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3 years ago
Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts
Jesus, Thou Joy of loving hearts,
Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.
Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
Thou savest those that on Thee call;
To them that seek Thee Thou art good,
To them that find Thee all in all.
We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,
And long to feast upon Thee still;
We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead,
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.
Our restless spirits yearn for Thee,
Wherever our changeful lot is cast;
Glad when Thy gracious smile we see,
Blessed when our faith can hold Thee fast.
O Jesus, ever with us stay,
Make all our moments calm and bright;
Chase the dark night of sin away,
Shed over the world Thy holy light.
Bernard of Clairvaux 12th Century transl. from Latin by Ray Palmer 1858
Joy is not really an emotion it is an aspect of character. It is not something we simply feel it is something we experience and demonstrate. Joy is not limited to the happy, light and airy moments of life. It can be known in the depths of sorrow, grief and suffering. Joy is particularly seen in the choosing to delight in the minor mercies when things are hard. Joy is often tangible in the gratitude of those who are forced to live simply because of the geographical, economic and historical circumstances in which they live. Joy is often lacking in the high expectations of comfortable Christians in consumerist societies.
When you have nothing but have Jesus then you have more than plenty. When you have plenty and accept Jesus you could expect Him to bring you more things. When Jesus looked at the rich young ruler He saw a poverty anchored in wealth. When he spoke to the poor He talked about real treasure which does not perish or fade.
Jesus is the wealth of life: in Him, in knowing Him, there is inexpressible, indescribable and irreducible joy for all eternity.
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Eph 1:15-23
On Our Way Rejoicing, as We Homeward Move
On our way rejoicing, as we homeward move,
Hearken to our praises, O Thou God of love!
Is there grief or sadness? Thou our joy shalt be;
Is our sky beclouded? There is light with Thee.
On our way rejoicing, as we homeward move,
Hearken to our praises, O Thou God of love!
If with honest hearted love for God and man,
Day by day Thou find us doing all we can,
Thou who givest the seed time, will give large increase,
Crown the head with blessings, fill the heart with peace.
Refrain
On our way rejoicing gladly let us go;
Conquered hath our Leader, vanquished is our foe;
Christ without, our safety, Christ within, our joy;
Who, if we be faithful, can our hope destroy?
Refrain
Unto God the Father joyful songs we sing;
Unto God the Saviour thankful hearts we bring;
Unto God the Spirit bow we and adore;
On our way rejoicing now and evermore.
On our way rejoicing, as we homeward move,
Hearken to our praises, O Thou God of love!
John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1863
Monsell is quickly becoming one of my favourite hymn writers. I love the tone of this hymn, it reminds me of many homeward journeys and how they make me feel.
Approaching home, after a few days or a few weeks away, there is a sense of hope and peace and to be in a place of knowing and being known. Even when family life is fraught there is still a sense of coming home to where we belong. Of course Monsell is talking of the True Home of the Christian – eternity with God.
The heart of the Christian is set on God, in His Triune beauty, and longs to be with Him: even when choosing wrong we know we are choosing badly and turning from, rather than too, our true Home.
We travel with God toward our Heavenly Home and we travel with His people. There will come a time when that Home will be revealed: the hope of it turns our hearts from the insanity of sin and fortifies us with the resolve and resources to make it all the way!
[Jesus said] “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:1-6
The Highest Joy That Can be Known
The highest joy that can be known
To those who heav’nward wend—
It is the Word of Life to own,
And God to have as Friend;
It is the Word of Life to own,
And God to have as Friend.
The Word doth give me wealth untold,
All good it has in store;
My deepest sorrows lose their hold
To joys forevermore;
My deepest sorrows loose their hold
To joys forevermore.
How often when in deep despair
My soul has been restored,
And when the tempter would ensnare
’Twould strength to stand afford;
And when the tempter would ensnare
’Twould strength to stand afford.
It tells me of a love divine,
How Jesus’ blood was shed;
Each day this joyous song is mine
As paths of grace I tread;
Each day this joyous song is mine
As paths of grace I tread.
When stars above shall shine no more
God’s Word is still my light;
When pleasures of this world are o’er,
My joys shall reach their height;
When pleasures of this world are o’er,
My joys shall reach their height
Nils Frykman1886 transl. from Swedish by Signe L. Bennett, 1928
There is a profound simplicity to knowing God in Jesus. All else is worthless in comparison to Him. Knowing Him, truly knowing Him, makes everything else that offers satisfaction and joy a blanched and anaemic false-friend. We find the depths and wealth of joy in knowing Christ in the solid objective reality of His Word: the Word of Life.
Men and women the world over are suffering the harshest penalties that the deepest perversions of the human heart can devise for the sake of having Scripture. I bear it so lightly – there is no threat to my house and home, my family and friends because we have the Bible. We love it too little: familiarity really has bred contempt; or at least a careless dispassion.
I must learn to love again so that I would give my life for the Word of Life!
[Jesus said] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46
O What Their Joy and Glory Must Be
O what their joy and their glory must be,
Those endless Sabbaths the blessèd ones see;
Crown for the valiant, to weary ones, rest;
God shall be all, and in all ever blessed.
What are the Monarch, His court, and His throne?
What are the peace and the joy that they own?
O that the blessed ones, who in it have share,
All that they feel could as fully declare!
Truly, “Jerusalem” name we that shore,
City of peace that brings joy evermore;
Wish and fulfilment are not severed there,
Nor do things prayed for come short of the prayer.
There, where no troubles distraction can bring,
We the sweet anthems of Zion shall sing;
While for Thy grace, Lord, their voices of praise
Thy blessèd people eternally raise.
There dawns no Sabbath, no Sabbath is o’er,
Those Sabbath keepers have one evermore;
One and unending is that triumph song
Which to the angels and us shall belong.
Now, in the meanwhile, with hearts raised on high,
We for that country must yearn and must sigh;
Seeking Jerusalem, dear native land,
Through our long exile on Babylon’s strand.
Low before Him with our praises we fall,
Of Whom, and in Whom, and through Whom are all;
Of Whom, the Father; and in Whom, the Son,
Through Whom, the Spirit, with Them ever One.
Peter Abelard, 12th Century translated from Latin John M. Neale 1854
What do we long for as we think of eternity with God? Renaissance painting has much to answer for: fat baby cherubim, effete angels in dresses with wings and harps, a dispassionate God and a people without purpose. Fortunately this is not the Biblical offer, not the Biblical eternity.
Abelard captures much more of the Biblical hope of eternity as he reflects on what it will be like to live there, in the fullness of all God’s promises met in the very reality of the experience of His people. That is a hope worth anticipating, living for and living toward.
“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
Revelation 21:22-27
All My Heart with Joy is Springing
All my heart with joy is springing,
While in air everywhere
Angel choirs are singing.
Hear them to the shepherds telling:
“Christ is born! On this morn
God with man is dwelling.”
To this lower world descendeth,
From above, He whose love
All our sorrows endeth.
He who breath and being gave us,
Quits the skies, lives and dies
In our flesh to save us.
Christ our Lamb so meek and loving
Dries our tears, calms our fears,
All our sins removing;
Christ our Lamb, who suffers with us;
He can quell death and hell,
And to peace restore us.
Hark, from yon dark manger lowly,
Breezes soft seem to waft
Gentle words and holy:
“Sigh no more, away with sadness
Brethren dear; I am here,
Bringing hope and gladness.”
Come ye now, and kneel before Him;
Mortals all, great and small,
Worship and adore Him:
Love your King, whose love invites you:
Lo, His star from afar
To His dwelling lights you.
Ye, whom galling want oppresses
Here ye find comfort kind,
Balm for your distresses:
Noblest treasures here are given;
Riches true wait for you
Poor of Christ, in Heaven.
Ye who strive with fierce temptation,
Sorrow-stung, conscience-wrung,
Here is consolation:
For the woes which men inherit
Christ can feel, Christ will heal
Every wounded spirit.
Kind Redeemer, knit Thee to us;
Quelling sin, reign within,
With Thy grace renew us:
Make us Thine by true repentance;
Let us hear, free from fear,
Lord, Thy final sentence.
Ours be Thy pure love, O Saviour,
Ours Thy faith, strong in death,
Ours Thy meek behaviour;
Here let us, on Thee depending,
In Thee die, with Thee fly
To the bliss unending.
Paul Gerhardt 1656, transl. from German by Benjamin H. Kennedy 1863
It is somewhat fitting that on the eve of lent we think fresh about Christmas! The child who was laid into an animal feeding trough was born to be the Son of God nailed to the cross as The Son of Man. He is our hope – not because of Christmas but because of Easter. We could have had Christmas and celebrated a Divine visitation but Easter transforms the miracle of incarnation into the the wonder of salvation.
Jesus knows our fleshly life: He took it on, as His own, and paid a penalty which was ours and not His that he might grant to us a gift which we could never have deserved. In that gift – eternal life – is the very essence and definition of joy.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16
With Joy We Meditate the Grace
With joy we meditate the grace
Of our High Priest above;
His heart is made of tenderness,
His bowels melt with love.
Touched with a sympathy within,
He knows our feeble frame;
He knows what sore temptations mean,
For He has felt the same.
But spotless, innocent, and pure,
The great Redeemer stood,
While Satan’s fiery darts He bore,
And did resist to blood.
He in the days of feeble flesh
Poured out His cries and tears,
And in His measure feels afresh
What every member bears.
He’ll never quench the smoking flax,
But raise it to a flame;
The bruisèd reed He never breaks,
Nor scorns the meanest name.
Then let our humble faith address
His mercy and His power;
We shall obtain delivering grace
In the distressing hour.
Isaac Watts 1707-1709
If you are a Christian have you ever been so distressed by your sinfulness that you almost despair of God’s mercy and grace? Ever feel you have been at the extremes of God’s love and on the edge of losing it as a Christian? I have.
In truth I’ve not, at the level of intellectual acknowledgement, doubted grace but I’ve had times where I’ve FEARED that I’ve gone beyond the cross in my sinfulness. What a fool! What sin there is in that fear! Even then, even at the point of questioning the sufficiency of the incarnate Son of God’s perfect sacrifice in pleasing the Father and granting the fullness of new life by the great power of the Holy Spirit.
However we do, we get there sometimes and what is the remedy for such sin upon sin? Resolve to live better? Work harder? Love more? Sing louder? Be nicer?
No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. NO!
We turn to contemplate grace in all it’s depth – which Watts did 300 years ago and records in this hymn. Even in the depths of despair over our sin, we can be raised to real joy in the goodness and mercy of God anchored in Christ!
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Heb 10:19-23
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Jesu, joy of man’s desiring,
Holy wisdom, love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned,
With the fire of life impassioned,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying round Thy throne.
Through the way where hope is guiding,
Hark, what peaceful music rings;
Where the flock, in Thee confiding,
Drink of joy from deathless springs.
Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure;
Theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure.
Thou dost ever lead Thine own
In the love of joys unknown.
Martin Janus 1661 transl. from German by Robert S Bridges 1844-1930
We need to eat – when we hunger we know our need of food. We need to sleep – when we tire we know our need of rest. We need to drink – when we thirst we know our need of water. We are creatures of need.
There is a need within us that is not satisfied by anything of food, drink or rest; nor even in the abundant luxuries and distractions of life in the 21st century. Some have described this need as a ‘God-shaped hole’ inside each of us. Whilst there is some truth in that, it is simply too reductionist. God does not plug a hole in our lives: he does not simply ‘complete’ us. The most fundamental need of our existence is God: a need for life, eternal life, that we find satisfied in Him.
It is only in Christ Jesus – only in supreme God’s self revelation – do we find the joy of our desires being met. ONLY Jesus is sufficient! Snacking on religion, napping in self-satisfaction and sipping from a cup of half-truths will only make us heart-sick and keep us far from knowing God. We may know light relief in the present but there will be no eternal satisfaction in true joy unless we eat and drink of the true joy of knowing Jesus. We may know comfort, but we will never know true rest unless Jesus is our first, last and greatest joy.
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
John 7:37-18
Light of the World, We Hail Thee,
Light of the world, we hail Thee, flushing the eastern skies;
Never shall darkness veil Thee again from human eyes;
Too long, alas, withholden, now spread from shore to shore;
Thy light, so glad and golden, shall set on earth no more.
Light of the world, Thy beauty steals into every heart,
And glorifies with duty life’s poorest, humblest, part;
Thou robest in Thy splendour the simple ways of men,
And helpest them to render light back to Thee again.
Light of the world, before Thee our spirits prostrate fall;
We worship, we adore Thee, Thou Light, the Life of all;
With Thee is no forgetting of all Thine hand hath made;
Thy rising hath no setting, Thy sunshine hath no shade.
Light of the world, illumine this darkened earth of Thine,
Till everything that’s human be filled with what’s divine;
Till every tongue and nation, from sin’s dominion free,
Rise in the new creation which springs from love and Thee.
John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1863
I think I would have gotten on well with Monsell – at least if a man can be judged by the hymns he writes. This hymn is in many ways a reflection on the last prayer of Scripture “Come Lord Jesus, Come”. What are we longing for? What are we hoping for?
Are we not waiting for Christ to be all in all? Holding out for Jesus to return and to recreate that which is fallen? Longing for His perfection to replace our sinfulness? Hoping toward that Great Day?
We see now in the pale light of dawn what will soon be the full glare of the noonday sun. Come Lord Jesus, come!
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Revelation 22:16-21
Sing to the Lord a Joyful Song
Sing to the Lord a joyful song,
Lift up your hearts, your voices raise;
To us His gracious gifts belong,
To Him our songs of love and praise.
For life and love, for rest and food,
For daily help and nightly care,
Sing to the Lord, for He is good,
And praise His Name, for it is fair.
For strength to those who on Him wait,
His truth to prove, His will to do,
Praise ye our God, for He is great,
Trust in His Name, for it is true.
For joys untold, that from above
Cheer those who love His sweet employ,
Sing to our God, for He is love,
Exalt His Name, for it is joy.
For He is Lord of Heav’n and earth,
Whom angels serve and saints adore,
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
To Whom be praise forevermore.
John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1863
Sing! Sing! One of the striking realities of God’s people is that we sing. Singing has always been a part of what it is to belong to the People of God’s Promise. History is recounted in song, grief is expressed in lament, prayer is made corporate in sung liturgy and thankfulness is given depth and height as harmony and lyrical beauty give it flight.
In the New Testament there is not only an invite to sing but an imperative. We MUST sing and when we do – it is to be deeply rooted in God’s story and springing forth from thanksgiving. Monsell’s hymn is not ignorant of the hard times in which it gratitude is more of a discipline than an easy response, and neither is Scripture.
The content of this hymn is simply this – we can be thankful for so many of the things in life within which we see the bountiful mercies of God but even when they are not so easily seen we can be thankful that we are AT LEAST (which in fact is greater than any other provision) able to give thanks for who God is! Joy is not always easily felt, but it is always the appropriate response.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Col 3:12-17
Lord of the Living Harvest
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John Samuel Bewley Monsell
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Lord of the living harvest
That whitens o’er the plain,
Where angels soon shall gather
Their sheaves of golden grain,
Accept these hands to labour,
These hearts to trust and love,
And deign with them to hasten
Thy kingdom from above.
As labourers in Thy vineyard,
Lord, send them out to be
Content to bear the burden
Of weary days for Thee.
To ask no other wages
When Thou shalt call them home
But to have shared the travail
Which makes Thy kingdom come.
Be with them, God the Father;
Be with them, God the Son;
And God the Holy Spirit,
Most blessèd Three in One.
Make them Thy faithful servants
Thee rightly to adore
And fill them with Thy fullness
Both now and evermore.
John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1866
It is one of the great privileges to have worked directly with many hundreds (thousands?) of men and women in student contexts in Scotland, South Africa, England, Estonia, Lithuania, Germany, Ireland, Wales and now New Zealand. Many have been greatly talented, attractive in looks and character, intellectually gifted, eloquent and theologically astute. Many have also struggled to see and know their strengths, lacking confidence, were the least and the lowly: neither gifted intellectually or able to express themselves well in basic conversations let alone theological engagement.
It is a challenge and an encouragement that the Lord Jesus is open to all who will have faith in Him. He does not require looks, prospects, income and respectability before men and women can come to Him: there is no need for a good CV, a decent background or good looks in order to be counted as His.
This hymn reflects on the riches of knowing Christ in the now as we anticipate the “Living Harvest” that is to come. When we are gathered to Him, whether we are awoken from the sleep of death or caught up whilst we still have breath – all of the external things that seem so important will pass and then we will see the true weight of God’s glory in Jesus our Lord and King. He will be the reward and the recompense. His glory will be the succour for our sorrows, the silencing of our complaints and the salvation of our lives.
The fields are still white for the harvest and the labourers are still few. Whether you know yourself to be rich in the privileges and opportunities that this world has to offer or if you are full of weakness and fears and doubts bout your suitability for the task at hand – the task is still at hand! If you are in Christ Jesus, The Lord of the Harvest has called you to Himself. He can, and will and does, use you as you are and as you will become: live for Him now. Live for the Harvest now. Pray God might send you and many others into the Harvest fields of homes and offices and hospitals and factories and churches to continue the work of gathering in His people.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” Matthew 9":36-38
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.” John 4:35-40
I Hunger and Thirst
I hunger and I thirst,
Jesu, my manna be;
Ye living waters, burst
Out of the rock for me.
Thou bruised and broken Bread,
My life-long wants supply;
As living souls are fed,
O feed me, or I die.
Thou true life-giving Vine,
Let me Thy sweetness prove;
Renew my life with Thine,
Refresh my soul with love.
Rough paths my feet have trod
Since first their course began;
Feed me, Thou Bread of God;
Help me, Thou Son of Man.
For still the desert lies
My thirsting soul before;
O living waters, rise
Within me evermore.
John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1866
The desert road, through the centre of New Zealand’s North Island, is desolate but beautifully so; dominated by views of Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe. I’ve often wondered what it must have been like for the first Maori settlers and then the Europeans as they traversed this sizeable chunk of land: more than a days journey on foot (and not covered by the convenience of State Highway 1.
Travelling through the desert is often a source of reflection in the biblical story. God led Abram through deserts and showed him the land that would belong to his descendants. Moses lived in the desert some 80 years in total, the latter 40 leading a rebellious people back and forth to the edge of the land that had been promised to the people of God’s promise: he would eventually die in the desert, only looking at the promised land from afar.
Jesus too led people into the desert – they came in their thousands to hear him preach and teach, to bring the sick who needed healed and the demon possessed who needed freedom. Jesus spoke in parables which were hard to understand but His words brought hope. He spoke of Himself as Bread and Water and Light and Life. He said that He was the true mana from heaven, that His life would establish a New Covenant (new promise) between God and the People of Promise.
Monsell in this hymn expresses what we each know – that faith in Christ does not lead to a life which is free of struggle, suffering, hardship and eventually death. When those things come they do not come because we do not have faith but rather they come into the life of those who live by faith. Sometimes it can feel like we are living in a desert – it might be short lived, a transition point, or a much longer period of life.
When rough times come Monsell’s hymn expresses the beauty of Christ in the ‘deserted’ and ‘barren’ places of life. I particularly like the all sufficiency of Jesus expressed in the penultimate verse. That Jesus is both the Bread of God (the food which sustains us to the end) and the Son of Man (who knows us because He is one of us) is no small comfort when we hunger and thirst, not only for sustaining truth but also for life saving company on the dangerous roads of life.
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:36-40
Awake, Glad Soul! Awake! Awake!
Awake, glad soul! awake! awake!
Thy Lord has risen long;
Go to His grave, and with thee take
Both tuneful heart and song.
Where life is waking all around,
Where love’s sweet voices sing,
The first bright blossom may be found
Of an eternal spring.
The shade and gloom of life are fled
This resurrection day;
Henceforth in Christ are no more dead,
The grave hath no more prey.
In Christ we live, in Christ we sleep,
In Christ we wake and rise,
And the sad tears death makes us weep,
He wipes from all our eyes.
And every bird and every tree,
And every opening flower,
Proclaim His glorious victory,
His resurrection power.
The folds are glad, the fields rejoice,
With vernal verdure spread,
The little hills lift up their voice
And shout that death is dead.
Then wake, glad heart! awake! awake
And seek Thy risen Lord;
Joy in His resurrection take,
And comfort in His Word.
And let thy life, through all its ways,
One long thanksgiving be:
Its theme of joy, its song of praise—
Christ died, and rose for me.
It is a strange but remarkable coincidence of my upbringing that I have been to hundreds of funerals. Growing up a Roman Catholic lad in a community where school and church were next to each other I ‘served on the altar’ as an altar boy, which included missing the first hour or so of school on a fairly regular basis to assist at funerals, as well as normal mass.
Funerals of old and young, strangers and people who I’d known (as much as children know adults in the wider community). There are a few that stand out in my memory – one of a child from my school, younger than me, who had been killed on electrical rail lines; a child who was a close neighbour who had died from a genetic condition; a large and elaborate funeral (standing room only) for a ‘pillar’ of the church and my own grandmother’s funeral.
They were all sad occasions – accompanied by the same handful of hymns (abide with me, the Lord’s my Shepherd – which will make an appearance on this blog at some point) – some, like funerals of other children, intractably sad. I’ve been to a fair few funerals since – family and friends; they too have been sad. But how does Christian hope make a marked effect in the life of those grieving.
Monsell’s hymn expresses and applies the reality of Christian hope in the face of the grave. Jesus’ death and resurrection transforms our graveyard experiences. We know that death is vanquished, emptied of power and Death itself, in Christ, has died.
But what of those who die without hope in Christ? Can we who live hoping in Christ grieve with such confidence? I want to say yes. See what Monsell makes clear? Christ will wipe all tears away – at the end of time, there will be the end of mourning and it will be done justly, gracefully and powerfully.
“But what about those I love?” His love for them is greater. “What about eternity away from the lost” His justice is what I hope in, what we hope in, and so we will not mourn the justice of God in judging and salvation; we will rejoice in it!
Every graveside, every funeral, reminds us who know the Lord Jesus, the Lord who was once dead and now Lives never to face death again, that one day He will return and empty graves and call to account and bring salvation and reveal the glory of the Living God! We weep here and now and in doing so we anticipate the ending of all tears!
For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Romans 14:7-12
Fight The Good Fight With All Thy Might
Fight the good fight with all thy might;
Christ is thy Strength, and Christ thy Right;
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.
Run the straight race through God’s good grace,
Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the Path, and Christ the Prize.
Cast care aside, upon thy Guide,
Lean, and His mercy will provide;
Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its Life, and Christ its Love.
Faint not nor fear, His arms are near,
He changeth not, and thou art dear.
Only believe, and thou shalt see
That Christ is all in all to thee.
John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1863
How do we encourage the downhearted? What do we say in the midst of defeat? “cheer up, it could be worse”, “there’s plenty more fish in the sea” or (in particularly Kiwi mode) “harden up”?
Monsell in this well known hymn employs 4 means of encouragement.
- Fight with all your strength – but know that the strength with which you fight comes from relationship to God in Christ Jesus.
- Know where you are headed and how you are getting there – the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ is not simply the way we become Christians, it is also the way we walk and the destination to which we are headed.
- In real weakness lean upon the strength of the Loving Saviour and discover the depths of His Love and Salvation.
- When you are fearful remember the reality that everything for the Christian is a way that leads to more of Jesus.
How great is that? What is more these words are a reflection on the final words of the apostle Paul – he faces apparent failure with many having deserted the gospel and him, he faces real weakness with winter coming and he faces real fear as he must give an account of himself before Caesar. In Jesus there is a great hope for us all.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8
To Thee, O Dear, Dear Saviour
To Thee, O dear, dear Saviour!
My spirit turns for rest,
My peace is in Thy favour,
My pillow on Thy breast!
Though all the world deceive me,
I know that I am Thine,
And Thou wilt never leave me,
O blessèd Saviour mine.
In Thee my trust abideth,
On Thee my hope relies,
O Thou Whose love provideth
For all beneath the skies;
O Thou Whose mercy found me,
From bondage set me free,
And then forever bound me
With threefold cords to Thee.
My grief is in the dullness
With which this sluggish heart
Doth open to the fullness
Of all Thou wouldst impart;
My joy is in Thy beauty
Of holiness divine,
My comfort in the duty
That binds my life in Thine.
Alas, that I should ever
Have failed in love to Thee,
The only one who never
Forgot or slighted me!
O for a heart to love Thee
More truly as I ought,
And nothing place above Thee
In deed, or word, or thought.
O for that choicest blessing
Of living in Thy love,
And thus on earth possessing
The peace of Heav’n above;
O for the bliss that by it
The soul securely knows
The holy calm and quiet
Of faith’s serene repose!
John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1863
There is a great deal in our cultures that reinforces this inward trajectory of thought and energy; much that commends it as good. “Self belief” seems to be the rubric of validity for what is helpful and true; that only with '”self-belief” will there be any peace in a persons life. There is a problem here though, that sort of self-belief is the antithesis of Biblical faith; I’d go as far as to say that sort of self-belief is the enemy of faith in Jesus Christ.
Martin Luther saw sin for what it was – a turning in on the self, focussing on the self in open rebellion to God. When we are most caught up in our own sinfulness, it is then that we are most caught up in ourselves – our own thoughts, desires, hopes, dreams, aspirations, comfort and importance. It is then in self-satisfaction that sin is most keenly seen in the everyday.
For the Christian though there is someone who we do believe in; that obviously is Jesus Christ. Our faith in Him is the exact opposite of “self-belief” it is the surrender of self, knowing that there is no good within ourselves, to Him who is only good. Our confidence before God is not within ourselves, it is not about how we feel about approaching God in prayer and praise and work and service and thought and deed.
Our confidence before God is only in Jesus. Monsell captures it brilliantly in this hymn – we have now found rest in Jesus, if we have entrusted our lives to Him. We need to stop believing that we can do – that we can impress God and present ourselves before Him as people he must love because of what we can do, have done and will do. We need to stop believing in ourselves and rest our faith in Jesus. He will bring us before God as His own, because of who He is, what He has done and what He has promised.
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew’s Gospel 11:25-30
Sinful Sighing to Be Blest
Sinful, sighing to be blest,
Bound, and longing to be free;
Weary, waiting for my rest:
God, be merciful to me.
Holiness I’ve none to plead,
Sinfulness is all I see,
I can only bring my need:
God, be merciful to me.
Broken heart and downcast eyes,
Dare not lift themselves to Thee;
Yet Thou canst interpret sighs:
God, be merciful to me.
From this sinful heart of mine
To Thy bosom I would flee;
I am not mine own, but Thine:
God, be merciful to me.
There is One beside Thy throne,
And my only hope and plea
Are in Him and Him alone:
God, be merciful to me.
He my cause will undertake,
My Interpreter will be;
He’s my all, and for His sake,
God, be merciful to me.
John Samuel Bewley Monsell 1857
I’ve written in kiwichronciles about this hymn, it is strangely one of my favourite hymns of all and yet I’ve never sung it nor heard it sung. As I began this blogject* I wondered how long it would take me to get to Monsell’s hymn. I’ve finally succumbed but as I did I wondered what other hymns the writer of this particular hymn had penned. The answer was many – so this week all the hymns will be by John S.B. Monsell.
I not only love the meter and rhyme but, more importantly, its devastatingly brilliant confession of the state of the human heart before God. Without the saving work of Christ, we have no plea, no appeal, no quarter for mercy to work in us. In Him we are rich in mercy beyond our wildest and boldest imaginings.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:3-9
*blogject – a project with specific goals recorded in a blog.
O Jesus, King Most Wonderful
O Jesus, King most wonderful,
Thou Conqueror renowned,
Thou Sweetness most ineffable,
In Whom all joys are found!
When once Thou visitest the heart,
Then truth begins to shine,
Then earthly vanities depart,
Then kindles love divine.
O Jesus, Light of all below,
Thou Fount of life and fire,
Surpassing all the joys we know,
And all we can desire!
Thy wondrous mercies are untold,
Through each returning day;
Thy love exceeds a thousand fold,
Whatever we can say.
May every heart confess Thy Name;
And ever Thee adore;
And seeking Thee, itself inflame,
To seek Thee more and more.
Thee may our tongues forever bless;
Thee may we love alone;
And ever in our lives express
The image of Thine own.
Bernard of Clairvaux 12th Century transl. from Latin by E.Caswall
Jesus is the centre of the Christian hope – indeed to talk of being Christian without talk of Jesus, and a life transforming love of Him, is to empty 'Christianity’ of ALL that is Christian. Yet, all too often, I hear talk of God without talk of Jesus.
This ‘God-talk’ is in terms of ‘that’s when God came into my life’, ‘the Bible tells us to follow God’ and ‘God loves me and that’s why he died for me’. From students to church leaders I honestly think I’m hearing the name of Jesus used less and less. There is great danger in the loss of Jesus from our conversations and our ‘God talk’.
Bernard of Clairvaux speaks from the past with force in the present. This hymn concisely express why talking of Jesus is vital; truly vital that is – for He, belief in Him, brings Life in all it’s fullness.
When we speak of God, let us focus well and truly on how God has revealed and glorified Himself – in Jesus. When we sing to God, let us approach Him in the way that He has made open – through Jesus blood in the Spirit’s power. When we pray, let’s approach Him with the boldness granted to us – as His rightful children, the family and body of Jesus Christ.
Let us put away ‘God talk’, for it in we hide the offense of Christ Crucified, cushion ourselves from offending friends necessarily and obscure the hope of being saved through faith in Jesus Christ, The Son of God, saviour of the World.
As we do, and as we speak of the Triune God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ we will live and speak the hope of glory until that day when His glory will be shown for all to see, when every tongue and every heart will confess Jesus Christ as Lord – either as a defeated and judged sinner outside of grace or as sinners saved by grace!
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
1 John 3:1-3
O Jesus I Have Promised
O Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou forever near me, my Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my Guide.
O let me feel Thee near me! The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear;
My foes are ever near me, around me and within;
But Jesus, draw Thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.
O let me hear Thee speaking in accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self will.
O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen, Thou Guardian of my soul.
O Jesus, Thou hast promised to all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory there shall Thy servant be.
And Jesus, I have promised to serve Thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow, my Master and my Friend.
O let me see Thy footprints, and in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly is in Thy strength alone.
O guide me, call me, draw me, uphold me to the end;
And then in Heaven receive me, my Saviour and my Friend.
John E. Bode 1868
1989 saw me start university. It also saw the release of the film “Dead Poets Society” (if you’ve not seen it you really should). There is a key scene toward the end of the film, I cannot now sing Bode’s hymn without thinking of that scene. I could describe it – but you’re better seeing it.
Following Jesus is not some light and momentary thing: it is the most life defining, life changing decision any man or woman can make. But Christianity is not for the well, the brave, the strong and the mighty – coming to Jesus robs you of any of those delusional pretensions.
It is not that I am strong that Christ Jesus called me to Himself. It is not that I am heroic that Heaven saw the need for my endeavours. It is not my intellectual capacities or my winsome character (both of which are severely limited) that drew God to me!
It is all and only for Christ. It was not valiant of me to decide to follow Jesus – there is no one else, nowhere else, to go – no voice to listen to, no wisdom to gain and no pilgrimage to go on. Jesus calls and we follow because in Him alone is life and hope. He calls us and we go and are totally changed by Him; into His likeness, to His glory, in His presence for all eternity.
Jesus is my Captain – it is a privilege to serve Him. That privilege is life itself.
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 24-25
O The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore!
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, nevermore!
How He watches o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, love of every love the best!
’Tis an ocean full of blessing, ’tis a haven giving rest!
O the deep, deep love of Jesus, ’tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee!
It’s one of the greatest privileges of the last 20 years, of being involved in student ministry, to have met Christians from all over the world. There are two things which never fail to pleasantly surprise me: the sure conviction of the love of God, through Christ Jesus, extending to everyone who will believe in Him and also the joy, unshakeable joy, it brings.
In 1991 I landed with 24 other Brits in Johannesburg for a 4 week trip organised by Youth for Christ and Tearfund. The team/trip was entitled ‘through different eyes’ it would change me profoundly. We met with 20 or so of our African peers, most from South Africa and some from Zimbabwe to talk through culture and the gospel. We toured Soweto in a bus early on in that trip as we drove past abject poverty (in which many of the African team members lived) they started singing ‘soon and very soon we are going to see the King’. It moved me to tears then, thinking about it still does.
In 2003 I landed in Kuala Lumpur accompanied by Nick Brennan (now working in Otago region with TSCF) for what should have been a South East Asia regional conference. The slight snag was that there was a SARS epidemic raging and the Asia wide conference had to be cancelled, however the Malaysian students were called together and they came. A hugely diverse group of students ethnically and culturally gathered and sang, and talked and ate and ate and ate together. Meeting men who had grown up in jungle villages in Borneo as well as women were city girls, loving KL, the unifying love of Christ at work in them was impressive.
In 2005 I landed in New Zealand for the first time and the lessons are still being learned. Samuel Trevor Francis’ words express my confidence and my hope that in my life, through the cracks and the blemishes of character as well as the strengths that God has built into me, the deep deep love of Jesus would speak to others – my family, my next door neighbours and everyone else – because it is precisely this love which has given me the hope and reality of eternal life.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Behold the islands with their kings,
And Europe her best tribute brings;
From north to south the princes meet,
To pay their homage at His feet.
There Persia, glorious to behold,
There India shines in eastern gold;
And barb’rous nations at His word
Submit, and bow, and own their Lord.
To Him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown His head;
His Name like sweet perfume shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.
People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His Name.
Blessings abound wherever He reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blessed.
Where He displays His healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.
Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honours to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!
Great God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son,
Extend His power, exalt His throne.
The sceptre well becomes His hands;
All Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor,
And pride and rage prevail no more.
With power He vindicates the just,
And treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last
Till hours, and years, and time be past.
As rain on meadows newly mown,
So shall He send his influence down:
His grace on fainting souls distils,
Like heav’nly dew on thirsty hills.
The heathen lands, that lie beneath
The shades of overspreading death,
Revive at His first dawning light;
And deserts blossom at the sight.
The saints shall flourish in His days,
Dressed in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace, like a river, from His throne
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.
Isaac Watts 1719
The reality of Jesus’ Lordship is not simply some ‘religious’ or pietistic reality. It is not something that is true for those of us who believe in Jesus: it is absolute truth which spans geography, cultural diversity, language barriers and every other sort of barrier. In fact the Lordship of Jesus flies in the face of any and every barrier which would defy his Lordship.
Some of the words and phrasing in this great hymn causes us to visibly (or metaphorically) squirm in our seats. We want it nuanced for today; “but it is 300 years later, we express truth differently today.” Oh we do and all too often we Christians rob Christ (as if we could) of His rightful place and remove (what idiocy to try) His rightful offence of claiming Lordship over the whole earth and all time and on beyond that too!
In moral difficulty Christ is Lord. In cross-cultural complexities Jesus is Lord. In any given place and time: be it of peace and prosperity or war and degradation, the Lordship of Christ is not diminished by the circumstances.
He is the Only Ruler under whose authority the order of creation is sustained. Jesus holds reality together at the quantum level (what’s more he understands what that means!) and keeps the billions of galaxies in the universe moving in the finest of balances.
Jesus, God revealed, is Lord at a global and cosmic level; because this is true and because of His Lordship demonstrated at the cross of Calvary and the tomb in the garden we can know Him, not simply as LORD but as our Lord and Saviour. What amazing and saving knowledge that is! What hope there is in Jesus who will come to judge and to save! What joy at anticipating the day when who Jesus really is will be seen by every human eye and heart that has ever been given the privilege of life!
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Colossians 1:15-20
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