In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song …
With those opening lines, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend began the quintessential contemporary hymn, “In Christ Alone.” In this age of praise and worship songs containing a single verse and a chorus (sometimes a second chorus and/or a bridge) one would have thought that “In Christ Alone” didn’t have a chance — no chorus, four big verses of eight lines each, in metered poetry.
Keith and Kristyn Getty lead worship at Sojourn
And yet, churches all over the world sing this anthem of the Christian faith each week. Sojourn has loved this song for years, which is why we’re featuring it on the second edition of our “Worship Song Series,” part of the Inside Sojourn free podcast on iTunes.
Sojourn worship leader Lorie King joins me in this series, as in our “Worship: Why We Do What We Do” series and our “Why Do Worship Leaders Do That? 10 Pet Peeves” series. Lorie has a Masters in Worship from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and nearly two decades experience in leading worship on both coasts and in the heartland of the United States, as well as several foreign countries. She has been a part of Sojourn Worship & Arts Pastor Mike Cosper’s ministry for nearly eight years.
Lorie King, leading worship at Sojourn with Chad Watson.
So .. off we go. In this five minute audio we discuss:
- In what parts of a worship service is “In Christ Alone” most effective?
- What are the strengths of “In Christ Alone,” from a lyrical and theological perspective?
- In what other settings might this be a good choice for a song?
- Is “In Christ Alone” an easy song for a congregation to sing? Is this easier for males to lead or females, or does it matter?
Listen to the audio and download it for free from our brand new podcast, Inside Sojourn, at iTunes and other podcast directories.
More information on “In Christ Alone,” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend:
- CCLI Number: 3350395
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the pow’r of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand
What is kind of odd is that the Getty’s/Townend team have more hymns in the new Southern Baptist hymnal than the Wesley’s if I remember correctly.