As
Latter-day Saints, we preach of Christ, we believe in Christ, we have faith in
Christ! Some of the greatest indicators of our belief in Jesus Christ are the
hymns we sing.
Another
manifestation and holy ordinance dedicated to The Savior is the Sacrament. The
hymns sung during this time are especially sacred and worshipful towards the
Savior.
With it’s
beautiful melody and harmonies, hymn page 197, O Savior Thou Who Wearest A
Crown, is a masterpiece of worshipful devotion and praise during Sacrament time.
Adapted by J.S. Bach from the earlier work of Hans Leo Hassler, this piece of
music has withstood the test of time, over 400 years! The words were written by
inspired LDS contemporary hymn writer and author, Karen Lynn Davis, and
included in our 1985 hymnbook.
Consider
these poignant and powerful words:
“no creature
is so lowly, No sinner so depraved, But feels thy presence holy, And thru thy
love is saved.” A letter received by Elder Dallin H. Oaks part of which was
read in October General Conference 2015 said, “I know that our Savior is
walking these halls, and I have often felt Christ’s love within these prison
walls.” He. Still. Associates. with sinners as well as walking the halls of His
holy temples.
Again
consider these words:
“Tho’ Craven
friends betray thee, They feel thy love’s embrace; the very foes who slay thee
Have access to thy grace.” Or “Thy
Sacrifice transcended the mortal law’s demand: thy mercy is extended To every
time and land. “ “In our place thou didst suffer; In our place thou didst die.
By heaven’s plan appointed, To ransom us, our King.
Again,
Dallin Oaks, “Our Savior’s Atonement does more than assure us of immortaility
by a universal resurrection and give us the opportunity to be cleansed from sin
by repentance and baptism. His Atonement also provides the opportunity to call
upon Him….to give us the strength to bear the burdens of mortality. He knows of
our anguish, and He is there for us. Like the Good Samaritan, when He finds us
wounded at the wayside, He will bind up our wounds and care for us”.
As you read
some of the phrases within this hymn, did you notice something? It is as if we
are speaking directly to The Savior! There are very few times, in scripture or hymn,
that we are given examples of directly addressing the Savior. We pray to our
Heavenly Father in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. However One example of
calling to the Savior is when Alma the younger is in the depths of despair
because of his realization of his awful sins, and he cries out, “O Jesus, thou
son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am
encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.”
This hymn is
sung as if we are beseeching and imploring the Savior himself and that we
personally recognize His great Atonement. As we sing this song, we are giving
the Savior personal testimony of His mission, His life, and what He has done
for us.
We preach of
Him, we testify of Him, we worship Him….and sometimes we even sing directly to
Him!
