LDS Hymn #27

Hymn #27 - Praise to the Man

In my opinion, this is one of the most fun songs to sing with its melody, constantly moving parts. I sometimes would get bored by the "chord-chord-chord" nature of most typical hymns. This is may be composed of chords, but it also has so much movement. And I love it! Of course, that credit cannot be given to the early Saints since it is based on a Scottish folk song (yay heritage!) and is one I often hear bagpipe bands play. Then again, the majority of bagpipe bands I listen to are here in Utah. I wonder if ones outside of Utah play this tune as much. Hmmmm... Well, whatever the case, I love this tune.

I also love the words. This hymn shows how we praise and honor Joseph Smith, but we do not worship him. We acknowledge what amazing things he did as an instrument in God's hands to restore the fulness of the Gospel, the priesthood keys, and enable salvation for the living and the dead. To have endured so much suffering and do so overall with an optimistic, upbeat attitude about life. His cheerful disposition. His love for people and life. His tireless work ethic. As a man, he was pretty amazing. And then to be the main instrument to help us--the world!--again fully access the Lord's Atonement and promised blessings of exaltation, my joy is great that Joseph the Prophet sacrificed so much for me and all of mankind. So I find the greatest joy in singing his praises with this song--in the most fun, upbeat way possible!

I am excited for this coming Sunday because this year the Primary (the children's organization) learned two of the verses to sing in their program. I actually was substituting as the Primary chorister during the month they were to learn it. Teaching it to them was interesting and hilarious. I always like to teach actions in songs to little kids, which the majority of our Primary is quite young. And we came up with the actions on the spot. Absolutely hilarious. I think the adult leaders' favorite was the action for "mingling with gods." I aim to please. :-)

Favorite line: "Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." I remember a talk given on that and it really resonated with me.

From the history book
Another hymn by the talented William W. Phelps, a close friend of the Prophet Joseph--who had his own forgiveness story with him which has always touched me. Phelps wrote this to express grief and admiration for his lost prophet and friend. This song is described as having a "joyful sadness." Agreed. For it has always been a huge sorrow to me for how Joseph Smith died, yet it set him free from the mobs and hypocrites.

The second verse originally was more specific to where he was martyred, but in 1927 they changed the wording to fir the "good neighbor" policy of the Church. The original text was first printed in 1844. Though it was Brother Phelps hymn, the first verse seems to be based on Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake. They think it was likely that in the early days of the hymn, it was sung to the "Hail to the Chief" tune, and moved to the current "Scotland the Brave" tune after they moved to Utah. And thank goodness for that!!!

Lyrics

1. 1. Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
   Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.
   Blessed to open the last dispensation,
   Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.
2. (Chorus]
   Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
   Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
   Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
   Death cannot conquer the hero again.
3. 2. Praise to his mem'ry, he died as a martyr;
   Honored and blest be his ever great name!
   Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins,
   Plead unto heav'n while the earth lauds his fame.
4. 3. Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.
   Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
   Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,
   Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.
5. 4. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven;
   Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
   Wake up the world for the conflict of justice.
   Millions shall know "Brother Joseph" again.
6. Text: William W. Phelps, 1792-1872
   Music: Scottish folk song

LDS Hymn #25

Hymn #25 - Now We'll Sing with One Accord

This is such a fun hymn to sing! The tune is upbeat and a little syncopated. Playing it is a bit of a challenge with that syncopation as well as so many accidentals. But that actually makes it kind of fun, too--once you get it! Written by the talented, "original LDS poet" William W. Phelps, this book has been around since our first LDS hymnal. This hymn is a little about prophets (when first written, very much about Joseph Smith, Jr. but first verse can still apply to the current living prophet), about the Restoration, the Priesthood, the Book of Mormon. Verse 2 and 3 are much more about the Prophet Joseph, and how he helped bring about the Restoration, restore the Priesthood, and translate the Book of Mormon. The fourth verse is all about "that to come." When Brother Phelps wrote the hymn, the Church was very much in its infancy. We are now almost 200 years later. We can see the joy of "that to come" happening now, with promises still to be fulfilled in our future. It is a very uplifting, exciting part of the hymn that all of that which was restored has so much joy and hope and promise for each of us.

From the history book
I like that it points out that Verse 2 ("Joseph he inspires") was present tense when the hymn was written and the early Saints first sang it. It is now in past tense, but can you imagine how wonderful it was to sing about Joseph and the work he was doing to help bring salvation to mankind when he was actually alive? If you notice something off in the rhyming scheme, it is because each verse was originally 2 shorter verses (8 short verses total) and Brother Phelps was using an AAAB for each verse.

Lyrics

1. 1. Now we'll sing with one accord,
   For a prophet of the Lord,
   Bringing forth his precious word,
   Cheers the Saints as anciently.
   When the world in darkness lay,
   Lo! he sought the better way,
   And he heard the Savior say,
   "Go and prune my vineyard, son!"
2. 2. And an angel surely then,
   For a blessing unto men,
   Brought the priesthood back again
   In its ancient purity.
   Even Joseph he inspired;
   Yea, his heart he truly fired
   With the light that he desired
   For the work of righteousness.
3. 3. And the Book of Mormon true,
   With its cov'nant ever new,
   For the Gentile and the Jew,
   He translated sacredly.
   God's commandments to mankind,
   For believing Saints designed,
   And to bless the seeking mind,
   Came to him from Jesus Christ.
4. 4. Precious are the years to come,
   While the righteous gather home
   For the great millennium,
   When they'll rest in blessedness.
   Prudent in this world of woes,
   They will triumph o'er their foes,
   While the realm of Zion grows
   Purer for eternity.
5. Text: William W. Phelps, 1792-1872. Included in the first LDS hymnbook, 1835.
   Music: Joseph J. Daynes, 1851-1920

LDS Hymn #20

Hymn #20 - God of Power, God of Right

This is a hymn that I am 50-50 familiar with. I don't know the words by memory. I can probably hum about 50% of it correctly. Yet it isn't one that I have no idea about. It's a short one--have to be familiar with those to fit in when we do long hymns. Ah, spoken like a Ward Music Director. :-)

The hymn is not sung a lot, that I remember from my lifetime. Yet it isn't completely unknown. Does that explain the 50-50 description? It may apply to quite a few hymns in the book for me. Others would say, "I've never heard this hymn!" And they could be right, though I hear them say that about hymns that I know were sung in Conference in the previous few years.... Ah, the tonal memory of a Music Lover.

I love that this song is a plea to Heavenly Father to help us grow. It is our purpose on earth--to grow and become like Him. I love

"Forge our souls in living fire; Shape them to they great desire."

For if we are to change, it will not be easy. We will have to go through fire (trials and tribulations) so we are malleable and able to be shaped the way He has in mind for us. The way He knows will be best for us.

I also like

"Take us in our eager youth; Lift us step by step to thee"

For we our spirits are young, no matter what are earthly age may be. And I know for me, I am eager to learn all that Heavenly Father can offer. Eager to grow. And I need Him to help me one step at a time in that.

Verse 3 is all pretty awesome, too. I really like it when we refer to God as merciful, for so many choose to see the side where he has to execute justice. He cannot be God if He does not follow through on what He said He would. And yet over and over He extends His arm of mercy. That is what I see the most, and I will cherish it.


From the history book
The author stated "I am not prepared to go so far as to say this was inspiration [writing the text in an hour], but certainly the hymn almost wrote itself, and I didn't struggle over it as I have done over many of the other things I have written." Brother Bennett wrote it because with the 1948/1950 hymnal, the committee noticed there weren't very many hymns especially suitable for Priesthood meetings. The head of the committee wrote the music, and the tune name Elsie is for his first wife. Each year near his birthday, Brother Bennett's SLC ward would sing this hymn in his honor. :-)

Lyrics

1. 1. God of power, God of right,
   Guide us with thy priesthood's might.
   Forge our souls in living fire;
   Shape them to thy great desire.
2. 2. God of wisdom, God of truth,
   Take us in our eager youth;
   Lift us step by step to thee
   Thru an endless ministry.
3. 3. God of mercy, God of love,
   Let thy Spirit, like the dove,
   Touch and humble, teach and bless,
   As we serve in holiness.
4. Text: Wallace F. Bennett, 1898-1993. (c) 1948 IRI
   Music: Tracy Y. Cannon, 1879-1961. (c) 1948 IRI

LDS Hymn #10

Hymn #10 - Come, Sing to the Lord

I can't remember how this song came to my notice. I only know that I've always enjoyed singing it and it was an easier one to play. It also has one of my favorite things when one or two of the parts sing a solo--in this case it is the treble voices.

It is another Restoration song (since the first few are the Restoration section). This one mentions a prophet now again on earth, and that ancient prophets saw our day. It also talks of the Priesthood. These are two wondrous things to have on the earth again--definite reasons to rejoice!

From the history book
Ha ha--what I just said is right in the first paragraph about this song! I must be in good company. :-) The description also tells of the scriptures in 2 Nephi 3 that mention Joseph the Latter-day prophet as well as Joseph in Egypt--and I just read that chapter a couple days ago! Fresh in the mind. The lyricist and composer wrote this song in only a few minutes and had it performed the same night when asked to submit a song for consideration in a new hymnal. That is impressive! One other connection--the composer has a venue named after him. It is at BYU. And it is where I sang in my concerts for University Chorale (two of them) and Women's Chorus (3.25 semesters, which included priceless memories of participating in all the Combined Choirs), as well as many performances of all varieties that I have watched there. I adore that Performance Hall. I didn't realize this was his hymn. It may be all the more special to me now.

Lyrics

1. 1. Come, sing to the Lord, his name to praise.
   He in these latter days did raise
   A prophet to his name,
   The blessed gospel to restore.
   Come, sing to the Lord, his name adore!
2. 2. The prophets of old beheld this day,
   Its glory told in wondrous lay.
   They saw our prophet dear,
   Who times of fulness ushered in.
   Come, sing to the Lord, his praises ring!
3. 3. The keys of the priesthood of our Lord
   To us in fulness are restored,
   Their blessings to bestow,
   And pow'rs divine are manifest.
   Come, sing to the Lord, his name be blessed!
4. Text and music: Gerrit de Jong Jr., 1892-1978

Gospel Message Day 361

Priesthood Ordination

Not too long ago I wrote about Priesthood organization. In that I mentioned the different offices of the Priesthood. A worthy man is ordained to those offices--the ordaining being an ordinance. When a baptized male is old enough (at least 12) and found worthy, he is ordained to the office of a deacon, after receiving the Aaronic Priesthood. Later he will be ordained to the office of teacher, then priest, and then elder. At some point in life, he will likely be ordained to high priest (depends on how long he lives!). A few will be ordained to office of a bishop or stake president. Much fewer will be ordained to be a Seventy. And a very small number will be ordained as Apostles. In our dispensation, only 16 men have received the ordination of prophet.

In 2 weeks, we will have two new Apostles called and ordained. I’ll always miss the Apostles we have had in my life previously, but this is such an exciting time to see whom the Lord calls and subsequently qualifies. We see these special witnesses of Christ grow in their Apostolic ordination over the years, and for me their counsel is life-sustaining.

Gospel Message Day 344

Priesthood Organization

I talked about this a couple of days ago when I was talking about the Church's organization today being the same as in former times. So I've already mentioned some of the Priesthood offices. But let me list them again, this time by which Priesthood they belong to, and mentioning all of them.

First there is the Aaronic Priesthood. It is a preparatory Priesthood, meaning it is preparing the man in certain responsibilities and duties before he is ordained to the higher Priesthood, which we refer to as the Melchizedek Priesthood. Sometimes the Aaronic Priesthood is referred to as the lesser Priesthood. That doesn't mean it isn't as important. There are some vital ordinances performed by those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood including baptism, and blessing and administering the Sacrament. The offices in the Aaronic are deacon, teacher, priest, and bishop. Deacons, the "lowliest" of the offices are given the responsibility to pass the sacrament. I find this such a wise and sweet thing--it is an ordinance or renewal and remembrance for every single member. We all rely on that ordinance and need it so much. It is a great responsibility to give our young deacons such an important part of so great an ordinance. It teaches humility, patience, and respect for those served as well as for the ordinance and Whom it represents.

The Melchizedek Priesthood offices are elder, high priest, patriarch, seventy, and apostle. When our men are preparing to enter the temple/serve a mission, at some point they are ordained to the office of an elder. It is the "lowest" of offices in this Priesthood, yet it is the very same Priesthood that the Apostles hold. Honored and exercised in righteousness and worthiness, it is the same Power of God that can bless His children no matter what a man's office, calling, job, income, race, nationality, background, skill, etc. It is an equalizer that allows every man a chance to serve and be God's instrument in doing for His children what they cannot do for themselves, but which Power can be manifested through their faith.

I have a great respect for each office in both Priesthoods. I have been blessed to watch my brothers attain different offices as they have grown up. I've seen my father honor his Priesthood in his various offices. I'm now learning of friends who are being called to other offices of the Priesthood. I have greatly revered and followed counsel from higher Priesthood office holders who have been an integral part of my life--some of them (Presidents/Elders Hinckley, Faust, Maxwell, Wirthlin, Packer, and Perry) having been around for all of that life and have in recent times been passing through the veil to the other side. No matter their office, their duty, or their responsibility, I have been humbled and honored by every man who has honored or still honors his Priesthood.

Gospel Message Day 342

Church of Jesus Christ Today

There may be a lot of overlap with this topic and with the posts I have already written about the Church in former times. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is patterned after the Church that Jesus Christ Himself established when He lived on the Earth. We believe it is the same Church, and that it has been restored to its fulness and organization as Christ first established.

Today the Church has at its head Jesus Christ. His spokesman is the Prophet, who is also the President of the Church on Earth. He acts in God's name and proclaims or warns or reassures what Heavenly Father would have us know. The Prophet holds all of the keys of the Priesthood. He has delegated these keys to the Savior's 14 Apostles (2 of them being in the First Presidency as counselors to the Prophet and President).

The organization continues down with Priesthood holders known as Seventies. Above them the Quorum of 12 has 12 men. In a quorum of 70, there are 70 men. Today we have 7 quorums of 70--because we are a worldwide Church and we need the leadership throughout the world to help with the 15 million+ members.

Below the quorum of 70 we have our stakes--geographic boundaries of give or take 7-9 geogprahic boundary-determined congregations (called wards). There is a stake president and his counselors who lead a stake, and they have high councilmen to assist in their work. At the head of a ward is a bishop (or a pastor) and his counselors. Within wards (and branches, which are congregations that do not have enough Priesthood leadership to function as a ward), one will find high priests, evangelists (otherwise known as teachers and missionaries), priests, teachers, and deacons. These various positions within the Priesthood work hand-in-hand with all other positions in the Church. Nothing can be done or operated without the Priesthood in the Church, but remember that there would be no need or point of the Priesthood if all of us were not a part of the Church and a part of the workings of it.

Gospel Message Day 327

Priesthood Power - Part 4

I didn't feel it was time to end this topic, and yet now I sit here and can think of only one thing to write. One thing to sum up the topic for me. As a single woman, I have spent many years in residences that did not have Priesthood power. It was never far from me. I always had neighbors (while in UT), or friends at church, or home teachers. I have a very strong testimony of the importance and need of home teachers and other Priesthood holding brethren in my life--particularly ones who are worthy of that Priesthood and can be called upon at a moment's notice to use it.

For I have writhed in agony from physical pain. One time I actually crawled out into the kitchen so two brothers could give me a blessing of healing.

And I have had the joy of brethren who were visiting my dwelling and offered prayers over my home and my household.

And I have cried many nights from a broken heart or wounded soul, and needed a blessing of comfort.

I find comfort, strength, peace, and learning in the ordinances I make at church and in the temple, and those ordinances are possible because of the Priesthood.

Gospel Message Day 325

Priesthood Power – Part 3

Today was an extremely momentous day for me—my baby brother was sealed for time and all eternity in the temple. In these Gospel topics, I have blogged a lot about the temple and temple ordinances. These wonderful temple ordinances are only possible because of Priesthood power and those authorized to use the power to perform those ordinances. I have watched my brother grow up from the moment I met him before he was a whole day old. I have watched him achieve many great and amazing things, some of which relating to the fact that he kept himself worthy to hold the Priesthood. He has honored it and used it well up to this point. And now he has married his best friend, and the Priesthood will help him serve and grow in ways and opportunities he has never had before.

I love my little baby. Today was a hard day filled with so much joy. Because I couldn’t believe I was seeing that little baby all grown up and gettin’ married. (Yes—I’m channeling Mu Shu there.) Amazing and a little tough to see him embarking on a part of life that I have absolutely no experience with. Growing up, moving on, progressing. Some times I feel left behind. But just because I haven’t had that blessing in my life doesn’t mean I want others to be kept from it. Especially this “little” guy that I want all the best for. He is definitely on his way with all things blessed and fabulous—including his new wife. And it makes me even more hopeful for them and their marriage because it is blessed by and with Priesthood power.

Gospel Message Day 324

Priesthood Power – Part 2

Since I’m trying to use my own definition of things, I would define the Priesthood as the power and authority to act in God’s name to do His will in order to serve His children. One cannot use the Priesthood for their own benefit. It can only be used to help others. (This often makes me think of the scene in “Slipper and the Rose” when the fairy godmother explains that she cannot use her power for herself.)

Worthy males (beginning at age 12 for the Aaronic Priesthood and beginning at age 18 for the Melchizedek Priesthood) are ordained to the Priesthood, giving them the authority to use this power of God to help others. Priesthood helps a father to be a father, especially helping him to be the best he can. Because with the Priesthood he is better able to preside and provide. A woman does not need the Priesthood, because it is already a part of her nature to nurture the family. She is also joining forces with Heavenly Father each time she invokes His power as she gives birth to a child of God.

I’m just going to get this out right now, because I’m sure many will wonder: those ridiculous women who keep arguing and fighting and protesting that women should hold the Priesthood do not have a correct testimony of what the Priesthood is and why it is here on Earth. They are being selfish (not to mention stupid). And selfishness cannot be a part of the Priesthood. Not to mention, they don’t need it. Do they not realize how spiritually endowed they already are?!

I am a woman. I am not a repressed one. I simply know who I am and what my plan and purpose are on this Earth. And I will achieve all of it without the Priesthood because that is not the duty or responsibility that has been given me. I have been given plenty of other responsibilities and I certainly don’t want to have the Priesthood added to that! I will gladly leave that responsibility for the brothers as it will enable them to serve better than they could without the Priesthood, and make them even more the kind of stalwart, strong men that I want in my life.