Christian History Almanac · 1517 Podcasts

The CHA Weekend Edition Presents: The Lenten Mixtape

·33 min·2 clips

Mahalia Jackson's live 'Were You There?' turns a slave spiritual into a direct question about the crucifixion.

1. Christian History Almanac's weekend edition centers on a 'Lenten devotional mixtape' built from hymns and songs for Lent. 2. Dan Van Voorhis hosts the show, and he frames the segment as a longer weekend story with musical clips, a playlist, and a request for Apple podcast ratings. 3. The episode asks what Lenten music does for Christian worship by pairing waiting, penitence, and the cross with preparation for Easter. 4. Dan compares Lent to Advent and says both seasons are about 'preparation and waiting' in 'the darkness and the not yet.' 5. He explains that these hymns often postpone resurrection language until the final stanza, leaving the cross at the center. 6. He cites hymnary.org and the Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology as resources that make hymn history easier to study. 7. '40 Days and 40 Nights' appears as a Victorian hymn by George Hunt Smyttan, later reworked by Francis Pott for hymnal use. 8. Dan calls it the best known of all hymns for Lent and reads lines about Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights. 9. 'There Is a Green Hill Far Away' comes from Cecil Frances Alexander and was written for children in 1848 as a catechetical hymn. 10. He links Alexander's work to the Apostles' Creed and the line 'Suffered Under Pontius Pilate.' 11. Vexilla Regis Proteunt is introduced as a 6th-century Latin hymn by Fortunatus for a procession in Poitiers. 12. Dan translates its royal-battle imagery as 'the Royal Banner's Advance' and quotes 'God reigning from the wood.' 13. Stabat Mater Dolorosa is described as a medieval Latin hymn about the sorrowful mother standing at the cross. 14. Dan says Edward Caswall rendered it as 'At the Cross, Her Station Keeping,' preserving its waiting-with-Mary posture. 15. Isaac Watts's 'Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed?' adds an evangelical emphasis on grace, tears, and response to Christ's gift. 16. 'Were You There?' is presented as an old spiritual from enslaved Africans, and Dan connects its sorrow to suffering and witness. 17. He plays Mahalia Jackson's live 'Were You There?' from the Ed Sullivan show and treats it as a defining recording. 18. The tone is reflective and instructional, with Dan switching between hymn history, theological commentary, and short music excerpts. 19. Listeners who like hymn history, church calendar music, and Christian poetry will likely want this. 20. Listeners wanting a fast topical news show or no music may skip it.

As heard by us

A compact church-history tour that makes old songs about the cross feel vivid again.

This weekend edition traces a compact history of how Christians have sung the cross, moving from catechetical lines to Latin hymnody and medieval lament without losing the thread.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play for a brisk tour of Lenten hymns that dwell on the cross and its history.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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