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Come People of the Risen King

Its our church anniversary service this coming Sunday and our opening hymn is going to be this one, another of the collaborations between my friends Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend. There won't be as many in the choir or the congregation, indeed there probably won't be as many in the congregation as in the choir in this video... and our choir won't have natty blue gowns, but we'll give it a go all the same.
But as I listened to this, a new one to me, even though its a whole 3 years old now, I once again gave thanks for the talents of Keith and Kristyn... God given and God devoted. I've given Keith a fair amount of stick over the years (and will continue to do so) and I don't agree with him (and Stuart) on some of the theology in their hymns (especially when it comes to the atonement), but they are a real blessing on the church in this age. I minister within a church tradition that claims to have been "born in song" indeed the theology of the Methodist Church was shaped more by the hymns of Charles Wesley than the sermons of his brother John. Sadly many of the praise songs that are popular today are not only difficult for congregations to sing (particularly for those unversed in pop-praise culture with its bridges and last verse key-changes), but also tend towards an individualistic faith with a very narrow and shallow theology.
Keith and Kristyn's output (which is fairly prolific) stands in contrast to that. The tunes they use are almost instantly singable (if you don't know them when they start you will by the time you reach the 4th verse) and they deliberately attempt to address a wide range of theological and liturgical themes. And while they can be profoundly personal, there is generally a sense of the whole people of God in praise and service within them.
As such I pray that God will continue to bless them in their ministry and their marriage...

Don't fear however... I haven't gone all soppy and sentimental on you...
Good old cynical VM will be back before too long...
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ScatterCode said…
Oh, I love this song! We learned it around Easter, and have sung it a few times - everyone picked it up pretty quickly.

I like how the Gettys produce modern hymns, thus keeping both sides of the discussion happy.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010 10:44:00 AM
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