Hymn Story: The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended
This hymn was recently sung at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Rev. John Ellerton wrote the hymn in 1870 to be included in A Liturgy for Missionary Meetings. Two different translations of the text…
Behind the Christmas Carol: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear was a Christmas poem written by Edmund Sears. This is a Christmas Carol that doesn’t focus on the holy family, but the song of the angels. Luke 2:14 says…
Hymn Story: Onward Christian Soldiers
This popular hymn was written without the intention of ever being published. Written for the English holiday, Whitmonday in 1865. Whitmonday is a day for festivals in Yorkshire. Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould recalled, “one Whitmonday it…
Behind the Hymn: Nearer, My God, To Thee
Nearer, My God, To Thee is commonly believed to be the last song the Titanic played as the ship sank. The popular hymn was written by Sarah Flower Adams and is loosely based on Jacob’s…