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 old hymns.
Today’s song is Rejoice, The Lord is King from 1744.
1 Rejoice, the Lord is King:
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore.
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
2 Jesus, the Savior, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He has purged our stains,
He took his seat above;
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
3 His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o'er earth and heav'n;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv'n:
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
4 Rejoice in glorious hope!
Our Lord and judge shall come
And take His servants up
To their eternal home:
Lift up your heart,
Lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
This is one of thousands of hymns written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley, perhaps the most famous evangelical ever – apart from me 😀. Back in the 18th century, many Anglican leaders were drifting away from the Bible towards a more philosophy-centred outlook. And perhaps the general population were drifting away from Christianity too. The Wesleys, who were at the centre of a hugh revival, might have been looked on as troublesome and silly – or even sinister – the way we see some evangelical movements today. But it’s interesting to see how their music and evangelical outlook has made its way into most denominations nowadays.The Wesleys never actually formed a new denomination. Methodism was more of a movement within Anglicanism. The split happened later.
I’ve never been an Anglican. I went from being a Roman Catholic – to being a member of Irish Baptist churches. Not all of them were called Baptist churches or were members of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland – but they were essentially evangelical Baptist. Yet, I’ve worked in evangelism with evangelical Anglicans, and I’ve always enjoyed reading and listening to evangelical Anglicans.
Funnily enough, I’ve rarely met any evangelical Methodists. But I’m sure there are plenty. But I don’t know of any modern influential Methodist evangelical leaders or theologians. I don’t even know of any really famous Methodists since the Wesleys – apart from Beyonce 😀. Here’s a list of modern influential Anglican evangelicals – and the cover of Knowing God – written by J.I.Packer:
Just as there are different outlooks within the evangelical world, the folk in the list above would have varying opinions. Some of them are at the liberal end of evangelicalism, some charismatic, and some quite conservative. And if you go outside the evangelical Anglican world, you’ll find high church Anglicans who’d be very similar to Roman Catholics – and liberals, such as an Anglican minister back in 1994 who was part of a movement who believed that God was just a human construct. He was actually dismissed. One wonders how many liberals think like him but aren’t so public about it 😀. They might do plenty of social good, but I sometimes wonder if they see God like they see Santa Claus. They wouldn’t want to lose cultural Christianity, but they don’t take the Bible very seriously.
Anyway, todays’s hymn is one that all true Christians would surely be happy to sing. It celebrates Christ’s kingship, resurrection, ascension, and future return.
Philipians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Here are some other versions:
Hibernia Gospel 