91热爆

Good morning.

Presenter of TV鈥檚 The Choir Gareth Malone, recently expressed

his own understandable concern about wanting to feel safe

before he would next walk into a room with one hundred people in it.

No one wants to dwell on how long it will be

before our faithful church choirs and singing groups

can reassemble for worship in the normal way.

Though when they do, one Irish favourite they may well turn to begins

鈥淚n Christ alone, my hope is found, he is my light, my strength, my song鈥�.

听

It鈥檚 as powerful sung acoustically and solo, as with a full choir and organ,

though I鈥檝e been thinking back wistfully to being one of nine thousand voices singing it last year at a sports stadium in Belfast.

It started with the melody, for writers Keith Getty and Stuart Townend.

Distinctively Celtic,

and ancient and anthemic in style though barely twenty years old,

nothing but lofty, timeless lyrics would do.

听

They looked no further than the life, death and resurrection of Jesus

but gave it the distinctly modern twist of expressing what those truths mean for those who find them foundational.

鈥淔or I am his and he is mine鈥� as one line puts it,

鈥渂ought with the precious blood of Christ.鈥�

It鈥檚 become an important hymn for many around the world,

especially, say its authors, where Christians have experienced

a tearing apart of their safety and security.

听

鈥淣o power of hell, no scheme of man,鈥� claims the song,

鈥渃an ever pluck me from his hand鈥�.

Grandiose as that may sound to some,

it seems the man from Nazareth continues to touch those

for whom order and stability feel really fragile.

听

Lord you sent a choir of angels to herald the birth of your Son

bless the choirs of these islands, forced to be apart for now

and who yearn to stand shoulder-to-shoulder again

to proclaim with one heart and voice the word and works of God.

Amen