Anything to do with patriotism, in general, invites a lot of silliness that we wouldn’t embrace in other situations. No lie, I have been to a Christian “worship service” that included a civil war reenactment and a delivery of the Gettysburg address. (Of course, the battle ended with Lincoln guiding the two sides to stop fighting and shake hands, though I suppose the alternative – John Wilkes Booth playing the part of Judas – would have been even worse.)

Because the ideas of “God” and “country” have become so intertwined, the identity of the church as the transnational bride of Christ becomes obscured. Evangelicals in the US embrace Thomas Jefferson while shunning John Shelby Spong, despite their remarkably similar views on the Bible. Many Americans come into corporate worship on or around July 4 expecting to sing about a Grand Old Flag and amber waves of grain. In fact, many pastors and music leaders get angry calls and/or emails if America isn’t celebrated. (NB: There’s a difference between being thankful for freedoms enjoyed in America and celebrating America in a time that’s supposed to be reserved for Jesus. An Iraqi Christian living in Peoria can be thankful for the freedom to worship freely without having to say the Pledge of Allegiance.)

The wise thing to do isn’t to put up a huge middle finger and accuse everyone of idolatry. Because it’s the air so many of us have breathed for so long (especially our parents and grandparents), dealing with matters of God and country requires gentleness and wisdom. But neither should we cave in and sing My Country ‘Tis of Thee or The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

So what do I do? I cheat. We sing my favorite “fake” patriotic hymn: God of Our Fathers. It has enough civil connotation to evoke some of the nostalgia that hymns to America do, yet the text isn’t about America, it’s about our fathers (and mothers) in the faith. It’s much more Hebrews 11 than July 1776.

As wonderful as they are, the stars and stripes won’t last forever. Jesus’ kingdom will.

That half step has put a stamp on the tune that says “Made in 1868″. It it’s like listening to a Kanye West song, hearing the auto-tune, and knowing immediately that it was “Made in 2008″.

Normally, there’s not a problem with older things – in fact, many older things are glorious because they seem to bear the weight of history (in a good way) – but 19th Century American hymn tunes haven’t aged well.

It’s a shame, too, because the text for the hymn, written by the great American preacher Phillips Brooks, is glorious.

O holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in; be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.

Last year, I heard Sarah McLachlan’s slight edit of the tune and immediately caught a new vision for the hymn.

You can purchase the mp3 at AmazonMP3.

McLachlan wasn’t the first to do it – my wife has an arrangement in a Christmas piano book she’s had since she was a child that has eliminated the rogue sharp – but she’s probably the most well known on a broader scale.

A change of a half step has breathed new life into a tired, old tune. I wrote out a quick arrangement for our church and have included it below for anyone who is interested.

O Little Town of Bethlehem (modernized)

I’m also in the process of cleaning up our Order of Worship format to be more readable and helpful. More on that to come.

(Reading books like REWORK have done wonders in helping me as an editor. Superfluous words choke out meaning.)

• Doxology (Praise to God the Father Sing) Lead Sheet

Praise to God the Father sing.
Praise to God the Son, our King.
Praise to God the Spirit be,
Ever and eternally.

I really liked the first album. The band has some great, creative arrangements of Come Thou Fount, In Christ Alone, My Jesus I Love Thee, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, Nothing But the Blood, The Solid Rock, and Joy (I’ve Got the Joy along with It Is Well with My Soul). (Did I mention that you can download it free for the next week?)

One of the things that I love about this band is that they’re doing something very different with hymns than most folks (including myself) are doing. They’re using the well known tunes and reinventing them rather than throwing off the old baggage and starting again. And, of course, sometimes the old tunes are so bad or so unhelpful that they need to be thrown off, but not all the time!

The second album looks to be just as good as the first. Here’s the song list:
How Great Thou Art
Praise to the Lord
Jesus I Am Resting, Resting
Rock of Ages
Abide With Me
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Doxology

Except for one song, I’m looking forward to the second album. Why a reservation? Well, I’ll let you be the judge of that. See if you can guess which song I’m not looking forward to and why that is.

1. Make it biblical
2. Make it clear
3. Apply it correctly to the congregation
4. Make it interesting

Any other rules (as opposed to maxims) that you would add?

Jesus, Lord, Redeemer,
Once for sinners slain,
Crucified in weakness,
Raised in power, to reign,
Dwelling with the Father,
Endless in thy days,
Unto thee be glory,
Honor, blessing, praise.

Faithful ones, communing,
Towards the close of day,
Desolate and weary,
Met thee in the way.
So, when sun is setting,
Come to us, and show
All the truth: and in us
Make our hearts to glow.

In the upper chamber,
Where the ten, in fear,
Gathered sad and troubled,
There thou didst appear.
So, O Lord, this evening,
Bid our sorrows cease;
Breathing on us, Savior,
Say, ‘I give you peace.’

Here’s the closing prayer:

Master, this day is our day to stand and look. To be amazed and disturbed. This is a day to put away glad songs, and to see the terrible cost of our salvation. This is also a day to believe, and as Watts said, to know what is demanded in the Great Exchange at the heart of the Gospel. Forgive me for living in the shadow of this bloody execution as if it were religious art or a cultural symbol or the inspiration for music or preaching. This is my life, my death, my sin and your love. This is the beating of the heart of a Christian. Give me grace to pause and look. To see, feel, weep and above all, believe and keep on believing. Through Jesus. Amen.

Read the whole article. But before you do that, pray for Michael and his family.

[T]he essence of worship is not external, localized acts, but an inner, Godward experience that shows itself externally not primarily in church services (though they are important) but primarily in daily expressions of allegiance to God.

John Piper
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, page 228 (ebook edition)

Prayer answered by crosses

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of his salvation know,
And seek, more earnestly, his face.

’Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
And he, I trust, has answered prayer!
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once he’d answer my request;
And by his love’s constraining pow’r,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, he made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart;
And let the angry pow’rs of hell
Assault my soul in every part.

Yea more, with his own hand he seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cried,
Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?
“’Tis in this way, the Lord replied,
I answer prayer for grace and faith.

These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou may’st find thy all in me.”

John Newton. Olney Hymns (1799), Book III, 36.