Music for Sunday 13 June 2010
June 12, 2010 by Rob Westwood-Payne
Filed under News, Random Jottings, worship meetings
If you have not yet found God, or once knew him but have lost touch, then Cradley Heath Salvation Army Songsters’ song in our worship meeting tomorrow morning (Sunday 13 June 2010) is just for you.
In the Bible, St Luke tells the story of Zacchaeus, a tax collector who struggled to see Jesus from the crowd when he passed by, because he was so short. He climbed into a sycamore tree and when Jesus came to it, he invited himself to tea! During his visit, Zacchaeus confessed to cheating on those he collected taxes from, by taking more than was owed to the authorities. He promised to give half of his possessions to the poor, paying back four times the amount to those he cheated. To those who were muttering that Jesus was spending time with sinners, Jesus replied:
The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
Salvation Army lyricist, Sidney E Cox might well have had this story in mind when he wrote his song, He sought me:
The Saviour sought and found me,
Far from the narrow way;
He made my blinded eyes to see,
O what a wonderful day!He sought and found me,
He sought and found me;
When I was wandering far away,
He found me;
What a wonderful day!He lifted sin’s great burden,
He saw my deep dismay,
And graciously he pardoned me,
O what a wonderful day!My sin was red like crimson,
He washed it all away;
He filled my heart with melody,
O what a wonderful day!
Young Salvation Army composer, Damian Wileman, a member of both Sheffield Citadel Salvation Army Band and the International Staff Band, has written a new melody for these words, giving fresh insight.
Why not join us for worship tomorrow morning at 10:30am?
Tomorrow evening, the Songsters will not be singing as a number of them will be at Dudley Songs of Praise at Himley Hall. See Cradley Heath Salvation Army Band’s website for more details.
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Rob Westwood-Payne grew up in The Salvation Army at Norwich Citadel. He left Norwich to study at the University of Warwick and became fully involved in the music centre there culminating in his conducting Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to a full house in Symphony Hall in Birmingham. He also transferred to The Salvation Army at Coventry City, where he became Songster Leader at the age of 21. He was made Songster Leader at Cradley Heath in April 1998 shortly before marrying Gail in the following October. He is a former leader of the West Midlands Divisional Youth Chorus and is currently Programme Director at the West Midlands Divisional Summer School for The Salvation Army. He is an Associate Solicitor in the Licensing Team of a national practice based in the south west.