Hymnal Dipping

I did not expect or anticipate this one. In fact, I was unfamiliar with this song until this morning when Laurie was looking for a version of "It Is Well With My Soul" for a blog entry (I guess it's the anniversary of when Horatio Spafford's family died which prompted him to write that amazing hymn. Another inspiring story, but not the one I'm on about this morning.) So, we came across a version by the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington D.C. on Youtube and, well, you know how Youtube can be. Laurie checked the related videos and said, "Hey, do you know this one?"
I didn't (it's in neither the Quaker nor the Reformed Baptist hymnals, so this edition of my "Hymnal Dipping" feature didn't really even take me into my hymnal. Laurie and I just had a long discussion on defining a "hymn" and she thinks this might be more of a "spiritual song" than a hymn. I don't know, but it is very content rich and I like it and I wanted to write about it) but very quickly we were both in tears. Such a simple little song with such power. "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power." It was written by Andrae Crouch when he was just 15 years old. He threw it in the trash thinking it was too simple for his high aspirations as a songwriter. His sister knew better and fished it out of the trash. Today it's probably song he's best know for.
It is such a simple and elegant little song of few words. It says all it needs to say and no more, which is one of the marks of a great work.

Verse 1
The blood that Jesus shed for me,
way back on Calvary;
the blood that gives me strength
from day to day,
it will never lose its power.

Chorus
It reaches to the highest mountain,
it flows to the lowest valley;
the blood that gives me strength
from day to day,
it will never lose its power.

Verse 2
It soothes my doubts and calms my fears,
and it dries all my tears;
the blood that gives me strength
from day to day,
it will never lose its power.

I was absolutely struck to the core by the passion in this. So often we who are focused on right doctrine and biblical theology can come to worship with tweezers, a scalpel and masks in clean rooms. Not that there's anything wrong with right doctrine. I think we need to be firmly rooted in scripture to keep us from doctrinal oddities and unhelpful superstitions. I was telling this to Laurie and she summed it up nicely, "God deserves all of our passion." We cannot lose our passion, gratitude, joy and wonder for the sake of academics. We really ought not be more excited about movies or popular (or classical, Paul) music or television shows or weekends or mochas or anything than we are when we come to worship. If we can be excited about anything in this world, we should be more excited about worship.
I frequently lose it during hymns, which I think is a good thing. Like Isaiah realizing the extent of his state when before God's glory in the temple that he cries out "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" The full knowledge and awareness of one's sin and one's need for a redeemer is crushing. And the glory, the unfettered love of God's grace toward us sinners is likewise of utmost gravity. Of course, this makes us desire to know Him better and constantly dig deeper in His Word, but that is born from a place of brokenness, a place of love, passion and gratitude.
I was also struck that as Rev. Richard Smallwood plays piano the congregation cannot keep from singing.