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Hymns, Ancient and Modern, Passion Band (Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, Christy Nockels, David Crowder)

CD Review by Carol Lee Kim

My earliest memory of singing a hymn goes back to grade school, where Psalm 23 was sung by my school's choir: "The Lord's my shepherd I shall not want, He makes me down to lie in pastures green, He leadeth me, in quiet waters by..." . At this very young, pre-Christian time of my life, I had no idea what this song meant.  Who was "The Lord"? And why did I "not want Him"? And if I didn't want Him, why on earth were we singing about Him? It all sounded like a lot of mumbo jumbo to me, but I loved to sing, and there was certainly a nice melody about it: it made me feel...nice.

My next memory of singing hymns was, admittedly, less enthusiastic.  It was at a wedding. I recall standing up with the congregation to sing to, in my opinion, the dull drone of the organ. Being in my late teens (but yet unsaved), I was by that time, at least able to comprehend the songs to be of a "religious" nature, but could still not fully appreciate the meaning of the adoring words. Why would grown, rational people sing love songs to some distant, unseen being they called "Lord"?

Later, upon first becoming Christian, I quickly learned to love many of the adoring songs of praise sung by "modern" artists. How intimate were these songs of love, in an age where "spiritual intimacy" is sought more fervently than the finest of richest. Certainly, they spoke to me in the deepest places, ministering to my world-worn soul that had only just begun to know the miraculous freedom and renewing power of knowing Christ.

More recently, however, I felt that my relationship with Christ had come to a different place where the "me-focussed" need that originally drew me to the Saviour had begun to change. Suddenly, after having known for roughly half a decade the blessings of God, I only wanted to do one thing: bless and praise HIM - for who He was; for who He is.  Then, I came upon Hymns, Ancient and Modern by the Passion Band.  Wow, I thought. The band had always been a favourite of mine for their modern, upbeat expressions of divine love. And now - the Passion Band singing hymns? How intriguing a proposal.  When I first heard, Joyful, joyful, We Adore Thee, one of the popular hymns featured on this CD, the memories of my young, pre-Christian life came flooding back to me. It was as if the Lord was reminding me of the veracity of Psalm 139, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb...All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Even when I did not know him, His hand was upon me, speaking to me through childish choir songs and routine wedding services, preparing my spirit to receive Him when His timing called it to be. Suddenly, lyrics like, "All thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heaven reflect they rays...Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise..."  were no longer archaic language speaking of foreign things; they were words of lauding, of awe, of praise, worthy of, yet still distinctly inadequate in, describing the beauty and glory and wonder of our Saviour.

Some of the songs included in this inspired CD have been unchanged since they were written hundreds of years ago; many, have been modified slightly by the artists to reduce the often too-long verses of the original, and to update its beat and rhythm.  As an added bonus, the CD cover includes a short devotional written by the performing artist, telling a short history of what inspired the original writers of the hymn, and speaking of what that particular hymn means to them. I have found that just reading these little historical anecdotes have supplemented my own quiet, worship time. In reading them, I am taken back in time, to a place where the age required more subtlety and subdued gallantry when expressing outward emotions; to a place where I imagine the original writers must have been bursting with inward fervour and passion for their God, able only to legitimately express it through song.  It excites me to be connected to these Christ-lovers of the past, to the present where I am situated, and to the future generations of Christ-followers. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.