Daniel Abbey

Perhaps my all-time favorite hymn is “And Can it Be?” by Charles Wesley. It is one of the most melodically stirring and lyrically profound songs ever written, surely the best of the six thousand plus hymns Wesley penned.

I remember singing it in church while growing up, mastering the tune but barely understanding its message. Then one day, after repenting of sin and embracing Christ as Lord and Savior, I sang it during Sunday worship and could not believe the clarity with which I read the words. The Spirit was working in me, helping me fathom and appreciate the hymn as never before.

The following verse sprung out at me with particular vigor:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

It was an unforgettable moment; the verse crystallized exactly what I was going through. Like Wesley, I was once incarcerated in a dungeon of doom, shackled by sin and blinded by the darkness. I had no hope of clawing my way out; I was a prisoner of nature’s night, unable to reverse the inexorable hold of sin on my life. People told me to choose God but I chose the devil, each and every time.

Then the Lord pierced the darkness with His living light – flaming, glorious and resplendent. I awoke to the truth of His love; my chains crumbled, my heart was set free. I was now able to choose God because He had resuscitated my heart. I was now free to follow Him because He chose to set me free.

I’m so glad Charles Wesley articulated what I, and no doubt thousands of others, feel but can barely put into words regarding so great a salvation. It’s a magnificent hymn and a wonderful way to honor God and His mighty redeeming work. The thunderous sound of several hundred vivacious believers singing this at the top of their lungs is surely a taste of heaven.

Anyway, enough. Sing along with me, in your heart, wherever you may be.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Last Wednesday I had an interesting conversation with one of our worship leaders, the multi-talented Magoo del Mundo. We were initially discussing traditional hymns and praise and worship, contrasting the styles, messages, and experience. I’m a big hymns fan and love it when the church band incorporates old hymns into the worship set. Magoo has an equal love for the timelessness and theology of many traditional hymns.

But it wasn’t his comments on the modern rendition of classic music that drove me into a fit of deep thought – it was his thoughts on what true worship is and his leftfield idea on how we might challenge traditional corporate worship.

“The Jews worshipped differently,” Magoo informed me. “They sang in response to what they heard about God.” In other words, we’ve got it wrong. We go to church on Sunday and do the bulk of our praise and worship before hearing the Word, not the other way around.

So the question is, why are we singing? Is it because Sunday morning worship is a centuries-old established pattern? Do we assume our seats and “warm up” for the sermon by singing or are we praising because we’re responding to something we learned about God’s awesomeness and Biblical truth?

My bet is that of say 100 people singing in church on a Sunday morning, only a tiny fraction are worshipping as a direct response to God and His Word. The rest of us just go through the motions because hey, that’s the pattern. We’re used to it.

What my friend postulates is this: Sunday morning praise and worship is nullified when all we do is sing because we’re used to it. True worship happens when we respond to the preaching – the Truth of God’s Word – by singing praise and adoration.

So if he had his way, and this is the cool part, the bulk of corporate praise and worship would be at the END of the service, not the beginning.

I love it when traditional paradigms get flipped on their head.

I think Magoo is right. The Bible says that true worshippers worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23). A lot of us worship in Spirit, coming before the Lord on Sunday singing because it feels good and is a great way to “get started”. We may try to dig down and ask the Holy Spirit to fill our minds and buoy us as we sing, (perhaps hoping, erroneously, that a little mysticism will go a long way too).

But we don’t worship in Truth – we’re not responding to the preached Word that morning; we’re not singing because we’re absorbed in the Bible. We might simply be singing a shallow modern worship song that’s more vague that it is theologically uplifting.

There needs to be a balance; we must worship in Spirit and in Truth if it is to be acceptable and pleasing to the Father as well as meaningful for us.

I wonder if we can accomplish that by shaking things up and literally restructuring the Sunday service. What if we all arrived at church, sat down, and after a moment of prayer and perhaps one song (as a concession), the pastor plunged right into preaching? Then, after hearing the Word we give our offering and start the praise and worship in earnest?

The worship leaders would be free to choose songs that are tied into the sermon message and urge the congregation to really think about what they just heard. Like if the pastor preached on the Holiness of God we might just sing Holy, Holy, Holy with a lot more conviction and understanding. If the message was about God’s superabundant grace, Amazing Grace might turn into something more than just a timeless classic.

I’m all for experimentation within the church, especially if it means trying to Biblical over traditional.

What do you think?