The Morning Breaks

I’ve been thinking about things that I could blog about and an idea that keeps coming up is about how much I love the hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have grown up with many of these songs and loved them throughout my life. It probably started with my mom being the Primary Chorister. I can still remember going to Primary on weekdays and helping my mom with Primary as a tiny tot. Whenever someone asks me what my favorite hymn is, I can’t decide. It’s like choosing a favorite son or daughter. All of them are my favorite. So I decided to start at the beginning of the (Mormon) hymnbook, my beloved readers, and respond to the hymns that move me the most.

The Morning Breaks.
The morning breaks; the shadows flee;
Lo, Zion's standard is unfurled!
The dawning of a brighter day,
The dawning of a brighter day
Majestic rises on the world.

The clouds of error disappear
Before the rays of truth divine;
The glory bursting from afar,
The glory bursting from afar
Wide o'er the nations soon will shine.

The Gentile fulness now comes in,
And Israel's blessings are at hand.
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin,
Lo, Judah's remnant, cleansed from sin
Shall in their promised Canaan stand.

Jehovah speaks! let earth give ear,
And Gentile nations turn and live.
His mighty arm is making bare,
His mighty arm is making bare
His covenant people to receive.

Angels from heaven and truth from earth
Have met, and both have record borne;
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth,
Thus Zion's light is bursting forth
To bring her ransomed children home.

The text of this song was penned by Parley P. Pratt. It first appeared in print on the cover of the first issue of the long-running (1840-1970) LDS Newspaper, “The Millenial Star.” I came to love this hymn as a freshman at East High Seminary when I was privileged to participate in a Seminary choir in which we sang this song at the Tabernacle. I can’t remember the occasion, but I believe it was some kind of youth fireside.

First of all, I’m a complete sucker for any hymn that is considered a Restoration hymn, as well as any hymn that has an Isaiah scriptural reference, or any hymn that expounds on the vision of the future of Zion.

I love the imagery in this poem. The image in my mind is always of the day bursting forth over the Wasatch Mountains (of course in my mind they are covered with snow—they look best that way).  That daylight causing the shadows of dark to flee is so powerful. It is a wonderful metaphor analogous to the way that God’s power has been made manifest among his children with the Gospel spreading over the earth and deep into the hearts of men and women.

The Isaiah reference for this hymn reads,

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”

And this is exactly what has been happening since the Restoration. The darkness that once covered the earth has been overpowered by the light of the Lord that has arisen like the sun to shed light and knowledge into the world. When you look at the many advances in technology, medicine, science, political systems, and even in the goodness of humanity that have taken place in the latter days it is astounding.

I love it when the hymn is sung and the men sing alone with the first repeated line from each stanza, and then the women sing alone the refrain, and then the four parts together come in to finish the sentence. It is always so climactic and exciting to sing this part. (Plus, this song has an interesting alto part, which is always a plus for those of us who sing that part and are usually limited to the notes e, f, and g. As an aside, I learned an entire Mozart mass in college and literally those were the only three notes in the piece for altos).

The last verse of the hymn is the most exciting, although I am sure a lot of people have tired voices by the time they get through the first five. In this verse, Zion’s light, or the law, the doctrine, and the love of God, is bursting forth and providing a beacon that leads the “ransomed”, all of us who are saved through the Atonement, back to our home in the Lord’s presence. (How relieved we are to be ransomed, and how grateful to be on the path toward home!) The wonderful thing about that light is that it while it leads us, it also warms us, and enlightens us, and fills us up with its presence while we are still on the journey, not requiring us to wait until we arrive at the destination to feel the satisfaction and love of God.

The guiding light referenced in the song brings to my mind the pillar of light that Joseph Smith describes as being what he experienced in the first moment of the First Vision event,

“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.” And who was in the midst of the light? The one who said, “I am the light which shineth in darkness… Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world” (See D&C 11).

Scripture References: Isaiah 60:1-3, 3 Ne: 16: 7-20

Interesting Links:

Ensign article about Parley P. Pratt
President Hinckley admired Parley P. Pratt
Text of this hymn appears on Parley P.Pratt’s grave marker
Story of the composition of the “Careless” version of the music