Whom do we want as judge?

So in the end it comes down to who we want our judge to be. We don’t want to be judged by other people, and we don’t want to be judged by God, so that leaves ourselves. Down where it really counts, we want to be our own judge. We want to be in charge of evaluating ourselves. We want to be able to sing with Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way.”—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 317

I Will Sing the Wondrous Story

618 I Will Sing the Wondrous Story

1 I will sing the wondrous story
   Of the Christ who died for me.
   How He left His home in glory
   For the cross of Calvary.

Refrain:
   Yes, I'll sing the wondrous Story
   Of the Christ who died for me,
   Sing it with the saint in glory
   Gathered by the crystal sea.

2 I was lost, but Jesus found me,
   Found the sheep that went astray,
   Threw His loving arms around me,
   Drew me back into His way.

3 I was bruised, but Jesus healed me;
   Faint was I from many a fall;
   Sight was gone, and fears possessed me,
   But He freed me from them all.

4 Days of darkness still come o'er me,
   Sorrow's paths I often tread,
   But the Savior still is with me;
   By His hand I'm safely led.
                         Francis H. Rowley
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Many hymnals combine the verses such that verse 1 and 2 are verse 1, etc. And many also don't include the refrain. Many also include another verse (the second half of which this version uses as a refrain):

3 He will keep me till the river
   Rolls its waters at my feet;
   Then He'll bear me safely over,
   Where the loved ones I shall meet.
   Yes, I'll sing the wondrous story
   Of the Christ who died for me,
   Sing it with the saints in glory,
   Gathered by the crystal sea.

</idle musing>

The antiquity of the word "judgmental"

Perhaps we need some perspective on the matter, for this is a very recent development. The 1971 edition of the Oxford English Dictionary does not contain the word “judgmental” at all; the closest thing to it is the rare “judgmatical,” with the largely positive meaning of “judicious, discerning.” The next edition of the OED indicates that its first significant appearance with the negative connotation of today was in <>1965<>!—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 313 n. 22 (emphasis original)

We are all complicit

When I was a young activist in Virginia in the ’60s, my comrades and I loved the fierce passages from the Hebrew prophets. We envisioned them as God’s judgment on all the Southern conservatives who were still laboring in outer darkness concerning civil rights and the Vietnam War. Like many young idealists, we thought of ourselves as bringers of light. Later I learned that we are all in this together. I also am implicated in “grinding the face of the poor.”—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 310 n. 17

A Prayer

610 Prayer

Give us
A pure heart
That we may see Thee,
A humble heart
That we may hear Thee,
A heart of love
That we may serve Thee,
A heart of faith
That we may live Thee.
—Dag Hammarskjøld Hymns for the Family of God

Ransom

A passage in Isaiah [60:15–19] depicts God as the redeemer who brings precious gifts to reclaim Israel for his own. It certainly sounds like a “ransom,” and a “king’s ransom” at that — only it is not the king who is being ransomed; rather, in a true gospel reversal, it is the king who is doing the ransoming.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 300 (emphasis original)

Setting things right

If the ransom saying of Mark 10:45 is allowed full rein as a fluid, suggestive metaphor, rather than a rigidly schematic transaction, we are freed to see with the eyes of faith that somehow, on the cross, God himself is doing the paying. This is consistent with the point we are emphasizing throughout, that something is wrong and must be put right. The whole concept of redemption is another way of identifying God’s way of setting right what is wrong. This is the meaning of Paul’s word “rectification” — dikaiosyne in New Testament Greek.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 296 (emphasis original)

Jesus Will Walk with Me

609 Jesus Will Walk with Me

1. Jesus will walk with me down thru the valley,
   Jesus will walk with me over the plain;
   When in the shadow or when in the sunshine,
   If He goes with me I shall not complain.

Refrain
   Jesus will walk with me,
   He will talk with me;
   He will walk with me;
   In joy or in sorrow, today and tomorrow,
   I know He will walk with me.

2. Jesus will walk with me when I am tempted,
   Giving me strength as my need may demand;
   When in affliction His presence is near me,
   I am upheld by His almighty hand. [Refrain]

3. Jesus will walk with me, guarding me ever,
   Giving me victory thru storm and thru strife;
   He is my Comforter, Counselor, Leader,
   Over the uneven journey of life. [Refrain]

4. Jesus will walk with me in life’s fair morning,
   And when the shadows of evening must come;
   Living or dying, He will not forsake me.
   Jesus will walk with me all the way home. [Refrain]
                         Haldor Lillenas
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Deliverance by purchase

And so the New Testament proclamation of redemption in and by Jesus Christ carries forward two major Old Testament themes. Redemption continues to mean liberation by a mighty power, as in some of the postexilic portions of the Old Testament; and second, it continues to bear its original Old Testament meaning of a price paid. Hence, again, the meaning is deliverance by purchase at cost, allowing for considerable movement between the two.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 293 (emphasis original)

It came at a cost

What we dare not lose in the “ransom saying” is the sense conveyed to us that Jesus himself is the price of our redemption. The church needs to hear the apostolic truth that the death of Jesus was an offering of incomparable value. That is the basic idea in ransom and redemption: not just any deliverance, but deliverance at cost. We may retain the more general sense and the more literal one at the same time, as long as we keep them in balance. Redemption can mean “loosing” or “freeing” in a very broad sense; but if we are to account for the very particular horrors of crucifixion, we must retain the idea of cost.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 289 (emphasis original)

Tozer for Tuesday

A dear old brother with not too much education, but he was a dear saint, said the passage of Scripture he loved was, “It came to pass.” He testified, “When I get in trouble, I just look up to God and say, ‘Father, I remember this came to pass.’” It passes after a while, and all of your problems come to pass. They will pass if you’ll just outlive them and keep right on.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 169

Take Thou My Hand, O Father

600 Take Thou My Hand, O Father

1 Take thou my hand and lead me;
   stay by my side
   til in thy joy eternal
   I may abide.
   Alone I will not wander
   one single day.
   Be thou my true companion
   and with me stay.

2 O cover with thy mercy
   my poor, weak heart!
   Let ev’ry thought rebellious
   from me depart.
   Permit thy child to linger
   here at thy feet,
   and fully trust thy goodness
   with faith complete.

3 Though naught of thy great power
   may move my soul,
   with thee through night and darkness
   I reach the goal.
   Take, then, my hand and lead me,
   stay by my side,
   and in thy joy eternal
   I shall abide.
                         Julie Katherina Hausmann
                         Tr. by Herman Brückner
                         Hymns for the Family of God

The human predicament is dire!

The human predicament is so dire that it cannot be remedied in any ordinary way. If we fail to see this, then we “have not yet considered the great weight of sin.” [Anselm] Redemption (buying back), therefore, is not cheap. In the death of Jesus we see God himself suffering the consequences of Sin. That is the “price.” When Christian teaching falls short of this proclamation, the work of Christ on the cross is diminished to the vanishing point, becoming nothing more than an exemplary death to admire, to venerate, perhaps even to emulate, but certainly not an event to shake the foundations of this world order.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 287

The "mother" tree

Last week I finally read Finding the Mother Tree. Fascinating book and very readable. I highly recommend it. This quotation, from right at the beginning of the book, summarizes what she has discovered over the course of a lifetime of research.

The older trees are able to discern which seedlings are their own kin.

The old trees nurture the young ones and provide them food and water just as we do with our own children. It is enough to make one pause, take a deep breath, and contemplate the social nature of the forest and how this is critical for evolution. The fungal network appears to wire the trees for fitness. And more. These old trees are mothering their children.—Finding the Mother Tree, 5

It rings true with what I noticed informally over my life. They are finding it is true even among garden plants and between species. Truly amazing! The handiwork of God is beyond comprehension.

God is not divided!

God is not divided against himself. When we see Jesus, we see the Father (John 14:7). The Father did not look at Jesus on the cross and suddenly have a change of heart. The purpose of the atonement was not to bring about a change in God’s attitude toward his rebellious creatures. God’s attitude toward us has always and ever been the same. Judgment against sin is preceded, accompanied, and followed by God’s mercy. "There was never a time when God was against us. Even in his wrath he is for us. Yet at the same time he is not for us without wrath, because his will is to destroy all that is hostile to perfecting his world. The paradox of the cross demonstrates the victorious love of God for us at the same time that it shows forth his judgment upon sin.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 282

Anywhere with Jesus

594 Anywhere with Jesus

1 Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go,
   Anywhere He leads me in this world below;
   Anywhere without Him dearest joys would fade;
   Anywhere with Jesus I am not afraid.

Chorus:
   Anywhere, anywhere! Fear I cannot know;
   Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go.

2 Anywhere with Jesus I am not alone;
   Other friends may fail me, He is still my own;
   Tho' His hand may lead me over drearest ways,
   Anywhere with Jesus is a house of praise. [Chorus]

3 Anywhere with Jesus, over land and sea,
   Telling souls in darkness of salvation free;
   Ready as He summons me to go or stay,
   Anywhere with Jesus when He points the way. [Chorus]

4 Anywhere with Jesus I can go to sleep,
   When the dark'ning shadows round about me creep,
   Knowing I shall waken never more to roam;
   Anywhere with Jesus will be home, sweet home. [Chorus]
                         Jessie B. Pounds
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

591 Just a Closer Walk with Thee

1 I am weak but Thou art strong;
   Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
   I'll be satisfied as long
   As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Refrain:
   Just a closer walk with Thee,
   Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
   Daily walking close to Thee,
   Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

2 Thro' this world of toil and snares,
   If I falter, Lord, who cares?
   Who with me my burden shares?
   None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain]

3 When my feeble life is o'er,
   Time for me will be no more;
   Guide me gently, safely o'er
   To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain]
                         Anonymous
                         Hymns for the Family of God

I Am His and He is Mine

590 I Am His and He is Mine

1 Loved with everlasting love,
   led by grace that love to know;
   gracious Spirit from above,
   Thou dost taught me it is so!
   O this full and precious peace!
   O this transport all divine!
   In a love which cannot cease,
   I am His and He is mine.
   In a love which cannot cease,
   I am His and He is mine.

2 Heav'n above is deeper blue;
   earth around is sweeter green;
   something lives in ev'ry hue
   Christless eyes have never seen.
   Birds with gladder songs o'erflow;
   flow'rs with deeper beauties shine;
   Since I know, as now I know,
   I am His and He is mine.
   Since I know, as now I know,
   I am His and He is mine.

3 Taste the goodness of the Lord:
   welcomed home to His embrace,
   all His love, as blood outpoured,
   seals the pardon of His grace.
   Can I doubt His love for me,
   when I trace that love's design?
   By the cross of Calvary
   I am His and He is mine.
   By the cross of Calvary
   I am His and He is mine.

4 His forever, only his!
   Who the Lord and me shall part?
   Ah, with what a rest of bliss
   Christ can fill the loving heart!
   Heav'n and earth may fade and flee,
   firstborn light in gloom decline;
   But while God and I shall be,
   I am His and He is mine.
   But while God and I shall be,
   I am His and He is mine.
                         George Robinson
                         Hymns for the Family of God