The experience of growing up and attending different denominations often provides a taste about the kind of music that is favored in a congregation or even the entire denomination. Many denominations share popular hymns like “Come Thou Fount” or “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. But where are hymns today? I don’t see Michael Buble jazzing up a new rendition of “It Is Well With My Soul”.
A few years back I was fortunate enough to learn about the group Indelible Grace, Derek Webb, and the feature of this blog, Sandra McCracken. The shared hope is to take traditional hymns and give new music to each one while still preserving the integrity of the lyrics and such. Indelible Grace even offers songbooks and resources for other to incorporate into person or congregational music. It’s like reverse napster – you create and choose to give it away.
On Sandra McCracken’s newest album, In Feast or Fallow, she features the song “Justice Will Roll Down”, a song inspired by Amos 5:24. Below is an acoustic version. This is a song I would be thrilled to worship with on Sunday with a church family.
This is what Sandra said in an interview at Backseat Writer about the lyrics:
“Justice Will Roll Down” is important to me because it is the first song of its kind that I have written, direct and pleading. It is inspired by the work of International Justice Mission, and the being made right of all things. We have little need for “justice” songs unless we sit next to the majority of people in the world who daily experience social, political and physical oppression and see the world as it is, in a posture of longing for redemption.”
I pray this day that justice would roll down just like that mighty river sound. May I be attentive to the whispers of living justice in my own life and to reflect justice to the glory of God and who he is, where the servant is the King and the slave set free.
