New Hymn Page

New Hymns

From time-to-time, as creativity allows, I'll post personal compositions. I have an interest in developing hymns that celebrate more of the corporate and covenantal dimesnions of the Christian life. I'm especially interested in creating lively and moving hymns to better celebrate the covenant signs-- baptism & the Lord's Supper.

My vocal skills are minimal, as is my guitar work, but I'll publish these as they develop so more skilled persons can learn these and share them. G.K. Chesterton's wisdom will have to do, here. He said, "Anything worth doing is worth doing badly."

Focus on the words, the development from the earliest to later episodes of God's rich grace as His people stood at the precipice of a promise and disaster. Each time, in faith, they moved by God's grace to safety. Flood & Ark, Satan/Sea & Salvation, Jordan & Promised Land, each a prefiguring of the promises sealed to us in baptism and ultimately accomplished by the blood of Christ. Note that this passage is not just for individuals, alone, but households and the community of saints make this passage together. This is what I'm trying to convey. Now, imagine you are presenting the newest addition to your household, and the church gathered round sings of the journey into Christ.

The first offering to be presented is a baptismal hymn, titled:

"We Shall Enter In"

D Em Bm A
1. Here we stand, Lord, at the threshold of Your Ark,

A Em Bm A
Just like No-ah, warned to flee the wrath to come!

G A Em Bm
Lifted up by Your grace; though no one else may go.

Bm Em A
For Christ, our Ark, is our eternal home.

Chorus:

Em * A* D G
As for me and my house, we shall enter in;

Em A D G
Forsaking the world, we shall walk where You have led.

Em A D G
And this is the sign, the cov'nant of Your grace:

G Em A D
Baptized now with water, send Your Spirit send Your grace!

2. Here we stand, Lord, before the Crimson Sea
   Just like Mo-ses, and the people You set free!
     Behind, the House of Bondage, and satan's angry wrath.
     By Your grace the sea became salvation's path.

To Chorus:

3. Here we stand, Lord, beside the Jordan's banks,
     Just like Israel, looking t'ward the Promised Land!
     And though we've not possessed it: New Heaven and New Earth,
   We'll journey through the waters--the River of New Birth.

To Chorus:

4. Here we stand, Lord, beneath the Cov'nant Sign,
     Just like all those, who have followed in Your Light!
     For to us and our children, salvation near and far,
     to as many as the Lord our God shall call.

To Chorus:

5. Here I stand, Lord, saved by grace through faith alone.
     And this water, points us to the Lamb's shed blood!
     For Christ alone can cleanse us, by the Life He freely gave.
     May we all by faith receive Him, and take hold of His grace.

   [ Note for guitarist:   for the Em and A chords on the chorus, use
     bar chords rather than open chords. An Am pattern on the 7th fret
     and an Emaj pattern on the 5th fret, then drop to open D, G, etc.]

Some thoughts for congregational singing.

1. You might sing the chorus only the first time and the last, simply doing verses 2, 3,4, & 5 as an unbroken series, Or:

2. You might have All sing verse 1 and chorus, then women sing 2nd verse (all on chorus), men sing 3rd verse (all on chorus), children & youth sing 4th verse followed by all on final verse and chorus.