{"id":2390024,"date":"2025-01-14T08:44:59","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T13:44:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/8-funeral-hymns-infinitely-better-than-jimmy-carters-imagine\/"},"modified":"2025-01-14T08:48:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T13:48:10","slug":"8-funeral-hymns-infinitely-better-than-jimmy-carters-imagine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/8-funeral-hymns-infinitely-better-than-jimmy-carters-imagine\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Funeral Hymns Infinitely Better Than Jimmy Carter&#8217;s &#8216;Imagine&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F8-funeral-hymns-infinitely-better-than-jimmy-carters-imagine%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2390024&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2062summary discusses President Carter&#8217;s funeral, which\u2063 prominently featured Christian elements such as Scripture readings, hymns, \u200band prayers, in line with his faith in Jesus. Though, the performance of John Lennon\u2019s song &#8220;Imagine&#8221; by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood was viewed as an inappropriate \u200dchoice for a Christian service, given its secular themes that contradict the promise of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-american-families-plan-is-far-from-a-new-deal-economic-boon\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s \u2018American Families Plan\u2019 Is Far From a New Deal Economic Boon\">eternal life<\/a>\u2014central to Christian beliefs.\u2062 The article explores the\u200d notion that Carter might have been drawn \u2063to the song for its themes of peace, rather than its denial of God. Despite this, the author criticizes the inclusion of secular music in Christian funerals, emphasizing that such services \u2063should focus on the hope provided by Jesus\u2019 resurrection rather than personal interests or achievements.<\/p>\n<p>The author argues that funerals should serve as a reminder of God&#8217;s promises, highlighting the importance of christ-centered hymns that affirm faith and provide comfort to mourners. The \u2062piece concludes with a list of recommended hymns known for their focus on Jesus and the joy of resurrection, suggesting they should\u200c be prioritized during funerals to honor \u2062the \u200cdeceased and uplift those in mourning.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>President Carter&rsquo;s recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=izOKazf4XkU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">funeral<\/a> featured a multitude of Christian elements, as one might expect from the service for a man who often spoke of his faith in Jesus. The service included Scripture readings, hymns, and prayers. And then, for some reason, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XtirCAzJ6ao&amp;list=RDNSXtirCAzJ6ao&amp;start_radio=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood<\/a> sang John Lennon&rsquo;s &ldquo;Imagine.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>To say this artistic choice stuck out like a sore thumb would be an insult to sore thumbs. It&rsquo;s hard to think of any piece of secular music more at odds with the purpose of a Christian funeral. &ldquo;Disco Duck&rdquo; and &ldquo;Baby Shark&rdquo; would have been more appropriate. As grating to the ears as they may be, at least they&rsquo;re doctrinally neutral. When selecting music for a service meant to proclaim the hope of eternal life, why include a song that denies the very concept of eternal life in its opening words?<\/p>\n<p>As tempting as it might be to blame the Episcopal Church that hosted the funeral (as a general rule, every bad thing that ever happens anywhere is the fault of Episcopalians), the answer seems to be that Carter himself <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/society\/imagine-jimmy-carters-funeral\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">loved the song<\/a>. While some might take this as evidence that Carter wasn&rsquo;t truly a Christian, I think we can be a bit more charitable. As anyone who&rsquo;s ever watched a blushing bride and her new husband slow dance to &ldquo;Every Breath You Take&rdquo; at their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kevin-mccarthy-shreds-the-los-angeles-times-over-hit-piece-attacking-him-for-attending-sons-wedding-with-family\/\" title=\"Kevin McCarthy Shreds The Los Angeles Times Over Hit Piece Attacking Him For Attending Son\u2019s Wedding With Family\">wedding reception<\/a> knows, the human capacity to digest a few words of a song and dismiss the rest is astonishing. It&rsquo;s entirely possible that Carter liked the song for the lines about everyone living in peace while ignoring the ones about abolishing private property and rejecting the existence of God.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If indeed Carter was simply guilty of liking a schlock anthem while only halfway paying attention to the lyrics, I can&rsquo;t criticize that too harshly. I do, however, have a big gripe with including it, and frankly any secular piece of music, in a service that should be rooted in the promise of eternal life won for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As Christians, our funerals shouldn&rsquo;t be celebrations of our accomplishments, hobbies, or interests because, as Christians, we aren&rsquo;t primarily statesmen or sports fans or Parrotheads with a little bit of Jesus dust sprinkled on top. Rather, we are first and foremost children of the God who created us to live forever, children who fell into the depths of condemnation but have now been lifted up and given back eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are members of Christ&rsquo;s church before we are members of any nation, tribe, or club. <\/p>\n<p>Because of this, a church&rsquo;s funeral service should primarily focus on the forgiveness of Jesus Christ that won eternal life for the deceased and that gives all who mourn him the right to see him again in glory. In other words, the point of your funeral is not so much for people to remember you and the things you liked but for them to remember the promises the God of love gave you and to honor you by hearing and singing those promises.<\/p>\n<p>With regard to the &ldquo;singing&rdquo; part, the more Jesus a particular piece of music features, the better it is at accomplishing the goal of a funeral. If you really loved singing &ldquo;You Are My Sunshine&rdquo; with your mother growing up, that&rsquo;s great, but &ldquo;You Are My Sunshine&rdquo; won&rsquo;t save anybody, so save it for your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illegal-immigrant-accused-of-suffocating-birthday-girl-tossing-body-in-shallow-grave\/\" title=\"Illegal Immigrant Accused of Suffocating Birthday Girl, Tossing Body in Shallow Grave\">family&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s reception afterward. During the service, ensure that those who have gathered with tears in their eyes feel the tear-drying hands of Jesus through hymns that boldly proclaim the fullness of God&rsquo;s love for you. Give them hymns radiating with the joy of Easter, the promises of the resurrection, and the glorious victory of Jesus Christ over sin, death, and the power of the devil. <\/p>\n<p>If you don&rsquo;t already have a list of such compositions handy, here are eight glorious, Christ-centered hymns (all of which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cph.org\/lutheran-service-book-pew-edition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">can be found here<\/a>) to consider singing at your funeral:<\/p>\n<h2>1. <strong>A Mighty Fortress Is Our God<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Martin Luther&rsquo;s best-known hymn, this stirring meditation on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Psalm%2046&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Psalm 46<\/a> is a great way to rub Satan&rsquo;s defeat in his face. When those who loved you desperately need to hear the promise that their sorrow will not last, consider giving them the words of this hymn&rsquo;s final stanza:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>A mighty fortress is our God,<br \/>A trusty shield and weapon;<br \/>He helps us free from ev&rsquo;ry need<br \/>That hath us now o&rsquo;ertaken.<br \/>The old evil foe<br \/>Now means deadly woe;<br \/>Deep guile and great might<br \/>Are his dread arms in fight;<br \/>On earth is not his equal.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>2. <strong>Awake, My Heart, with Gladness<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Despite being largely unknown outside Lutheran circles, I&rsquo;m firmly convinced that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Paul_Gerhardt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Paul Gerhardt<\/a> is the greatest hymnist of all time. One of his most beautiful compositions is &ldquo;Awake, My Heart, with Gladness,&rdquo; an Easter hymn erupting with the confidence that all who believe in the risen Christ will bask in the warmth of His kingdom forever.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Now I will cling forever<br \/>To Christ, my Savior true;<br \/>My Lord will leave me never,<br \/>Whate&rsquo;er He passes through.<br \/>He rends death&rsquo;s iron chain;<br \/>He breaks through sin and pain;<br \/>He shatters hell&rsquo;s grim thrall;<br \/>I follow Him through all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>3. <strong>Jesus, Priceless Treasure<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>A contemporary of Gerhardt, Johann Franck wrote this bold composition, a great example of what it looks and sounds like to sing with joy on top of sorrow.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Jesus, priceless treasure,<br \/>Fount of purest pleasure,<br \/>Truest friend to me,<br \/>Ah, how long in anguish<br \/>Shall my spirit languish,<br \/>Yearning, Lord, for Thee?<br \/>&nbsp; &nbsp; Thou art mine,<br \/>&nbsp; &nbsp; O Lamb divine!<br \/>I will suffer naught to hide Thee;<br \/>Naught I ask beside Thee.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>4. <strong>God&rsquo;s Own Child, I Gladly Say It<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Romans%206&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romans 6<\/a>, St. Paul promises that those who receive the waters of baptism will be made dead to sin and alive in Christ. As your loved ones begin their wait for Christ to honor the second half of that promise by lifting your body from the grave, it&rsquo;s good to sing words rejoicing in the promise.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Death, you cannot end my gladness:<br \/>I am baptized into Christ!<br \/>When I die, I leave all sadness<br \/>To inherit paradise!<br \/>Though I lie in dust and ashes<br \/>Faith&rsquo;s assurance brightly flashes:<br \/>Baptism has the strength divine<br \/>To make life immortal mine.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>5. <strong>Behold, a Host Arrayed in White<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Danish hymnist Hans Brorson&rsquo;s beautiful take on the imagery of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Revelation%207&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Revelation 7<\/a> is a great way to put Christ&rsquo;s promise of eternal life into the ears of your loved ones.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Behold a host, arrayed in white,<br \/>Like <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">thousand snow-clad mountains bright<\/a>!<br \/>With palms they stand;<br \/>Who is this band<br \/>Before the throne of light?<br \/>These are the saints of glorious fame,<br \/>Who from the great affliction came<br \/>And in the flood<br \/>Of Jesus&rsquo; blood<br \/>Are cleansed from guilt and shame.<br \/>They now serve God both day and night;<br \/>They sing their songs in endless light.<br \/>Their anthems ring<br \/>As they all sing<br \/>With angels shining bright.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>6. <strong>Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The third verse of Martin Schalling&rsquo;s 16th-century hymn may well be the greatest stand-alone hymn stanza ever written. Listen to it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dorfzQoxAaI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Lord, let at last Thine angels come,<br \/>To Abr&rsquo;ham&rsquo;s bosom bear me home,<br \/>That I may die unfearing;<br \/>And in its narrow chamber keep<br \/>My body safe in peaceful sleep<br \/>Until Thy reappearing.<br \/>And then from death awaken me,<br \/>That these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christians-have-contemplated-o-sacred-head-now-wounded-on-good-friday-for-800-years\/\" title=\"Christians Have Contemplated \u2018O Sacred Head Now Wounded\u2019 On Good Friday For 800 Years\">mine eyes<\/a> with joy may see,<br \/>O Son of God, Thy glorious face,<br \/>My Savior and my fount of grace.<br \/>Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend,<br \/>And I will praise Thee without end.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>7. <strong>Jesus Lives! The Victory&rsquo;s Won<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Another great Easter hymn, Christian Gellert&rsquo;s refrain, &ldquo;This shall be my confidence,&rdquo; would be a great gift to give those hungering for the confidence that they will see you again.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Jesus lives! The vict&rsquo;ry&rsquo;s won!<br \/>Death no longer can appall me;<br \/>Jesus lives! Death&rsquo;s reign is done!<br \/>From the grave will Christ recall me.<br \/>Brighter scenes will then commence;<br \/>This shall be my confidence.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2>8. <strong>Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As far as I&rsquo;m concerned, Philipp Nicolai&rsquo;s take on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblegateway.com\/passage\/?search=Matthew%2025:1-13&amp;version=ESV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins<\/a> is the greatest hymn ever written. Composed after an outbreak of the plague forced Nicolai to bury almost 2,000 members of his congregation over six months, &ldquo;Wake, Awake&rdquo; is unrivaled in its radiance &mdash; a staggeringly beautiful exercise in clinging to the love of Christ amid unfathomable sorrow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&ldquo;Wake, awake, for night is flying,&rdquo;<br \/>The watchmen on the heights are crying;<br \/>&ldquo;Awake, Jerusalem, arise!&rdquo;<br \/>Midnight hears the welcome voices<br \/>And at the thrilling cry rejoices:<br \/>&ldquo;Oh, where are ye, ye virgins wise?<br \/>The Bridegroom comes, awake!<br \/>Your lamps with gladness take!<br \/>Alleluia!<br \/>With bridal care<br \/>Yourselves prepare<br \/>To meet the Bridegroom, who is near.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Zion hears the watchmen singing,<br \/>And all her heart with joy is springing;<br \/>She wakes, she rises from her gloom.<br \/>For her Lord comes down all-glorious,<br \/>The strong in grace, in truth victorious;<br \/>Her star is ris&rsquo;n, her light is come.<br \/>Now come, Thou Bless&egrave;d One,<br \/>Lord Jesus, God&rsquo;s own Son,<br \/>Hail! Hosanna!<br \/>We enter all<br \/>The wedding hall<br \/>To eat the Supper at Thy call.<\/p>\n<p>Now let all the heav&rsquo;ns adore Thee,<br \/>Let saints and angels sing before Thee<br \/>With harp and cymbals&rsquo; clearest tone.<br \/>Of one pearl each shining portal,<br \/>Where, joining with the choir immortal,<br \/>We gather round Thy radiant throne.<br \/>No eye has seen the light,<br \/>No ear has heard the might<br \/>Of Thy glory;<br \/>Therefore will we<br \/>Eternally<br \/>Sing hymns of praise and joy to Thee!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Imagine if the Carter family gave the world these words instead of John Lennon&rsquo;s ode to nothingness.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Hans Fiene is a contributor to The Federalist. He is a Lutheran pastor in Missouri and the creator of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/thelutheransatire\">Lutheran Satire<\/a>, a series of comical videos intended to teach the Lutheran faith. Follow him on Twitter, @HansFiene.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carter&#8217;s funeral had Christian elements but included &#8220;Imagine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":702,"featured_media":2390025,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Jimmy-Carter-Funeral-Service.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[48467,35907,48468,3863],"class_list":["post-2390024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-funeral-hymns","tag-jimmy-carter","tag-memorial-service","tag-music"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Jimmy-Carter-Funeral-Service.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/702"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2390024"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2390028,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2390024\/revisions\/2390028"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2390025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2390024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2390024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2390024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}