Litany of the Four Last Things: Heaven

Where Thy Saints in glory reign
Free from sorrow, free from pain,
Pure from every guilty stain
Bring us, Holy JESU.

Where the captives find release,
Where all foes from troubling cease,
Where the weary rest in peace,
Bring us, Holy JESU.

Where the pleasures never cloy,
Where in Angel's holy joy,
Thy redeem'd their powers employ,
Bring us, Holy JESU.

Where in wondrous light are shown,
All Thy dealings with Thine own,
Who shall know as they are known,
Bring us, Holy JESU.

Where, with loved ones gone before,
We may love Thee and adore,
In Thy Presence evermore,
Bring us, Holy JESU.

Early on in my work alongside students, indeed as a student myself, Nigel Lee spoke to me about a hunger for heaven and what is says about spiritual maturity.  I can't remember his exact words but I remember the tone and gravity with which he said it.  He'd asked how I was doing and we chatted about what I'd been learning - mostly about how my hope and hunger for eternity with Christ had deepend over the previous summer.  He commented that it is when the hunger for Heaven awakens and deepens in someone, in a congregation even, that it is a real sign of the work of the Holy Spirit and a breakthrough in Christian maturity. I was deeply encouraged and have found it to be true in my life and the lives of others.

There are many 'thermometers' I use to take my spiritual temperature. The clearest indicator is my hunger and thirst for Heaven.  It speaks of my relationship in the NOW as I long for the then. We love Jesus now, even though we do not see him, how much more will we love Him when we come face to face.  The last words of the Bible feed our hunger to be with Him, not something we can acheive ourselves - but we wait for him with an eye on the skies.

“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

Litany of the Four Last Things: Hell

From the awful place of doom
Where in rayless outer gloom
dead souls lie as in a tomb,
Save us, Holy JESU.


From the black, the dull despair
Ruin'd men and angels share,
From the dread companions there,
Save us Holy JESU.


From the unknown agonies,
Of the soul that helpless lies,
From the worm that never dies,
Save us, Holy JESU.


From the lusts that none can tame,
from the fierce mysterious flame,
From the everlasting shame,
Save us, Holy JESU.


It is near impossible to write lyrically about the depths of the foulness of hell.  These four stanza's could seem trite, but sung in the light of Scripture's depths how do we sing of what we have been saved from?  How do we lift our voices in humble pleas for salvation without seeming like the self-content religious bigots?  How can we together sing of the rightness of God's justice and coming judgement?


Maybe it is too hard this side of eternity - but the tone of this litany, this prayer, is right and I mourn the total absence of such content in the songs I've sung in the 20 or so years of being a son of the King (never mind the preceding years of being a devout servant in a church).  What is certain is that those whose hope is in "Holy Jesu", the Risen and Ascended Saviour, Lord and King will one day sing of His victory over evil in consigning it to eternal destruction and judgement.

After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.” Revelation 19:1-4

Litany of the Four Last Things: Judgement

When Thy summons we obey,
On the dreadful Judgement Day,
Let not fear our soul dismay:
Hear us, Holy JESU.


While the lost in terror fly,
May we see with joyful eye
Our Redemption drawing nigh:
Hear us, Holy JESU.


May we see Thee on Thy Throne,
As the SAVIOUR we have known,
And have follow'd as our own,
Hear us, Holy JESU.


May we then. among the blest,
Who Thy Name on earth confess'd
Hear Thee calling us to rest;
Hear us, Holy JESU.


Judgement is not often mentioned in the contemporary writings of today's worship leaders.  We know God judges individuals, groups, congregations, nations and the earth - that is the basis on which we hope in Christ. Without God's just rule our world is simple anarchy - the loudest, strongest or the popular(ist?) make the calls as to right and wrong.  We have seen the tragedy of that in the death camps of Hitler, the Rwandan genocides, the immersion of Europe and North America into materialistic bliss and poisonous tensions leaking out of the middle east.


When Jesus comes, he comes to save and to judge, to heal and destroy, to gather His own to Himself, and to cast those who do not own Him into the utter darkness.  Jesus is Judge and Saviour and his beauty as both is wonderful and terrible to behold.  We need to recapture something of this in our corporate worship today.

"For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days..." Mark 13:19-20

Litany of the Four Last Things: Death

We are dying day by day;
Soon from earth we pass away;
LORD of life, the Thee we pray:
Hear us Holy JESU.

Ere we hear the Angel's call,
And the shadows round us fall,
Be our SAVIOUR, be our all:
Hear us Holy JESU.

Wean our hearts from things below,

Make us all Thy love to know,

Guard us from our ghostly foe:

Hear us Holy JESU.
.

Shelter us with Angel's wing,

To our souls Thy pardon bring;

So shall death have lost its sting:

Hear us Holy JESU. 

.

In the gloom Thy light provide;

Safely through the valley guide;

Thee we trust, for Thou hast died:

Hear us Holy JESU.

.

There is little as sobering as death - it is undeniably the great barrier to hubris and silencer of lofty philosophical relativism.  We all die, but all do not die the same.

.

For those who know and love Jesus - death, though a big deal is no big drama: even when it comes hasty and unexpected.  This is because Jesus IS the one who has died and has come out the other side, leaving a gaping hole in the finality of death. For Christians death is no longer a source of terror under the justice, mercy and promise of God.  Even when grieving for the ones we love who go into death without the hope of Christ, our hearts are comforted still (even then!) by God's justice.  There will be nothing in death that will tarnish the Life and Light of God, revealed in Christ.  I trust Jesus now, I will trust Him then!  I trust Him according to His promise now, will I then call Him to account according to my concepts of justice and truth?  Revelation speak of Him as the One who will wipe away every last tear - there will be no mourning in Heaven.

.

It is well summed up in the last but one line of the final stanza: "Thee we trust for Thou hast died"

.

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lamp stands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." Revelation 1:12-17

Litany of the Four Last Things

GOD the FATHER, GOD the SON,
GOD the SPIRIT, THREE in ONE.
Hear us from Thy heavenly throne,
Spare us, HOLY TRINITY.


JESU, Life of those who die,
Advocate with GOD on high,
Hope of immortality
Hear us, Holy Jesu.


THY Whose Death to mortals gave
Power to triumph o'er the grave
Living now from death to save,
Hear us, Holy JESU.


Thou before Whose great white Throne
All our doings must be show,
Pleading now for us, Thine own
Hear us, Holy JESU.


Thou Who Death was borne that we,
From the power of Satan free,
Might not die eternally
Hear us, Holy JESU.


Thou Who dost a place prepare,
That in heavenly mansions fair,
Sinners may Thy glory share,
Hear us, Holy JESU.


This (and the next four posts) comes from my dusty tome of hymns. I'm guessing it's an Anglican book of hymns, perhaps methodist or presbyterian. The rhythms and patterns of the year are marked out in the book in mostly helpful ways and there are different forms of sung corporate worship.  This litany , which although it is about the "Four Last Things" is in 5 parts and focuses on the coming King and what precedes of accompanies that coming, those singing it - do so, responding together calling for prayer to be heard and God's promise to be kept.


The focus here is rightly that in the midst of anticipating the future our gaze is doubly fixed: not only on what is coming but on what has been.  Jesus will come to judge and save because he came to be judged in order to save.  Each stanza of this sung prayer has that hope filled double-vision. We too must keep our eyes focussed in two directions: to the past of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and to the future promise of salvation for eternal life in Him who is the resurrection.

"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." 2Timothy 4:7-8