Day 32 - Can I Kick it? Yes, I can!

There are some hymns which stay with you from childhood days. Angel voices ever singing is one of those for me. This hymn became familiar to me in the pews of Clarendon Park Congregational Church, with the robed choir and magnificent organ resounding spectacularly in this acoustically amazing church. However, I must admit that as a young child (and perhaps for many years after!) this hymn remained a puzzling sing: what did “Of the best that thou hast given earth and heaven render thee” actually mean?

Last summer I enjoyed following another series of reflections, this one published by the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland and entitled Hymn of the Day. And lo and behold, one of the featured hymns was Angel voices ever singing! One of the first things I discovered, in this informative and inspiring blog by Gordon Giles, was that Angel voices ever singing is simply a hymn about singing, or to use the words of the hymn by Fred Pratt Green ‘When in our music God is glorified’. It is good to praise God and by that simple act bring glory to his name. The purpose of a hymn is two-fold: to convey the truth of scripture into the hearts and minds of those who sing them; and, to carry that praise to the throne of light and to the presence of God. This is what Angel voices ever singing does so well.

A number of years ago the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest had a hit with a song called Can you kick it?, based on a sample from Lou Reed’s record Walk on the Wild Side. The chorus was a call and response of Can you kick it? Yes you can! Every time I have heard that song since the 1990’s it has reminded me of the ending of the second verse of this hymn: can we know that thou art near us, and wilt hear us? yea, we can! What an affirmation.

I once had a church member who was a draughtsman for an engineering firm, and he also used to draw some of the most stunning pictures of local landscapes. He was a very good friend and always wonderful company to keep. I remember him telling me that this was one of his favourite hymns, because it reminded him and reinforced in him the belief that his talent and gift was God given. He would say to me, “Look, it says: ‘…craftsman's art and music's measure, for thy pleasure all combine’. What God has given to me was designed to give him pleasure, and I’ll never forget that.”

Yes, an oldie but a goodie, a hymn that speaks of how we are privileged to share with the angels the joy of praising God in song.

Amen.

Angel voices ever singing

round thy throne of light,

angel-harps for ever ringing,

rest not day nor night;

thousands only live to bless thee

and confess thee

Lord of might.

Thou who art beyond the farthest

mortal eye can scan,

can it be that thou regardest

songs of sinful man?

can we know that thou art near us,

and wilt hear us?

yea, we can.

Yea, we know that thou rejoicest

o'er each work of thine;

thou didst ears and hands and voices

for thy praise design;

craftsman's art and music's measure

for thy pleasure

all combine.

In thy house, great God, we offer

of thine own to thee;

and for thine acceptance proffer

all unworthily

hearts and minds and hands and voices

in our choicest

psalmody.

Honour, glory, might, and merit

thine shall ever be,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

blessed Trinity.

Of the best that thou hast given

earth and heaven

render thee.

Neil Chappell