Hebrews
2:19 -Our reading is the inspiration for the
hymn, “The Head that Once was Crowned
with Thorns.” As the Church year
comes to a close, we recall that He who Ascended will return in glory. If we
are prepared to receive Him on the last great day, we will be ready to
celebrate at the time of His birth. The baby in the manger, the death of the
man on the cross, and the king who comes in triumph are all one in the same –
Jesus our Savior.
The head that once was crowned" fills in the gaps
of the scriptural account by describing Christ's presence in heaven and the
glory of those who "dwell above" (stanza three) with him in
"heaven's eternal light" (stanza two).
Thomas Kelly (1769-1855), born in Lellyville, Ireland,
was a fine poet and musician. He was known for giving away his substantial
wealth to help the poor and to build churches. The son of a judge, he trained
to be a lawyer. Convicted of his sin by The Life, the Walk, and the Triumph of
Faith, treatises by William Romaine (1714-1795), an evangelical in the Church
of England, he became an ordained minister in the Church of Ireland. Because of
his powerful preaching and support of the rising evangelical movements, Kelly
was banned from preaching in the Church of England and joined the ranks of
"dissenting" ministers.
British hymnologist J. R. Watson notes that in spite
of being banned in 1794 by the Archbishop of Dublin from preaching in churches
in the diocese, Kelly "continued to preach in chapels and churches outside
the Archbishop’s jurisdiction, and in 1802 he founded the Kellyites, an
independent sect of his followers. He had married a very wealthy woman; and in
the years after 1802, he was able to build chapels in a number of towns, most
of which closed in the years following his death."
Kelly, who was considered a good musician, wrote 765
hymns. Of these, "The Head that once was crowned" was published in
the fifth edition of Kelly’s Hymns on Various Passages of Scripture (1820). It
first appeared in a Methodist hymnal in 1849, but with only five stanzas. The
current hymnal includes all six stanzas.
The hymn text is based on Hebrews 2:9-10 which speaks
of Christ’s glory and the universal message of grace that is available because
of Christ’s suffering: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by
the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom
are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (KJV)
Thomas Kelly may have been inspired by a poem composed
by the famous John Bunyan (1628-1688), author of Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), in
the poetic collection One Thing is Needful, or Serious Meditations upon the
Four Last Things, Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell (c. 1664). The 37th stanza
of the poem "Of Heaven" contains the lines that probably stimulated
Kelly’s imagination as he penned the incipit of the hymn. Note not only the
similarity of words, but also the same metrical pattern:
The head that once was crowned with
thorns
Shall now with glory shine;
That heart that broken was with scorns
Shall flow
with life divine.
Kelly employs the poetic device of hypotyposis – a
vivid description of a scene or events in words – that provides the singer with
a glimpse of the splendor of heaven in the monarchial terms of his day. The
glory of heaven is contrasted with the suffering of the cross and the suffering
of all who follow Christ on earth.
Appropriate for the Easter season and Ascension
Sunday, the hymn links Christ’s suffering with his risen glory, and the
evangelical message of grace can be found within each stanza. Because of the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, grace and love are manifest to all. Kelly’s love for
the oppressed is evident as he addresses those who are now wearing a crown of
thorns because of their devotion to the Lord. They are reminded that they, too,
will reign in heaven next to Christ. Kelly ends the hymn with the paradoxical
theme of Christianity: Christ’s death and suffering is the eternal hope for all
people.
Kelly published three volumes of hymns in Dublin: A
Collection of Psalms and Hymns Extracted from Various Authors (1802), Hymns on
Various Passages of Scripture (1804), and Hymns by Thomas Kelly, not before
Published (1815). J. R. Watson notes, "Kelly himself was a man of
considerable learning and great energy. . . His finest hymns have a rare
impetus and power that suggest that his strong evangelical preaching must have
indeed been memorable."
C. Michael Hawn is the University Distinguished Professor of Church Music at Perkins School of Theology, SMU.[1]
A Prayer for responsible citizenship – Lord
keep this nation under Your care. Bless the leaders of our land that we may be
a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to the other nations of the
earth. Help us provide trustworthy leaders, contribute to wise decisions for
the general welfare, and thus serve You faithfully in our generation to the
honor of Your holy name. [2]
[1] https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-the-head-that-once-was-crowned-with-thorns
[2] Collect
for responsible citizenship, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing
House, St, Louis
Image
of Christ the King copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
