A Hymn to Close the Weekend

"In Christ alone, my hope is found, He is my Light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this Solid Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when striving cease! My Comforter, my all-in-all; Here in the love of Christ I stand." - In Christ Alone by Keith Getty & Stuart Townsend

That is my absolute favorite hymn. I had no idea that it was penned in 2001. I thought it was one of those old ones from the 1700's. But no, and I learned that this weekend while reading Robert Morgan's Then Sings My Soul, Book 3.

I became a Christian back in 1973. The Jesus Movement was in full swing and I was in close proximity to Calvary Chapel in Southern California -- the genesis of Christian music via Maranatha Music. But in church we still sang a lot of hymns. And I love them.

One of the things I enjoy about this three-book series on hymns is that it tells the stories behind the great, and even obscure, hymns throughout history. And that's a key word here, history. This is a history book as well as a book of stories. Hymns have been a part of faith going back to the Exodus.  As Morgan writes:

"Hymns are distillations of the richest truths of God, versified, emotionalized, set to music, and released in teh mind and from the mouth. They're miniature Bible studies that lead us effortlessly to worship, testimony, exhortation, prayer. and praise. They're bursts of devotional richness with rhyme and rhythm. They clear our minds, soothe our nerves, verbalize our worship, summarize our faith, and sing our great Redeemer's praise."

There is truth here to be meditated upon. If I actually had a bucket list, learning to play the piano would be on it; for the sole reason so that I could play my hymnal and privately sing through every single one.  Morgan's book has made be want to learn even more.

(I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)