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Featured Hymn for September 16: Trust and Obey

Tue, 09/16/2014 - 15:45 — verhulst

This hymn paints a picture of communion with God in which fear and gloom have disappeared, and delight and joy saturate one's existence. This attractive life, however, is not free. The Christian must totally surrender control of his life to God and commit to trusting obedience of God's wishes. As the final stanza says, “what He says we will do, where He sends we will go.” Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30 ESV).


Featured Hymn for August 29: Praise to the Lord, The Almighty

Fri, 08/29/2014 - 08:27 — verhulst

The last psalm in the Bible, Psalm 150, ends with this invitation: “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.” German composer Joachim Neander gave us words to do just that when he wrote his most well-known hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” Hymnologist John Julian declares this to be “a magnificent hymn of praise to God, perhaps the finest production of its author, and of the first rank in its class” (Dictionary of Hymnology).


Featured Hymn for August 14: When Morning Gilds the Skies

Thu, 08/14/2014 - 10:18 — verhulst

Several of the Psalms begin and end with fervent declarations of praise, such as this: “Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord! … Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 113:1, 9b ESV). Likewise, from the opening lines of early morning praise to the final couplet about eternal praise before the throne of God in heaven, this hymn has the constant refrain, “May Jesus Christ be praised.”


Featured Hymn for July 31: Come, Thou Almighty King

Wed, 07/30/2014 - 08:20 — verhulst

In his first letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul warns him that the Christian life is a constant war against evil. He commands Timothy to “Fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Timothy 6:12, ESV). A few verses later, Paul describes the one for whose sake we fight: “he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15-16, ESV).


Featured Hymn for July 14: God of Grace and God of Glory

Tue, 07/15/2014 - 08:48 — verhulst

Harry E. Fosdick was a well-known and controversial preacher in the early twentieth century. After Fosdick left his positon at one church, John D. Rockefeller asked him to become pastor of Park Avenue Baptist Church in New York City, but Fosdick thought the church was too wealthy, and agreed only on condition that a new church would be built in a less fashionable place. The site selected for Riverside Church was on the banks of the Hudson, not far from Harlem. Fosdick wrote this hymn at his summer home in Maine in 1930 for the opening service of Riverside Church that fall.


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Set your own hymn to music!

Thu, 07/10/2014 - 10:32 — hplantin

Now you can use our FlexScore system to set your own hymn to music. Select a tune, type in the words, and click "generate". It's easy! You can edit and print your custom FlexScores as often as you like.

You can use one of the five free FlexScore tunes everyone has access to or purchase another tune. Once you have purchased a FlexScore, you can use its tune for as many custom FlexScores as you like.

Follow the My FlexScores link on the home page to try it out.


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FlexScores!

Fri, 06/27/2014 - 14:35 — hplantin

Hymnary.org is proud to introduce our new FlexScore system, which lets use enter hymns and create a variety of versions, including versions for projection, the bulletin, instrumental versions, lead sheets, and more.

Worship leaders: would you like to have a trumpet or other instrument accompany the congregation? Now you can print out music instantly. Want to transpose a hymn? It's easy. Print a version for a particular guitar capo setting? Done. Large print? Check.


Featured Hymn for June 26: Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Thu, 06/26/2014 - 09:37 — verhulst

Ira Sankey, good friend of hymn author Fanny Crosby, once related this story about the comfort “Blessed Assurance” provides:


June 16 Featured Hymn: "Hail to the Lord's Anointed"

Mon, 06/16/2014 - 08:31 — verhulst

Psalm 72 is a well-known prophecy of the coming Messiah – foretelling the reign of the King and what the Kingdom of that Messiah will be like. But perhaps more than a prophecy, Psalm 72 is a prayer. In these verses the psalmist calls upon God to give justice and righteousness to the King, perhaps the newly crowned earthly king of Israel, but also the heavenly king. It is a cry for the deliverance of a broken people, for the realization of peace and light. James Montgomery’s hymn text from 1821 beautifully captures the essence of that prayer.


Featured Hymn for May 31: All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

Sat, 05/31/2014 - 14:27 — verhulst

This hymn is a declaration of praise, but it’s also much more than that. The words both declare the majesty of Christ and task us with making that majesty known to all. Like many hymns describing the glory of God and the hope that one day all people will see that glory, this hymn alludes to Philippians 2:9-11: “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” We long for this day, and declare our hope in its arrival in the text of this hymn.


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