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 in-between hymns.
Today’s song is Christ Triumphant, Ever Reigning from the 1964.
I thought that this one was an old hymn. Maybe it’s seen as old nowadays, but it was written in my lifetime – by Michael Saward. And would you believe me if I told you that I performed it in Westminster Central Hall in London? 😀
Let me explain. Back in 82/83, I spent a year as a voluntary evangelist with London City Mission. It was a scheme for young people. And in the summer of 1983, we voluntary evangelists were asked to sing a couple of hymns at the London City Mission Annual General Meeting at Westminster Central Hall. We sang this one and God of Boundless Might.
I’m currently reading the autobiography of one of the full-time missionaries who I knew at the time – Lionel Ball.
He was an excellent musician as well as being a particularly gifted evangelist. I was delighted to find the book You’ll Go to London.
It gives some background on Covent Garden Christian Centre, which was the Mission Hall in which I worked.
Anyway, Christ Triumphant, has stuck in my mind ever since, though we sang it to a different tune (which is used in the lyric video above). As Philippians 2:6 points out, Jesus was always God in His very nature. But He became human. And so much of the New Testament celebrates the path that He followed as a human. And the Father delights in us worshipping the Son as our Lord, someone who is both human and divine.
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10Â that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11Â and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.
And I’ve discovered various other Michael Saward hymns since. I don’t remember singing this one in church much though. Maybe it wasn’t old enough to be familiar to the older generation. And as for the younger generation, they were more into the modern charismatic choruses. And of course, nowadays, many churches only sing 21st Century songs. But it seems quite popular in Anglican circles and in other countries.
I’s great to find so many instances of it on YouTube. Here are some samples:
Hibernia Gospel 