Indelible Grace Hymnbook

Blake Mundell, one of my RUF students who recently graduated, asked for a couple texts to try his hand at setting them to new tunes. I knew Blake would have a good feel for retuning hymns because he had helped me with a project for my kids’ school where we put music to lyrics written by fourth graders. I had found this text a few years ago in a volume of the Complete Poetical Works of Henry Lyte ("Abide With Me," "Jesus I My Cross Have Taken," "Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven"). Lyte titled it "Enlarged From Beddome" and so it seems he based the hymn on one written by Benjamin Beddome. I love hymn texts like this one that ask questions– questions which invite us to ponder the weight of what is being sung. Blake sent me this one and "Glory Be To God The Father" on the same day – a quite prolific day I would say! Christ’s tears should draw forth tears from His people. “He wept that we might weep, might weep over sin and shame” and the church should be known not just what makes her angry, but for what makes her weep. He wept that we might weep – may it be so.

We originally tracked this one with Ian Fitchuk on drums, but as we added electric guitars we needed a drum sound that was more aggressive. We ended up getting Chris Weigel (bass) and Andy Hubbard (drums) to recut the track on the day they came in to record "Psalm 130." It took quite a few tries to get the guitars right on this one. I spent a day at Gregory McCubbin’s studio using his Dr. Z amps and got some of the guitar parts there. But the solo kept eluding me. I had cut a guitar solo at Cason Cooley’s studio but didn’t love it. Then I tried one at Jeff Pardo’s and it just wasn’t quite “it” either. Finally I had Andy Osenga take a crack at it and he did a great job. But the more I listened to it, the more I felt the first half of the solo section needed another approach. So I went back over to Andy’s place with Evan Redwine and using Andy’s rig (his Gretsch and BadCat amp), I finally got the first half and used Andy’s solo for the second half. Ever since “Free Grace” (Pilgrim Days) I always love playing twin electric guitars with Andy on Indelible Grace projects! (Maybe because I cut my teeth on great bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith, and AC/DC.) Matthew Smith had a great idea for a background vocal part from the first time he heard this tune, and Andy came up with some more BGV ideas in the studio. For what it’s worth: some have thought the intro guitar part a bit reminiscent of “What If God Were One Of Us” and I kind of like thinking of this hymn as an response to that song. - Kevin Twit

Matthew Smith writes:
I was thrilled that Kevin asked me to sing this one. The lyrics are such a challenge to the modern idea that the Christian life (and therefore worship) is primarily about happiness and celebration. There is a deep joy that can only be found in sharing in the suffering of Christ.

I often try to numb myself from pain and wipe away my own tears with distractions and idols. But only Jesus can wipe away every tear, and He will not do that until He brings about a new Heaven and a new Earth. To pretend otherwise is a subtle form of self-reliance, a belief that God wants to make us self-sustaining Good Religious People instead of beloved children who depend on our heavenly Father for daily bread.