I Love to Tell the Story

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,

Baptizing them in the name of the Father,

And of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28:18-20 

I recently divided up my week into “Project Days” so that I would have something to look forward to doing each weekday – and actually doing it!  Monday is for continuing to refurbish the huge bookcase at the front door, Tuesday is Ancestry research, Wednesday is Drawing, Thursday is Calligraphy…  well, you get the picture.  I have several partially finished projects neatly stacked in my dining room, waiting to be worked on.

Arabella Hankey, a missionary to Africa, experienced long months of illness and recovery.  During this time, she began a project of her own: writing  a poem on the life of Jesus.  It grew and grew until Arabella finally had to split it into two large sections that continued to expand.  In 1867, hymnwriter William Doane stopped by to see her and encouraged her to break things down a little – perhaps use some of the verses to form a hymn.  Mrs. Hankey selected verses from Part 2 to form I Love to Tell the Story.

 

I Love To Tell the Story

Amazing Worship TV

 

You Are My All in All

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself,

unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,

he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:4-5 

The pandemic has offered many life lessons to all of us, but the one that has caught my focus is this:  when your entire life is stopped on a dime, when you are separated from those you know and love, when you are tucked away from society as a whole and everything disappears, including singing – strip it all away, and you still have Jesus.  You will always have Jesus.

Dennis Jernigan is a Christian pianist, singer, songwriter and choral composer who wrote You Are My All in All in 1992.  It remains his most performed song today.

 

You Are My All In All | Maranatha! Music

 

Washed in the Blood of the Lamb

These are they which came out of great tribulation,

and have washed their robes, and made them white

in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7:14

I love the vivid imagery of the Bible – especially in the book of Revelation.  I learned one powerful biblical “picture” as a child in Sabbath School, and it has stayed with me ever since.

Black + Red = White

That equation may make no sense to you at all, but it is very simple.  My sins leave my heart black as coal.  Then Jesus washes it in the crimson blood of the Lamb – leaving it as white as snow.

A wonderful hymn based on this scripture is Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb, written in 1878 by Elisha Hoffman, a Presbyterian minister and prolific songwriter.

The Celebration Choir - Are You Washed In The Blood?

Redeemed!

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good

His love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say this –

those He redeemed from the hand of the foe,

those he gathered from east and west, from north and south.

Psalm 107:1-3 

Our song today is from my list of all-time favorites as well as my campmeeting favorites.  Written in 1882 by Fanny Crosby - a woman who also loved campmeetings, Redeemed is a song of great joy in the knowledge of our salvation through Jesus Christ. 

Redeemed! How I love to proclaim it!

Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

Redeemed through His infinite mercy

His child, and forever, I am.

My favorite line in this song is the last one – that I am forever His child.  Our heavenly Father gave His only Son to redeem us from the snare of sin.  We are His children, and He is ABBA – our loving Father.

Redeemed (How I Love to Proclaim It)

 

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy.

He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow

will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

The Lord has done great things for us

And we are filled with joy.

Psalm 126

I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona – a city baking in heat and surrounded by desert.  Although many people throughout my life have waxed eloquently about how beautiful the desert is, I personally have never found that to be so. 

Every June, however, we would travel up to Prescott and attend a week of campmeeting in the beautiful pines of Northern Arizona.  I would sit on the porch of our cabin and listen to the wind whispering through the tall trees.  Even as a kid, I felt peace, contentment and joy.

In 1907, Henry Van Dyke was visiting Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, surrounded by the beauty of the Berkshire Mountains.  Early one morning, staring out the window at the beauties of nature, Van Dyke grabbed a pen and wrote the words of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, giving directions that it was to be sung to Ode to Joy from Beethovan’s 9^th Symphony.

Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (Ode to Joy)

Valdosta United Methodist Church

When We All Get to Heaven

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God,

believe also in Me.  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 unto Myself, that where I am,

there you may be also.

John 14:1-3

Once a month in my home church, we would have an event called a Singspiration. We would come together on Saturday afternoon to sing our favorite hymns, interspersed with special numbers by various soloists and groups.  The man who led the music – Horton McClennan – was the perfect leader for the task.  Cheerful, enthusiastic, and a terrific musician, he would have the audience raising the rafters in song. One of the congregational favorites was When We All Get to Heaven. 

Eliza Hewitt and Emily D. Wilson met at a summer Methodist Campmeeting in New Jersey.  They formed a wonderful friendship, worshiped and studied together, and created this wonderful hymn in 1898 – Eliza penning the words and Emily creating the music.

 

When We All Get to Heaven (Hymns with Lyrics)

Vagle Brothers

Showers of Blessing

I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill.

I will send down showers in season,

there will be showers of blessing.

Ezekiel 34:26

The rain is coming down steadily this afternoon, and I can hear it as the droplets hit my office window.  It reminds me of There Shall be Showers of Blessing, a hymn which was a favorite title in the hymnbook of my home church.  We sang it enthusiastically and often.

Daniel W. Whittle (1840-1901) was an American gospel hymn writer, evangelist, Bible teacher, and a team member with the evangelistic campaigns of Dwight L. Moody.  He served in the Civil War and is still widely known among hymnologist as Major Whittle.

He wrote approximately 200 hymns; the most widely known are I Know Whom I Have Believed, and Showers of Blessing.

 Amazing Worship TV

As the Deer

As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, the living God.

When can I go and meet God?

Psalm 42:1-2

Today’s hymn, As the Deer, was written in 1981 by Marty Nystrom.  Marty was taking summer school at a Bible College in Dallas when he wandered into the Music Department one day.  Sitting down at a piano, he decided to try and write a worship song.  As he was playing, he noticed a Bible on the music stand of the piano, open to today’s scripture.  Marty began to paraphrase the words of Scripture, and As the Deer was born.

In 1992, Word Music Publications put out a songbook, Songs for Praise & Worship and that was how I was introduced to this wonderful hymn.  Many hymnals do not have As the Deer, and several have this song as a simple one verse chorus, including The Faith We Sing.  However, Mr. Nystrom wrote three verses – all of which are included in today’s video.

 

 

Dwelling in Beulah Land

No longer will they call you Deserted,

or name your land Desolate.

But you will be called Hephzibah

and your land, Beulah.

For the Lord will take delight in you,

and your land will be married.

Isaiah 62:4 

Our hymn today does not come from my all-time favorites list.  The first time I heard this song was in May of 2002.  I was the new Music Director at a church named Beulah.  Every spring, they had a homecoming Sunday – Beulah Day - and sang Dwelling in Beulah Land as the closing hymn of the service.  For almost two decades, I have feasted on the manna from a bountiful supply, as we sang Dwelling in Beulah Land.

C. Austin Miles (1868-1945) was a pharmacist in Philadelphia who decided to trade prescfriptions for hymns after publishing his first gospel song.  For many years, he was the Music Editor of Hall-Mack Publishing Company, which eventually became the Rodeheaver Company.  His hymns include A New Name Written Down in Glory, In the Garden, and Dwelling in Beulah Land.

 

Jake Toney, Guy Penrod, Bill & Gloria Gaither

His Name is Wonderful

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,

and the government shall be upon His shoulder,

and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor,

the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father,

the Prince of peace.

Isaiah 9:6 

Since my college years, I have been fascinated with the many names and titles ascribed to Jesus in the Scriptures.  It is a fascinating study, one that I come back to over and over again.  Over 2500 years ago, the prophet Isaiah penned these names for the coming Messiah:  Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Audrey Meyer is an American woman who wrote His Name is Wonderful in 1959.  Audrey says about this song, “As the morning service began, I was almost overwhelmed with the fragrance, the sounds, and most of all, with the gentle moving of the Spirit in that church.  The pastor opened his Bible and read:  “His name is Wonderful.”  I tell you the truth – that’s all it took.  I wrote the words and music in the flyleaf of my Bible.” [Then Sings My Soul, Robert J. Morgan]

His Name is Wonderful Lyrics    Lloyd T. Hayes

Majesty

We did not follow cleverly invented stories

when we told you about the power and coming

of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we were

eyewitnesses of His majesty.

2 Peter 1:16

When it comes to choruses (one stanza only), as opposed to hymns (2 or more verses), high up on my favorites list is Majesty.  This song is so triumphant, so full of joy, so… MAJESTIC, it lifts your heart from start to finish.  It is also a lot of fun to play on the piano!

Jack Hayward (1934 -   ) and his wife were traveling in Great Britain during the 25^th Anniversary celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.  It came to his mind that all the pomp and splendor of this earthly ruler could never compare with the majesty and greatness of God.  When he returned to his hotel room, he sat down and wrote this beautiful chorus, Majesty.

 

 Bill & Gloria Gaither

Gaither Music TV

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Greater love has no one than this,

that he lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

The next hymn in my favorites list is What a Friend We Have in Jesus.  I believe it is the theme of friendship that appeals to me.  I don’t make friends easily, and those I do have are very precious to me.  Jesus as a friend rather than a harsh judge is at the very foundation of my faith.

Joseph Scriven (1819-1886), was born in Ireland, and eventually moved to Canada - a man of wealth and education whose life was marked by the tragedy of his fiance’s death the night before the wedding.  When his mother became very ill back in Ireland, Scriven wrote to her of his love and concern.  He included in the letter a copy of his latest poem with the hope that she might find comfort in her dearest Friend, Jesus.

 

The Vagle Brothers

 

Standing on the Promises

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,

For He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 

Number 4 on my all-time favorite hymns list is Standing on the Promises.  As a child, I lived in a home where one parent rarely made a promise but always kept it, and the other parent made all kinds of promises and rarely kept their word.  The fact that the Bible said that God keeps His promises meant a great deal to me growing up.

Russel Kelso Carter, who wrote both the words and the music for this hymn, was born in 1849 in Baltimore, Maryland.  An unusually talented person, he was, at various times in his life, an athlete, a Methodist minister, a sheep rancher, an educator, a textbook publisher, a physician, and a hymn writer.

Christian Gospel Choir

 

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

This is how God showed His love among us,

He sent His one and only Son into the world

That we might live through Him.

1 John 4:9 

Number 3 on my all-time favorite hymns list is Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. One of more than 6500 hymns written by Charles Wesley, it was created in 1747.  Charles did not need events or certain times to inspire him to write – he was always writing hymn texts.  

Once when he was out riding in the countryside, he entered a friend’s home crying, “Pen and ink!  Pen and ink!”  When the requested items were provided, Wesley wrote out the hymn that he had been composing in his mind during his ride.  

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling is a jubilant anthem of praise for the all-encompassing love of God that pours over us, today and every day.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,

That we should be called children of God! 

And that is what we are!

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue,

But with actions and in truth.

1 John 3:1,18

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

The eternal God is your refuge,

And underneath are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:27 

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms was my second favorite hymn growing up in the church, running a close second to Blessed Assurance.  The author, Anthony Showalter was sending condolences to two sets of grieving friends, and included this text from Deuteronomy. 

As he thought about this verse, a tune came into his head, and he wrote out the refrain of the hymn we now have.  Showalter asked his friend, Elisha Hoffman, to write the stanzas and finish the hymn.  With these two men working together on words and music, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms was published in 1887.

What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the everlasting arms.

What a blessedness what a peace is mine, leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way, leaning on the everlasting arms.

O how bright the path grows from day to day, leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the everlasting arms.

I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, leaning on the everlasting arms.

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Bill & Gloria Gaither Live

 

Blessed Assurance

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart

in full assurance of faith…

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,

for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:22-23 

One of Fanny Crosby’s dear friends was Phoebe Knapp.  While Fanny lived in he Manhattan slums and worked at a rescue mission, Phoebe lived in a mansion in Brooklyn, where she led a lavish lifestyle.  Her music room held wonderful instruments, and Fanny was often a guest in her home.

One day in 1873 while Fanny was visiting her friend, Phoebe had a new song to share.  Sitting down at the piano, she played a lively tune full of hope and faith.  Fanny remarked, “That sounds like Blessed Assurance!”  Fanny immediately composed the words for Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine.

Even as a child, this hymn was my favorite – both to sing and to play.  I was fascinated to know that angels were descending from heaven, bringing to us echoes of mercy, whispers of love.  Any time someone would ask, “What hymn would you like to sing?,” my answer would be, Blessed Assurance!

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Alan Jackson Live!

All Creatures of Our God and King

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

    praise Him in the heights above.

Praise Him, all His angels;

    praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.

Praise Him, sun and moon;

    praise Him, all you shining stars.

Praise Him, you highest heavens

    Psalm 148:1-4

St. Francis of Assisi was born in Italy in 1182 to a very wealthy family.  After a sparse education and a stint in the army, Francis turned his back on his wealthy life and began traveling throughout the countryside as an itinerant preacher of the Gospel, interacting with both humans and animals. 

There are many tales, of Francis’ affinity with nature.  One is of him preaching to a flock of birds, who sat enthralled throughout his little sermon, and then began to sing loudly as they flew away.

Francis loved music, and encouraged singing at all worship services, writing over 60 hymns for that purpose.  In 1225, he wrote a hymn he titled Song of Brother Sun.  In 1919, Rev. William Draper translated it into English as All Creatures of Our God and King. 

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Grace Community Church

Sun Valley, California

Be Thou My Vision

But my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign Lord;

In You I take refuge.

Psalm 141:8

St. Patrick was born in 373 in an area now called Scotland.  When he was 16, he was abducted by raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland.  He escaped and returned home, much to the joy of his family.  When he was about 30, he felt the call of the Lord to go as a missionary – back to his captors - to Ireland. He traveled the Irish countryside, and throngs came to listen.  He planted 200+ churches and baptized 100,000 converts.  St. Patrick left behind a rich culture of worship and music.

I have sung the hymn Be Thou My Vision for as long as I can remember, and never realized that it was an ancient Irish poem by an eighth century unknown poet.  In 1905, a scholar in Dublin translated it into English.  A British scholar then crafted the English words into verses with rhyme and meter, and combined it with a traditional Irish folk song.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.

Not be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night.

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

*

The Lord Bless You and Keep You

The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

If you have ever sung in a church choir, these words from the book of Numbers are probably familiar to you.  This ancient blessing has been set to music many times, but the version we are most familiar with is a benediction response written by Peter Christian Lutkin (1858-1931), a composer, choral conductor and organist who spent most of his life and ministry in Chicago.  His version of The Lord Bless You and Keep You is short, sweet, and finishes with a glorious sevenfold Amen.

There are many passages in the Bible assuring the reader that God wants to give us the gift of peace.  Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid [John 14:27].  The words of this blessing in Numbers came directly from God, spoken to Moses, who passed them to Aaron, who spoke them to the people of Israel.  Take them as a blessing on your life today.

Westminster Choir College

Princeton, NJ

2012

Now the Day is Over

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 3:24

Wednesday was a long and emotional day. I turned the television off in the early evening, realizing that the more I watched the news, the more my reaction was one of anxiety and fear.  Coping on a daily basis with the threat of Covid-19 is quite enough stress without everything else going haywire.

Then I remembered an old hymn written by Sabine Baring-Gould - a British pastor, teacher, amateur archeologist, hymn writer, collector of local folk songs, publisher of travelogues, and father of fifteen children.  Based on today’s verse in Proverbs, it was written in 1865 for the children of his parish.  It was a comfort for me, as a weary adult, to sing these words and take them to heart.

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Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh,

Shadows of the evening steal across the sky. 

Jesus, give the weary calm and sweet repose,

With Thy tenderest blessing may mine eyelids close. 

Through the long night watches may thine angels spread

Their white wings above me, watching round my bed.

  

Chief of Sinners

 

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of acceptance,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,

Of whom I am chief.

1^st Timothy 1:15

The Apostle Paul has never struck me as a humble kind of guy.  Describing himself to the church at Phillipi, he declared, You know my pedigree:  a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; and Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion… a meticulous observer of everything set down in God law Book…

Yet all those things Paul thought were important points in his life’s resume, he rejected because of his relationship with his Savior, Jesus Christ.  Rather than a Hebrew of the Hebrews, he freely acknowledged himself as chief of sinners.

William McComb (1793-1873) was an Irish poet, cartoonist, and political/religious activist who took Paul’s words to Timothy as the basis of his beautiful hymn, Chief of Sinners.  

Chief of sinners though I be,

Jesus shed His blood for me.

Died that I might live on high,

Lived that I might never die.

As the branch is to the vine,

I am His and He is mine. 

Oh, the height of Jesus' love,

Higher than the heavens above,

Deeper than the deepest sea,

Lasting as eternity!

Love that found me--wondrous thought!

Found me when I sought Him not.

-Fountain View Academy, British Columbia, Canada

His Light in Your Eyes

 

Soon the ornaments will go back in the box.

Angels will put away their instruments

and return to their tissue paper heaven,

and shepherds will return to their fields

in plastic tubs in the attic.

So if there is to be light in the darkness -

the small twinkling light of a star

that leads someone to love,

or the quiet steady glow of presence,

it will have to be in your eyes and mine.

Rejoice and return to your fields.

You are not alone.

The Lord is your everlasting light.

-Steve Garnaas-Holmes

 

Look up!  This is your year to shine!

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You for making all things new!  As another New Year begins, help me live each day for You.  May I continually have a song in my heart to sing to You, no matter what comes my way.  I trust in You because nothing ahead of me will take You by surprise.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen. - Joan Walker Hahn

Herod: Go... and Kill!

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by

the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill...

Matthew 2:16 

King Herod finishes out the Christmas story with the unthinkable.  Haunted by the gossip of singing angels, a standout star, visiting royalty and a newborn King, furious that the Magi had hightailed it home in another direction, and driven almost to madness by his frantic hold on power, Herod turned even more brutal and deadly. 

Fulfilling the prophecy in Jeremiah 31:15 (A voice is heard in Raman, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more), Herod ordered the death of every male child aged two and under in Bethlehem and all the surrounding regions.  His soldiers rode out from Jerusalem on their sinister mission, returning with calloused hearts and bloody swords.  Every male child, from infant to toddler, was sacrificed on the altar of Herod's crushing ego.

Every little boy, that is, except one.  The child that Herod sought to destroy was safely away in Egypt.  There the little family would stay until the king was dead, and God called them to return to their home in Nazareth. 

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No more let sin and sorrow grow, or thorns infest the ground.

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as the curse is found.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 246

 

The Magi: Taking the Long Way Home

 

And having been warned in a dream not to

go back to Herod, they returned to their

country by another route.

Matthew 2:12

God's angel messengers were not quite finished with their assignments for the wondrous event of God's Son come to earth.  After the Magi found Joseph and Mary and had the opportunity to see and worship the baby Messiah, they took their rest before venturing back to their homeland.  In a dream, they are warned not to return to Herod, for his overture of peace toward the newborn king was just smoke and mirrors.  When they headed for home the next day, they took a circuitous route that did not travel near Jerusalem.

The angel then appeared to Joseph in his second nightly visitation, this time with a heavenly command:  Get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.  Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.

As the Magi slowly wended their way home, Mary and Joseph fled under the cover of darkness and made their way to Egypt.  They would live there for an unspecified amount of time until Herod was dead and the danger was over. The wonderful gifts of the Magi would provide for their travel and family needs in that strange new home.

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And by the light of that same star,

Three wise men came from country far;

To seek for a king was their intent,

And to follow the star wherever it went.

Noel, noel, noel, noel,

Born is the King of Israel.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 245

The Magi: Following the Star

 After they had heard the king, they went on their

way, and the star they had seen in the east went

ahead of them until it stopped over the place

where the child was.  When they saw the star,

they were overjoyed.

Matthew 2:9-10

As soon as the Magi left Herod's palace, the star blazed forth to light their way.  The Bible states that the star led them to a "house."  Contrary to our modern nativity plays, the kings did not show up at the stable.  The star first appeared on the night of Christ's birth.  It took many months (perhaps as much as two years) for the men to travel to Jerusalem and then on to Bethlehem where Jesus lived.  He was no longer an infant, but a young child, and... On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

At this point, the Magi brought forth gifts for the young king - very expensive gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.  Legend has always presented three wise men with three gifts, but in point of fact, we have no idea how many men made that journey.  The pronoun "they" indicates more than one, but beyond that, we simply do not know.  What we do know is that they recognized the child as the Savior of the universe, and they bowed before Him in humble worship.

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Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume

Breathes a life of gathering gloom.

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,

Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

O star of wonder, star of light,

Star with royal beauty bright,

Westward leading, still proceeding,

Guide us to thy perfect light.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 249