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About the Recording
In a time of great religious revival in America, or widely known as the Second Great Awakening, William Miller, a New England farmer, believed that Christ’s coming was imminent. This he discovered while doing an intense personal Bible study on Daniel 8:14. His discoveries led him to many preaching appointments, one of which led him to meet the charismatic temperance activist and Christian Connection minister, Joshua V. Himes.
Himes organized many of Miller’s public appointments, particularly in the big cities. Soon, they gathered a huge following which came to be called, the ‘Millerites.’ Great Tent meetings were set up, and the progressing movement saw the need to provide new hymns that supported the distinct messages that was being preached such as the judgment, second advent, reward of the saints and the midnight cry.
When the Lord did not come in 1844, many of these Millerite Adventists were very discouraged. Many gave up the faith yet a small handful continued deeper into Bible study. This resulted in their continued confidence in the imminent coming of Christ, without trying to set a specific date.
As the movement grew, the Sabbath-keeping Adventists began publishing hymnals that reflected the peculiarity of their doctrines. Beginning in 1849, James White published a hymnalHymns for God’s Peculiar People, That Keep the Commandments of God, and the Faith of Jesus which drew heavily from Himes’ hymnals.
One thing that strikes me about the earliest Adventists was that they expressed their faith in the soon coming of Jesus through every medium known to them—preaching, teaching, literature, testimony, and music. The hymns sung by tens of thousands of Millerites in the months preceding October 22, 1844, are full of the longing and expectation seen in their relationships, their business dealings, and the earnestness with which they sought to convince unbelieving friends and family members of the need to prepare for Jesus’ return.
As Seventh-day Adventists of the modern and present age, do we resonate with our pioneers’ heart-cry? Do we sing hymns that reflect our excitement and longing for Christ’s soon return? Are our life choices and business dealings influenced by our firm belief on Christ’s soon return? Or have we lost the vision and content ourselves with the glitz and glamor of today’s ecumenical, exciting and emotional worship styles?
Perhaps it is timely to reflect on the immense riches of hymnody built by our pioneers and to be reminded of them at a time when they are at risk of neglect.
The hymns heard on this recording span over a hundred-fifty years of the history of Advent singing. They have been chosen not with the aim of representing every possible strand in the rich and complex history of Adventism, but simply to make up a collection of hymn piano arrangements which can be listened to for meditation and pleasure. It is my aim that your heart will yearn to cry “Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come!” for we are indeed almost home!
Tracks
1. O, When Shall I See Jesus
2. I’m a Pilgrim
3. How Far From Home
4. The Three Angels’ Messages
5. What Heavenly Music
6. Never Part Again
7. A Song of Heaven and Homeland
8. Let Every Lamp Be Burning / You Will See Your Lord A-Coming
9. O Brother Be Faithful
10. Hold Fast ‘Til I Come
11. We Have This Hope
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