New Life

ABOUT THE MUSIC

By Elmer Freed

 

Hymn #293   Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness

Text: Rusty Edwards

Music: Traditional American Melody; John Wyeth's Repositroy of Sacred Music, 1813

“ . . . the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”  

(Matthew 4: 16)

Jesus moved his ministry from Nazareth, his home town, to Capernaum, about 20 miles north. By so doing, he fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 9: 1,2,  proclaiming that the Messiah would be “a light to the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.” Zebulun and Naphtali were two of the original tribes of Israel. In quoting from the prophet Isaiah, Matthew connects the ministry of Jesus to the prophecies of the many-centuries-earlier Old Testament. This proved helpful for the Jewish listeners of Matthew who were familiar with those old Scriptures. To us it indicates the unity of the purposes of God as he works with his people throughout all ages.

 

Hymn #466   Jesus, Our Lord and King

Text: Anonymous

Music: Robert Jackson

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices., holy and pleasing to God.

(Romans 12: 1)

In Old Testament times, priests sacrificed an animal offered by the sinner to have his sins forgiven. While sacrifice was important, God made it clear that obedience from the heart was much more important (see 1 Samuel 15: 22; Psalm 40: 6; Amos 5: 21-24). God wants us to offer ourselves, not animals, as living sacrifices – daily laying aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal and trusting him to guide us. We do this out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven. God has good, pleasing and perfect plans for his children. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey him. Because he wants what is best for us and because he gave his Son to make our new lives possible, we should joyfully give ourselves as living sacrifices for his service.

 

Hymn #465   Baptized in Water

Text: Michael Saward

Music: Traditional Gaelic melody; arranged by Tom Fettke

We were buried with him through baptism into death in order  that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. (Romans 6: 4, 5)

Because as a baptized believer you are united with him in his death and resurrection, you can enjoy a new life. Your evil desires, your bondage to sin and your love of sin died with him. Now, united by faith with him in his resurrection life, you have unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin’s hold. For more on the difference between our new life in Christ and our old sinful nature, read Ephesians 4: 21-24 and Colossians 3: 3-15. You’ll learn more how you ought to live with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

"about the Music" IS A COLUMN THAT eLMER fREED WRITES FOR THE MUSIC THAT IS PLAYED EACH WEEK AT sAN PEDRO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.