The Christmas hymns and carols being among the most lovely, sing-able, and familiar, are also among the most richly doctrinal. I know of no other time of the year where so many Evangelical and Protestant congregations (from all sections of the worship-style spectrum) are singing and meditating on such explicitly creedal confessions of the church... Continue Reading

As with so many of our favorite hymns, “The Love of God” was born in adversity. Frederick Lehman (1868–1953), who wrote the hymn with his daughter, had experienced the failure of his once-profitable business, which left him packing crates of oranges and lemons in Pasadena, California, to make ends meet. Again and again throughout history,... Continue Reading

One way to celebrate Thanksgiving is to rehearse the history of the Pilgrims and the Mayflower. You can recount this history by watching a new video on the Pilgrims recently released. The Pilgrims, 17th-Century English Emigrants is a 30-minute documentary in celebration of the 400th anniversary this year of the voyage of Mayflower. Among the... Continue Reading

Shelton praised him for “the connection you have with people.” In the finale, Tilghman also performed alongside his coach Shelton the John Mellencamp hit “Authority Song,” The minster was surrounded by his wife of 21 years and their eight children as host Carson Daly named him the winner of the singing competition.     Todd Tilghman, a... Continue Reading

Having the physical hymnal in the pew and at the dinner table creates a beautiful resonance and harmony between church and home. A liturgy of life emerges that helps Christian piety and devotion extend beyond Sunday morning. This is especially well-facilitated in Lutheranism and other traditions where the hymnal also contains Scripture-saturated liturgical services, rites,... Continue Reading

Jesus is called the “Day-Spring.” The dayspring is the dawn – it’s that moment, which ebbs and flows according to the season, when light first breaks over the darkness. But it’s more than that – it’s the first sign every day of the dispelling of darkness. It is the daily reminder that the mercies of... Continue Reading

Luther’s hymn rings true. Christ arms his servants with spiritual armor, the power of the gospel to save, the authority of the Word of God, and his unflagging promise to build his church. His servants join the battle, but Christ secures the victory. May we find hope not in a hymn, but in Christ’s strength,... Continue Reading

The Sing! Movement was launched in 2017 with the release of their book, Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church, and grew out of Keith & Kristyn Getty’s vision to propel churches towards a deeper, more dynamic view of artistry, theology and congregational singing. Sing! Psalms: Ancient + Modern, blends hymns, old and... Continue Reading

“Born at Uechteritz, Germany, from a schoolmaster and organist, Neumeister studied theology and poetry at the University of Leipzig. One of the main subjects of discussion around that time was the recent visit of the popular lecturer August Hermann Francke and his subsequent expulsion from Saxony due to the disputes he generated.”   Erdmann Neumeister... Continue Reading

After the unsettling conversation with the Canadian convert, Harkness wondered how he might help other Christians celebrate the power of God’s sustaining hand in our perseverance and have this sweet truth bore deep into our souls. The answer was obvious for a musician like Harkness: a song. He mentioned the need in a letter to... Continue Reading