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I’ve Found a Friend

Words: James Gridlay Small (b. Feb. 6, 1817; d. Feb. 11, 1888)
Music: Friend, by George Coles Stebbins (b. Feb. 26, 1846; d. Oct. 6, 1945)

Note: There is another gospel song by John Prentice Schofield (1882-1972) that begins, “I’ve found a Friend who is all to me,” but its usual title is Saved, Saved. The song under discussion here was written nearly fifty years earlier.

James Small was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he attended university, studying theology under the learned and godly Dr. Thomas Chalmers. Small later served as pastor of a church, but it is said that certain peculiarities of speech and manner in the pulpit kept him from being a success there. However, he was a gentle and godly man. Other clergymen recognized his sincerity and ability, and he was made clerk of the presbytery. He also published two volumes of poetry.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

It’s of interest to note that the word “friend” (at least as far as the biblical record goes) is only used of the Lord Jesus by His enemies, and then in a mocking and critical way.

“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber [a drunkard], a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”

Matt. 11:19

Christ’s friendship with tax collectors (despised because they worked for the hated Roman government), and “sinners.” irked the Jewish leaders. The latter term may, of course, have included genuine sinners, since we all are such (Rom. 3:23). However, to the self-righteous Pharisees, these were any whose lifestyle or labours made them ceremonially unclean, or they were individuals who did not keep all of the traditional rules that had been added to the Jewish Law. To be a “friend” of such, they thought, showed a lack of spiritual discernment, and it meant Jesus was contaminated by the association.

The Lord did, however, use that term of His followers (Lk. 12:4; Jn. 11:11). And if they were His friends, by implication He was theirs. They (and we) show “friendship” to the Lord Jesus Christ when we do His will (Jn. 15:14). And He shows friendship toward us in a couple of ways: by giving His life to save us (Jn. 15:13), and by sharing intimate spiritual secrets with us (vs. 15). These are conveyed to us, today, in the inspired Word of God.

James Small reminds us of an important truth: that before we loved Christ, He loved us. Before we even knew Him, or knew about Him, He loved us. “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins….We love Him because He first loved us” (I Jn. 4:10, 19; cf. Eph. 2:4-5).

(1) I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend! He loved me ere I knew Him;
He drew me with the cords of love, and thus He bound me to Him;
And round my heart still closely twine those ties which naught can sever,
For I am His, and He is mine, forever and forever.

Another great truth is expressed in (2). “Not alone the gift of life, but His own self He gave me!” Eternal life is more than endless life, it is a life in fellowship with our Friend. The Lord told His followers that His purpose was to “come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:3). That same purpose was voiced in His high priestly prayer to His heavenly Father: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with me where I am” (Jn. 17:24).

(2) I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend! He bled, He died to save me;
And not alone the gift of life, but His own self He gave me!
Naught that I have mine own I call, I’ll hold it for the Giver,
My heart, my strength, my life, my all are His, and His forever.

The hymn writer concludes with an exclamation that echoes that of Paul in Romans Chapter 8, to the effect that there is nothing that can separate us from our Friend.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?…I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Rom. 8:35, 38-39

And if we are joined to Him by a bond of eternal love, it stands to reason that the Lord will do everything necessary to guide and protect us, in order to deliver us safely into our eternal home.

(4) I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend! So kind and true and tender,
So wise a Counselor and Guide, so mighty a Defender!
From Him who loves me now so well what power my soul can sever?
Shall life or death, shall earth or hell? No! I am His forever.

Questions:

  1. What are the qualities of a true friend that you see reflected in the Lord’s friendship with believers?
  2. What are the qualities of Christ’s friendship with the outcasts of society, while He was on earth, that we can emulate today? (And how can we do so?)

Links:

Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven

Words: Henry Francis Lyte (b. June 1, 1793; d. Nov. 20, 1847)
Music: Lauda Anima, by John Goss (b. Dec. 27, 1800; d. May 10, 1880)

Note: The Cyber Hymnal lists several tunes for this hymn. The one by Sir John Goss (knighted in 1872) is, I believe the best. I appreciate its stately, reverent pace. It was written specifically for use with the hymn in 1869. Henry Smart’s tune Regent Square (also used with Angels from the Realms of Glory) works well too.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

There have been a number of word changes over the years, and one of Henry Lyte’s original five stanzas (4) is usually dropped in the belief that the poetry is inferior. It does, however, express the imagery of Psalm 103:15-16 (the psalm on which the hymn is based).

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish,
Blows the wind and it is gone;
But while mortals rise and perish
God endures unchanging on,
Praise Him, praise Him, hallelujah
Praise the high eternal One!

In (1), I prefer “Who, like me, His praise should sing” for line four, rather than the weaker or more general, “Evermore His praises sing.” The point made in Psalm 103 is that David sees many reasons why he, personally, should not forget to praise the Lord. He speaks to himself (“Bless the Lord, O my soul”), with the sense that if anyone has reason for gratitude to God, he surely does.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Ps. 103:2-5

(1) Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who, like me, His praise should sing?
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.

Verses 13 and 14 of the psalm have meant a great deal to me personally, over the years. When we’re going through a rough time, and particularly when we are kicking ourselves around the block for some folly, it’s comforting to know “He remembers that we are dust.” Dust is pretty helpless stuff, after all. Except that, on one occasion, the animating breath of God gave it life (Gen. 2:7). Similarly, the equipping and energizing of the indwelling Spirit of God enables each believer, weak as we are, to live for God and serve Him.

(3) Fatherlike He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Widely as His mercy flows.

The concluding stanza makes reference to the angels of God (cf. Ps. 103:20-21). This is one place, however, where I tend to agree with the version found in the classic 1867 work, Hymns Ancient and Modern. Most hymn books I’ve seen begin with the line, “Angels, help us to adore Him.” But that’s not what the biblical text says. Nor are we instructed pray to the angels for their help. Rather, we should pray to God, in Jesus’ name, and He will send for angelic ministers to aid us, as needed (Heb. 1:14). As found in the volume mentioned, stanza five reads:

Angels in the height adore Him,
Ye behold Him face to face;
Saints triumphant, bow before Him,
Gathered in from every race.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace!

Questions:

  1. How might being “dust” be used as an excuse for wrong behaviour? In contrast, what is the proper response to Psalm 103:14?
  2. This great hymn contrasts sharply with the contemporary praise choruses of today–many of which say little or nothing. Check out the full version of the hymn on the Cyber Hymnal, and see if you can list a dozen or so things about God for which He is abundantly worthy of praise.

Links:

My Anchor Holds

Words: William Clark Martin (b. Dec. 25, 1864; d. Aug. 30, 1914)
Music: Daniel Brink Towner (b. Apr. 5:1850; d. Oct. 3, 1919)

Note: William Martin was a Baptist pastor who served at least five different churches in New England, Indiana and Florida. He was also a hymn writer. The Cyber Hymnal lists fifty five of his songs, among them: My Father Watches Over Me, The Name of Jesus Is So Sweet, and Still Sweeter Every Day. My Anchor Holds was written in 1902. Pastor Martin died at the relatively young age of fifty.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

On October 15th, 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck Southern Ontario, where I lived with my parents. It was by far the most devastating storm to hit the area in recorded history. Eighty-one lives were lost, and four thousand left homeless. Many bridges and roads were washed out. Raw sewage backed up into our basement. Four feet of it!

At one point in the long night, I decided to go outside to see what a hurricane felt like. (Boys will be boys!) I remember the difficulty standing–even close to the house, and the rain stinging my face like hundreds of tiny bullets. It was a relief to get back into our solidly built brick home.

It has reminded me many times of our spiritual need for a safe refuge and secure anchor. (And, yes, some of the stormy situations we face because of our own choices, as mine was in the hurricane.) Many hymn writers, before the days of air travel particularly, used the turbulent sea to depict the turmoil and conflict in our lives, and to describe how Christ is the answer for the safety and security of our souls.

(1) Though the angry surges roll
On my tempest driven soul,
I am peaceful, for I know,
Wildly though the winds may blow,
I’ve an anchor safe and sure,
That can evermore endure.

And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

Our hope in Christ is described as providing an eternal anchor in Hebrews:

“[We] have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Heb. 6:18-20

How wonderful that we have a spiritual haven provided by our Saviour! The children of God are contrasted with the unsaved in this way: They are “without Christ…having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). Rather than children of God, they are “children of wrath” those fitted by nature for eternal condemnation (Eph. 2:1-3). We are sheltered in Christ through faith in His atoning sacrifice. And the absolute security that is ours is affirmed:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?…I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:31-35, 38-39; cf. Jn. 10:28-29).

(4) Troubles almost ’whelm the soul;
Griefs like billows o’er me roll;
Tempters seek to lure astray;
Storms obscure the light of day:
But in Christ I can be bold,
I’ve an anchor that shall hold.

Questions:

  1. Even though we are secure in Christ, what kinds of things can make us feel otherwise, or seem to threaten our security?
  2. What other hymns and gospel songs can you think of that use the stormy sea as imagery to describe the trials we face and God’s provision for them?

Links:

The Lord’s Prayer

Words: The Lord Jesus (Matthew 6:9-13)
Music: Albert Hay Malotte (b. May 19, 1895; d. Nov. 16, 1964)

Note: There have been various settings of the Lord’s Prayer. The Cyber Hymnal has one by Lowell Mason. But perhaps the best known is Malotte’s, published in 1935. It was written for famed operatic baritone, John Charles Thomas. This version has been used ever since as a solo piece, often at weddings. However, in more recent times several hymn books have included it. Albert Malotte and his dramatic setting for the Lord’s Prayer is discussed in the Wordwise link below, and there’s a further link there to a post about Mr. Thomas.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Luke’s account informs us of a request one of the disciples made of their Master. He said, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk. 11:1). In response, Christ gave them what we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” though it could more precisely be labelled the disciples’ prayer, as it was for them. It is found, in slightly different forms, in both Matthew and Luke. (Likely to writers refer to two different occasions when the prayer was taught.) The former version reads:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts [our sins], as we forgive our debtors [those who sin against us]. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Matt. 6:9-13

In many churches, a version of this prayer is recited week by week. That is fine, as long as we realize several things.

First, great as it is, the prayer is incomplete. It was given before the cross. There is nothing in it about the salvation purchased for us at Calvary. Nothing about the church born on the Day of Pentecost. And no indication of the later instruction to pray “in Jesus’ name” (Jn. 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24).

Second, it was not given as a prayer to recite verbatim, but as a suggested pattern for prayer (“after this manner”). No one in the New Testament ever prays the prayer. It is intended to show us the kind of things to be addressed in the prayers of Jesus’ followers. To simply recite the prayer as a formal ritual might even constitute “vain repetitions” which the Lord forbids in the context (Matt. 6:7).

Third, such a prayer can be offered legitimately only by a child of God, a born again believer with a right to call Him “Father.” The unsaved are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). We only have the right to call ourselves God’s children through faith in Christ, and by the new birth (Jn. 1:12-13).

The prayer begins with an attitude of worship, expressing the desire that God’s name (His Person) be honoured, and that the Messiah’s kingdom would be set up on earth. There follows a request that God would meet daily needs, as well as a prayer for protection from the devil’s attacks. God’s forgiveness from sin is sought, and the petitioner states his readiness to forgive those who wrong him.

The ending of the prayer (Matt. 6:13b) is not found it some modern translations of the Bible. (This is unfortunate, since of five hundred ancient codices that contain the prayer, only five omit it.) But even if the ending of the prayer is questioned, it is certainly biblical. Similar sentiments are voiced in a prayer of David’s:

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all.”

I Chron. 29:11

With the understanding that other things need to be included, the passage provides a helpful guide for our own prayer lives.

Questions:

  1. Should non-liturgical evangelical churches be using the prayer more than they do? (Why? Or why not?)
  2. How might this study of the Lord’s Prayer affect your own praying in the future?

Links:

19 May 1895 – Albert Malotte Born

Mansion Over the Hilltop

Words: Ira Forest Stanphill (b. Feb. 14, 1914; d. Dec. 30, 1993)
Music: Ira Forest Stanphill

Note: The Cyber Hymnal has no information on this song, but has a short biography of Mr. Stanphill, with a long list of his compositions. Wordwise Hymns describes the incident that inspired the song.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

I’ve sometimes thought that this 1949 song sounds crassly materialistic. It helps a little when you know the story behind it. (But only a little!) The man whose testimony inspired Mansion Over the Hilltop was looking for something beyond the possessions and accumulated wealth of this world, with all the worries they bring. But Mr. Stanphill’s song seems to simply offer him more of the same!

The passage of Scripture that mentions heavenly mansions for the saints is from John 14 (Jesus speaking).

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

John 14:2-3

The key word “mansions” (NKJV) has been translated various ways: abodes, dwelling places, resting places, homes, and rooms. Whether each will be a free-standing dwelling on a piece of property, or a luxury apartment in a larger building, they are intended as permanent residences for believers, places to stay in the heavenly city where we will be forever with the Lord (cf. Jn. 17:24).

Sometimes Paul’s words in Second Corinthians 5:1 are given as a cross reference to those of Christ in John’s Gospel. “We know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” But it seems clear from the context (which speaks of a habitation with which we’ll be “clothed,” vs. 2) that the apostle is speaking of our resurrection bodies, not of our heavenly mansions.

It’s possible that David’s words in Psalm 23 are relevant. He says, “I will dwell in the house [home or household] of the Lord forever.” Or as the Amplified Bible has it, “the house of the Lord shall be my dwelling place (23:6). David can’t mean Israel’s tabernacle on earth. He must be speaking of his heavenly home within the city of God called New Jerusalem, for which the word “tabernacle” (or habitation) is actually used (Rev. 21:2-3).

What is described in the Scriptures has many of the features of a city, and heaven is spoken of as a city many times (e.g. Heb. 11:10, 16; 13:14), a city with walls and a main thoroughfare leading to the throne of God (Rev. 21:11-12; 22:1-2). It’s described as a city of gold, and a city of glorious light, where the tree of life is found.

The heavenly city is a wonderful place. But the greatest thing about it (one to which, sadly, Stanphill makes no reference at all) is that we will be with the Lord Jesus there. Ira Stanphill says, with the saints of old, that he’s “just a pilgrim in search of a city” (stanza 3). But why? What’s in it for us? Much more than a big house and streets of gold.

As John 14:2-3 shows, it’s Christ’s desire that we be with Him in heaven (cf. II Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; I Thess. 4:17). Can anything top that? He’s presently preparing a place for us to dwell there and live in His immediate fellowship. A prepared place for a prepared people. And it’s the presence of the Lamb of God that will make heaven heavenly for us, above all else. In the words of English pastor Guy King years ago, “What lucky beggars we are!”

(1) I’m satisfied with just a cottage below,
A little silver and a little gold;
But in that city where the ransomed will shine,
I want a gold one that’s silver lined.

I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop,
In that bright land where we’ll never grow old;
And some day yonder we will nevermore wander
But walk the streets that are purest gold.

Questions:

  1. What aspects of the description of heaven, or characteristics of it, are especially meaningful to you?
  2. What hymns do you know about heaven that provide a better picture of the spiritual and eternal joys it offers?

Links:

Lord, I’m Coming Home

Words: William James Kirkpatrick (b. Feb. 27, 1838; d. Sept. 20, 1921)
Music: William James Kirkpatrick

Note: This 1892 gospel song is unusual for a couple of reasons. For one thing, William Kirkpatrick was a composer. He published many collections of songs, and wrote the tunes for dozens of them, but he rarely wrote the lyrics, as he did here. Second, this song was originally written for the benefit of one man. The story is found on the Wordwise link below.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Sometimes the music of our gospel songs is denigrated as simplistic, repetitious, and therefore inferior. But, as noted elsewhere in this blog, the use of repeated phrases and simple melodies was often calculated. There were no photo copiers and there was no power point projection in those days. Songs were often learned by rote. Their simplicity was a factor in allowing them to be taught in a few minutes, sending people home from meetings with the message of the gospel on their lips.

Though they often produced uncomplicated tunes, it should not be concluded that all those who produced the music lacked the ability to do more if they chose to. Many of the men and women who created the music in our hymn books were gifted and highly trained musicians. William Kirkpatrick (“Kirk” or “Kirkie” to his friends) is a case in point.

Young William grew up in a musical family, his father being a music teacher. Early on the boy learned to play the fife and flute, the violin, and later the cello. At the age of sixteen, he left home for Philadelphia, where he studied music. He also learned the carpenter’s trade, and earned a living for a time selling furniture. But his passion was music. He studied voice under a leading oratorio singer, and became a member of both the Handel and Haydn Music Societies.

The musician also showed a special gift in arranging music. One afternoon after Sunday School, when he was twenty, he sat and listened as someone sang a new song to A. S. Jenks, the Bible teacher, who also published music. While the song was being sung, Kirkpatrick quickly wrote out the melody and provided a suitable harmonization. His flawless musicality impressed Jenks, and he hired the young man to harmonize camp-meeting songs that were popular at the time.

William Kirkpatrick continued to study music theory, composition and harmonization, and also studied the pipe organ. By 1878 he was devoting his entire time to writing and teaching music–organ, piano and singing. He wrote music for a number of Fanny Crosby’s songs including: Meet Me There, Tell Me the Story of Jesus, Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It, and He Hideth My Soul. He also collaborated with another fine nineteenth century composer of gospel music, John Sweney (1837-1899) in the publication of books of music, both for congregation and choral use.

As to the present song, it became a much-used hymn of invitation in gospel meetings, inviting the sinner to come to the Saviour. There are echoes of the parable of the prodigal son in it, as the wanderer comes home to God.

(1) I’ve wandered far away from God,
Now I’m coming home;
The paths of sin too long I’ve trod,
Lord, I’m coming home.

Coming home, coming home,
Nevermore to roam,
Open wide Thine arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home.

William Kirkpatrick wrote six stanzas for this song, but books I’ve seen usually print only the first four. As you may know, many older hymns had more stanzas that are often used today. There are times, however, when I question the editorial choice that has been made. This is one of them.

Though there’s nothing wrong with the first four, it’s the last two stanzas that deal specifically with the saving work of Christ. Of the Holy Spirit’s present ministry, the Lord Jesus said, “When He has come, He will convict the world of sin…because they do not believe in Me” (Jn. 16:8-9).

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

(5) My only hope, my only plea,
Now I’m coming home;
That Jesus died, and died for me.
Lord, I’m coming home.

(6) I need His cleansing blood, I know,
Now I’m coming home;
O wash me whiter than the snow,
Lord, I’m coming home.

Questions:

  1. What, in your view, are the best songs of gospel invitation that we have?
  2. What are the benefits and dangers of calling the unsaved forward (or asking for hands to be raised) in a meeting to indicate a desire to trust Christ as Saviour?

Links:

Fit for the Occasion?

,

Recently we had a Memorial Service at the church for an elderly gentleman, a long-time member of the church. There were the usual tributes paid–well deserved. He was a godly man who’d lived a good life. And since the family is musical, there was lots of music. But it’s with some of that that I take issue. (I was tempted to call this article, “Not at My Funeral You Don’t!”)

I had no control over the planning of the service. But, knowing something of the family, I was aware of what might happen–though harbouring the hope that perhaps restraint might be shown, given the occasion. My arrival disabused me of that hope.

The family had taken over the front of the church. There were speakers and large amplifiers everywhere, with an array of instruments scattered about–a keyboard, drums, several guitars, a harp–and wires running everywhere. And a whirlwind of setting up, testing equipment, and talk, swirled around the open casket where loved ones were trying to have a quiet moment of reflection and prayer. When it came time for me to make my way to the platform, I had to negotiate a veritable obstacle course.

I’m tempted to set aside criticism of a mistake-ridden duet, accompanied by the harp. After all, funerals are often highly charged emotionally. From experience, I know singing at a funeral isn’t always easy. And we all make mistakes. However, one of the women made a point of telling us all they had practised and prepared. But they still stumbled again and again, at least twice beginning the song with the wrong stanza, and having to start over. And since the electronic gear wasn’t putting them across quite to their liking, they moved off the platform to another set of microphones, and began yet again–a couple of times!

More serious in my view was the fact that the songs the family used were mostly light, sentimental selections that didn’t convey strong doctrine or a clear gospel message–Where the Roses Never Fade, and Sweet By and By and, for a video presentation, Precious Memories, How the Linger plus a bit of In the Garden. Not that these are heretical, but they at least needed other, stronger songs with them. If the musicians were unsaved people hunting for something “religious” to sing and play, that would be one thing. But they are all professing Christians, one of them a pastor.

Several of the songs were marred by the accompaniment, or musical styles, that descended to raucous rock and honky tonk (by definition, the noisy, garish music of sleazy bars). Several of the family sang the chorus Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God. Fine. But they were accompanied by drums inexpertly handled, emphasizing beats in odd places, and overall played much too loudly.

And, while I’m on the subject, just a word about the volume of almost all the music. The church has a small sanctuary. To house about one hundred and fifty people for the service,  some had to be seated in an adjacent Sunday School room. I’m sure that all would have been able to hear without any amplification (though the support of a little would have been fine). However, there was no need for us to be assaulted by sound as we repeatedly were.

Ask yourself, why is the rock music of the world so often played at a deafening volume? Here is one answer. The musicians have designed the music to be an adrenalin-pumping sensual experience–because that is all the world has to offer, a transitory experience. But Christians have an imperishable gospel, a gift of grace from our glorious Lord (Tit. 2:11-14). We don’t need to stir up an “experience” by artifice and manipulation.

Unfortunately, the family saved the worst for last. A gentleman gave us his own garbled and repetitive version of When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder, accompanying himself on the guitar. Throughout the song, he stomped and danced an energetic jig on the platform, twisting and turning himself like a demented dervish. Meanwhile the guitar accompaniment, and his virtually shouted “singing” got louder and louder.

It was an appalling exhibition. And again, was this an unsaved person who had rarely darkened the door of a church? No, he allegedly has a strong Christian testimony, and frequently talks about how Jesus or the Holy Spirit has revealed things to him. But if there was any doubt about the impression he left, a man from the neighbourhood settled it for me. As he was leaving, he said, “We gotta get them for a [community] concert. They were really rockin’!”

I realize some will dismiss my critique with the argument that “this is just the fashion these days.” But aren’t Christians to live differently from worldly fashion (cf. II Cor. 6:14–7:1). This may be the kind of music the world enjoys, but should we not be calling them to something different? Something higher? Too often, “what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Lk. 16:15). Others will tell me these things are “just a matter of taste,” but I strongly disagree. There are key biblical principles involved. I discuss this in more detail in the article, The “Total Message” of a Song.

Music is a language, all on its own, and it sends its own message. If the music is appropriate for the words, the overall message of the song is strengthened. If it’s not, the message is weakened, or completely obliterated. As I sat on the platform, a few feet away from the man last mentioned, watching his unseemly gyrations, I thought to myself, what is more prominent in this performance, the message, the music, or the man?

What made the strongest impression? It was the man, first and foremost, with his odd antics. Then the music, with the dominant rhythms and loud amplification so typical of many of the songs of the godless world. From my perspective, this was an ugly display of ego, far from the testimony of John the Baptist that “He [Christ] must increase, and I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). When the message could be heard amid the din, there wasn’t much of it! Yet it was vitally important. When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there. Will you? That is what we needed to ponder.

Am I saying that funerals should be sombre and dreary affairs, with music to suit that mood? No, definitely not, especially when the departed loved one had a strong a Christian testimony as this gentleman did. We could rejoice in the way God blessed his long life, and in the fact that He is now present with the Lord. Even the loss we’ve experienced is mitigated by the great reunion day coming at the feet of Jesus (I Thess. 4:16-17). But that’s just the point–Jesus.

A Christian funeral should be filled with praise to God, rendered in a manner appropriate to both the message and the occasion. “Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name” (Ps. 97:12). Such a service should focus our thoughts on the Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal salvation offered to us through His sacrifice on the cross. If it doesn’t do so, it becomes a tragically missed opportunity to bear witness.

For what I believe is a more acceptable mix of hymns and gospel songs, see my article on Funeral Hymns. I’m sure some will question a few of the selections I’ve included, but I tried to strike a balance and cover ones that are reasonably familiar, as well as thinking of the overall content.

In conclusion, and with relation to the kind of thing I’ve described, consider the prayer hymn by John Greenleaf Whittier:

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

He Hideth My Soul

Words: Frances Jane (“Fanny”) Crosby (b. March 24, 1820; d. Feb. 12, 1915)
Music: William James Kirkpatrick (b. Feb. 27, 1838; d. Sept. 20, 1921)

Note: I have no Almanac information on this particular hymn, but have linked below to articles about the author’s birth and death.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This is another of Fanny Crosby’s joyful gospel songs with many allusions to Scripture. It has been blessing the saints since it was first published in 1890. In this case, the tune seems to have come first, with Mr. Kirkpatrick asking Fanny to supply some suitable words for it. Indeed she did! And He Hideth My Soul became one of her personal favourites of the thousands of songs that flowed from her pen.

Fanny’s mother died the same year the hymn was published, and she wrote a poem to mark the day (Sept. 2). It contains the lines:

Oh, mother we are coming;
The time will not be long
Till we shall clasp thy hand again,
And join the blessed song.

Though the time would not be long in God’s sight, it would be another twenty-five years before Fanny Crosby joined her mother in praises before the throne of God. She lived a rich and very full life, dying at the age of ninety-five. And unlike many hymn writers who laboured in relative obscurity, Fanny was very much a public figure, the friend of American presidents, Civil War generals, and other notables. She was also the first woman to address the United States Senate.

The first stanza and the refrain of the song alludes to a mysterious incident in the life of Moses, when he asked the Lord, “Please, show me Your glory” (Exod. 33:18). God was willing to manifest His presence to Moses in a physical but carefully limited way.

“‘You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.’ And the LORD said, ‘Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.’”

Exod. 33:20-22

(1) A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Saviour to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life with the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

The experience of Moses was surely an affirmation of the presence and power of God, something that concerned him greatly (Exod. 33:14-15). The incident likely blessed Fanny Crosby in a similar way, as she thought of the Lord’s loving care. He took her burdens upon Himself, and sustained her (2). He crowned her life with numberless blessings, and filled her with His fullness (3).

With the same confidence she had for her recently departed mother, Fanny looked forward to that great day when she would be found in the presence of the Lord, praising Him with multitudes of saints and angels around His glorious throne.

(4) When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love
I’ll shout with the millions on high.

Questions:

  1. In practical terms, how does the Lord “hide” us? And what is the result of this?
  2. What is your personal favourite of all of Fanny Crosby’s songs? (And why?)

Links:

Come and Dine

Words: Charles Brenton Widmeyer (b. July 19, 1884; d. Dec. 14, 1974)
Music: Charles Brenton Widmeyer

Note: Pastor Widmeyer wrote the words and music for this gospel song in 1906. The reason for the writing of it is explained in the Wordwise link below. It is based on an incident described in John 21:1-14.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

We have various expressions for it. When a meal is ready, a voice from the kitchen may call, “Dinner is served,” or, less formally, “Chow’s on!” or “Come and get it!” (Or even, humorously, “Come and get it or we’ll throw it out!”) Whatever the wording, when we’re hungry, the call to the table is welcome indeed.

But what if you went on an all night fishing expedition, and had nothing to show for it. That’s what happened to Peter and half a dozen of the other disciples (Jn. 21:3). Not only was that disappointing, you can be sure they’d worked up a big appetite, and it was distressing that they had nothing to cook for breakfast (vs. 5). But a better fisherman than Peter and his friends had been at work.

Someone on the shore had apparently not only caught fish, but cooked them, along with some breakfast toast (vs. 9). It was the Lord Jesus, but in the dim and misty light of the early morning, they didn’t recognize Him at first (vs. 4). He called for them to make one more cast of their net “on the right side of the boat” (vs. 6). The result was a catch so great they had trouble hauling the net into the boat, and later found that they had 153 “large fish” (6, 11). Someone has outlined the passage: Go fish; No fish; Oh, fish!

When they came ashore, the Lord invited them to “come and eat breakfast” (vs. 12)–or, in the KJV that Widmeyer was using, “Come and dine.” It’s a touching incident of camaraderie and mutual friendship. But of course it is more than that. What can we learn from what happened?

It is a minor point, perhaps, but it deserves mention: the Lord Jesus Christ was not a vegetarian. He not only prepared fish for others, He ate it Himself (cf. Lk. 24:42-43). People can choose to be vegans if they wish, but we have God’s permission to eat meat (Gen. 9:3).

Further, was the huge catch the result of a miracle? Perhaps, but not necessarily (not in the same way as the wine provided for the marriage supper at Cana (Jn. 2:1-11), an incident that Widmeyer references in his refrain. It may simply be an example of divine omniscience. That the Lord of all creation knew that there was a school of fish swimming by at that moment, and instructed His disciples accordingly. (It would, however, be quite interesting to learn where the fish Jesus cooked came from!)

The larger lesson here is the loving care and provision of the Lord. These rugged fishermen had been called to be “fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19), commissioned to preach the gospel and bring others to the Saviour. And just as the Lord had provided for them in the practical way that morning, so He would meet their spiritual needs in ministry. In fact, we see in these verses that the Lord had anticipated their need and had prepared in advance to meet it.

What a blessing to be able to trust in God’s provision, knowing that He already knows what we’ll face tomorrow and stands ready to help us. Without Him, we can achieve nothing of eternal worth (cf. Jn. 15:5). With His enablement, we can carry out the Great Commission. When the church at Philippi gave sacrificially to support the missionary work of Paul, he reassured them: “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19). He can do the same for each believer, meet our needs. (Not our greeds, but our needs!)

Paul certainly didn’t preach a “prosperity gospel”! He said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound…both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Phil. 4:11-12). But always the Lord was faithful, and he accepted both luxury and lack as part of His plan.

One final thought. There is, at least in the first stanza of Charles Widmeyer’s song, a lovely analogy to the Lord’s Supper, where spiritual nourishment awaits us in fellowship with Christ. And in his final stanza (3), the author anticipates the coming joys of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9).

(1) Jesus has a table spread
Where the saints of God are fed,
He invites His chosen people, “Come and dine”;
With His manna He doth feed
And supplies our every need:
O ’tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!

“Come and dine,” the Master calleth, “Come and dine”;
You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;
He who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
To the hungry calleth now, “Come and dine.”

Questions:

  1. What kind(s) of hunger can the Lord satisfy? And how does He do this?
  2. Why are there so many spiritually malnourished Christians today, when the Lord has provided for us in abundance?

Links:

There Is a Green Hill Far Away

Words: Cecil Frances Humpheys Alexander (b. Apr. ___, 1818; d. Oct. 12, 1895)
Music: Green Hill, by George Coles Stebbins (b. Feb. 26, 1846; d. Oct. 6, 1945)

Note: Cecil Alexander’s husband became Archbishop of Armagh, and Primate of all Ireland for the Anglican Church. The actual location of the “green hill,” and comments on Mrs. Alexander’s unusual masculine name are found in the Wordwise link below. When a tune is used that has no refrain, the refrain of Stebbins’s tune is the fifth and final stanza.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Mrs. Alexander was concerned to give the children in her Sunday School class a better understanding of basic Christian truth. To that end, she created several hymns based on the Apostles Creed. This particular hymn beautifully expresses the truth that Christ “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.” Though it was originally used to teach children, its depth and dignity make it suitable for all ages.

(1) There is a green hill far away,
Outside a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified,
Who died to save us all.

O dearly, dearly, has He loved,
And we must love Him, too,
And trust in His redeeming blood,
And try His works to do.

There are a number of Bible truths about the redemptive work of Christ that are expressed in the language of this hymn. Christ “died to save us all” (1). Though not all will be saved (Rev. 20:15), His atoning work was sufficient to pay for all the sins of all mankind for all time. “The LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). “And He Himself is the propitiation [the full satisfaction of God’s justice] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (I Jn. 2:2).

However, Christ’s payment can be rejected. It’s only as the all-sufficient sacrifice of the Saviour is accepted through faith in Him that it becomes efficient in our individual lives. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16; cf. Jn. 1:12-13). “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (vs. 18).

The personal response is, “I believe that Jesus died for me.” Or in the words of the hymn, “We believe it was for us He hung and suffered there” (2). “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (I Cor. 15:3). “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (I Pet. 2:24). “Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Pet. 3:16).

Christ was the just One dying for the unjust (each of us). Unless He was perfect, He would be unable to be our Saviour. He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). He was “a lamb without blemish and without spot” (I Pet. 1:19), who “committed no sin” (I Pet. 2:24), and was therefore the only One who did not have to be punished for His own sins and was able to die in the place of sinners.

4) There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven and let us in.

As to the claim of (3) that Christ “died to make us good,” it seems best to see that in forensic and legal sense. While the Holy Spirit continues to work in the believer to produce the character of Christ (“the fruit of the Spirit,” Gal. 5:22-23), the result on this side of heaven is imperfect and often inconsistent. It is justification (God pronouncing us righteous through faith in the Saviour) that credits the full righteousness of Christ to our heavenly account (cf. Rom. 3:21-28; II Cor. 5:21). When we put our faith in Christ, we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and accepted by the Father in Him.

Questions:

  1. What are some of the blessings and some cautions in presenting the gospel to children?
  2. What other hymns come to mind that teach important Bible truths at a level children can understand?

Links:

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