P7. Reflections: Apr.17

28 April 2017

We Love the Place, O God

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Words: William Bullock (b. Jan. 12, 1797; d. Mar. 7, 1874)
Music: Quam Dilecta, by Henry Lascelles Jenner (b. June 6, 1820; d. Sept. 18, 1898)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Bullock was a clergyman from England who served Anglican churches in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. How he was led to come to Canada is of interest to us. When he was a young officer in the British navy, he was ordered to survey the coast of Newfoundland. As he did so, he was greatly distressed that the people there lacked anyone to preach the Word of God to them, and had no spiritual leader to shepherd them.

Back home, he resigned his naval post, and after preparation William Bullock returned to Newfoundland as a missionary. In Trinity Bay he built a small mission church, and it was for the dedication of the new building that he wrote this hymn. (A later rebuilt structure is pictured here.) A couple of stanzas, which I would not use, speak of the baptismal font and the altar. But the version of it used by the Cyber Hymnal currently lacks a stanza I think should be there. It speaks of the love of the people for their pastor and spiritual leaders:

We love Thy saints, who come
Thy mercy to proclaim,
To call the wanderers home,
And magnify Thy name.

Would you describe yourself as a patriot, or as being patriotic? That term has been around since Elizabethan times. You can see its roots in the Greek word for father (pater), thus indicating a love of one’s fatherland, or birthplace. But individuals can be patriotic about their adopted countries too.

A patriot is one who loves, supports and defends his country. There is, of course, the possibility of a blind fanaticism that says, to quote a phrase from the nineteenth century, “My country, right or wrong.” This kind of zealotry can be complicated by religion, especially when there’s an officially recognized state religion involved. The individual then feels he is being disloyal to God if he doesn’t fully support his government in everything.

In addition, “patriotism” can sometimes be used as an excuse for unethical behaviour, or as a coverup for corruption. We saw that in the Watergate crimes in Washington, in the early 1970’s. Some who were convinced that Richard Nixon’s re-election was necessary for the good for the country, adopted scandalous and illegal means to accomplish it. For them, Samuel Johnson’s words fit like a glove: “Patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels.”

Balance is needed in the love of country. For example, Canadians can appreciate the greatness of Canada in many areas. There is much for us to celebrate and support. However, we must not be blind to immoral policies, injustice, or inequities. The ballot box is one way responsible citizens can deal with such things. Letters to the editor, and petitions to government can help too. If we see something wrong, we need to speak out about it.

But let’s turn our attention to another dimension of loyalty: the Christian’s love for the church. Are you a regular church-goer? If so, why? The Bible says “Christ also loved the church” (Eph. 5:25), and who would not want to love what Christ loves? A hymn exalting various things to admire about the church was published by William Bullock in 1854. His hymn begins:

We love the place, O God,
Wherein Thine honour dwells;
The joy of Thine abode
All earthly joy excels.

I see what he’s saying, and I appreciate the sentiment, but there’s a problem there. Strictly speaking, the church is not a “place.” It’s not a building where God lives, and where we go to visit Him on Sundays. New Testament Christians didn’t even have buildings. Facilities dedicated to the work of the church didn’t come along for a couple of centuries after their time.

The church is actually people, the spiritual body of Christ, bound together by a work of the Holy Spirit. God the Father “gave Him [Christ] to be head over all things to the church, which is His body” (Eph. 1:22-23). “You are the body of Christ, and members individually” (I Cor. 12:27). Whether we gather in our own building, or in a home, or in a rented hall, we are the church.

Paul writes to the Corinthian Christians, calling them corporately God’s building (I Cor. 3:9), and individually God’s temple (I Cor. 6:19). Peter writes similarly: “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house” (I Pet. 2:5). So, loving the church means loving the people of God (Eph. 1:15).

Pastor Bullock, however, is right in other things his hymn says. It speaks of a love for songs of faith, for pastors (as noted earlier), and for the Word of God. The last stanza of the hymn says:

Lord Jesus, give us grace
On earth to love Thee more,
In heav’n to see Thy face,
And with Thy saints adore.

One of his parishioners asked why the song didn’t say something about the pulpit. So, on the spot, Bullock made up a humorous verse:

We love Thy pulpit, Lord,
For there the word of man
Lulls the worshiper to sleep
As only sermons can.

The pastor’s wit not withstanding, there may be a sad truth there. Many sermons are words from man, rather than being an exposition of the Word of God, and they lack spiritual power as a result.

Questions:
1) What are some things you especially appreciate about the local church congregation of which you’re a part?

2) What are some ways you contribute to the life and ministry of that local congregation?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

26 April 2017

Today the Saviour Calls

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: Samuel Francis Smith (b. Oct. 21, 1808; d. Nov. 16, 1895)
Music: Nain, by Lowell Mason (b. Jan. 8, 1792; d. Aug. 11, 1872)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: More famously, Francis Smith gave the American people the stirring patriotic song, My Country ‘Tis of Thee. The present simple song was written some years before he wrote…

My country ‘tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty.

Many early hymn books have no author for the words, though Mason’s contribution of the tune is recognized frequently. One book credits the song to Sallie Smith, and quite a few suggest that the words have been altered by Thomas Hastings (1784-1872). This must have been done early on, as Hymnary.org has a hymnal from three years after the song was written that has the same words as later editions.

It can be embarrassing. Perhaps without thinking, we say things that are wrong, foolish, confusing, inappropriate, or even dangerous. A few folks seem to make a habit of it. As it’s sometimes put, “Every time he opens his mouth he puts his foot in it!” There’s even a Foot in Mouth Award, given annually to the celebrity who says the dumbest thing.

Take heart, if you’re guilty of this kind of verbal blunder; all of us have likely done it occasionally. Most instances can be dealt with by an apology, and an explanation of what was intended, or what should have been said. Some gaffs are harmless enough, but are simply confusing. Consider the British politician who said, “I could not fail to disagree with you less” (the 2004 winner of the Foot in Mouth Award).

And a couple more examples.

After attending a wedding, one guest was asked how it went. “It was very nice,” he replied, “but the food at the reception was absolutely terrible!” Then, he realized the new bride was sitting a few feet away.

Funerals are emotional events when we’re not sure of the right thing to say to comfort the bereaved. One woman confessed to attending a memorial service, where the grieving son of the deceased thanked her for coming. She cheerfully responded, “Any time!”

E-mails create their own problems. They’re so easy to compose, so quick to send. We can type cranky or harshly critical words in the heat of the moment, clicking on Send with what we feel is justified indignation. But once they’re sent we have to live with the result. Incautious words can destroy a friendship of many years. Even worse, maybe we accidentally clicked on the wrong address, and are offensive to the wrong person entirely!

A sobering instance of saying the wrong thing–and not saying the right thing–comes from the early career of nineteenth century evangelist Dwight L. Moody. He was conducting meetings in the city of Chicago, and decided to devote a series of messages to the life of Christ, messages to be delivered on six succeeding Sunday evenings.

On Sunday, October 8, 1871, he spoke on the trial of the Lord Jesus before governor Pilate. He focused his passionate appeal on Pilate’s question to the assembled multitude: “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matt. 27:22). Moody presented this as a question each one present needed to consider, saying, “I wish you would take this text home with you, and turn it over in your minds during the week.” He told them that the following Sunday he would talk about Calvary and the cross, and call for a decision about Christ.

After this, Ira Sankey, Moody’s music director and soloist, sang a simple hymn of invitation, the one by Francis Smith.

CH-1) Today the Saviour calls:
Ye wanderers, come;
O ye benighted souls,
Why longer roam?

CH-2) Today the Saviour calls:
O listen now!
Within these sacred walls
To Jesus bow.

CH-3) Today the Saviour calls:
For refuge fly;
The storm of justice falls
And death is nigh.

CH-4) The Spirit calls today:
Yield to His power;
O grieve Him not away;
’Tis mercy’s hour.

Notice the urgency of those words. Again and again it calls for a decision for Christ “today,” not a week hence. The Bible declares, “Behold, now is the accepted [favourable] time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2). And Moody regretted for the rest of his life telling his hearers to ponder the claims of Christ for a week.

Sankey’s solo was the last song ever sung in that hall. The ending of it was drowned out by the clang of fire bells and of rushing fire engines in the street. The Great Chicago Fire burned for three days, destroyed much of the city, took hundreds of lives, and left about 100,000 homeless. Moody grieved that perhaps some who heard him had delayed a decision, and died without Christ.

“I have always felt that on that night I made one of the greatest mistakes of my life. How often I have wished that I could call back what I said to the congregation at the close of the meeting.” (D. L. Moody)

Questions:
1) Have you even said something you wish you hadn’t said?

2) What was the result?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

24 April 2017

The Old-Fashioned Meeting

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: Herbert Emery Buffum (b. Nov. 13, 1879; d. Oct. 9, 1939)
Music: Herbert Emery Buffum

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal (Herbert Buffum)
Hymnary.org

Note: Herbert Emery Buffum was an American evangelist and gospel song writer, with a thousand songs to his credit. When he died, the Los Angeles Times called him “the king of gospel song writers.” Ripley’s Believe It or Not claimed He once wrote twelve songs in an hour. (One would think the quality might suffer in that case!)

Old-fashioned. What do we mean when we label something that way? As various synonyms imply, it’s often not a compliment. We’re saying the thing is no longer in vogue; it’s outdated, outmoded, and obsolete; it’s behind the times and out of style. We know better now.

But the odd thing is that what is old-fashioned today may become the newest fashion tomorrow. Should a man wear a wide tie or a narrow tie with a suit coat–or no tie at all? The fashion comes and goes. Why? Possibly because tie manufacturers want to sell more ties! And what about personal names? If you’ve been an elementary teacher over some years, you know in a classroom there can be a sudden rash of Ashleys, or Justins, then we move on to something else.

Being determined to stay in fashion can be frustrating and expensive. In many cases it cramps self-expression, suggesting it’s more important to be the same as everyone else, rather than being individualistic and creative. This can also lead to a kind of put down. We become fashion snobs, looking down our noses at those who obviously don’t know how things are supposed to be now, as we do.

The passion to be current can sometimes lead to nostalgia over the past, and a realization that perhaps the past ways had some merit after all. We all know that canned soup is rarely as good as what mom makes on the stove at home. Soup manufacturers know it too. And they will use our word on labels, proclaiming the delight of “Old-fashioned Clam Chowder,” and so on. Our hurry-up society may require short-cuts, but we may also sacrifice quality in the process.

Before we abandon something that’s effective and satisfying, just because the fashion police have criticized it, we need to ask some basic questions. Why is this considered old-fashioned? Who says so? And is it true? This applies clearly to the Christian gospel, and to the practices of generations of Christians.

The traditional services of the church have become, for too many congregations, noisy celebrations and times of entertainment. They’ve discarded the hymn books and replaced them with shallow contemporary songs. Powerful sermons have degenerated into short sermonettes, leaning heavily on psychology, sociology, and touching illustrations. Prayer meetings, where they haven’t been abandoned altogether, have become listless affairs, poorly attended, and lacking old-time passion.

Does this overstate it? Definitely not in some cases. Perhaps those who’ve followed a current spiritual fads need to reconsider. “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong” (Exod. 23:2, NIV). “Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you” (Deut. 32:7). “Ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6:16).

In 1922 Herbert Buffum was already seeing trends that bothered him, and he wrote a song about it. Using the label “old-fashioned” ironically thirty-eight times (counting the repeated refrain), his song calls believers to reconsider the possible value in the way things used to be.

1) O how well I remember in the old-fashioned days,
When some old fashioned people had some old-fashioned ways;
In the old-fashioned meetings, as they tarried there
In the old-fashioned manner, how God answered their prayer.

‘Twas and old-fashioned meeting, in an old-fashioned place,
Where some old-fashioned people had some old-fashioned grace:
As an old-fashioned sinner I began to pray,
And God heard me, and saved me in the old-fashioned way.

2) There was singing, such singing of those old-fashioned airs!
There was power, such power in those old-fashioned prayers,
An old-fashioned conviction made the sinner pray,
And the Lord heard and saved him in the old-fashioned way.

Questions:
1) What trends in churches today do you find distressing?

2) What things described about the churches of years ago would you like to see brought back again?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal (Herbert Buffum)
Hymnary.org

21 April 2017

The Great Archangel’s Trump Shall Sound

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: Charles Wesley (b. Dec. 18, 1707; d. Mar. 29m 1788)
Music: Maryton, by Henry Percy Smith (b. Dec. ___, 1825; d. Jan. 28, 1898)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Charles Wesley)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Usually we think of John Wesley as the preacher, and his brother Charles as the hymn writer. That was certainly true in the main, but John occasionally wrote or translated hymns, and Charles also preached.

This hymn originally had a dozen stanzas. It was later edited down to six (stanzas 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12), as found on the Cyber Hymnal page. In several of the phrases you can catch a glimmer of what Wesley felt the day of the accident described below.

There are times when something happens to us that causes us to pause and ponder, to look at the deeper meaning and implications of it to ourselves and our future. Our response may be, “That really makes you think!” Such thoughts can be stirred by a book we read, or a sermon we hear, or by some event.

Or what about the terrorist attacks of 9-11? Many of us watched in shock and wrenching grief as those magnificent towers came down. Thousands of people in the offices they housed died that day. People who headed off to work in the morning, as they’d done perhaps for years. It seemed just like any other day, but it was to be the last day of their lives. It makes you think.

The birth of a child can do that too, especially if it’s the first. It fills us both with wonder, and a sobering sense of responsibility. Going outside on a clear night and gazing up at the stars can have a similar effect, when the sky is a carpet of tiny points of light–lights that are actually suns even bigger than our own. And here we are, on this tiny speck called planet earth. It can be a humbling experience.

Seeing certain motion pictures can bring sudden reflection too. Have you ever watched Judgment at Nuremberg? It presents the true story of the trials of some Nazi leaders after the Second World War. Their excuse often was, “We had to follow orders.” But is that a valid reason for the evil they did? And could something like Nazi tyranny happen again? Happen where we live? It makes you think.

The funerals we attend would have to be high on the list of thought-provoking experiences–especially if a sudden death is involved–perhaps the passing of someone younger than we are. Could that have been me? What about that stab of pain I felt in my chest last week? Am I ready to die? Food for thought.

In taking funeral services, pastors wrestle with striking a balance between two things. They want to bring comfort and encouragement to the sorrowing family and friends. But if they are to fulfil their calling, they’ll also want to seize the teachable moment, reminding listeners that there is an eternity ahead for which they need to prepare. As God says, “Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” (Deut. 32:29).

Something like that came out of a shocking experience of Charles Wesley’s. On March 14th, 1744, he went to the English town of Leeds. There he held a meeting of the Christians in the upper room of an old building. The place was packed with people, and some were even turned away for lack of space. Then, suddenly, the rafters supporting the floor gave way, not able to support the great weight. More than a hundred people plummeted into the room below.

Mercifully, no one was killed, though some, including Wesley, were injured. As he gazed into the gaping hole at the untangling heaps of people below, he cried, “Fear not! The Lord is with us; our lives are all safe.” It was after this sobering experience that he was inspired to write a hymn about the believer’s safety in the coming day of judgment.

CH-1) The great archangel’s trump shall sound,
While twice ten thousand thunders roar
Tear up the graves, and cleave the ground,
And make the greedy sea restore.

CH-3) But we, who now our Lord confess,
And faithful to the end endure,
Shall stand in Jesus’ righteousness,
Stand, as the Rock of ages, sure.

CH-5) The earth, and all the works therein,
Dissolve, by raging flames destroyed,
While we survey the awful scene,
And mount above the fiery void.

CH-6) By faith we now transcend the skies,
And on that ruined world look down;
By love above all height we rise,
And share the everlasting throne.

Questions:
1) Have you recently had an “It makes you think” moment? What was it, and what thoughts came to mind?

2) Do you know of someone who was led to trust Christ as Saviour through attending a funeral, or having some other sobering experience?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Charles Wesley)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

19 April 2017

Tell Mother I’ll Be There

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: Charles Millard Fillmore (b. July 15, 1860; d. Sept. 17, 1952)
Music: Charles Millard Fillmore

Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Fillmore tried for several years to get this song published and was turned down. Finally it was published in a small magazine, from which someone clipped it out and sent it to Charles Alexander, the music director for evangelist R. A. Archer Torrey. Alexander began using it extensively in men’s meetings. Its effect is illustrated by the following incident reported by Alexander.

“When the meeting was over, one big burly engineer came up to me and said, ‘Mr. Alexander, I promised my mother on her deathbed that I would become a Christian, but instead of that I have been going to the devil faster than ever. Preaching never touched me, but that song did.’”

For over a century, Mother’s Day has been celebrated internationally on the second Sunday in May. It’s an occasion to honour our mothers, and motherhood in general. But there’s a sense in which they deserve honour and appreciation all the year round. We owe them so much.

There are famous mothers in history, who demonstrated unusual devotion and self sacrifice for their children. To borrow some words of the Apostle Paul’s, what comes upon them daily is their “deep concern [the burden of responsibility]” for all their children (cf. II Cor. 11:28).

Susanna Wesley (1669-1792) was herself one of a family of twenty-five children. She and her pastor husband Samuel had nineteen children. She was a strict disciplinarian, but also a loving mother who tried to give each child individual attention. Two of her sons, John and Charles were used of God to bring many to faith in Christ, and Charles wrote over six thousand hymns.

Sojourner Truth (circa 1797-1883), born into slavery in early America, gained her freedom and became an influential abolitionist and human rights activist. Her son Peter, five years old, was sold as a slave and sent to Alabama. This was illegal, as Sojourner lived in New York State and there was a law against sending slaves out of state. She took the matter to court and won. Her son was found and returned. He had been beaten and abused, but now he was safe.

The Bible says “a nursing mother cherishes [tenderly cares for] her own children” (I Thess. 2:7), and there are examples in the Scriptures of mother love (Exod. 2:3; I Sam. 2:10). However, it’s clear that the gentle love of a stepmother, or a woman’s love for an adopted child, can be powerful and enduring too.

Maria von Trapp (1905-1987) is mostly known because of the popular musical The Sound of Music. The musical has the basic story right, though it’s not accurate in every detail. Widowed George von Trapp married Maria because he felt his children needed a mother. She wrote of this, “I really and truly was not in love. I liked him but didn’t love him. However, I loved the children, so in a way I really married the children. I learned to love him more than I have ever loved before or after.”

On the other side of things, to sons and daughters, God’s instruction is, “honour [value as precious and show esteem for]” your…mother” (Eph. 6:2). One who did so was William McKinley. His mother was very proud of him, and had the hope that he would become a Methodist bishop. He became president of the United States instead.

In 1897, his mother was taken gravely ill, and was near death. As she lived some distance from the capital, he wired the family, “Tell mother I’ll be there,” and left to keep his word. The next morning, the report of her death was in the newspapers, and the words of his telegram were published too.

One who saw them was gospel song writer and pastor Charles Fillmore. He pictured the words as the prayer of a repentant prodigal who asked the Lord to tell his mother he’d trusted in the Saviour, and looked forward to seeing her again in heaven. His sentimental song may seem mawkish today. Yet it’s said it was used of God to bring more men to faith in Christ than any other song.

CH-1) When I was but a little child–
How well I recollect–
How I would grieve my mother
With my folly and neglect;
And now that she has gone to heav’n
I miss her tender care:
O Saviour, tell my mother, I’ll be there!

Tell mother I’ll be there,
In answer to her prayer;
This message, blessèd Saviour, to her bear!
Tell mother I’ll be there,
Heav’n’s joys with her to share;
Yes, tell my darling mother I’ll be there.

Questions:
1) What has your own mother meant to your life?

2) What have you done to show honour her, and show your appreciation?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

17 April 2017

My Days Are Gliding Swiftly By

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: David D. Nelson (b. Sept. 24, 1793; d. Oct. 17, 1844)
Music: Shining City, by George Frederick Root (b. Aug. 30, 1820; d. Aug. 6, 1895)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (George Root)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Nelson studied medicine first, and became a surgeon. Then he changed careers, studied for the ministry, and became a Presbyterian pastor.

Rivers can fascinate us. They can be an important source of food and water, and provide a means of livelihood. They can also be a watery road that carries people and products from one place to another. On the other hand, they form a barrier to those wanting to travel across their breadth, often leading to the use of ferries, or the construction of bridges leaping from bank to bank, or tunnels crawling darkly beneath.

Rivers also illustrate life’s process and change, sometimes flowing quietly by, other times thundering with roiling white water. And along their banks is an ever-changing scene. Anything from gray rocky crags, to lush green beauty, or from a lonely wilderness to a bustling metropolis. In temperate climates, rivers reflect the changing seasons, from the frozen immobility of winter to the rapid run-off a spring thaw.

Poets have seized upon the nature of these water courses as a metaphor, and frequently use rivers as an image of passing time. Poet Linda Ori wrote:

The river of time keeps on flowing
O’er wishes and dreams gone unknown.

Not surprisingly, our hymn writers (who are poets too) have made use of the river motif in many songs. In 1696, Nahum Tate published a paraphrase of Psalm 42 which uses “cooling streams” as a picture of refreshing fellowship with God (cf. Ps. 42:1):

As pants the hart for cooling streams,
When heated in the chase,
So longs my soul, O God, for Thee
And Thy refreshing grace.

Nearly two centuries later Frances Havergal gave us a picture of God’s gift of inner peace and tranquility: “Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace” (cf. Phil. 4:6-7). And Horatio Spafford provides his statement of faith with:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Then in his hymn O God, Our Help in Ages Past, Isaac Watts speaks of the inevitability of death (cf. Ps. 90:4-5).

Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

A lesser known hymn fits our theme too. It was written by an American pastor named David Nelson. In his early years he owned a plantation worked by slaves. But he heard a talk on the immorality of slavery and completely changed his views. He disposed of his plantation, declaring he “would live on potatoes and salt rather than own slaves.”

His abolitionist zeal brought down on him the wrath of his slave owning neighbours. He was driven from his home, and hunted for three days and nights through the surrounding woods and swamps. Finally, he emerged on the banks of the Mississippi River, where he managed to communicate with friends across the river about his desperate situation.

Plans were put underway to rescue him. But meanwhile the manhunt continued. He heard the angry voices of his pursuers all around him, some even thrusting their guns into the very clump of bushes where he was hidden. Lying there, gazing at the flowing waters of the river not far away, he thought of the words for a new hymn, and scrawled them on the back of a letter he had in his pocket.

CH-1) My days are gliding swiftly by;
And I, a pilgrim stranger,
Would not detain them as they fly,
Those hours of toil and labour.

For, oh! we stand on Jordan’s strand;
Our friends are passing over;
And, just before, the shining shore
We may almost discover.

CH-4) Let sorrow’s rudest tempest blow,
Each cord on earth to sever:
Our King says, ‘Come,’ and there’s our home,
Forever, oh! forever.

As evening came, friends crossed over in a canoe, on the pretense of fishing. When he saw them, Pastor Nelson raced down the to waters edge and they spirited him away to safety.

Questions:
1) Have you experienced the seemingly rapid flow of life recently? (If so, how?)

2) What does this fleeting and temporary quality of our days mean to our plans and behaviour?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (George Root)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

14 April 2017

Knocking, Knocking, Who Is There?

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: Adapted from a poem by Harriet Beecher Stowe (b. June 14, 1811; d. July 1, 1896)
Music: George Frederick Root (b. Aug. 30, 1820; d. Aug. 6, 1895)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Harriet Beecher Stowe)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Harriet Beecher Stowe is justifiably famous, and George Root was well-known in Christian circles, having written words and music for a number of gospel songs, and composing the music for the texts of many others. We do not know the name of the eight-year-old girl who added a significant final stanza to the song, but she was certainly clever and perceptive.

When an individual knocks on a door it usually expresses a desire to enter, or to speak with some person within. Though, in the case of the police, it may be a demand to enter, in order to interview a person of interest with respect to a crime. Knocking can also be metaphorical, as when we say “opportunity knocks.”

I Hear You Knocking (“but you can’t come in”) was a hit rhythm and blues song in the 1950’s. And knock-knock jokes have been popular with children since the 1930’s. When did the latter start? One author points to a series of knock-knock quips in a soliloquy by the porter of Macbeth’s castle, in Shakespeare’s play. That would take them back four centuries!

Most recent knock-knock jokes are built around silly puns, ones that make us groan, as the knocker is asked to identify himself. (Knock knock. Who’s there? Canoe. Canoe who? Canoe help me with my homework?) In the 1960’s knock-knock jokes became a rapid-fire staple of a weekly comedy show on television called Laugh-in.

In the Bible, knocking at a door is connected with a number of interesting accounts. In the Song of Solomon, a romantic oriental poem, we see the Shulamite maiden sleeping, as she awaits the wedding which will unite her in marriage to her beloved Solomon. She dreams he’s knocking at the door, but is upset to find, when she opens the door in her dream, that he’s gone (Song 5:2-6).

In the Gospels, Jesus uses knocking as a picture of prayer. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you….If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:7, 11).

In the book of Acts, when Peter is miraculously delivered from prison, he goes to where he knows other Christians are meeting, and knocks on the door. When a girl named Rhoda hears his voice through the door, she is so excited she runs to tell the others, leaving Peter in the street! Those gathered think she’s either crazy, or has seen a ghost. But Peter persists in knocking, and they finally let him in, astonished to see him (Acts 12:13-16).

Finally, in Revelation, there’s the Lord’s message to a “lukewarm” and self-satisfied church that had, in fact, left Christ out and had no personal relationship with Him. His assessment of them: “You say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’–and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). Jesus is pictured outside the door, seeking admittance.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine [fellowship] with him, and he with Me” (vs. 20).

That Bible verse, addressed, in the context, to a church, has been used in several gospel songs as an appeal to individuals to trust in the Saviour for personal salvation. One of these, Knocking, Knocking, Who Is There? was published in 1867. The author was Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote the now-famous anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

After the song’s publication, and on the way home from a meeting where it was used, a young girl told her mother she was bothered by the last stanza of the song because it “leaves the Saviour still standing outside.” When they reached home, the girl went to her room and composed a new final stanza. Her mother thinking it was excellent work, sent it to a religious publication. It was not only published but was later added to the song in a hymn book.

CH-1) Knocking, knocking, who is there?
Waiting, waiting, oh, how fair!
’Tis a Pilgrim, strange and kingly,
Never such was seen before,
Ah, my soul, for such a wonder,
Wilt thou not undo the door?

CH-3) Knocking, knocking–what, still there?
Waiting, waiting, grand and fair!
Yes, the piercèd hand still knocketh,
And beneath the crownèd hair
Beam the patient eyes, so tender,
Of thy Saviour waiting there.

4) Enter, enter, heavenly Guest!
Welcome, welcome to my breast.
I have long withstood Thy knocking,
For my heart was full of sin;
But Thy love hath overcome me,
Blessèd Jesus, O come in!

Questions:
1) Is there something wrong in your life the Saviour wants you to deal with today?

2) Why is it so difficult for some to open the door to the Lord Jesus?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Harriet Beecher Stowe)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

12 April 2017

I Cannot Tell

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: William Young Fullerton (b. Mar. 8, 1857; d. Aug. 17, 1932)
Music: Londonderry Air (an ancient folk tune from Northern Ireland)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: William Fullerton came to Christ through the ministry of Charles Spurgeon. He became a popular devotional speaker himself. And he wrote a hymn in 1929 that weighs things known and unknown about the Lord Jesus Christ. Before we look at the message of the words, a comment about the tune.

Fullerton, an Irishman, set his text to Londonderry Air, an old folk tune from Northern Ireland (Londonderry being a county there). The tune was first published in The Ancient Music of Ireland, in 1855. It has been described as the most perfectly crafted melody ever written. In 1910, it became the setting for Danny Boy, a popular ballad by Frederic Weatherly, but it also has become the tune for several hymns.

I Cannot Tell, by William Fullerton (1857-1932)
Above the Hills of Time, by Thomas Tiplady (1882-1967)
I Would Be True, by Howard Walter (1883-1918)–a fine alternate tune for this hymn
He Looked Beyond My Fault, by Dottie Rambo (1934-2008)

Questions are important. They are the gateways to learning and discovery. Journalists use them all the time. A poem by Rudyard Kipling lists six key words used to query and investigate.

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

There are some questions, however, that either have no answer, or the answer persistently evades the seeker.

What are called rhetorical questions (such as, “Why me?”) don’t necessarily expect an answer at all. They’re used for dramatic effect.

Riddles and brain-teasers are posed for the sake of entertainment.

Other inquiries take a humorous tack. For instance, how does “nonstick” Teflon stick to a frying pan? On the other hand, why doesn’t glue stick to its container?

But, more seriously, there are things seen in nature for which science may have theories, but few answers. We know more now that we did in years past, but some things continue to challenge researchers. Why is yawning contagious? Why are there left-handed people? Why are moths drawn to the light? Why do cats purr? Why do we have fingerprints?

As to the Bible, someone has counted 3,294 questions there. Clearly God wanted us to think about what we read in His Word, as many of the queries touch on significant spiritual concerns. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” asked Cain (Gen. 4:9), and yes, we are responsible for one another (Heb. 10:24). And when Moses, as God’s spokesman, asked for the release of the enslaved Israelites, arrogant Pharaoh replied, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?” (Exod. 5:2). He was soon to find out!

When the Lord Jesus asked His followers, “‘Who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of the living God’” (Matt. 16:15-16). Later, there was dithering Pilate asking, “What then shall I do with Jesus?” He wanted the opinion of the crowd before him as to whether to execute Christ, or let Him go. But his words confront each one of us still. What has each of us done with the claims of Christ?

Questions focusing on Christ are the most important we’ll ever face, because our answers will affect our eternal destiny. When a Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, ““Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30-31; cf. Jn. 3:16). That is specific and certain. But there are unanswered and unanswerable questions about God’s salvation. Even if we believe God’s promise and trust in the Saviour, that is so.

Christ spoke to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, and puzzled him greatly. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And Nicodemus asked, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (Jn. 3:3-4). The Lord’s response suggests the work of God’s Spirit is beyond our comprehension. We can see or experience the results, but still not understand it (vs. 8).

Here is some of Mr. Fullerton’s hymn about the Lord Jesus.

CH-1) I cannot tell why He whom angels worship,
Should set His love upon the sons of men,
Or why, as Shepherd, He should seek the wanderers,
To bring them back, they know not how or when.
But this I know, that He was born of Mary
When Bethlehem’s manger was His only home,
And that He lived at Nazareth and laboured,
And so the Saviour, Saviour of the world is come.

CH-2) I cannot tell how silently He suffered,
As with His peace He graced this place of tears,
Or how His heart upon the cross was broken,
The crown of pain to three and thirty years.
But this I know, He heals the brokenhearted,
And stays our sin, and calms our lurking fear,
And lifts the burden from the heavy laden,
For yet the Saviour, Saviour of the world is here.

Questions:
1) What are some questions about God’s salvation for which you have no answers?

2) What are some things about God’s salvation about which you have strong confidence?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

10 April 2017

Eternal Power Whose High Abode

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: Isaac Watts (b. July 17, 1674; d. Nov. 25, 1748)
Music: Rockingham, by Karl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the son of Johann Sebastian Bach (Mar. 8, 1714; d. Dec. 14, 1788)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Isaac Watts)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Isaac Watts has been called the Father of English Hymnody for his many contributions to our sacred songs. In 1706 he published this hymn, stunning in its insight, and profound in its expression of the infinite transcendence of God. You will see the reason for Watts’s unusual title “God Exalted Above All Praise,” as you read the words.

Isaac Watts’s original is found in the Cyber Hymnal link. Charles Wesley published the hymn in 1743, making a few minor adjustments to the words, mainly to account for the omission of the following quaint stanza, the second stanza in the original. (One wonders how Watts knew Gabriel was “tall”–and how that matters to a spirit being!)

The lowest step above Thy seat
Rises too high for Gabriel’s feet;
In vain the tall archangel tries
To reach Thine height with wondering eyes.

Some things are too high for us to reach without help of some kind. Even a shelf in our homes can be beyond us, and require climbing on a stool if we are to gain access to what is found there. Buildings with more than one floor call for stairs, and if they are very tall, even that becomes impractical, and we must resort to an elevator.

In nature, trees can be climbed, if we have the right equipment, and so can mountains. Though it wasn’t until Sir Edmund Hillary did it in 1953 that the tallest of them, Mount Everest, was conquered. Flight in hot air balloons, and heavier than air machines, has been around for awhile. But, in 1961, Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gargarin became the first to reach beyond the bounds of earth’s atmosphere and orbit the earth. Then, in 1969, traveling on Apollo 11, American astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon.

Unmanned spacecraft have journeyed much farther than the moon. Voyager I, launched in 1977, has now gone beyond our own solar system and still continues on, billions of kilometers out into interstellar space. But that is just a proverbial drop in the bucket when it comes to the enormity of the universe. A tiny galaxy has been discovered recently that is more than thirteen billion light years from our planet. (That’s the distance light can travel in a year. Take 299,792,458 metres per second, and multiply it by thirteen billion.)

But how high is God? Much higher still. He “inhabits eternity” (Isa. 57:15). Clearly, His heavenly throne is beyond observable space, eternally existing outside of the material universe He created. It’s found in what the Bible calls “the third heaven” (II Cor. 11:2). And its location, in itself, says nothing of the greatness of God’s Person. He is not only far above us in distance, but in His all surpassing divine attributes and moral character.

“Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than heaven–what can you do? Deeper than Sheol [the abode of the dead]–what can you know?” (Job 11:7-8). As he passionately seeks after God, Job declares, “Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him!” (Job 26:14).

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Rom. 11:33). “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable” (Ps. 145:3). He is too high for us, and infinitely beyond us. But, in grace, He has revealed something of Himself in Christ (Jn. 1:1, 14; Heb. 1:1-3).

1) Eternal Pow’r, whose high abode
Becomes the grandeur of our God,
Infinite lengths beyond the bounds
Where stars resolve their little rounds.

2) Thee, while the first archangel sings,
He hides his face behind his wings,
And ranks of shining thrones around
Fall worshiping, and spread the ground.

3) Lord, what shall earth and ashes do?
We would adore our Maker, too;
From sin and dust to Thee we cry,
The Great, the Holy, and the High!

4) Earth from afar has heard Thy fame,
And worms have learned to lisp Thy name;
But, O! the glories of Thy mind
Leave all our soaring thoughts behind.

A couple more notes before we leave this great hymn. What a wonderful way to give us a sense of the greatness of God who “fills heaven and earth” (Jer. 23:24), to compare “Where stars resolve their little rounds”! And yes, we can seem to be weak and ignorant as “worms” before an omnipotent and omniscient God (cf. Ps. 22:6; Isa. 41:14).

If we truly gain some understanding of the infinitude of God in all things, and of His surpassing greatness in every way, there will be times when even the most excellent hymn seems inadequate, and almost presumptuous. Sometimes the greatness of God must silence our trivial songs in a holy hush.

5) God is in heaven, and men below;
Be short our tunes, our words be few;
A sacred reverence checks our songs,
And praise sits silent on our tongues.

Questions:
1) What quality of God is most amazing and incredible to you?

2) What hymn do you know that awakens holy awe in you, in its depiction of God?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Isaac Watts)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

7 April 2017

Come, Sinner, Come

Robert Cottrill P7. Reflections: Apr.17

Words: William Ellsworth Witter (b. Dec. 9, 1854; d. _____, 1931)
Music: Horatio Richmond Palmer (b. Apr. 26, 1834; d. Nov. 15, 1907)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Horatio Palmer)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Witter would go on in later years to serve as a pastor, a missionary to India, and a college professor. But at the age of twenty-three, home from college for the summer, he was helping out on the family farm. It was then he wrote this song.

In Syracuse, Sicily, around 287-212 BC lived a man named Archimedes. He’s considered a superb mathematician–perhaps the greatest of all time.

One day, he climbed into a bathtub but, before he began washing himself, he noticed something significant about the water. Up he jumped, shouting “Eureka! Eureka!” water flying in all directions. Then, it’s said, Archimedes ran out into the street, sopping wet, and still stark naked, excited to share his discovery.

Whether the story is true, historians can’t be sure. But what Archimedes apparently saw is rather simple. It’s something we’ve likely all noticed. When you put anything in water–whether it’s your body, or something else, the water level goes up. Not that startling. But, being clever, the ancient Greek turned it into a useful principle: that the volume of the water displaced is equal to the volume of what is submerged.

Archimedes immediately realized this provided a way to measure the cubic volume of irregularly shaped objects–something that previously seemed impossible. There are mathematical formulas to measure the volume of something with six straight sides–like a box. But what about measuring a human body, or a football, or a jagged piece of rock? Simply by measuring the volume of the water displaced, it can be done.

Eureka (pronounced yoo-REE-kah) is a Greek word meaning “I have found [it]!” an exclamation celebrating a new insight, or a discovery that’s been made. A eureka moment (sometimes called an “Aha!” moment) can happen to any of us.

In the Bible, a sudden discovery changed the life of a young Pharisee named Saul. Saul (later known as Paul) was a brilliant student of the Old Testament and an ardent defender of Judaism. As such, he was convinced that Christians were members of a heretical sect that had to be stamped out. The Bible says, “He made havoc of the church [in Jerusalem], entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8:3).

Then, he determined to expand his misguided witch hunt to other cities. “Breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9:1), he got letters from the Jewish high priest, authorizing him to go to Damascus, “so that if he found any who were of the [Christian] Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (vs. 2).

But, suddenly, on the road to Damascus, he was surrounded by a heavenly light, and confronted by the risen, glorified Christ who, astonishingly, accused Saul of persecuting Him (vs. 3-5). By oppressing and imprisoning the followers of Christ, Saul was opposing the Son of God Himself, because they were part of His spiritual body, the church.

In that eureka moment Saul’s whole theology was revolutionized. He saw, in the Lord Jesus, the fulfilment of all those Old Testament Scriptures he had studied, and he became His committed follower. There, on the road, he cried, “Lord [Master], what do You want me to do?” (Acts 9:6, NKJV; cf. Acts 22:10).

William Ellsworth Witter had his eureka moment too. He tells of a sudden inspiration to write a gospel song–likely the only one he ever wrote.

“One Saturday afternoon, while bunching hay, the words of this little hymn seemed to sing themselves into my soul….I hastened to the house and, running upstairs, knelt beside the bed….There, upon my knees, I transcribed the words to paper.”

It sounds very much like a miniature echo of Saul’s experience–finding a moment of insight when we need to respond to the leading of God’s Spirit. That is even more urgent when the Lord calls us to put our faith in the Saviour, because “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Cor. 6:2). We have no guarantee of another.

CH-1) While Jesus whispers to you,
Come, sinner, come!
While we are praying for you,
Come, sinner, come!
Now is the time to own Him:
Come, sinner, come!
Now is the time to know Him:
Come, sinner, come!

CH-2) Are you too heavy laden?
Come, sinner, come!
Jesus will bear your burden:
Come, sinner, come!
Jesus will not deceive you:
Come, sinner, come!
Jesus can now redeem you:
Come, sinner, come!

In 1910, Helen Alexander (1877-1969) published a version of this song adding two more stanzas before the last (stanza 3, as found in the Cyber Hymnal). Helen Cadbury, heir to the Cadbury chocolate fortune, married Charlie Alexander, the song leader for evangelist R. A. Torrey’s meetings. Her added stanzas can be seen on the Hymnary.org link.

Questions:
1) Have you recently experienced the leading of the Lord to act in opportunity that would likely never come again?

2) In your view, what is the best or most effective song of invitation to trust in Christ?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Horatio Palmer)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org