Musical Notes

Hello OCBC family,
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9).
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

Today I am sharing two verses to introduce to you a loved hymn by Charles Wesley, a hymn that, at Oak Crest, we love to sing, “Rejoice, the Lord Is King.” These two verses depict Jesus' final weeks on earth. First, his entry into Jerusalem, prophesied by Zechariah. And then, Paul encourages us to rejoice in the Lord, for he is King and will return soon, and he is coming back because Ascension happened. Charles Wesley painted this wonderful picture.

This triumphal hymn was written during a hard time in the life and ministry of Charles Wesley. In the 1740s, Charles Wesley preached regularly on the street to thousands of people. But the opposition rose up, because his message was direct, calling many "sinners" and "Pharisees." This happened with a doctor in Wales, angry over Charles’ sermon, stormed up to him and demanded an apology for having been called a “Pharisee.”
Charles’s answer was direct, “ I still insist you are a Pharisee… My commission is to show you your sins, and I shall make no apology for so doing… You are a damned sinner.”

The doctor hit Charles with his cane, and a fight started, involving men and women from the crowd. Here is an entry in Charles’ diary from July 22, 1743:

I had just named my text at St. Ives... when an army of rebels broke in upon us... They began in a most outrageous manner, threatening to murder the people, if they did not go out that moment. They broke the sconces, dashed the windows in pieces, tore away the shutters... and all but the stone-walls. I stood silently looking on; but mine eyes were unto the Lord. They swore bitterly I should not preach there again; which I disproved, by immediately telling them Christ died for them all. Several times they lifted up their hands and clubs to strike me; but a stronger arm restrained them. They beat and dragged the women about, particularly one of a great age, and trampled on them without mercy. The longer they stayed, and the more they raged, the more power I found from above...

During these days, he wrote “Rejoice, the Lord Is King.”
“Rejoice, the Lord is King:
Your Lord and King adore!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!”

A message of comfort during hard times can be found in the third stanza.

“His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o'er earth and heav'n;
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus giv'n:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice!
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!”

And Charles Wesley uses the passage of Revelation 1:8 for this stanza, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Nothing—not even death—can defeat Christ’s rule.

Charles Wesley, even through hard times, was faithful to preach the gospel; what an example to follow.

Please use this hymn during your devotional time, rejoicing in the Lord because He is alive and reigns over all the universe.
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In His service,
Israel