hymns.
Today’s song is Above All from 2001.
This wonderful song was actually written back in 1995, but it became widely known in 2001. Michael Smith performed it at President George W. Bush’s 2001 inaugural prayer service. But the song is about Jesus, not George Bush 😀. Like the UK, when a president, or a king, is inaugurated or enthroned, they like to remind people of the King of Kings.
I only heard the song in recent years, and I’ve never heard it sung in church. I’ve recently started familiarizing myself with 21st century worship songs. Some are more memorable than others. This one definitely stands out for me. It’s related to a famous passage in Philippians 2.
Philippians 2:5-11
5 Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Here are some other versions, just a few of a huge number from all over the world:
Hibernia Gospel 