Crown Him with Many Crowns

Crown him with many crowns,
  The Lamb upon his throne;
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
  All music but its own:
Awake, my soul, and sing
  Of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless king
  Through all eternity.

Crown him the Lord of life
  Who triumphed o'er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
  For those he came to save;
His glories now we sing
  Who died, and rose on high.
Who died, eternal life to bring
  And lives that death may die.

Crown him the Lord of peace!
  Whose power a scepter sways,
From pole to pole,--that wars may cease,
  Absorbed in prayer and praise:
His reign shall know no end,
  And round his pierced feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
  Their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown him the Lord of love!
  Behold his hands and side,--
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
  In beauty glorified:
No angel in the sky
  Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
  At mysteries so bright!

Matthew Bridges

I am eternally grateful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and for His atoning sacrifice.  He lived.  He died.  He lives again and because He broke the bands of death we, too, will live again.  That knowledge that death is not the end brings me so much hope and peace.

Wishing you peace and joy this Easter season.

Terri Crockett Hutchings · Crown Him with Many Crowns

Click HERE to download free sheet music 

Redeemer of Israel

Redeemer of Israel,

Our only delight,

On whom for a blessing we call,

Our shadow by day

And our pillar by night,

Our King, our Deliv’rer, our all!

We know he is coming

To gather his sheep

And lead them to Zion in love,

For why in the valley

Of death should they weep

Or in the lone wilderness rove?

How long we have wandered

As strangers in sin

And cried in the desert for thee!

Our foes have rejoiced

When our sorrows they’ve seen,

But Israel will shortly be free.

As children of Zion,

Good tidings for us.

The tokens already appear.

Fear not, and be just,

For the kingdom is ours.

The hour of redemption is near.

Restore, my dear Savior,

The light of thy face;

Thy soul-cheering comfort impart;

And let the sweet longing

For thy holy place

Bring hope to my desolate heart.

He looks! and ten thousands

Of angels rejoice,

And myriads wait for his word;

He speaks! and eternity,

Filled with his voice,

Re-echoes the praise of the Lord.

 Text by William W. Phelps

Adapted from Joseph Swain

Terri Crockett Hutchings · Redeemer of Israel

Click HERE to download free sheet music 

It Is Well with My Soul

This hymn with its powerful message of peace and hope has long been a family favorite.  It speaks of the assurance that even when the road of life gets rocky, there can be peace.  Peace that comes from the One who walks the path with us - our Savior, Jesus Christ.  

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll—

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

“It is well, it is well with my soul.”

It is well with my soul;

It is well, it is well with my soul.

 

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control:

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well with my soul;

It is well, it is well with my soul.

 

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.

It is well with my soul;

It is well, it is well with my soul.

 

O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The heav’ns be rolled back like a scroll.

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend;

Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well with my soul;

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Horatio G. Spafford

I arranged this hymn for my brother-in-law, Oren Clarke, who is quite possibly the world’s most devoted BYU Cougars fan.  Oren and my husband joined the Dave and Ann Crockett family just one year apart marrying their two oldest daughters and have been fast friends ever since.  

While our families were young we lived relatively close to Julie and Oren, not far from my folks.  After college, Chuck landed a job out of state so we headed up north to Oregon.  Soon after, the Clarkes uprooted and made their way to Henderson, Nevada.  Our homes formed an odd shaped triangle with my parents.  Almost every Christmas and for a week each summer the Clarkes and Hutchings would synchronize watches and travel back home.  Wall to wall sleeping bags, suitcases everywhere, cousins, siblings, aunts and uncles, parents and grandparents - it was heavenly! 

Our children are grown now with children of their own, but we still find ways to meet up once in a while.  A few years back while Oren and Julie were living for a time on the Big Island, we were lucky enough to visit. They introduced us to malasadas, snorkeling, red flag warnings and the remarkable Kuha’o Case.  The trip was enchanting and we will forever treasure our memories made in Hawaii with them.

The Clarkes live in Arizona now.  They are the parents of four great kids and have 15 wonderful grandchildren. Oren’s devotion to family and faith are strong.  He has always been a great example to me of kindness and selfless service to others.  He is fun-loving and has a heart of gold.  I am blessed to call him my brother. 

And, oh yeah . . . GO MIGHTY PELS!!!

Terri Crockett Hutchings · It Is Well with My Soul

Click HERE to download free sheet music 

Come, we that love the Lord,

And let our joys be known.

Join in a song with sweet accord,

And worship at his throne.

Let those refuse to sing

Who never knew our God,

But servants of the heav’nly King

May speak their joys abroad.

The God who rules on high

And all the earth surveys—

Who rides upon the stormy sky

And calms the roaring seas—

This mighty God is ours,

Our Father and our Love.

He will send down his heav’nly pow’rs

To carry us above.

Text:  Isaac Watts

Born during a time when many churches believed that texts of sacred hymns should be drawn only from the Psalms, gifted poet Isaac Watts felt that hymns should also reflect the light of the New Testament. “Where the Psalmist describes religion by the fear of God,” he wrote, “I have often joined faith and love to it.”

Watts is widely known as the Father of English Hymnody.  He wrote over 600 hymns in his lifetime — among them are When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, O God, Our Help in Ages Past and the beloved Christmas carol Joy to the World.  His hymns have endured for over 250 years and are still widely sung today.  

There are different musical adaptions of this hymn, but the one I have chosen to arrange was written by Aaron Williams.  I actually wrote this a few months back, but sadly my computer crashed last September and with it I lost my trusty, albeit ancient, transcribing program.  I have been spending the last few months procrastinating learning Dorico music notation software.  (Old dog - new trick)  I think I now have enough of the basics down to get by, so I can pick up where I left off. 

Here you go - piano solo Come, We That Love the Lord

Terri Crockett Hutchings · Come, We That Love the Lord

Click HERE to download free sheet music

Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah

My husband’s Welsh blood runs deep in his veins.  In 1848, his great-great grandparents, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Richardson and James Thomas, both were born in Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales, an area rich in culture and heritage.  

James and Lizzy married at age 18, and within a few short years sailed to America along with their two young children, Emily and Lorenzo.  They settled first in Utah, then Idaho and eventually in California.

Seated in between her sisters in this photo is Reva Jacobs, Chuck’s maternal grandmother.  Reva is the youngest daughter of Emily Thomas Jacobs, that same Emily Thomas who emigrated to America in 1873 when she was only five years old. 

But back to Wales — in the year 1717, William Williams was born in Carmarthenshire.  He intended to become a doctor, but not far into his studies he abandoned his pursuit of medicine to devote himself to religion.  For half a century he travelled throughout Wales preaching the gospel.  He was known to many as the “Sweet Singer of Wales”.   He composed over 800 hymns, chiefly in his native tongue, no doubt gathering inspiration from the beautiful countryside around him.   

His most famous hymn is Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah.  In it Williams weaves imagery from the Old Testament book of Exodus, illustrating man’s reliance on God throughout difficulty and strife.  It’s possible that traces of his own hardships experienced as a traveling minister are found in the hymn as well.

The music was written by Welsh composer, John Hughes, and was translated into English by Peter Williams.  

Here is my piano arrangement of this beloved hymn.  I am definitely adding Wales to my bucket list.  Some day.  (Sigh)

Terri Crockett Hutchings · Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah

Click HERE to download free sheet music