God has placed music at the heart of worship.
Music and poetry are written into the human experience. Melodies and lyrics have a tendency to become part of who we are. Which do you remember better, the facts of your middle school text books or the words to popular songs from your childhood? The Psalms were the popular songs of Israel, and for many years the Psalms were sung by the church to celebrate God’s grace and to better learn His Word.
Psalters were hymnals that translated the Psalms from their original Hebrew language into English lyrics. While the integrity of each line of Scripture was maintained, they were translated into memorable verses using poetry, rhythm, and rhyme to help them better learn and sing the promises of God.
What if we applied this technique to other portions of Scripture? Would we better remember the details of God’s Word if we had a line-by-line poem to spark our memory and love for His message to us? I wondered how this verse-by-verse technique could be applied to the Gospels and put pen to paper for a poetic interpretation of John’s first eighteen verses.
THE WORD
A Psalm of John 1:1-18
Joshua J. Masters
From the start the Word was there.
With God, as God, the Father’s heir.
Through this Word, all was made.
And not one thing without His aid. (John 1:1-3)
The Word gave life to all the world,
And in His life the light unfurled.
In the darkness His light shines.
The ploys of darkness can’t opine. (4-5)
Called by God to share this light,
A man named John had special sight.
He was not the light, the One.
But testified the Word had come. (6-9)
Into His own creation came,
But no one recognized His name.
To His own he had appeared,
But their rejection persevered. (10-11)
But to the ones who sought His light,
He gave to them adoption rights.
They are reborn, but not by man,
A birth of soul through God’s great plan. (12-13)
The Word made flesh, now skin and bone,
He humbly made our world his home.
Faithful with unfailing love,
We’ve seen the glory of God’s Son. (14)
John cried aloud, “He is the One!
By His greatness, my own outdone.
Existing long before my birth,
And even so before the earth.” (15)
Grace on grace, we have received,
Through His fullness now achieved.
Moses gave His law thereof,
But Christ reveals God’s faithful love. (16-17)
No man has seen God’s face, not one.
Except His one beloved Son.
Close to the Father’s heart He’s sealed,
To us the Word our God revealed. (18)
Are you drawn to worship or Scripture though song or verse?
What are your favorite passages that have appeared in music?
We’d love to read your comments below.
Thank you for sharing. Wonderful.
You are welcome, Jimmie. Thank you for your encouragement.
What a lovely way to put God’s Word into poetic form. It was beautiful. Thanks.
Thank you, Sylvia. May the Lord encourage you today.
I’ve thought it so interesting how I can remember the lyrics for a song I haven’t heard in 15 years if I’m prompted by the music! God’s Word can be that way, too! Thanks for sharing!
Isn’t that incredible? God has created us to live in the music of our lives. I remember songs from my childhood, but not the notes i took in yesterday’s meeting.
Writing poetry takes time, but what a valuable way to sear Scripture into our hearts. Thank you for sharing your beautiful poem and this idea, Joshua.
Thank you, Jeannie. I’m so thankful for your kind words.
I’m the choir director and song leader at our church, but I’ve not been blessed with the ability to write songs. You’ve done a beautiful job. Songs help us remember the Word of God and add so much to the worship service. Thanks for the reminder about the Psalms. Sometimes we forget their historical significance and impact they have on our church music.
Katherine, I pray the Lord will encourage you in your work with the choir. As a former choir member, I know how much trouble that tenor section can be. 🙂
Thank you for your kind words. I think Scripture shows music as a great gift (and even weapon) of God. Music settles in our soul and helps us connect with God’s Word.
Wonderful way for us to remember God’s Word! Great job!
Thank you, Carol. It’s really given me new insight into the passage.
Thanks for the poem Joshua, I really enjoy reading your blogs!
Thank you, Tammy. I really appreciate that.
These words are beautiful, Joshua, and this was not easy task, to write those passages in melodic form! That’s talent!! I do know that songs help me remember words, phrases, thoughts way more than just memorizing or reading them. When I helped out with Bible Drill for kids on Sunday nights, I often shared the verse in song-format to a familiar tune the kids knew, and they could memorize the scripture passage so much easier that way! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Julie. I’ve always found it’s easier to memorize thing when they are in verse or lyrics. I agree that kids learn best with song, and I think that would be true for adults if we’d let ourselves learn that way. Thank you for your kind words.
The first part of John 1 is one of my favorite passages because of the poetry of it. John was a romantic man, I’m certain. Sounds like you’re another John. The church has used song to remember scripture and story for millenia. You’re in good company.
That’s about the highest compliment I’ve ever been given. Thank you, Traci.
I love this. Songs really do make an impact. One reason why songs are so important to little ones as they are learning, it is easier to remember when it is presented in that way.
That’s exactly right, Jessica. Thanks so much.
Song and verse are an incredible tool for memorizing larger portions of scripture. Our church writes many of our worship songs based on this idea. Certain lines come to me when I need them most. I think you’ve hit on something important.
Song and verse are such a wonderful tool for memorizing scripture at a deeper level. My church writes a lot of our worship songs based on that idea, and those lines come back to me often, and when I need them most. I think you’ve hit on something really important.
I think it’s awesome that your church writes it’s own scripture-based worship music. That’s fantastic. I’d love to hear their songs sometime. Thank you for encouraging me. I feel excited about this post and the possibility of trying this method with more passages.
Pastor Joshua. How did you know what this morning’s lesson was on at my church? What a beautiful way to help others see and learn the lessons of truth and grace found in these verses. Not sure how long it took you to complete this work sir, but it was time well spent. God’s blessings.
I’m so grateful for your encouragement, J.D. Isn’t it amazing when God sends us the same message through seemingly unrelated paths? God is good. Thank you for the confirmation. It took some time to compose, but I feel like God was showing me things about His word. Now I’d love to here the sermon it reminded you of. Are they online?
Joshua, I love this! It is very beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Barbara. I appreciate your kind words.