04/26/2016 | website

The youth of the Vinnitsa community prepared and conducted a musical program called "Songs with Hope", dedicated to the history of the creation of famous Christian hymns.

The Saturday morning service on April 16 was unusually held in the first Vinnytsia community of Seventh-day Adventists.

Hosts Julia Antemyuk-Reshetova and Svetlana Zadernovskaya urged visitors to the prayer house to give hope to those who have lost it: "This Divine gift keeps us afloat, not letting us break, and brings joy." Then they presented the idea of ​​the program: to remember the Christian hymns of hope that have served as a support for Christians over the years, and the circumstances under which they were written.

The first song "I firmly believe" was powerfully performed by the youth choir, presented for the first time in such a large composition, which aroused the admiration of the audience. How often Christians heard and sang this hymn filled with deep faith and hope, but hardly anyone thought about its author. And this program opened the touching story of Frances Jane Crosby (better known as Fanny Crosby), who was born in the USA in 1820. Having lost her sight at the age of 6, she courageously lived her life in active ministry, writing more than 8 thousand texts of gospel hymns. She had over 100 pseudonyms, as the publishers did not want to include so many hymns from one author in the collection.

Another song, “Don't Pass Me, Savior,” written by Fanny after visiting convicts in prison, was performed by a women's group led by Lidia Sushko. About her blindness, Fanny Crosby said this: “The blessed providence of God was pleased that I should be blind all my life, and I thank God for this. If tomorrow I was offered excellent vision, I would not agree. If I was distracted by beautiful and interesting things around, I would not sing hymns of praise to God.” What is not an example of Christian courage and hope for us?

The story of another author was remembered by the presenters. His name is Horace Spafford. He wrote the famous and no less beloved by Christians hymn "When God's Peace Fills Hearts." The listeners were asked to sing it first. The hall enthusiastically performed this solemn work. But after hearing the story of his writing, he was perceived in a completely different way, even with tears in his eyes. “The man who lost his property, lost his son, four daughters,” says the host Svetlana, “when floating over the site of the tragedy that happened at sea, he writes such strong words!”

All these old songs are still popular and touch the strings of our souls, because they are personally experienced by the authors and filled with deep faith in God and radiant hope.

Another Christian hymn presented by the presenters is known and sung not only in churches, but it enriches the repertoires of famous world performers. It is called "How wonderful is thy grace." Its author is John Newton - a man with an unusual biography. He was born in 1725 to a believing mother. But his further life took such unexpected turns that at the end of the journey the following words were engraved on his grave: “John Newton, a spiritual minister, once a pagan and a libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was saved by the great mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, restored, forgiven, and appointed to preach the creed, which he once strenuously destroyed. During his life he wrote over 250 hymns, among which perhaps the most popular is "How wonderful is thy grace." The church members present in the meeting heard this psalm in the soulful performance of Olga Abubakirova.

Among the authors who write spiritual works, they also remembered Mikhail Lermontov, a Russian poet, playwright, prose writer, artist, who, in his short life of only 27 years, managed to leave such a magnificent legacy. His poem "In a Difficult Moment of Life", which has become a wonderful prayer psalm, has been set to music by more than 40 composers, which means that his words touched many hearts. In the performance of the male youth group, he sounded both sad and touching, and with the warmth of hidden hope.

Among the many spiritual hymns written about the mercy and faithfulness of God, the following one stands out because it is like a beacon of light. If the previous works were gained through suffering in the midst of severe trials, then the hymn "In sublime stanzas" was the result of the experience of "God's fidelity to man, manifesting itself day after day." Its author is Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, who was born in 1866 in Kentucky. Mr. Chisholm wrote over 1,200 poems, many of which have become hymns. The psalm "In sublime stanzas" has become a favorite work of many Christians. It spread very quickly to all churches that preach the gospel. In his inspiring spirit, the church choir performed this beautiful work, and the audience sang along, inspired by the beautiful words.

And one more unusual story, which served as the basis for writing the now popular Christian hymn. The author is Jim Hill. He, like all married men, had a mother-in-law. He treated her very well, like his mother. She was a Christian, but she was very ill. Hill saw her suffering and did not understand why God allows such suffering in the life of a person dear to him? When will the day come when he will see her well? And then wonderful words came to his mind, with which he decided to support her and give her hope. Thus was born a beautiful song, which he called "Soon that day will come." And her seriously ill mother-in-law, whom he loved like a mother, became her first listener. And in the meeting, this touching song was gently and harmoniously performed by another youth group led by Lyudmila Sushko.

A USA Today poll showed that the favorite spiritual song of Americans and one of the most famous Christian hymns in the world is composed by John Newton. anthem "Oh, grace!" (Eng. "Amazing Grace").

The man who wrote the hymn “Oh Grace!” knew firsthand about the wonderful divine grace. He knew what happens when God gives a person a new heart. Before turning to Christ, the author of the hymn was a cruel slave trader.

Amazing Grace(English letters. Amazing Grace; in the Russian interpretation "Oh, grace").

Amazing! It is hardly possible to find another word to describe the incredible transformation that has occurred in life. John Newton.

Newton was born in London in 1725. His mother died when he was seven years old. His father sent him to study sailing when Newton was eleven. At the beginning, Newton was a cabin boy, then he became a deck sailor. Naturally, the boy was faced with a ship's way of life, saturated with blasphemy, drunkenness, immoral behavior. Newton entered into this vicious circle without hesitation. He soon surpassed all his peers in scandalous behavior. His usual pastimes included writing insulting songs, full of sarcasm and ridicule, about his command, to which he openly showed disrespect. He also liked to invent new swear words and incite other sailors to reckless and dangerous antics. He often forgot about the performance of his official duties. While still a teenager, John was briefly enslaved on one of the African plantations and nearly died. But these circumstances did not bring him to his senses, but, on the contrary, agitated his already rebellious spirit even more.

After Newton regained his freedom, he joined the British Navy, which subsequently gave him the opportunity to become the captain of his own slave ship. As a slave trader, he hardened his heart even more. He became famous for his foul language and quarrelsomeness. He was hated by both subordinates and superiors. But he continued to care only about himself and satisfy his desires.

One day John Newton was in real trouble. He was convicted of an official crime, publicly humiliated, beaten and demoted. All his attempts to regain his former position failed. No one was willing to lend a helping hand to him. Once in a strong sea storm, Newton was very afraid of death. When the waves hit the sides of the ship with terrible force and the water began to flood the cabin, horror filled his heart. He struggled to save himself and the ship by pumping out water, plugging holes in the ship's hull with sails, sacks, and even his own clothes. Being an experienced sailor, he understood that there was little chance of survival. But he was not ready for eternity.

Childhood memories flooded into his mind - Bible verses, hymns and prayers taught by his God-fearing mother. John called out to God for mercy, but was suddenly stopped by the thought of how little he deserved God's mercy. How could he turn to God now, when he had ignored Him for so long? John spent a torturous night reassessing his values. The storm subsided the next morning. Miraculously, what was left of the ship made it safely to the harbor. On this day, John Newton was convinced that there is a God who hears and answers prayers. He rediscovered God's love expressed in Scripture: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 16-17).

In the midst of a storm, Newton had his sight. He realized that he was a sinner who needed a Savior. For the first time he realized the meaning of God's grace. Repenting of his sins, he committed his life into the hands of God. In the blink of an eye, he became a new person.

Many years later, reflecting on the experience, Newton wrote:
“Oh, grace! I was saved by you from the abyss of troubles, I was dead - and miraculously became alive, I was blind - and I see the light. I went through a lot of sorrows, Adversity and black days, But you were always with me, Leading me home ... "(Russian translation of the hymn).

At the age of 39, the former slave trader became a pastor. He devoted the rest of his life to preaching the gospel - "for the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost" (Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, verse 10). Newton took an active part in the struggle to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain, furiously denouncing what he previously successfully traded. Here is what is written on his tombstone:

Every person, like Newton, can feel the amazing grace of God! Regardless of how much he sinned. All you have to do is repent of your sins and have a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ!

“Oh, grace! I am saved by you from the abyss of troubles. He was dead, and miraculously became alive. I was blind, and I see the light.

These words reflect the path of every Christian, no matter how “sinful” or “righteous” he seemed to himself before turning to Christ. Only the wonderful grace of God can save us.

Anthem text

Oh grace! I am saved by You from the abyss of troubles;

I was dead and miraculously became alive, I was blind and I see the light.

At first it inspired fear in the heart, then it gave peace.

I poured out the sorrow of my soul in tears, Your world flows like a river.

I went through a lot of sorrows, hardships and black days,

But you've always been with me, leading me home.

I believe the words of the Lord, my whole strength is in them:

He is a faithful shield, He is my part in all my ways.

When my flesh dies, the struggle will end,

Both joy and a crown await me in the heavenly house.

Tens of thousands of years will pass, we will forget the shadow of death,

And we will also sing to God, as on the very first day.

Stories of Christian Hymns "What a Friend We Have" "Joseph Scriven looked in shock at the body of his bride, which was pulled out of the water. Their wedding was planned for the next day. Under the impact of the tragedy, he had the idea to immigrate to America. A few months later, the young man packed his things in Dublin, Ireland, and took a ship to Canada, leaving his mother alone. He was only 25 years old. Ten years later, in 1855, Joseph received a letter from his mother saying that she was in great difficulty. Under his impression, he took a sheet of paper, sat down at the table and wrote poems that began with the words: “What kind of Friend do we have?” Mrs. Scriven gave a copy of the poems to a friend who published them anonymously. Soon music was added to the words, and a new anthem was born, which quickly spread and became popular. But no one knew who wrote it. During this time, Joseph fell in love. But trouble struck again. Eliza Catherine Roche, his fiancée, contracted tuberculosis and died in 1860 shortly before their marriage. In order not to drown in his grief, Joseph gives himself completely to the ministry, doing works of mercy and preaching in the Plymouth Baptist Church. He lived simply and obscurely in Port Hope, Canada, making window frames and giving alms to the needy. He was described as "a man of small stature, with gray hair and bright blue eyes that sparkled when he spoke." Ira Sansky later wrote of him: “Almost until his death, no one suspected that Joseph had the gift of a poet. Once a neighbor, while at his house, when Scriven was ill, saw a written copy: "What a Friend we have." After reading the verses, he delightedly asked Joseph about them. He only replied that together with the Lord he wrote them for his mother when she was in a crisis. Scriven then did not suspect that that anthem became widely known in Europe. On October 10, 1896, Joseph died. Photo by Joseph Scriven

The Slavic Evangelical Baptist Brotherhood for its relatively short existence (136 years) is the owner of the most valuable heritage of spiritual singing. If we count the number of collections in which gospel hymns are collected, then there are probably fifty of them. This is the earliest collection "Offering to Orthodox Christians" (1862-1872), "Voice of Faith" (1882), "Gusli" (1903), "Ten Collection", which included nine more collections along with "Gusli" (" Songs of a Christian", "Tympany", "Cymbals", ... "New tunes, etc.), "Songs of Joy and Victory", "Songs of Zion", "New Gospel Songs", "Harp" (in Ukrainian. language) and many other music collections in Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian languages. You can't count them all. Collections "Song of the Renaissance" (1124, 2001 and 2500 songs and hymns). And how many collections of youth chants for solo, duet, quartet, quintet!

These collections contain many translated hymns from gospel hymns by Western authors: Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist.

The authors of many of them are not known to us, nor is the history of their writing known. But lately, some researchers have taken it upon themselves to tell us about the hymns we love most that came from the West. We learned about the authors of such hymns that are sung in all churches: "Nearer, Lord, to you" ("Song of Rebirth", No. 22), "Take me from now on and ahead ..." (No. 694), "Oh, grace ! Saved by Thee..." (No. 1684), "Quiet night, wondrous night..." (No. 590), "Full of love for my soul..." (No. 78). Probably, these hymns will not cease to sound in our local churches in the Motherland and in the churches of the Russian diaspora, the diaspora is not yet a decade, and maybe even a century.

What's so great about them? This is, first of all, the simplicity and spirituality of the content. Read their content with concentration and you will understand their spiritual beauty.

Now a few words about our hymns, born in the environment of the Slavic Evangelical Baptist brotherhood.

To begin with, I would like to draw attention to such hymns, especially beloved in our brotherhood: "Lord! Be with us" (No. 16), "Wonderful Lake of Gennesaret" (No. 698), "Jesus, Savior of Souls" (No. 50) , "You are for me, Savior" (No. 138), "When trials overcome you" (No. 553), "God, You see suffering" (No. 580). You will not find anything about their authorship in published collections, not to mention the history of their writing.

The prayer hymn "Lord! Be with us" was written back in the 80s of the 19th century by brother-evangelist N. M. Chetvernin. This is one of the pioneers of the evangelical awakening in Russia. For the first time this hymn appeared on the pages of the printed organ of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in the magazine "Conversation" in 1891. N. M. Chetvernin was, perhaps, the first of those who came to believe in the Saratov province, in the city of Turki. He was a participant in the first congresses of Russian Baptists in Russia in the 1980s. They wrote only three or four hymns. In terms of poetry, he was not famous and did not strive for it, but in his hymns he expressed the most urgent need of the assembly of believers. He wrote with inspiration, as it was then noted, "with the anointing" (of the Holy Spirit). Therefore, this hymn is both tenacious and resounds in our churches for the second century. Let's delve into the meaning of the words:

"... Give unity in thoughts, kindle love in hearts! Spirit of meekness, humility in us revive You again!"

"Wonderful Lake of Gennesaret" is a prayer hymn written by brother-evangelist Pavel Burmistrov in the 20s of the last century. What else was written to them is unknown. But even if this hymn alone, how vital his words still sound today:

"Or is there a mold of doubt on us? Or is vanity oppressing us?

Or is it hard to see Christ in us from the turbulent life of unrest?" Isn't it true, this is a question both of our time and of us, who live in a country of well-being.

"Jesus, Savior of the soul..." The author of this prayer hymn is a modest worker in our brotherhood in 10-30 years, P. Ya. Datsko. He became a victim of Stalinist repressions during the hard times of the 30s. P. Ya. Datsko is one of those who, back in the 10s of the last century, worked among Christian youth together with F. I. Sanin, M. D. Timoshenko, N. V. Odintsov. He also wrote the anthem "You are for me, the Savior ..." and the Christmas hymn "Angelic singing sounds in heaven." Here, perhaps, is all that they wrote. But why do these hymns continue to sound in our local churches for nearly a hundred years now?

"Oh, keep in the midst of the storm of life, making the way to the end, So that I can reach the Fatherland and freely rest in it. You, the source of eternal life, can quench my thirst And you can live in the stream of the holy fatherland in my heart." “You were for me, Savior, having humbled yourself in a manger, You were a blind driver, you lived for the poor of the world,” we sing both on Christmas days and in any prayer service.

And here are two spiritual songs: "When trials overcome you" and "God, You see the suffering on my earthly path" - these are songs of consolation, personally suffered. Their author was V. P. Stepanov, an ardent preacher from the end of the 19th century until the end of the 1930s. These songs were written by him during the years of his stay in the Gulag camps, in the village of Dark behind barbed wire in the Khabarovsk Territory. In the post-war years, this village was renamed Svetly. During the hard times of the 1930s, these songs spread with incredible speed to many evangelical house churches and small groups.

Some suffering believers in those years lived in a trembling expectation of the coming of Jesus Christ for the Church and in the silence of loneliness sang these favorite songs: "How dear to me is communion with the saints on earth, But even this pleasure is not always possible for me." Communion of believers was possible only, figuratively speaking, "in the catacombs", in random meetings in private apartments and, in most cases, secretly.

V.P. Stepanov was captured by the Chekists on his way to the next trip for the gospel and returned from it four years later, being isolated due to illness. There, in terrible barracks conditions, he wrote these songs. Stepanov died three months later in 1937 in the Voronezh hospital. Interesting memories of him are given by contemporaries. It was a preacher-singer. He accompanied each of his sermons with a song written by himself. Sometimes, as they said, he, going to the pulpit, was already singing loudly. His sermons were usually accompanied by the repentance of sinners.

The Slavic Evangelical Baptist Brotherhood for its relatively short existence (136 years) is the owner of the most valuable heritage of spiritual singing. If we count the number of collections in which gospel hymns are collected, then there are probably fifty of them. This is the earliest collection "Offering to Orthodox Christians" (1862-1872), "Voice of Faith" (1882), "Gusli" (1903), "Ten Collection", which included nine more collections along with "Gusli" (" Songs of a Christian", "Tympany", "Cymbals", ... "New tunes, etc.), "Songs of Joy and Victory", "Songs of Zion", "New Gospel Songs", "Harp" (in Ukrainian. language) and many other music collections in Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian languages. You can't count them all. Collections "Song of the Renaissance" (1124, 2001 and 2500 songs and hymns). And how many collections of youth chants for solo, duet, quartet, quintet!

These collections contain many translated hymns from gospel hymns by Western authors: Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist.

The authors of many of them are not known to us, nor is the history of their writing known. But lately, some researchers have taken it upon themselves to tell us about the hymns we love most that came from the West. We learned about the authors of such hymns that are sung in all churches: "Nearer, Lord, to you" ("Song of Rebirth", No. 22), "Take me from now on and ahead ..." (No. 694), "Oh, grace ! Saved by Thee..." (No. 1684), "Quiet night, wondrous night..." (No. 590), "Full of love for my soul..." (No. 78). Probably, these hymns will not cease to sound in our local churches in the Motherland and in the churches of the Russian diaspora, the diaspora is not yet a decade, and maybe even a century.

What's so great about them? This is, first of all, the simplicity and spirituality of the content. Read their content with concentration and you will understand their spiritual beauty.

Now a few words about our hymns, born in the environment of the Slavic Evangelical Baptist brotherhood.

To begin with, I would like to draw attention to such hymns, especially beloved in our brotherhood: "Lord! Be with us" (No. 16), "Wonderful Lake of Gennesaret" (No. 698), "Jesus, Savior of Souls" (No. 50) , "You are for me, Savior" (No. 138), "When trials overcome you" (No. 553), "God, You see suffering" (No. 580). You will not find anything about their authorship in published collections, not to mention the history of their writing.

The prayer hymn "Lord! Be with us" was written back in the 80s of the 19th century by brother-evangelist N. M. Chetvernin. This is one of the pioneers of the evangelical awakening in Russia. For the first time this hymn appeared on the pages of the printed organ of Evangelical Christians-Baptists in the magazine "Conversation" in 1891. N. M. Chetvernin was, perhaps, the first of those who came to believe in the Saratov province, in the city of Turki. He was a participant in the first congresses of Russian Baptists in Russia in the 1980s. They wrote only three or four hymns. In terms of poetry, he was not famous and did not strive for it, but in his hymns he expressed the most urgent need of the assembly of believers. He wrote with inspiration, as it was then noted, "with the anointing" (of the Holy Spirit). Therefore, this hymn is both tenacious and resounds in our churches for the second century. Let's delve into the meaning of the words:

"... Give unity in thoughts, kindle love in hearts! Spirit of meekness, humility in us revive You again!"

"Wonderful Lake of Gennesaret" is a prayer hymn written by brother-evangelist Pavel Burmistrov in the 20s of the last century. What else was written to them is unknown. But even if this hymn alone, how vital his words still sound today:

"Or is there a mold of doubt on us? Or is vanity oppressing us?

Or is it hard to see Christ in us from the turbulent life of unrest?" Isn't it true, this is a question both of our time and of us, who live in a country of well-being.

"Jesus, Savior of the soul..." The author of this prayer hymn is a modest worker in our brotherhood in 10-30 years, P. Ya. Datsko. He became a victim of Stalinist repressions during the hard times of the 30s. P. Ya. Datsko is one of those who, back in the 10s of the last century, worked among Christian youth together with F. I. Sanin, M. D. Timoshenko, N. V. Odintsov. He also wrote the anthem "You are for me, the Savior ..." and the Christmas hymn "Angelic singing sounds in heaven." Here, perhaps, is all that they wrote. But why do these hymns continue to sound in our local churches for nearly a hundred years now?

"Oh, keep in the midst of the storm of life, making the way to the end, So that I can reach the Fatherland and freely rest in it. You, the source of eternal life, can quench my thirst And you can live in the stream of the holy fatherland in my heart." “You were for me, Savior, having humbled yourself in a manger, You were a blind driver, you lived for the poor of the world,” we sing both on Christmas days and in any prayer service.

And here are two spiritual songs: "When trials overcome you" and "God, You see the suffering on my earthly path" - these are songs of consolation, personally suffered. Their author was V. P. Stepanov, an ardent preacher from the end of the 19th century until the end of the 1930s. These songs were written by him during the years of his stay in the Gulag camps, in the village of Dark behind barbed wire in the Khabarovsk Territory. In the post-war years, this village was renamed Svetly. During the hard times of the 1930s, these songs spread with incredible speed to many evangelical house churches and small groups.

Some suffering believers in those years lived in a trembling expectation of the coming of Jesus Christ for the Church and in the silence of loneliness sang these favorite songs: "How dear to me is communion with the saints on earth, But even this pleasure is not always possible for me." Communion of believers was possible only, figuratively speaking, "in the catacombs", in random meetings in private apartments and, in most cases, secretly.

V.P. Stepanov was captured by the Chekists on his way to the next trip for the gospel and returned from it four years later, being isolated due to illness. There, in terrible barracks conditions, he wrote these songs. Stepanov died three months later in 1937 in the Voronezh hospital. Interesting memories of him are given by contemporaries. It was a preacher-singer. He accompanied each of his sermons with a song written by himself. Sometimes, as they said, he, going to the pulpit, was already singing loudly. His sermons were usually accompanied by the repentance of sinners.