Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore

The Presbyterian Hymnal (1991) is at its best when it includes new hymns, and they hit a home run with "Lord, You Have Come to the Lakeshore" by Cesáreo Gabaráin. The words listed below (in Spanish and English) differ somewhat from what is in the current hymnal:

Original Spanish:

Estrofa 1

1. Tú has venido a la orilla,
no has buscado ni a sabios ni a ricos;
tan sólo quieres que yo te siga.

Estribillo
Señor, me has mirado a los ojos,
sonriendo has dicho mi nombre,
en la arena he dejado mi barca,
junto a ti buscaré otro mar.

Estrofas 2-4
2. Tú sabes bien lo que tengo;
en mi barca no hay oro ni espadas,
Tan sólo redes y mi trabajo.

3. Tú necesitas mis manos,
mi cansancio que a otros descanse,
Amor que quiera seguir amando.

4. Tú, pescador de otros lagos,
ansia eterna de almas que esperan,
amigo bueno, que así me llamas.

English Translation:

Verse 1
1. Lord, you have come to the seashore,
neither searching for the rich nor the wise,
desiring only that I should follow.

Refrain
O, Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name;
all I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side, I will seek other shores.

Verses 2-4
2. Lord, see my goods, my possessions;
in my boat you find no power, no wealth.
Will you accept, then, my nets and labor?

3. Lord, take my hands and direct them.
Help me spend myself in seeking the lost,
returning love for the love you gave me.

4. Lord, as I drift on the waters,
be the resting place of my restless heart,
my life's companion, my friend and refuge.

The words and translation came from Spirit and Song.

Easter 2012

In the 8th century A.D. John of Damascus (675-749?) wrote many hymns, including this gem. John Neale translated it in 1862 and it remains a staple in hymnals to this day:

The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad;
The Passover of gladness, the Passover of God.
From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky,
Our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.

Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright
The Lord in rays eternal of resurrection light;
And listening to His accents, may hear, so calm and plain,
His own "All hail!" and, hearing, may raise the victor strain.

Now let the heavens be joyful! Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph, and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end.

The words are taken from The Cyber Hymnal.

Main Page - Hymnopedia.com - a semi-definitive Wiki of Christian hymns, MIDI files, composers and authors.

Main Page - Hymnopedia.com - a semi-definitive Wiki of Christian hymns, MIDI files, composers and authors.:

"Hymnopedia is free for you to use, learn and contribute.

Use your Facebook account to Login get recognized for your contributions &receive your own bio and talk page (this approach also cuts down on pesky spammers). Oh, and don't forget to join our Facebook Group Page! ..."

This is still a work in progress, but I look forward to seeing it develop.

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace and its composition has been the subject of many books and even a movie of the same title. The Wikipedia article lists the six verses here with the seventh verse having been added from a 1790 source that had been passed along by African-American. It appeared in Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and has to this day been, perhaps, the best known verse of this well-known hymn. But it wasn't written by John Newton, as were the first six verses...

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

The tune is in Common Meter and no one seems to know which of the many C.M. tunes might have been used at the time Newton wrote this in 1779. The tune which has been most often associated with Amazing Grace is New Britain, composed in the 1830's. It appeared with William Walker's Southern Harmony in 1835.

The image is a page from the 1847 edition of The Southern Harmony showing the melody in the tenor line and the shape notes typical of this period in American hymnbooks. It was obtained from Wikipedia and is in the public domain.

Long Road From ‘Come By Here’ to ‘Kumbaya’ — On Religion - NYTimes.com

Long Road From ‘Come By Here’ to ‘Kumbaya’ — On Religion - NYTimes.com:

"... With that wax cylinder, the oldest known recording of a spiritual titled for its recurring plea, Mr. Gordon set into motion a strange and revealing process of cultural appropriation, popularization and desecration. “Come By Here,” a song deeply rooted in black Christianity’s vision of a God who intercedes to deliver both solace and justice, by the 1960s became the pallid pop-folk sing-along 'Kumbaya.' And 'Kumbaya,' in turn, has lately been transformed into snarky shorthand for ridiculing a certain kind of idealism, a quest for common ground. ..."

This is actually a month or so old, but gives an interesting history of the well-known spiritual Kumbaya. It was first recorded in 1926 on a wax cylinder and featured a man from the coastal area of Georgia singing a song with the familiar words "Come by here".

It's particularly interesting to me that no one has found an indigenous African word that sounds like "kumbaya", but that the phrase "come by here" in the Gullah dialect of the Georgia coast might sound like "kumbaya".

I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art

John Calvin, born nearly 500 years ago on July 10, 1509, wrote this hymn in 1545. It is sung to the melody Toulon, which appeared in the Genevan Psalter in 1551.

I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
My only trust and Savior of my heart,
Who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;
I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take.

Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,
Reigning omnipotent in every place;
So come, O King, and our whole being sway;
Shine on us with the light of Thy pure day.

Thou art the life, by which alone we live,
And all our substance and our strength receive;
Sustain us by Thy faith and by Thy power,
And give us strength in every trying hour.

Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness,
No harshness hast Thou and no bitterness;
O grant to us the grace we find in Thee,
That we may dwell in perfect unity.

Our hope is in no other save in Thee;
Our faith is built upon Thy promise free;
Lord, give us peace, and make us calm and sure,
That in Thy strength we evermore endure.
(words from The Cyber Hymnal)

The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990) has this as hymn 457, and employs all verses unaltered.

Paul enjoined the Ephesians to "^5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Among the uses to which hymns are put is instruction in faith and theology. I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art is not only a hymn of praise, but a hymn that provides us with instruction that is squarely rooted in the Reformation.

A Great Typo!

I was perusing our church worship bulletin Sunday, and I noted that the music for the early service included some variations on "The Strife is On" and made reference to hymn 119 in the Presbyterian Hymnal.

I suppressed my urge to snicker and tried mightily to restore a worshipful attitude for the remainder of the service.

Was someone thinking of the various controversies in the PC(USA)?

In any event, it is one of the great hymns of the Church, and I think the words are appropriate for the season:

The strife is o’er, the battle done;
The victory of life is won;
The song of triumph has begun: Alleluia!

The powers of death have done their worst;
But Christ their legions hath dispersed;
Let shouts of holy joy outburst: Alleluia!

The three sad days are quickly sped;
He rises glorious from the dead;
All glory to our risen Head! Alleluia!

He closed the yawning gates of hell;
The bars from heaven’s high portals fell;
Let hymns of praise His triumphs tell! Alleluia!

Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,
From death’s dread sting Thy servants free,
That we may live, and sing to Thee: Alleluia!

The Presbyterian Hymnal uses stanzas 1, 2, 3, and 5 of those shown above, with minor changes in the 5th stanza. The music is by Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina and the words are from a Latin text of the late 17th Century.

Update on The Cyber Hymnal

The Cyber Hymnal, which has been having problems with the hijacking of its old domain name, is back up in a new location. If this is a resource that you have grown to love and depend on, then go ahead and change your bookmarks and links.

I'm guessing that the domain name registration expired and before the good folks at The Cyber Hymnal could get the name re-registered, someone snapped it up and it now seems to be an advertising vehicle.

Merry Christmas 2008

From time to time I offer up a hymn for reflection, and today I present O Little Town of Bethlehem, written in 1868 by the Reverend Phillips Brooks, an Episcopal priest from Philadelphia. He was inspired by a trip he took in 1865 to Bethlehem. The words below are from Wikipedia, and the fourth verse is one I have never seen:

O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee to-night.

O morning stars, together
Proclaim the holy birth!
And praises sing to God the King,
And peace to men on earth.
For Christ is born of Mary,
And gathered all above,
While mortals sleep, the angels keep
Their watch of wondering love.

How silently, oh how silently,
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.

Where children pure and happy
Pray to the blessed Child,
Where misery cries out to thee,
Son of the mother mild;
Where charity stands watching
And faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.

O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

Politically correct Christmas carols censor 'king', 'son' and 'virgin' - Telegraph

Politically correct Christmas carols censor 'king', 'son' and 'virgin' - Telegraph:

"Enduring favourites such as Hark the Herald Angels Sing and God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen are being altered by clergy to make them more 'modern and inclusive'.

But churchgoers say there is no need to change the popular carols and complain that the result is a 'festive car crash' if not everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. ..."

I appreciate the imagery in "festive car crash". In church Sunday we sang a lot of carols as part of the children's Christmas Pageant. Many, if not most of those singing had their hymnals open, but did not look at the words. At least not until they hit one of the "corrected" lines when they momentarily appeared disoriented as they sang the words they knew while some around them were singing unfamiliar words.

I think it needs to be emphasized again: Leave the existing hymns alone. If you don't like them, write new ones.

All Saints Day 2008

One of my favorite hymns for this season (and all seasons) is the rousing For All the Saints. In the Presbyterian tradition, six verses have been employed -- 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, and 11 of the ones shown below -- not even The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990) could not bring itself to totally "correct" its martial metaphors, instead tucking the offending verses out of the way. I have expressed the opinion before, and I do so again: Tinkering with hymns rarely improves the product, and this is no exception. Verses 9 and 10 are particularly meaningful, and do much to enhance the story being told. I have not seen verses 3, 4, or 5 in any hymnal.

William Walsham How wrote the words in 1864 and Ralph Vaughan Williams published the most familiar hymn tune in The English Hymnal (1906).

For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!

We remember those who have gone before.

Memorial Day, 2008

This hymn, written by William Whiting in 1860, is known widely as the "Navy Hymn" and is a common staple of Memorial Day services. Liam's late grandfather (my father-in-law) served in the US Navy in the Pacific during World War II. Both my brothers served in the US Navy in the mid to late 1970s and I tried to enlist in the USN when I "won" the draft lottery in 1971. As events turned out, I had some medical issues that made me a 4F, so I returned to college.

What I think about most, when I hear this tune, is the summer of 1970. I had recently graduated high school and the shocking news came that a beloved music teacher had died. Mr. Dubin was a veteran of World War II (as were a number of teachers in my high school) and he was interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Many of his students were present, and in the course of the graveside ceremony a military brass band played the Navy Hymn. It was not unfamiliar to me, as it has long been a part of the Presbyterian hymn tradition, but since that time I have an emotional response when I hear or sing this great trinitarian hymn.

The words below are from the Cyber Hymnal, and I suspect they are the original words. They differ in some ways with the various Presbyterian hymnals.

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who biddest the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy Word,
Who walked on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!

O Trinity of love and power!
Our family shield in danger’s hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect us wheresoever we go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

[Added Later] -- Wikipedia has an informative article on "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" with its history and a compendium of supplemental verses written over the years.

Just As I Am

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!

-- Words from The Cyber Hymnal

Charlotte Elliot (1789-1871) wrote Just As I Am, Without One Plea in 1935 following an encounter with a man who asked her if she was a Christian. Initially she took great offense and told him it was none of his business. After some reflection, she asked this man how she might go about finding Christ. His answer was to come as you are. The man is not identified in the Wikipedia article, but The Cyber Hymnal identifies him as Cé­sar Ma­lan, who was not only a minister, but a hymn writer and composer. The hymn tune that comes to mind is Hendon, which is used for Take My Life And Let It Be Consecrated, Lord, To Thee.

Not long after this encounter she wrote this hymn, which has been a staple of hymnals across the Protestant spectrum.

Father, Long Before Creation

Father, Long Before Creation

Father, long before creation
Thou hadst chosen us in love,
And that love so deep, so moving,
Draws us close to Christ above.
Still it keeps us, still it keeps us
Firmly fixed in Christ alone.

Though the world may change its fashion,
Yet our God is e'er the same;
His compassion and His covenant
Through all ages will remain.
God's own children, God's own children
Must forever praise His name.

God's compassion is my story,
Is my boasting all the day;
Mercy free and never failing
Moves my will, directs my way.
God so loved us, God so loved us
That His only Son He gave.

Loving Father now before Thee
We will ever praise Thy love,
And our songs will sound unceasing
'Til we reach our home above,
Giving glory, giving glory
To our God and to the Lamb.

This hymn is found in The Hymnbook (1955). The words are anonymous Chinese from about 1952 and translated by Francis P. Jones in 1953.

The tune, Miller Chapel (8. 7. 8. 7. 4. 4. 7), was written by David Hugh Jones in 1954. A google search on his name turns up not only that a person of that name was the choir director at Princeton Theological Seminary at that time, but also that there is a "Miller Chapel" on that campus, so I am pretty sure that is who it is.

The melody line is written in a pentatonic mode (it can be played using just the black keys on a piano), thus is neither major nor minor. It has a faintly oriental sound to it.

This hymn is one of the "sleepers" of the 1955 hymnal. It did not make it into subsequent Presbyterian hymnals, although it has been used by others with a different tune. Its words are full of meaning and it has a beautiful and haunting tune.

Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

-- Alfred Tennyson, 1850

Alfred Tennyson wrote such poems as Crossing the Bar and Strong Son of God, Immortal Love, which, like the poem above, are fixtures in English hymnody. All three of these were present in The Hymnal (1933). Strong Son of God and Ring Out the Old were present in The Hymnbook (1955). Strong Son of God made it into The Worshipbook (1972), but there is nothing by Tennyson listed in The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990).

We sang this in worship on the last Sunday of 2007, and I was struck by its timeliness, even considering that the hymn in the older red hymnal consists of only stanzas 2, 4, 7, and 8 of the poem above.

It is a pity that none of Tennyson's hymns made it into the latest PC(USA) hymnal. For this election year, Ring Out the Old, Ring In the New could serve to call us away from the evils of inequity, greed, hate, war, and partisanship.

The words to the poem, Ring Out, Wild Bells, and the image of Tennyson were obtained from Wikipedia. The photograph is from the 1904 book, The Hundred Best English Poems, which was released in 2006 by Project Gutenberg.

Thanksgiving 2007

What shall I render to my God
For all His mercy’s store?
I’ll take the gifts He hath bestowed,
And humbly ask for more.

The sacred cup of saving grace
I will with thanks receive,
And all His promises embrace,
And to His glory live.

My vows I will to His great Name
Before His people pay,
And all I have, and all I am,
Upon His altar lay.

Thy lawful servant, Lord, I owe
To Thee whate’er is mine,
Born in Thy family below,
And by redemption thine.

Thy hands created me, Thy hands
From sin have set me free,
The mercy that hath loosed my bands
Hath bound me fast to Thee.

The God of all redeeming grace
My God I will proclaim,
Offer the sacrifice of praise,
And call upon His Name.

Praise Him, ye saints, the God of love,
Who hath my sins forgiven,
Till, gathered to the church above,
We sing the songs of Heaven.

-- Charles Wesley

Words from The Cyber Hymnal

Reformation 2007

A hymn that is always meaningful to me is even more appropriate at this time of year when we observe the 490th anniversary of Martin Luther's publication of the 95 Theses. See how many Reformation themes you can spot in this hymn:

How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, so your succor shall be.

Fear not -- I am with you; O be not dismayed,
I, I am your God and will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I cause you to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not you o'erflow;
For I will be with you your troubles to bless,
And sanctify to you your deepest distress.

When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply;
The flame shall not hurt you: I only design
Your dross to consume, and your gold to refine.

Even down to old age all my people shall prove
My sov'reign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has lean'd for repose,
I will not, I can not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never -- no never -- no never forsake!

-- Words from The Christian Hymn Book: A Compilation of Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, Original and Selected by A. Campbell and Others. Cincinnati 1866

Foundation, in the Presbyterian Hymnal, is the tune that I prefer over all others. Like many of the hymn tunes arising from the American shape note tradition, it is in a pentatonic scale. The melody can be played using only the black keys of the piano.

With a meter of 11.11.11.11, there are a limited number of hymn tunes that can be used here -- St. Denio (Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise); Mueller (Away in a Manger) -- to name a couple.

You could even sing it to "The Streets of Laredo", but let's not go there...

Indian, Black Gospel and Scottish Singing Form an Unusual Musical Bridge - washingtonpost.com

Indian, Black Gospel and Scottish Singing Form an Unusual Musical Bridge - washingtonpost.com:
[Free registration required to read articles]

By Chuck McCutcheon
Religion News Service
Saturday, April 21, 2007; Page B09

"Jazz musician and Yale University music scholar Willie Ruff, who uncovered the links between 18th-century Scottish singing and black gospel music, has connected another group to the style: Native Americans.

A descendant of an Oklahoma tribe contacted him after learning about a 2005 Yale conference on line singing, an a cappella vocal form that originated in Scotland and is still sung in parts of the South. And this week, a second conference featured Muscogee Creek Indians singing with Baptist groups from Alabama and Kentucky.

Ruff said he was surprised to learn that all three groups know the same hymn: "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah." They sang their versions at the conference. ..."

This is a pretty interesting article for those who enjoy the origins of American hymnody. I'm not that familiar with "line singing", but it seems to share some attributes with shape-note singing, which has made a significant contribution to the Presbyterian Hymnal (look for The Sacred Harp and The Southern Harmony in the list of hymn sources in the back of the hymnal).

Good Friday, 2007

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast Thou offended,
That man to judge Thee hath in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by Thine own rejected,
O most afflicted.

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone Thee.
’Twas I, Lord, Jesus, I it was denied Thee!
I crucified Thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
The slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered;
For man’s atonement, while he nothing heedeth,
God intercedeth.

For me, kind Jesus, was Thy incarnation,
Thy mortal sorrow, and Thy life’s oblation;
Thy death of anguish and Thy bitter passion,
For my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee,
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee,
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving,
Not my deserving.

-- Hymn by Johann Heermann (1630); Music by Johann Crü­ger (1640)

The second verse reaches out and grabs me every time I sing this hymn.

For further information on this hymn, and its history, see Ah, Holy Jesus on the CyberHymnal website. If you can read German, take a look at Herzliebster Jesu, also on the CyberHymnal site. There are fifteen verses of which five were translated to English.

The painting by Rembrandt van Rijn, The Raising of the Cross, shows the artist as one of those crucifying Jesus. The late Francis Schaeffer, in his book How Should We Then Live? points out how Rembrandt's understanding of Reformed theology led him to see himself as one of those for whom Christ paid the penalty.

Presbyterian Outlook: Living in Hope

Presbyterian Outlook: Living in Hope
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"Whether it be spouted by the Jesus Seminar scholars, the Da Vinci Code author or The Lost Tomb of Jesus producer, this is the season when magazines give undeserved attention to Jesus’ detractors. In spite of their allegedly formidable arguments, confident Christians worldwide will gather in huge numbers on Easter morning chanting, “He is risen. He is risen. He is risen indeed.”

Presbyterian Outlook: Living in Hope Such affirmations continue undeterred, because the arguments supporting the resurrection and the legacy of Christ-changed lives far overwhelm lame claims about some Passover Plot.

Then again, resurrection faith does have other detractors, or distracters. We who declare the confident hope of resurrection often exhibit attitudes that scream out hopelessness, despair, and defeat.

These voices of despair have saddened me more than once since I accepted the call to serve as your editor here at the Outlook. They broadcast their hopelessness by sending in letters to the editor. Many letters challenge the viewpoints of this editor and our writers, and that’s totally okay. But what breaks my heart is reading letters that sing, “Hi, ho, the church is dead, the wicked church, the church is dead.”

Such voices don’t say that the Church-with-a-capital-C, the universal Church of Jesus Christ, is dead. They have claimed that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is dead, that it is irretrievably lost and hopelessly undone. They blame bureaucracy and ideology, traditionalism and liberalism, compromises and conspiracies, plus a host of other enmeshed causes. At the end, they render their final diagnosis: dead, never to be revived.

In the process, they hurl scorn and mockery at anybody who speaks a word of hope for the denomination—their hopelessness is irrefutable. ..."

Self-fulfilling prophesies are all too easy to make...

Dr. Haberer, in yesterday's editorial from the Presbyterian Outlook makes it quite clear that our hope comes not from humans but from the Resurrection of Christ, and the victory over death and freedom to live free of the bondage of sin that it provides us.

There are attacks from all directions on the Church but the ones that are most frustrating are those that occur from within.

Jack Haberer closes with a verse of The Church's One Foundation which may not be familiar to all:

Though with a scornful wonder This world sees her oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder, By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping; Their cry goes up; “How long?”
And soon the night of weeping Shall be the morn of song.

I would add to that the final two verses of I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day:

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

We live with the hope of the Resurrection; let's keep on reminding ourselves and each other of that inescapable fact.