Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness

This Sunday, we'll sing a hymn that is new to us in the ELW, Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness. The text is by Rusty Edwards, Senior Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Marietta, Georgia. (Due to copyright, I'm not going to post the text here, but check it out at ELW #843). Here is what Rusty Edwards says about writing this text:

Have you ever started to do one thing, and then ended up doing something else? That's exactly what happened with the writing of "Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness."

In 1986, I heard some theologians talking about the language we use in communicating the gospel. One of them said that we talk too much about a concept of Christ, and not enough time about Jesus. I gave that thought some prayer, and decided that perhaps he had a point. Are we spending so much time with theory, that we miss the story?

I intended to create a Bible study. This study would look at the life and unique ministry of Jesus. I wanted people to get closer to Jesus. We would ask the question, "What on earth did Jesus really do?" Of course, the way to build a study such as this was to go back to the Bible, and read again, with new eyes, the story of his life.

I did just that, and was amazed at what he did. I began with the gospel of Mark, but then continued with the three other gospels. As I prayed, studied, and thanked God for the life of Jesus, I began to write down some of his works. The list grew longer. Suddenly, I gazed down at the list, and the list looked almost like a hymn. That's when the Bible study got put on hold for a while! Let the hymnwriting begin!

I had written a few texts by 1986 (e.g. "We all are one in mission"), but had mostly written tunes. So I was a little familiar with what makes a hymn, and how to structure that. I am grateful for the time I spent writing tunes for other people's words, because it has made me a more disciplined writer.

There are over one hundred names for Christ in the Bible, and many images for him as well. The one image that has always been my favorite is that of light. That's how the title came about. ....
"Praise the One" has appeared in ten major hymnals in the USA ...

I wish I could take credit for the wide use of the hymn, but I really can't. The Holy Spirit was the one who changed my mind. The Bible study became a song. The popularity of this song has everything to do with the message of the story. It has everything to do with Jesus. The text points directly to him, and the gospel unfolds in the words of the song. That is why we sing it.

Look for a moment at some of the things he was able to do. Besides being a liberating light, he freed prisoners from their inner chains. He gave sight to the blind. He preached. He was a healer. He fed the hungry. He calmed storms. He was living water!

Most of all, Jesus was love incarnate. John 3 reminds us that God didn't send Jesus to earth out of anger, but out of love for the world. Jesus was even willing to die, so that we might know the grace of God. And he rose from the dead! The song ends with words of joy. If anyone wonders if the church has any redeeming value, this hymns answers the question. Jesus is our redeemer.

This hymn will always be special becaue it puts the spotlight so brightly on the one who saved you and me. I am forever grateful to God for the opportunity to share the gospel through hymnwriting. It is a thrill to know that people are singing these words. It is a greater thrill to know that the Spirit is working through the singing to bring people closer to Jesus through the singing of "Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness."

--From CrossAccent, the journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Vol. 15, No. 2