Today is Palm Sunday.
Until last year, I had always though of "All Glory, Laud, and Honor" and "Hosanna, Loud Hosanna" as the definitive Palm Sunday hymns (better recordings of the tunes here and here, respectively). I still like them quite a lot, and it is especially a privilege to be able to sing "All Glory, Laud, and Honor," since we rarely get to sing hymns so old and so closely translated from their original language.
However, last year I was introduced to "Ride on! Ride on in Majesty." It now reigns supreme in my mind:
(The tune, called "Winchester New," can be heard by itself here.)
Everything about it just comes together perfectly: a rousing and memorable tune, beautiful poetry, and so much theology crammed into every verse that it even gives Charles Wesley a run for his money! The triumphant and glorious themes are tempered by a trembling anticipation of the pain and suffering that must soon come. Then, at the very end, we get a tiny glimpse of the joy of Easter. This is a perfect microcosm of Palm Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment