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S7. Reflections: Jul17

Creator Spirit, by Whose Aid

Graphic Bob New Glasses 2015HOW TO USE THIS BLOG
1) The Almanac. Click on the month you want in the side-bar, then the specific date. The blog will tell you what happened in hymn history on that day.
2) Reflections. There is always a current article on a hymn. But you can find many others by clicking on the Index tab. (More being added all the time.)
3) Topical Articles are opinion pieces on many aspects sacred music.
4) To Donate. If you can help with the cost of developing and maintaining this site, click on the “Support” tab above and the page will show you how.

Also see 30+ Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing in your church. As others have contributed ideas, this wonderful resource has grown to over 80 items now. And, for more than three dozen reasons why congregations should still use hymn books rather than merely projecting words on the wall, see The Value of Hymn Books.

Words: Ambrose of Milan (b. circa 340; d. 397); translator John Dryden (b. Aug. 9, 1631; d. May 1, 1700)
Music: St. Catherine, by James George Walton (b. Feb. 19, 1821; d. Sept. 1:1905)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Ambrose of Milan)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: This hymn is so ancient that the original authorship is not entirely certain. Some believe it was composed by Ambrose of Milan, which would make it sixteen centuries old. Yet it is still sung in churches today. Ambrose was a Roman governor of Northern Italy, and later served as the Christian bishop of Milan. The hymn has been translated or paraphrased many times.

The version quoted here is by John Dryden, the poet laureate of Britain. The Cyber Hymnal lists three possible tunes for the hymn. I have chosen to use St. Catherine (to which we sing Faith of Our Fathers).

How often have you had a plumbing problem at home, and wished you had an expert on the spot to guide you? Or something wrong with the car, and lacked a master mechanic to lend a hand? There are experts around, of course, though they are sometimes inaccessible, either because of distance, or the high cost of their services.

But let’s make it more personal. When it comes to our own character, and our ability to handle life in a meaningful and productive way, we could use a practiced hand to help there too. And imagine if great artists in other fields could be commandeered for the purpose, using their gifts to the repair and develop our souls. (It may seem an odd comparison, but bear with me.)

Antonio Stradivari was a violin maker, three centuries ago. But the amazing tone of the instruments he made is legendary, and they are still in demand today for astronomical prices. Imagine if he could work his magic on our inner selves and equip us to enrich others with the music of our lives. Or what if the painter Rembrandt could apply his skill to our characters so they would have a beauty that blessed those around us? Or what if Shakespeare could inspire our tongues with glorious words that would convey wisdom and grace to all who heard them?

In truth, there is Someone who is ready to do this work, and that is God, the ultimate expert Helper. Speaking of Him Ephesians says, “We are His workmanship” (Eph. 2:10). The Greek word translated “workmanship” is poiema, from which we get our word poem. In a real sense, through faith in Christ, each person becomes a work of art in the hands of God. “The Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us” (Ps. 100:3). And as we cooperate with what He is doing in our lives, “the Lord will perfect that which concerns [us]” (Ps. 138:8).

The maturing and perfecting work of God is, in a real sense, the completion of His original creative work. The triune Godhead was involved in creation, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God the Father had a part in that, as did God the Son (II Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:9). But we sometimes forget that the Spirit of God was an active agent in creation too. He was there in the beginning (Gen. 1:2), and continued to be involved (Job 26:13; 33:4).

The work of the Holy Spirit, in bringing us to spiritual maturity, first involves the new birth, a spiritual rebirth that comes through faith in Christ (Jn. 1:12-13; 3:3, 6). And the Christian is said to be indwelt by the Spirit (Rom. 5:5). Part of His work in us is to bring us more and more to Christlikeness (Rom. 8:29). And “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23).

All of this leads us to the text of a very old hymn, called in Latin Veni Creator Spiritus (Come, Creator Spirit). Dryden’s text says:

CH-1) Creator Spirit, by whose aid
The world’s foundations first were laid,
Come, visit every waiting mind;
Come, pour Thy joys on human kind;
From sin, and sorrow set us free;
And make Thy temples worthy Thee.

CH-4) Refine and purge our earthly parts;
But, oh, inflame and fire our hearts!
Our frailties help, our vice control;
Submit the senses to the soul;
And when rebellious they are grown,
Then, lay Thy hand, and hold them down.

CH-5) Create all new; our wills control,
Subdue the rebel in our soul;
Make us eternal truths receive,
And practice all that we believe;
Give us Thyself, that we may see
The Father and the Son by Thee.

Questions:
1) How do our lives compare to a beautiful poem?

2) What is the area the Lord and you are working on especially, in your own life?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Ambrose of Milan)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Behold, a Stranger at the Door

Graphic Bob New Glasses 2015HOW TO USE THIS BLOG
1) The Almanac. Click on the month you want in the side-bar, then the specific date. The blog will tell you what happened in hymn history on that day.
2) Reflections. There is always a current article on a hymn. But you can find many others by clicking on the Index tab. (More being added all the time.)
3) Topical Articles are opinion pieces on many aspects sacred music.
4) To Donate. If you can help with the cost of developing and maintaining this site, click on the “Support” tab above and the page will show you how.

Also see 30+ Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing in your church. As others have contributed ideas, this wonderful resource has grown to over 80 items now. And, for more than three dozen reasons why congregations should still use hymn books rather than merely projecting words on the wall, see The Value of Hymn Books.

Words: Joseph Grigg (b. circa _____, 1720; d. Oct. 29, 1768)
Music: Federal Street, by Henry Keble Oliver (b. Nov. 24, 1800; d. Aug. 12, 1885)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Joseph Grigg)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Grigg was born into an impoverished home. In his early years, he trained to be what was called a mechanic. In the days before automobiles, that word was used of those involved in various kinds of manual labour, including bakers, brewers, blacksmiths, tailors, and more.

In 1743, Mr. Grigg became the assistant pastor to Thomas Bures, at a Presbyterian church on Silver Street in London. When Bures died, four years later, Grigg resigned his position, though he continued to preach in many churches. He also wrote more than forty hymns–apparently beginning to do so at the early age of ten. The present one, in its original form, had a dozen stanzas.

As well as friends and family, others we don’t know personally will sometimes come to our doors. Those representing charities, salesmen wanting us to purchase their products, politicians seeking our vote, cult members trying promoting their teachings, all knock, or ring the bell, at one time or another.

Some are welcome, some aren’t, but most of them want something from us. An exception we’ve experienced lately is a young girl with energy to burn who’s shown up at our door several times. Carrying either a shovel or a rake, she’s volunteered to shovel our snow, or rake our leaves. Though I’ve given her a bit of money when the work was done, she’s never asked for it. Her motive seems to be mainly joyful service.

The Avon Lady and the Fuller Brush Man have represented their companies so long they’ve become American institutions. Alfred Fuller founded the latter business in Boston, in 1906. He started with an investment of $375, and made brushes at night, in a workshop in his sister’s basement. During the day, he offered the brushes for sale door-to-door.

The size of the firm has expanded greatly since those days, and they now include in their catalogue home care and personal care products. Their fame was exploited in two movies, The Fuller Brush Man, starring Red Skelton (1948), and the Fuller Brush Girl, with Lucille Ball (1950). It might surprise you to know that evangelist Billy Graham, in his early days, was a salesman for the company.

In the Bible, the Lord Jesus is pictured as knocking at the door, in a spiritual sense. In a brief message to a church in Loadicea, Christ is scathing in His criticism of them (Rev. 3:14-19). He describes them as materially rich and self-satisfied, but spiritually bankrupt, and calls on them to repent. It seems as though, with all their rituals and religiosity, they had left Christ out. To them Jesus says:

“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 with him [a symbol of fellowship], and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20).

And what was true for a church has meaning for us personally, too. The Saviour who loves us wants us to trust in Him, and open our lives to Him. We can picture Him at the door of the sinner’ heart, graciously knocking, and patiently waiting.

“As many as received Him [Christ], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but [born] of God” (Jn. 1:12-13; cf. Jn. 3:3).

The waiting Lord Jesus was portrayed on canvas with a painting of William Holman Hunt’s. Completed in 1853, and called The Light of the World, it pictures Christ standing before a door, seeking entrance. Joseph Grigg wrote a hymn on the same Bible passage about a century before Hunt created his thoughtful painting.

CH-1) Behold, a Stranger at the door!
He gently knocks, has knocked before,
Has waited long, is waiting still:
You treat no other friend so ill.

CH-3) But will He prove a friend indeed?
He will; the very friend you need;
The Friend of sinners–yes, ’tis He,
With garments dyed on Calvary.

CH-6) If thou art poor–and poor thou art–
Lo! He has riches to impart;
Not wealth, in which mean avarice rolls;
O better far, the wealth of souls.

CH-9) Admit Him, for the human breast
Ne’er entertained so kind a Guest;
No mortal tongue their joys can tell
With whom He condescends to dwell.

Questions:
1) Is Christ knocking at the door of your own heart–or the heart of someone you know?

2) What is keeping you (or the person mentioned above) from opening the door?


Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Joseph Grigg)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org