Through The Hymnbook

Guest (Male): The chimes have been ringing "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name" and in this edition of "Through The Hymnbook", the late Reverend Bert Jones will be looking for songs that are suitable for Palm Sunday and also for Holy Week, and you will be blessed.

Reverend Bert Jones: "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name" is certainly suitable for Palm Sunday and is often sung on this special day.

And here is a very special song for Palm Sunday. It's the beautiful song simply called "The Palms" by the great French composer Fauré. He wrote many symphonies, but this is his great sacred song and you can only use it on Palm Sunday. It describes the story of Palm Sunday, the cheerful crowds as they jam the highways leading to Jerusalem, and then beneath blue sky, they shouted "Hosanna, Hosanna, let us make him King today".

There are not many Palm Sunday hymns, but here is one "Hosanna Loud Hosanna" the little children sang. Through pillared court and temple the lovely anthem rang. To Jesus who had blessed them, close folded to his breast. The children sang their praises, the simplest and the best. Hosanna in the highest, that ancient song we sing. For Christ is our redeemer, the Lord of heaven our king. Oh may we ever praise him with heart and life and voice, and in his blissful presence eternally rejoice.

Another hymn of Palm Sunday goes way way back. It, in many hymnbooks, is probably the oldest hymn in the book. It's the song "All Glory, Laud, and Honor" by Theodulph of Orleans. It was written somewhere around the 800 AD. It is beautiful, beautiful in its words and beautiful, beautiful in its music.

Now the music isn't quite that old. The music to which we sing the song was probably written about 1600 by Teschner. Let me give you the words: "All glory, laud, and honor to thee, Great Redeemer King, to whom the lips of children made sweet Hosannas ring. Thou art the King of Israel, thou David's royal son, who in the Lord's name comest, the king and the blessed one.

The company of angels are praising thee on high and mortal men and all things created make reply. The people of the Hebrews with palms before thee went. Our praise and prayer and anthems before thee we present. To thee before thy passion they sang their hymns of praise. To thee now high exalted our melody we raise.

Thou didst accept their praises, accept the prayer we bring, who in all good delightest, thou good and gracious king." And those words from back in the 800s by Theodulph: "All Glory, Laud, and Honor".

One of the very special and favorite anthems for Palm Sunday is "The Holy City" by Adams. It describes the coming of Jesus into the old Jerusalem. And the people are singing "Hosanna, Hosanna", we can hear the Hosannas.

And then the scene changes in the dream and the songwriter sees the vision of the new Jerusalem described in Revelation 21 and 22, and he sees the King of the universe coming as the King he was meant to be in great glory. And the saints of all ages singing and saying "Hosanna, Hosanna".

For this song, through the miracle of electronics, we are leaving the organ loft here at Home Sweet Home, and I'm asking you to go with me to the beautiful organ loft of the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania.

Here in this beautiful Gothic style structure, we find a great five-manual Schantz pipe organ. Some 6,037 pipes will be playing, 104 ranks of organ. As I climb into the organ loft and I sit down at the console and I arrange some stops, and for you, I play this special favorite "The Holy City".

What a joy for me to play "The Holy City" on a great big pipe organ like that.

A beautiful gospel song is very fitting for this Palm Sunday season: "King of my life I crown thee now, thine shall the glory be. Lest I forget thy thorn-crowned brow, lead me to Calvary." We do not just sing "King of my life I crown thee", but from the heart we say it: "King of my life, I crown thee now".

And as we see Palm Sunday and Holy Week and Easter itself in the light of His cross, all the meaning becomes new. This time on "Through The Hymnbook", we've been looking for songs for the Palm Sunday season.

Here's a great classic anthem written by Fanny Crosby and her dear friend who wrote the music, Phoebe Knapp: "Open the Gates of the Temple". It shows His welcome to the Holy City and then it transforms that scene into one of Easter with the refrain saying "I know that my redeemer liveth, because he lives we too shall live".

Because he lives, I too shall live. I hope this music of Palm Sunday has been a blessing to you and I hope that as a result of listening, you have said "I shall crown him King and Lord of my life". Until next time, this is Bert at the organ console saying bye.