Sing to the King

It's happened again! In researching a song on the internet I discovered that it is a re-write of a older song. This time it's the anthem Sing to the King. It has such great lyrics and powerful music. I love it. And it's based on a hymn written in 1910. I think that's really cool. I just ordered a CD by Passion Worship Band called Sacred Revolution that has Sing to the King on it. In a description for a different album by Passion I found this quote:

While the modern worship movement has revolutionized Christian music, lead worshippers realized that in their zeal to write cutting-edge church music they forgot the songs that were cutting that "edge" once upon a time. Add some creative contemporary arrangements and electricity to the originals and you have the composite that makes up the Ancient and Modern Hymns collection.

I very much agree with that. At church I often think of the Mother Goose ditty:

Make new friends but keep the old one is silver and the other gold.

I miss the old hymns so much. I don't have much trouble with most of the newer worship songs (some ARE fluffy, but then again so are some of the old hymns), but I miss the old ones. I'd love to maintain a better balance. To me, it's a bit like having fun and cooing over the new babies in the family and ignoring the grandparents. There is room for them all and something to be learned and enjoyed from them all.

Anyway, I wanted to post the lyrics for Sing to the King. Click here to hear Passion Worship Band sing it.

Sing to the King
Billy Foote

Sing to the King who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation, His empire shall bring
Joy to the nations when Jesus is King!

So come, let us sing a song
A song declaring we belong
To Jesus
He is all we need
Lift up a heart of praise
Sing now with voices raised
To Jesus
Sing to the King!

For His returning, we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We'll join in singing with all the redeemed
'Cause Satan is vanquished, and Jesus is King!

Read here an article that Billy Foote wrote about his reworking of this song.

I find it interesting that many of the songs that I fall in love with seem to have been written long ago. I guess I'm a die-hard traditionalist!