The Old Songs

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every height and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

Lately, I find myself humming this faithful, old hymn during the day. Sometimes the humming is deliberate. Sometimes the tune floats up from my subconscious when I am doing some routine chore like dishes or laundry. Today I looked it up in a copy of The Cokesbury Worship Hymnal. It is hymn #136, written by William B. Bradbury. It lies nestled between #137 “Softly and Tenderly” and #139 “I Am Thine, O Lord.”

I collected this hymnal from a pile of “give-away” books at a library sale. Apparently, the library needed to clear some space for their new books, and this brown song book with yellowing pages “needed” to be culled. It has become, for me, a treasure.

I was curious about the hymnal’s age today, so I turned to the front pages to read the copyright date. I found the name of the general editor: C. A. Bowen, D. D. I found the name of the publisher: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press. I even found a curious statement on the title page that read, “Available in either round or shaped notes.” But I couldn’t find the copyright date.

After searching both the front and the back of the hymnal several times, my eyes were drawn to a simple statement at the end of a page entitled, “Introduction.”

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN PREPARED FORYOU.
BE SURE TO PUT IT TO THE BEST USE POSSIBLE.

Then I saw the copyright. 1938, Whitmore & Smith.

I made some interesting discoveries Googling “1938.”

In 1938:
The first commercially produced televisions began to be sold.
Franklin D. Roosevelt established the March of Dimes.
Kate Smith sang Ervin Berlin’s “God Bless America” for the first time on the radio.
Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released.
The League of Nations unanimously outlawed “intentional bombings of civilian populations.”
Germany demanded that all Jewish passports be stamped with the letter J.
Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia.
Ted Turner was born.

The avalanche of social, political, economical, and scientific changes since 1938 is mind boggling. But the most astounding discovery I made today is a sticker that someone affixed to the hymn book’s inside front cover. It says: This hymn book is church property. Please do not abuse or take away.

The message of the hymn “My Hope is Built” is profound. Life-changing, if you will let it be. But I have to tell you, I absolutely love that sticker. And I believe it. These old hymns are, indeed, the property of the Church. They must never be abused or taken away. These old hymns should be treasured. And respected. And belted forth with all the instruments and voices we can muster. For a new generation.

A generation that may risk forgetting the lessons of our past.

And forgetting the faith of our past.

And maybe even forgetting the songs.

My son is a musician. I have noticed that he is being drawn to these old hymns. I think I will dedicate this blog to him. Perhaps he can prepare them for us again. Perhaps he can put them to the best use possible.

Sing them, son.

Psalms 46:10-11
Lesa K. Reid