SUNDAY PRAISE -- BEHOLD THE LAMB (COMMUNION HYMN)

Hello, friends!  I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.  It is a beautiful day even though some rain is predicted.  The cold temperatures are gone and I am so happy.  Spring is finally here!  I always feel a great relief that I have survived another winter.

We had quite a time at the Second Saturday Matinee yesterday.  The movie was wonderful until halfway through the disc decided to not play.  Rick tried over and over to get it working and nothing.  I agreed to get another copy and try again in a few months.

Our Sunday Praise today is our Communion hymn.  It was introduced to us by our current pastor and I just love it.  "Behold the Lamb" was written by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend and first published in 2006.  Let me tell you about them.

Julian Keith Getty was born in Northern Ireland on December 16, 1974 to Helen and John Getty.  He's the oldest of four children.  He began to play classical guitar at the age of 11 and the flute at age 12.  During his school years he was influenced by classical, Irish and church music.  He studied music at Durham University graduating with his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1995.

Keith Getty met Kristyn Lennox in 2002.  After dating for two years, they married in 2004.  They have four daughters:  Eliza Joy (born 2011), Charlotte Juliana (2013), Grace Alexandra (2015), and Thalia Lennox (2018).

Kristyn Lennox Getty was born in Northern Ireland on May 22, 1980.  She is a recording artist and worship leader and writes many hymns with her husband Keith.  She is the daughter of Gilbert Lennox, an elder of the non-denominational Glenabbey Church on the outskirts of Belfast.  She is an acclaimed soloist who began singing as a teenager in her family's church in Northern Ireland.  She studied English Literature at Queen's University of Belfast (1998-2001).

Stuart Townend, born in 1963, is an English Christian worship leader and hymn writer.  He is the son of a Church of England vicar in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire.  He is the youngest of four children.  His father, the Rev. John Townend, was the vicar of Christ Church, Sowerby Bridge, from 1974 until his death in a car accident in 1985.  Stuart began to learn to play the piano at age 7.  At 13 years of age he made a commitment to Christ and began writing hymns when he was 22.  He studied literature at the University of Sussex.  While he was there he met Caroline and they married in 1988.  They have three children:  Joseph, Emma and Eden.  In 2005 "Cross Rhythms" magazine described him as "one of the most significant songwriters in the whole international Christian music field."  In June 2017, he was awarded the Cranmer Award for Worship by the Archbishop of Canterbury "for his outstanding contribution to Contemporary Worship Music."

I found all of this information on Wikipedia and so much more.  If you are interested in knowing more, please look them up.

And now I know you want to hear the worship song, so here it is.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Kathy