It's No "Pharaoh, Pharaoh," But It's Still A Pretty Great Song

I love Christian kids' music. I grew up listening to Psalty the Singing Songbook and the Kids' Praise tapes and most of the scripture I have memorized is a direct result of listening to Psalty. (I still get the songs stuck in my head when I read those passages of the Bible.) I remember wearing dress-up clothes and standing in front of the full length mirror in my room (hmm, that might provide some insight into the roots of my vanity) and belting out "Jesus Put The Song In My Heart," with Charity Churchmouse.

Now that I work with kids, I'm always trying to find fun songs with good scriptural content. So you can imagine how excited I was to discover "Young Men and Maidens Raise," a Charles Wesley hymn written especially for kids! Well, excited and humbled. While my kids sing one Bible verse followed by five minutes of "Na, na, na," the children of Wesley's day sang, "Him Three in One and One in Three, extol to all eternity." Sheesh.

You know, this song might be a little over the heads of the kids I work with, but if we changed the tune to something like, "Yellow Submarine" and added a couple choruses of na, na, nas or maybe a dance break, this could be the hit of camp this summer. You never know.

Young men and maidens, raise
Your tuneful voices high;
Old men and children, praise
The Lord of earth and sky;
Him Three in One and One in Three,
Extol to all eternity.

The universal King
Let all the world proclaim;
Let every creature sing
His attributes and Name!
Him Three in One and One in Three,
Extol to all eternity.

In His great Name alone
All excellencies meet,
Who sits upon the throne,
And shall forever sit;
Him Three in One and One in Three,
Extol to all eternity.

Glory to God belongs;
Glory to God be given,
Above the noblest songs
Of all in earth or heaven!
Him Three in One and One in Three,
Extol to all eternity.