Posts with the category “song-studies”

The early church was united in the practice of acapella singing; the thousands of denominations that exist today... aren't, to put it mildly. These days, one can find all kinds of music being offered in praise to God. Why were things so different 2000 years ago? Let's dig deeper in our Bibles and find out.   Read More

Up from the grave, He... a rose? Well, that's not quite what the hymn says, but there are hymns that refer to Jesus as a rose or a lily. Why? Let's reflect on metaphors used in hymns.   Read More

One of the things I often have to remind people about as a preacher and teacher of the Gospel is that the words of the Bible have an original, ancient audience. Why? Not, why is it necessary to do this, but why is do I have to do it so often? Part of the answer is actually something really amazing about the Bible.   Read More

It's a testament to Martin Luther's skill in hymn writing that we still sing "A Migthy Fortress" about 500 years after he wrote it. Though it's likely that we sing a translation rather than Luther's original German, the translation that appears in many hymnals is quite dated. Let's see if we can translate the translation to get the most out of this powerful hymn.   Read More

"Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah" was a hymn written well over a hundred years ago. In spite of its age, it maintains its relevance and is still sung in churches around the world, perhaps owing in part to its connection to Psalm 148. Let's dig into both the words and thoughts of this hymn to ensure that we can sing it with understanding.  Read More