lyrics

I love posting things (poems, articles, songs), but I haven't been writing as much as I would like. Therefore, I have decided to change that.

I played Come, Thou Fount at church tonight on the organ in what is referred to in our church as fellowship time. It is that time when many Baptists (and perhaps other denominations) sing a verse or chorus then make the rounds and shake hands and say, "how do you do?" or some such variation.

My friend Deborah came up to the organ as I played, and as I started the verse over again, we said almost simultaneously, "I love this song."

It really made me think. I wondered why "I love this song"? I consider my experience unique (which in fact seems redundant in that each person's experience is ultimately unique, no matter how much in common the experience). What I mean, and I realize I am rambling, is that I have been a pianist or organist in church from the time I was in 8th grade. The only time I was part of congregational singing was at Bob Jones for a few years.

I realize that one is not limited to singing in church, but even at home, I play, not necessarily sing.

My point, yes, I'll get to it. I don't know the words to hymns.

There...I've said it. I know some of them. But only very generally. I can tell you that Crown Him with Many Crowns is on the left side of the page, or that Blessed Assurance is hymn 157 (in our hymnal) and that Great God of Wonders is in E^b, but I only have a cursory knowledge of many of the hymn lyrics that we sing.

So...I am going to start studying some of the hymns from my church hymnal. I haven't decided what form this study will take, but I'll think about it.

~ Robert Robinson, 1758

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.