Have you ever wondered what it is that makes some inspiratonal music more powerful and moving than other inspirational music? The 1985 hymnbook preface states:"Music has boundless powers for moving families toward greater spirituality and devotion to the gospel"and also teaches:
"Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end."From an earlier dispensation, we are taught “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)
Music is indeed a powerful medium, and perhaps even more powerful when the lyrics are taken directly from the scriptures ... With that in mind, our evening was spent in a powerful way, listening to music that had lyrics based on the reading for the week ...
First up was a favourite, based one 3 Ne 13: 25-34
The song "Consider the Lillies" by by Roger Hoffman. Arranged by A. Laurence Lyon25 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and said unto them: Remember the words which I have spoken. For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;
29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.
(or alternate version here ...) is a wonderful song based on these verses.
Some hymns have texts drawn from the Sermon on the Mount/Temple Sermon, for example, hymn 144 (and many hymns on prayer) ... or here for an instrumental version of the hymn "Secret Prayer".
from the older version such as the 1935 setting of The Lord's Prayer originally composed in 1935 by Albert Malotte and sung by many singers (by Charlotte Church here, or Andrea Bocelli and the Tabernacle Choir here ... or by ? sounds like a BYU mens' chorus?
Each of these songs has the power to lift, to inspire, to restore - our challenge for this lesson is to find hymns or other inspirational settings of the text of 3 Nephi 12 - 14 and use them to "lift our spirits, give us courage and move us to righteous action" as we become more like the Saviour.
Boyd K Packer : The Arts and the Spirit of the Lord
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