Tune: SAFETY
I was never a Boy Scout. There are reasons for that – most of
which come back to my mother not wanting me to go to the Methodist church one
night a week! :)
By the time she got over that phobia, I had graduated from college and was no
longer eligible for scouting!
But I DO know about merit badges: they are given to those
who deserve them for their hard work and ability… even talent. Some are given in
spite of lack of ability in a discipline because they overcome that deficiency
to achieve what may have seemed like impossible goals.
This hymnline tells us that the mighty, certain love of God –
Agape – deserves our best song. Our never-deficient Savior warrants all our
songs… but especially our best ones.
As a worship-planner/preparer for many years, song-selection
was a mammoth task for me because I grew up singing this hymnline… and others
akin to it: “Give of your best to the Master” comes to mind. I learned early on
that it is not our best use of time in worship to put into the mouths of our singers
songs that are mediocre; I was (and am) convinced that God’s merit (his
intrinsic value) merits only the best texts and melodies aimed in his direction
in corporate expressions of praise, faith and testimony.
How many Christian songs do you think exist out there
through history up until now? WAY more than any of us can comprehend. Even if
we consider only the ones which have been published, we are overwhelmed with
number. And even more complex, how does any human determine what is the best of
that approaching-infinity total? At least we can discard a bunch that don’t
seem to stand the tests of music and text… those which have not stood up well
over time. It’s probably more complicated to select the best from the NEW crop
of songs, hymns and anthems!
Before this turns into a philosophy of church music essay,
let me just say that this much I know: God deserves our best songs…
though determining those may be up for grabs.
If our Lord were a Boy Scout, he’d have one of those green
shoulder-to-belt sashes on which to place his merit badges. That would have to
be one-heck of a big sash to contain the whole of his merit badges… and it
would have to be constantly growing to make room for more.
Every time we sing one of our best songs on his behalf, it is
as if we add another badge, saying “You, O Lord, deserve this song.” “You are
worthy to receive this song.”
This love so mighty and so true has lifted me; now it’s my
turn to return the favor by lifting him up in song… the best songs I can find
or recall.
Kim Hopper Sings “Love
Lifted Me”
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