I love to hear fresh arrangements of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The latest Sovereign Grace album, “30: Three Decades of Songs for the Church“, contains new takes on the fifteen most popular SG songs.

Here are my six favorite cuts from an all-around outstanding effort.

While the disciples gathered the day before Christ’s resurrection in shock and sadness, we stand this day before Easter and sing of the power of the cross.

For we know its full meaning, its cosmic purpose, and its eternal glory.

Many songs have been written on the cross of Christ, but one of the more recent hymns of note is “The Power of the Cross,” which comes to us courtesy of the dynamic duo of Getty and Townend. My favorite version to date comes from Matt Hammitt of Sanctus Real fame, check it out above.

Sing this day of Calvary’s power!

Here’s a great arrangement of Watt’s “Jesus Shall Reign” by The Silver Pages.

LYRICS

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does its successive journeys run
His kingdom spread from shore to shore
Till moons shall wax and wane no more

People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on his love with sweetest song
and infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on his name

Blessings abound where’er he reigns
The prisoners leap and loose their chains
The weary find eternal rest
and all who suffer want are blessed

Let every creature rise and bring
The highest honors to our King
Angels descend with songs again
And earth repeat the loud amen!

Download the song for free on NoiseTrade.

A hopeful, and joyful, arrangement of one of my favorite old hymns from The Dispatch.

“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” arranged by Red Mountain Music

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art;
dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

Joy to those who long to see thee, Dayspring from on high, appear;
come, thou promised Rod of Jesse, of thy birth we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing news, glad tidings of a birth;
“Go to him, your praises bringing; Christ the Lord has come to earth.”

Come to earth to taste our sadness, he whose glories knew no end;
by his life he brings us gladness, our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.
Leaving riches without number, born within a cattle stall;
this the everlasting wonder, Christ was born the Lord of all.

Born Thy people to deliver, born a child, and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
by Thine own sufficient merit, raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Here’s the story behind the song:

At age 20 George Matheson (1842-1906) was engaged to be married but began going blind. When he broke the news to his fiancee, she decided she could not go through life with a blind husband. She left him. Before losing his sight he had written two books of theology and some feel that if he had retained his sight he could have been the greatest leader of the church of Scotland in his day.

A special providence was that George’s sister offered to care for him. With her help, George left the world of academia for pastoral ministry and wound up preaching to 1500 each week–blind.

The day came, however, in 1882, when his sister fell in love and prepared for marriage herself. The evening before the wedding, George’s whole family had left to get ready for the next day’s celebration. He was alone and facing the prospect of living the rest of his life without the one person who had come through for him. On top of this, he was doubtless reflecting on his own aborted wedding day twenty years earlier. It is not hard to imagine the fresh waves of grief washing over him that night.

In the darkness of that moment George Matheson wrote this hymn. He remarked afterward that it took him five minutes and that it was the only hymn he ever wrote that required no editing.

LYRICS