O Come Angel Band
Recently our family had the privilege of spending the weekend in Powell, Tennessee, home of the great Temple Baptist Church and The Crown College, where our son is a student.
On Sunday the choir sang the old hymn O Come Angel Band, said to have been sung to Dr. R.G. Lee by family and friends as he lay dying, anticipating his homegoing. Although Dr. Lee's favorite hymn was famously Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned, it was the tenderly evocative lyric O bear me away on your snowy wings/to my immortal home that he wanted to hear as he left this world.
Greg Gray sang the solo part on that day, backed by the 200-member choir which included female voices, one of which was our daughter Audrey. I'll be honest: it was so beautiful that by the time they were finished, I was fairly weak with emotion.
Earlier this year, at Temple Baptist Church's annual Faithful Men meeting, Greg Gray sang O Come Angel Band with an all-male choir. But this time he was joined by William McCrea, a member of British Parliament who is also a well-known singer of gospel music.
Here's a YouTube of that performance. It was better in person and (in my opinion) with the female voices, but I hope you receive a blessing.
Reader Comments (7)
Very moving! Thank you for sharing! I can see why it had such an impact on you!
Beautiful!
Oh, lovely, I absolutely love the "Heaven hymns!" They are what I want sung at my funeral, but how much better to have them sung as I'm on the way up! (My poor hubby! Once i was in the hospital with a potentially fatal problem and he came in to my hospital room, and I greeted him with "I know what song I want played at my funeral!" He looked so shocked, I had to reassure him I didn't mean any time soon and that I hadn't heard something new from the doctor, etc. before I could tell him the song, which was "Death Ain't No Big Deal.")
@ Keli ... it was a thrill-up-the-leg (and in the heart and soul) moment!
@ Mari ... indeed! I wish you'd been there to share it with me when I heard it in person.
@ Tracie ... I know exactly which songs I want sung at my funeral too! I don't think that's a morbid subject at all. If nothing else is sung, I want all the verses of Great Is Thy Faithfulness sung by the congregation. Then I want my son to sing Zion's Hill. As they wheel me out for the last time, I want to hear All Hail The Power Of Jesus' Name ... and I WILL hear it! What songs do you want? Please share!
Jennifer, That was absolutely marvelous! I haven't heard music like that ever. Can you tell that I did not grow up in a Baptist Church?????
Thanks for helping me post comment.
I had the privilege of hearing both of these performances and yes they were both quite a blessing. I think if we all really paid more attention to the wonderful words in these songs we would all be more "weak with emotion". Thank you for posting this dearest Mother. I love you!
@ Cheryl ... welcome to Baptist music! And it's good to have you back here among us.
@ Andrew ... you know that you got your adoration of music from me; right? And try as I might, I can't find you in the choir behind Bro. McCrea and Bro. Gray! Were you up there that night? I guess I don't know my own kid! But I love you too, dearest!