Music

Our Bishop, at the start of 2014, challenged ward members to read the four gospels in chronological order. I didn’t understand what he meant at first because I always read the New Testament gospels in order: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But further inquiry led me to discover just the right book to help me make sense of our Bishop’s request: The Four Gospel’s in One, by David H. Yarn, last published in 1982 by Deseret Book. I was able to find two used copies of the book on Amazon ($3 each) and discovered a whole new and interesting way of studying the New Testament in chronological order.

As Brother Yarn explains, “Many people have become confused in reading the Gospels by the different sequences of events as well as by those things that are included in one or more Gospels and not included in others.” (1) The major objective of his work was “to provide a single, continuous, scriptural account of the life, ministry and mission of the Lord. In other words, here the Four Gospels are synthesized into one Gospel.” (2) He further states that it was “often necessary to use verses from more than one Gospel concerning a given event, and this has involved interweaving those verses in such a way as to give a more comprehensive and clear account than is found in any one of the Gospels alone.” (3)

I loved reading this synthesis of the Gospels which was in narrative form without chapter or verse numbers but with helpful headings for each event. Reading things in the actual order they happened was refreshing and instructive and provided a whole new experience for me in reading the New Testament.

A New Focus on the New Testament in 2015

Members of the Sunday School general presidency recently described our year-long study of the New Testament as “a renewed opportunity to learn of and become more like the Lord Jesus Christ.” President Tad R. Callister said, “We become that which we love and admire. If we can help the people love and admire the life of the Savior, and take that love into their homes, then just naturally they will become more like the Savior and want to do the things that He wants us to do.” (4)

Brother John S. Tanner added, about the New Testament, “It is the only source where we really see and read about Jesus’ mortal ministry. . . . a chance to see how he acted and interacted with people on this earth after His pre-mortal existence as a spirit and before He was resurrected. We get to hear the testimony of people who rubbed shoulders with Jesus, who knew Him when He walked on the earth.” (5)

My Early Experience with the New Testament

I grew up on a farm in Oregon but left home for Brigham Young University in 1956, just before the church instituted the seminary program in our area. I was taught stories from the New Testament by my parents, grandparents and teachers in the church, of course, but did not have the benefit of structured learning in seminary as my younger siblings did.

During my first semester at BYU I signed up for a class listed as Scripture 123, which turned out to be a class on the four gospels of the New Testament. I cannot remember the instructor’s name but his class was always a bright spot in my schedule.

The class was given an assignment to create a notebook during the semester of “Analytical summaries based on the reading of each of the four gospels,” and “Synthetic summaries based on reading of all four gospels.” We were to list every miracle Christ performed, list the scriptural reference(s) and then summarize the miracle in our notebook. We were to do the same for all of the parables. I seriously studied the New Testament for the first time and found such great joy in doing so. As I sat on my dorm bed each evening, leaning against the wall, with my little typewriter on my lap (it was 1956, remember), reading about all the miracles and then typing summaries for my notebook, I felt the Spirit so strongly and often had tears in my eyes. I felt my testimony increasing, my love for the Savior deepening, and, looking back, I’m sure this experience provided inspiration for songs I would write many decades later. The instructor marked a simple “A” on my notebook. I don’t suppose he ever knew that he gave me so much more than just a routine assignment. The notebook still sits here on my desk.

A Life-Long Love for the New Testament

Those early feelings of testimony about the New Testament have remained with me throughout my life. In 2009, I wrote a song about one of those miracles for the unveiling of a painting at BYU Education Week: “The Blind Man at the Gate.” I titled the song “He Brought Me Light” and it has been recorded on an album with the same title.

He Brought Me Light
Words & Music by Janice Kapp Perry
Soloist, Daniel Beck

I climbed the hillside, I walked by the sea
But could not imagine things I could not see
What is the color of green
When men speak of amber skies, what do they mean
And the face of my newborn, warm to my touching
Was real to me only in dreams
Each day I sat there alone at the gate
Depending on others, resigned to my fate
What is this thing men call sight
And what do they mean when they talk about light
When I heard of the Healer, hope stirred within me
And then He was there by my side

Chorus

He brought me light, He gave me sight
He showed me beauty I never had seen
He heard my cries, He touched my eyes
Spoke gentle words with the pow’r of a King
Blind from my birth, He was the first
To banish my endless night
He gave me hope, gave me new life
When He brought me light

I lived in darkness, alone and afraid
For I saw no diff’rence between night and day
Though I desired to believe
The sun, moon and stars were such myst’ries to me
Then I heard He was coming, would He see my reaching
Could there be a miracle for me
Chorus
He brought me light, He gave me sight
He showed me beauty I never had seen
He heard my cries, He touched my eyes
Spoke gentle words with the pow’r of a King
Blind from my birth, He was the first
To banish my endless night

He gave me hope, gave me new life

He was Jesus, the Christ, source of truth, Lord of light
The first face I saw when He opened my eyes

Chorus

He brought me light, He gave me sight
He showed me beauty I never had seen
He heard my cries, He touched my eyes
Spoke gentle words with the pow’r of a King
Blind from my birth, He was the first
To banish my endless night
He gave me hope, gave me new life
When He brought me light

New Testament Stories 

There are so many beautiful stories told in the four gospels: The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, his baptism by John the Baptist where God acclaims Him as His Son, the many miracles He performed, His teachings through parables, the calling of His Twelve Apostles, inviting the little children to come unto Him, His triumphant ride into Jerusalem, the crucifixion and resurrection, and many more. In the January 2015 Ensign magazine we read that, “The New Testament is one of the most influential and life-changing texts in the history of the world, and its influence continues today. . . . This book contains the story of our Heavenly Father’s love for His children as seen in the life of His Beloved Son and in the efforts of his humble disciples who did their best to follow Him.” (6)

Perhaps the most significant story of all was Christ’s suffering in Gethsemane. Many artists have portrayed the scene in Gethsemane, perhaps depicting different stages of Christ’s experience in the garden. My brother, artist Gary L. Kapp, has had such a painting on his easel for several months now and has agreed to share his painting for the first time in this Meridian article:

One of my favorite songs about Gethsemane is “Calvary, Gethsemane,” written by my son Steve for his musical fireside “This Is Jesus.”

Calgary, Gethsemane

Words & Music by Steven Kapp Perry

Choir
Jesus in Gethsemane knelt among the olives trees
Pleading there for you and me
Bleeding that we might go free
Every guilt, every shame, every hurt, every blame,
That night He felt them all
But when morning had come and His suff’ring was done
He had overcome them all
Now I know what Gethsemane means
It means love, it means love, it means love

Jesus hung on Calvary, lifted up for all to see
Hanging by His hands and feet on the cross at Calvary
And He freely forgave those who caused Him such pain
His work was at its end.
Then He died for all men, that we might live again
Our Savior and our friend
Now I have learned what Calvary means
It means love, it means love, it means love.
Calvary, Gethsemane, what do these words mean to me
They mean love, they mean love, they mean love

Online New Testament Art Exhibit
The Church announced in the January 11, 2015 issue of the Church News that those with internet access can now view an online exhibit compiled by the Church History Museum focusing on the life and ministry of the Savior. The exhibit is entitled “The Life of Christ” and is specifically meant to compliment this year’s study of the New Testament and can be viewed online. Much of the art will be familiar to viewers but some will be new.

The format of the exhibit is a large timeline, allowing participants to scroll through different pieces of art at their own pace. The information for the art—title and artist—is available by scrolling over the image on screen. The exhibits are formatted in a way that is easy to scroll through and view on a tablet.

To view the exhibit, visit history.lds.org/exhibit/life-of-christ or go to the Church History Museum’s homepage history.lds.org. (7)

I Will Come Unto Christ

This year is our opportunity to learn of Jesus Christ, draw closer to him and renew our desire to be more like him. From the time I first heard the beautiful stories in the New Testament from my mother, I have had a strong desire to follow Jesus and try to be like him in every way. I fall short, of course, and make mistakes, but even then, through his infinite atonement, there is a way for me to get back on track and progress again. One of the most beautiful hymn texts I have ever read on the subject of coming to Christ, is one by Rodney Turner titled “I Will Come Unto Christ,” which he and I first taught to a BYU Tour group on the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the Sea of Galilee. My heart was almost too full to sing. My friend, Rodney, passed away very recently and has now come to Christ in a very literal way. I am so thankful he left us his beautiful text through which we can declare our desire to come unto Christ.

I Will Come Unto Christ
Text by Rodney Turner, Music by Janice Kapp Perry
Choir

I will come unto Christ who calls to me
As others were called by that ancient sea
Whose shores He walked in Galilee

When once He taught the blind to see
The ones who were blind like me

I will look unto Christ—let come what may
In all that I do and in all I say
For He’s the Potter, I the clay
And I will serve Him day by day
And walk in the narrow way

I will sing the dear Lord’s redeeming song
Of infinite love for the human throng
Of blood and tears shed for each wrong
Of hope made bright for all who long
To sing His redeeming song

I will honor the Father’s Holy One
Redeemer of stars and of moon and sun
Of kingdoms, glories He has won
For great and small when judgment’s done
All praise the Beloved Son.

Janice Kapp Perry: Composer, author, lecturer

To download HE BROUGHT ME LIGHT from iTunes click HERE

To download CALVARY, GETHSEMANE from iTunes click HERE

To download I WILL COME UNTO CHRIST from iTunes click HERE

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(1) David S. Yarn, The Four Gospels As One, Deseret Book, 1981, Preface, p. viii.

(2) Ibid, p. vii.

(3) Ibid, p. viii.

(4) Tad R. Callister, The Church News, Jan. 4, 2015, p. 8.

(5) John S.Tanner, The Church News, January 4, 2015, p.8.

(6) David A. Edwards & Norman W. Gardner, “The Restored Testament, Ensign, January 2015,

51. 51.(7) Marianne Holman Prescott, Church News, “The Life of Christ,” Jan. 11, 2015, p. 7