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love found a way

Love Found a Way

Words: Avis Marguerite Burgeson Christiansen (b. Oct. 11, 1895; d. Jan. 14, 1985)
Music: Harry Dixon Loes (b. Oct. 20, 1892; d. Feb. 9, 1965)

Note: The story of how this 1915 gospel song came to be written can be found at the Wordwise link below. As noted there, there, the hippity-hop rhythm of the tune can be distracting. This can be de-emphasized a little, with the help of a smoother accompaniment.

Also, I don’t think the song should be sung too quickly. It’s important not to trivialize sobering lines such as: “guilty and vile as I could be” (1); “such a sinful wretch as I” (2); and “depths of woe” (3)–all of which took our wonderful Saviour to a “cross of shame” (refrain). I’m not suggesting the song should creep along, dolefully. But it should be taken slower than many are singing it.

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

Love! What a wonderful word! And the Bible tells us that “God is love” (I Jn. 4:8, 16). This is not intended, of course, as a reversible equation. It is not correct to say that love is God. Rather, the intended meaning of the Apostle John seems to be that divine love is such a core quality of the character of God that every other springs from it, or is somehow rooted in it.

But, on the other hand, if you know what inspired the writing of the song you’ll also realize that “Love” in the phrase “love found a way” is virtually synonymous with saying “God found a way.” In love, God the Father sent His beloved Son to pay the price for human sin, so that through faith in Christ we might be cleansed and forgiven, and receive the gift of eternal life (Jn. 3:16).

No other way will do. We are not saved by being good, or doing good works. Nor are we saved by joining a church or by some kind of ritual. These things, though they may be good in themselves, are not sufficient to save. Used that way, they simply represent man’s attempts to make himself acceptable to God. But salvation is not achieved by man reaching up, but by God reaching down.

It was God alone who “found” or provided the way to be saved, through Christ, the only way (Jn. 14:6). Its significant that half a dozen times in Acts Christians are identified as people of “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4, 14; 24:22). The only way is God’s way, and it was opened to us through His love.

There is so much in the Scriptures about the love of God that it would take many studies to explore all aspects of it, but here are just a few thoughts.

  • God’s love for us is a “great love” (Eph. 2:4), infinite and unmeasurable in its reach and depth.
  • God’s love is a gracious love; He loved us while we were still in our sins (Rom. 5:8).
  • God’s love prompted Him to send His Son to die for us (I Jn. 4:9).
  • God’s love, received by us through faith in Christ, unites us to His forever family as “children of God” (I Jn. 3:1).
  • God’s love for the saints is enduring; nothing can separate us from His love (Rom. 8:35-39).
  • God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).
  • Our Spirit-inspired love is a response to His great love (I Jn. 4:19).

Harry Dixon Loes also wrote the words and music of a little children’s chorus about the latter point. It says:

Everybody ought to love Jesus,
Jesus, Jesus;
He died on the cross to save us from sin,
Everybody ought to love Jesus.

Other writers later added stanzas such as: “Everybody ought to go to Sunday School” and (of less merit I think), “Everybody ought to keep smiling.” But the original thought of Mr. Loes was that we ought to respond in love to the love that sent Christ to the cross.

(1) Wonderful love that rescued me, sunk deep in sin,
Guilty and vile as I could be—no hope within;
When every ray of light had fled, O glorious day!
Raising my soul from out the dead, love found a way.

Love found a way, to redeem my soul,
Love found a way, that could make me whole.
Love sent my Lord to the cross of shame,
Love found a way, O praise His holy name!

(2) Love brought my Saviour here to die on Calvary,
For such a sinful wretch as I, how can it be?
Love bridged the gulf ’twixt me and heav’n, taught me to pray,
I am redeemed, set free, forgiv’n, love found a way.

Questions:

  1. If God is so loving, how is it that not all will be saved?
  2. What are some of the provisions of God’s love presently enjoyed by His children?

Links:

Today in 1895 – Avis Christiansen Born

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Avis Marguerite Burgeson was a lifelong Chicago resident who attended the great Moody Church, pastored for many years by Dr. Harry Ironside. In 1917, Avis Burgeson married Ernest Christiansen who became a vice president of Moody Bible Institute. A modest and retiring woman, Mrs. Christiansen sometimes used pen names–Avis Burgesson, Christian B. Anson and Constance B. Ried. She began writing poems in childhood, and before her death in 1985 had written thousands of them–many of which were turned into insightful and singable gospel songs. Here are a few that she has given us.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
Blessed Calvary
Blessed Redeemer
Come, Come, Ye Saints*
Fill All My Vision
How Can It Be?
It Is Glory Just to Walk with Him
Jesus Has Lifted Me
Love Found a Way
Only One Life to Offer

*This is a much revised version of a Mormon hymn, rendering it more in keeping with orthodox Christianity.

One Sunday evening at Moody Church, Avis Christiansen heard a message by Paul Rader on John 3:16. He emphasized the love of God that provided for our salvation in the cross of Christ, and said, “Love found a way.” Musician Harry Dixon Loes was struck by the words, and quickly jotted down a few phrases. He gave them to his friend Avis, and the ideas later became her song,

Wonderful love that rescued me, sunk deep in sin,
Guilty and vile as I could be—no hope within;
When every ray of light had fled, O glorious day!
Raising my soul from out the dead, love found a way.

Love found a way, to redeem my soul,
Love found a way, that could make me whole.
Love sent my Lord to the cross of shame,
Love found a way, O praise His holy Name!

Space won’t permit a discussion of many of Christiansen’s fine songs, but consider Blessed Calvary for a moment. The words are Avis’s. The tune was supplied by Lance Brenton Latham. Latham was an accomplished concert pianist. (I was privileged to hear him when he was in his eighties, and his playing even then was amazing!) He was also a pastor. But his most recognized accomplishment was his founding of a children’s club that eventually became the worldwide Awana Youth Association. The Christiansen and Latham hymn says:

I look at the cross upon Calvary,
And O what a wonder divine!
To think of the wealth it holds for me–
The riches of heaven are mine.

Blessed Calvary, precious Calvary!
‘Neath thy shadow I’ll ever abide;
Blessed Calvary, precious Calvary!
‘Twas there Jesus suffered and died.

The cross is my hope for eternity–
No merit have I of my own;
The shed blood of Christ my only plea–
My trust is in Jesus alone.

(2) How Blest Was That Life (Data Missing)

Both the author of the words and the composer of the tune are unknown for this little song. (You can hear the tune played on the Cyber Hymnal.)

How Blest Was That Life reflects on how wonderful it would have been to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His teaching, during His days here upon earth. But it reminds us as well that we serve a living Saviour, who continues to be accessible to us, and whom we will one day see.

How blest was that life once lived upon earth,
The life of the Saviour of men!
What joy was their part who learned at His feet,
Who loved and who worshipped Him then!

I know that He liveth, Redeemer and Friend,
To bless and to comfort our way;
I know the glad song of the heavenly throng—
He liveth, He liveth today!

The Friend of our need, the Hope of the world,
Abides with us still as of old;
When wandering far in sorrow and sin,
He leadeth us home to the fold.

Thou art not afar, in regions unknown:
Our faith reacheth up unto Thee;
And still, through the mists of ages long past,
The Saviour of sinners doth see.