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V7. Reflections: Oct.17

The Shadows of the Evening Hours

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: Adelaide Anne Procter (b. Oct. 30, 1825; d. Feb. 2, 1864)
Music: St. Leonard (or Hiles), by Henry Hiles (b. Dec. 31, 1826; d. Oct. 20, 1904)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (The Lost Chord)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: English author Adelaide Procter was a friend of Charles Dickens, and he printed many of her creations in his monthly publications. Proctor also wrote The Lost Chord (inspiring, though not strictly a hymn) and My God I Thank Thee Who Hast Made.

We have various words for the time between sunset and nightfall: evening, dusk, twilight, and gloaming are a few. The word “evening” comes from the ancient word aefen meaning late (i.e. late in the day.). It’s come to refer broadly to the period between sunset and when we go to bed.

That in-between time is spent in a variety of ways. Usually, it’s been thought of as the end of the workday. “Man goes out to his work and to his labour until the evening,” says the psalmist (Ps. 104:23). But that was before electric lighting and other developments. Now there is shift work ’round the clock, or sometimes a second job to go to, for economic reasons.

Apparently more than a third of the population has some kind of paid employment in the evenings. Still, for many, this is family time, or television time, or an opportunity to take care of household chores or, for those in school, a time to do homework.

But let’s take a few moments to consider some of the activities of the Lord Jesus in the evening hours. After one busy Sabbath day, Jesus and His disciples went to Peter’s home for supper. But then we read, “At evening, when the sun had set [and the Sabbath was officially over], they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed….Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (Mk. 1:32, 34).

The evening was also used as a time for personal reflection and prayer (cf. Ps. 141:2). On one occasion a multitude of the Jews tried to “take [Jesus] by force and make Him king” (Jn. 6:15), it was clear they understood neither the plan of God or His timing. And “when He [Christ] had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray” (Matt. 14:23).

The evening before His arrest the Lord celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples and engaged in an extensive time of instruction described by John (Jn. 13–17). This was followed by His time of prayer in Gethsemane. For Jesus, then, the evening hours were a time for ministry, for personal prayer, and for the teaching and encouragement of those who believed on Him.

There were also meetings of Christ with His followers on the evening of His resurrection. He met two of them on the road to the town of Emmaus, walking and talking with them. And when the couple reached home, “They constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them [briefly]” (Lk. 24:29).

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” (Jn. 20:19).

The beautiful hymn by poet Adelaide Procter speaks of the evening as a time for meditation and prayer.

CH-1) The shadows of the evening hours
Fall from the darkening sky;
Upon the fragrance of the flowers
The dews of evening lie;
Before Thy throne, O Lord of heav’n,
We kneel at close of day;
Look on Thy children from on high,
And hear us while we pray.

One stanza (CH-3) not included in every hymn book may speak of a personal sorrow of the author. We know that although Miss Procter was engaged at one point, she never married. And the following words seem to speak of turning away from earthly disappointments to consider the eternal blessings up ahead.

CH-3) Slowly the rays of daylight fade,
So fade within our heart
The hopes in earthly love and joy,
That one by one depart.
Slowly the bright stars, one by one,
Within the heavens shine:
Give us, O Lord, fresh hopes in heaven
And trust in things divine.

CH-4) Let peace, O Lord, Thy peace,
O God, upon our souls descend;
From midnight fears and perils, now
Our trembling hearts defend.
Give us a respite from our toil;
Calm and subdue our woes.
Through the long day we labour, Lord,
O give us now repose.

Questions:
1) What is your usual occupation most evenings?

2) Do you prefer to have your daily devotions in the morning or the evening? (Why?)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (The Lost Chord)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Saviour, Teach Me Day by Day

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: Jane Elizabeth Leeson (b. Dec. ___, 1808; d. Nov. 18, 1881)
Music: Posen, by Georg Christoph Strattner (b. _____, 1644; d. Apr. 11, 1704)

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

Note: We know little about Jane Leeson except that she wrote many hymns, mostly for children. Apparently she belonged to an eccentric sect of the time called the Holy Apostolic Catholic Church. Its leaders, twelve in number, called themselves apostles. (The sect died out shortly after the death of the last of its self-designated apostles.) They taught the revival of the apostolic gift of prophecy, and Miss Leeson herself believed some of her hymns were prophetic utterances. One observer described the coming of a hymn by claimed prophetic revelation, in process, as follows:

“[The hymn] was delivered slowly, and with short pauses between the verses, a pause three times as long as anyone would ordinarily make in reading.”

There have been many great love stories in history, and many inspiring ones described in fiction as well. Times when earnest and devoted love is answered by the equally passionate devotion of another, love echoing love.

Napoleon and Josephine, the poets Robert and Elizabeth Browning, Queen Victoria and her Albert, scientists Pierre and Marie Curie, those are just a few examples. And we could include the biblical account of Jacob’s love for Rachel. He worked for his Uncle Laban to gain the right to take her as his bride, and the Bible says, “Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her” (Gen. 29:20).

But by infinite measure the greatest love story enfolding both time and eternity is God’s love for us fallen sinners, creatures of His own making. The best known gospel text in all the Bible says it. “God so loved the world” of lost mankind that He sent His own Son to pay our debt of sin on the cross (Jn. 3:16).

We all are described in God’s Word as sinners (Rom. 3:23; 5:8), and enemies of God (Rom. 5:10), but the Lord loved us in spite of this. And before the world began, He planned that salvation would be provided for, even knowing the terrible sacrifice that would be necessary. By faith, we are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ…foreordained before the foundation of the world” (I Pet. 1:18-20; cf. Rev. 13:8).

Concerning the believer’s response to all this, we have a notable text in the first epistle of John: “We love Him because He first loved us” (I Jn. 4:19). There are profound depths in that simple statement.

First, we are transformed through what God does for us, so that we are empowered to love God back, and love others too, with a divinely energized love. Through faith in Christ, we are able to love in a new way and to a new degree “because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5).

Further, we are given a new motivation to love. This is particularly so with respect to our response to our loving God Himself. Through Calvary, we are “rooted and grounded in love” (Eph. 3:17), and love answers love. Not surprisingly, our hymn writers have taken up this theme.

At the time of his conversion, sixteen-year-old William Ralph Featherstone (1846-1873), of Montreal, gave us the hymn My Jesus, I Love Thee. One stanza says:

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

Another hymn makes the message of First John 4:19 a kind of refrain at the end of every stanza. It was written by English author Jane Leeson. And even though we might disagree with some of her group’s teachings, Miss Leeson’s simple hymn has merit.

CH-1) Saviour, teach me day by day
Love’s sweet lesson to obey,
Sweeter lesson cannot be,
Loving Him who first loved me.

CH-3) Teach me thus Thy steps to trace,
Strong to follow in Thy grace,
Learning how to love from Thee,
Loving Him who first loved me.

CH-4) Love in loving finds employ,
In obedience all her joy;
Ever new that joy will be,
Loving Him who first loved me.

Questions:
1) What are some things we learn about love from the Lord Jesus?

2) What can we give to the Saviour to show how much we love Him?

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

Join All the Glorious Names

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: Isaac Watts (b. July 17, 1674; d. Nov. 25, 1748)
Music: Darwall (or, Darwall’s 148th) by John Darwall (b. Jan 13, 1731; d. Dec. 18, 1789)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (for another article see here)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Isaac Watts is justly called the Father of English Hymnody. In his day, many churches were singing only the Psalms of the Bible. But he argued that missed a lot of important New Testament truth. To meet what he saw as a significant need, Watts wrote about six hundred hymns, many of which are still in use. It’s common for hymnals to include fifteen to eighteen of his songs.

Darwall was a clergyman and amateur musician. Though he wrote many tunes, only this tune for Psalm 148 is in common use today.

A name is how we identify something or someone. The name represents the thing or the person, in print, or in speech–and in our thoughts, as well. Whether it’s a brick or a book, a rock or a river, those words bring something specific to mind.

Personal names can have significance either because of their actual meaning, or due to their association. For example, the name David means beloved, the name Robert means bright or shining, and parents could choose names such as these for what they mean. They might also choose to name their baby William or something else because that was Grandpa’s name, or the name of a close friend.

As to the shortest personal name, there are a few one-letter names. President Harry S Truman was given “S” as a middle name to honour a couple of grandfathers. The letter doesn’t otherwise stand for anything longer. The longest name officially recognized is that of a twentieth century resident of Philadelphia, Hubert Blaine Wolfe+590, Senior, with the 590 standing for the remaining letters in his last name.

In the Bible, some form of the word “name” is used over a thousand times, with the phrase “the name of the Lord” found 107 times. Most often the King James Version capitalizes “LORD” to represent the name Jehovah (sometimes written as Yaweh), speaking of the self-existing One. When “Lord,” the lower case form is used, it translates the Hebrew Adonai or the Greek Kurios, both indicating one who rules, a master.

The Bible Encyclopedia lists 947 names for God that are found in the Bible. The Almighty’s names and titles are His revelation of Himself, of His nature and character. Each name is like one facet in a precious jewel, reflecting something of His person. The late theologian Charles Ryrie said, “In a sense, then, God’s ‘name’ is equal to all that the Bible and creation tell us about God.”

Compound names, such as “the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20) gather several qualities or characteristics together. In the Old Testament, there are many compound names of God. In Exodus 15:26, He calls Himself (in Hebrew) Jehovah Rapha, “the LORD who heals.” Jehovah Tsidkenu means “the LORD our Righteousness” (Jer. 23:6); Jehovah Jireh means “the LORD will provide” (Gen. 22:14); and Jehovah Sabaoth, found over two hundred times, is most often translated “the Lord of Hosts,” referring to the hosts of holy angels at God’s command, His angelic army (e.g. I Sam. 1:3).

Each name of the Lord helps to deepen our understanding of who He is, and each gives us a new motivation to worship and praise Him, as well as to trust and obey Him. “Praise and exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme! His glory and majesty are above earth and heaven!” (Ps. 148:13, Amplified Version).

It was to celebrate many of the names of God in 1709, that hymn writer Isaac Watts gave the church Join All the Glorious Names. It focuses on the Lord Jesus, reminding us that even His many names and titles aren’t sufficient to express all that He is, and all He has done for us.

Note: A couple of changes have been made in the original hymn. In Stanza 1, the double use of “too mean” has been changed to “too poor.” (“Mean” to Watts likely meant humble, common, impoverished.) And in Stanza 10, the opening line was originally “My dear almighty Lord.” This is often changed to “My Saviour and my Lord.”

CH-1) Join all the glorious names
Of wisdom, love, and power,
That ever mortals knew,
That angels ever bore:
All are too poor to speak His worth,
Too poor to set my Saviour forth.

CH-8) Jesus, my great High Priest,
Offered His blood, and died;
My guilty conscience seeks
No sacrifice beside:
His powerful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads before the throne.

CH-10) My Saviour and my Lord,
My Conqueror and my King,
Thy scepter and Thy sword,
Thy reigning grace I sing:
Thine is the power; behold I sit
In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.

Questions:
1) What is the name or title for the Lord that most often blesses you?

2) Is there a hymn that includes (or especially focuses on) the name you gave in the answer above?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (for another article see here)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org