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 Jesus, How Lovely You Are from 1975.
I remember this as one of the newer songs back when I first started attending evangelical churches in the early 1980s. Some of the older folk weren’t all that happy with the new songs. But hymns can fit different moods. You do get examples of people showing great affection for Jesus in the New Testament – such as Mary washing His feet. And other verses where people feel a strong sense of awe in His presence, such as Revelation 1:17.
And you can find verses on which the lyrics of “Jesus How Lovely You Are” are based. Here are a few examples:
Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
You get plenty of old hymns that show affection to Jesus, and plenty of newer hymns that show a sense of awe. Here’s an old affectionate hymn and a newer one that shows a sense of awe.
At Your Feet We Fall was a 1982 song that emerged from the UK charismatic/restoration movement. And you still get plenty of hymns that emphasize a sense of awe in God’s presence in 21st Century worship songs. They’re not all “Jesus is my boyfriend” songs – well, none of them are – at least none that I know 😀.
Anyway, I didn’t expect to find many instances of a 1975 worship song on YouTube, but here are a few:
