Let Us Wonder

This past Sunday was a special treat because we had Matthew Smith leading worship during our service. MS is a lead singer of Indelible Grace band. Honestly, to me Indelible Grace is more of a worship movement than a band. Indelible Grace in most ways began a new hymns movement, which joins old hymns with new music. If you haven’t heard of Indelible Grace you have probably heard some of their music by default. Jars of Clay’s CD “Redemption Songs” sings several hymns that IG had redone.

I did not grow up in a church that sang hymns, but grew to love singing hymns while I was at Asbury. After Asbury when I started attending Intown I fell in love with the worship that is blended, full of rich tradition and theology and yet minus the sometimes silly tunes that went along with hymns. I think that one of the hardest parts of being in Germany was that we missed the full and meaningful worship of Intown. We sang a lot of “Jesus is my boyfriend” worship songs…that is what we called them. You know, the ones where you just say I love you over and over again. OK, I am not saying all praise songs are bad and all hymns are good…that can’t be true. But there are many hymns that folks have never heard of that teach wonderful theological truths about who God is and what he has done for us. Personally, when I worship, I enjoy singing about what God has done, as opposed to what I do or do not do…and how much I may or may not love.

If you click on the link to IG (in the links column) you can access their RUF hymnbook that has music and chords to many of the hymns. It is a great resource.

Here is one of the songs we sang on Sunday that was dear to my heart. John Newton wrote “Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder.” Now to all of you praise music lovers out there, your challenge is to find a song that is as rich in theological truths as this hymn. If you find one I will post it on the blog as well.

Let us love and sing and wonder
Let us praise the Savior’s name
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder
He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame
He has washed us with His blood
He has brought us nigh to God

Let us love the Lord Who bought us
Pitied us when enemies
Called us by His grace and taught us
Gave us ears and gave us eyes
He has washed us with His blood
He presents our souls to God

Let us sing though fierce temptation
Threatens hard to bear us down
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conqu’ror’s crown
He, Who washed us with His blood,
Soon will bring us home to God

Let us wonder grace and justice
Join and point to mercy’s store
When through grace in Christ our trust is
Justice smiles and asks no more
He Who washed us with His blood
Has secured our way to God

Let us praise and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high
Here they trusted Him before us
Now their praises fill the sky
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou art worthy Lamb of God