Beautiful Saviour

We sang my favorite praise song — "Beautiful Saviour" — in church yesterday morning. It is one of the many songs that Stuart Townend of the UK has written.

Stuart Townend is known and respected by musicians and worship leaders throughout Britain and beyond. He is a songwriter, keyboard player, singer, worship leader, and record producer; he's also released several of his own solo albums. In addition to all this, he spends a good deal of his time training other church worship leaders and songwriters.

Stuart was born in 1963 and grew up as the youngest of four children in a Christian family in West Yorkshire where his father was a Church of England vicar. His family always enjoyed music, so it was only natural that Stuart began to play the piano at the age of 7 and taught himself to play the guitar as a teenager.

At 13 years of age, Stuart accepted Christ as his personal saviour. Years later while pursuing a degree in literature at the University of Sussex in Brighton, he met his future wife Caroline. They married in 1988 and now have three children; Joseph, Emma, and Eden. The Townends are members of the Church of Christ the King in Brighton where Stuart regularly leads worship.

There is a depth and theological content in his songs which have caused some to compare Stuart to great songwriters of previous generations, like Wesley and Watts. Songs of his you may recognize are, "Lord How Majestic You Are," "How Deep the Father's Love", "The Lord's My Shepherd" and “In Christ Alone”. They are usually simple, with sparse accompaniment, and sometimes with no accompaniment at all. In Stuart's words, "My prayer is that these songs…will be a useful tool in the simplicity and humility of your own personal worship".

All my days I will sing this song of gladness
Give my praise to the Fountain of delights
For in my helplessness You heard my cry
And waves of mercy poured down on my life

I will trust in the cross of my Redeemer
I will sing of the blood that never fails
Of sins forgiven of conscience cleansed
Of death defeated and life without end

Beautiful Saviour Wonderful Counsellor
Clothed in majesty Lord of history
You're the Risen One heaven's Champion
And You reign You reign over all

I long to be where the praise is never-ending
Yearn to dwell where the glory never fades
Where countless worshippers will share one song
And cries of "worthy" will honour the Lamb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ILdnift8c