A rescue operation

The “apocalypse” of the cross and resurrection, therefore, was not an inevitable final stage in an orderly process, or an accumulation of progressive steps toward a goal; it was a dramatic rescue bid into which God has flung his entire self.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 355

Redeemed!

646 Redeemed

1 Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
   Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
   redeemed through His infinite mercy—
   His child, and forever, I am.

Refrain:
   Redeemed, redeemed,
   redeemed by the blood of the Lamb!
   Redeemed, redeemed–
   His child and forever, I am.

2 Redeemed and so happy in Jesus,
   no language my rapture can tell!
   I know that the light of His presence
   with me doth continually dwell. [Refrain]

3 I think of my blessed Redeemer;
   I think of Him all the day long.
   I sing, for I cannot be silent;
   His love is the theme of my song. [Refrain]

4 I know I shall see in His beauty
   the King in whose law I delight,
   who lovingly guardeth my footsteps
   and giveth me songs in the night. [Refrain]
                         Fanny Crosby
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Now I Belong to Jesus

637 Now I Belong to Jesus

1 Jesus my Lord will love me forever,
   From him no pow'r of evil can sever;
   He gave his life to ransom my soul-
   Now I belong to him!

Refrain:
   Now I belong to Jesus,
   Jesus belongs to me-
   Not for the years of time alone,
   But for eternity.

2 Once I was lost in sin's degradation,
   Jesus came down to bring me salvation,
   Lifted me up from sorrow and shame-
   Now I belong to him! [Refrain]

3 Joy floods my soul, for Jesus has saved me,
   Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me;
   His precious blood he gave to redeem-
   Now I belong to him! [Refrain]
                         Norman J. Clayton
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I mused about Clayton in this post. As for this hymn, there is a nice devotional on it here.
</idle musing>

The Light of the World Is Jesus

636 The Light of the World Is Jesus

1 The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin;
   The Light of the world is Jesus.
   Like sunshine at noonday His glory shone in;
   The Light of the world is Jesus.

Refrain:
   Come to the Light; ’tis shining for thee.
   Sweetly the Light has dawned upon me.
   Once I was blind, but now I can see.
   The Light of the world is Jesus.

2 No darkness have we who in Jesus abide;
   The Light of the world is Jesus.
   We walk in the light when we follow our Guide;
   The Light of the world is Jesus. [Refrain]

4 No need of the sunlight in heaven, we’re told;
   The Light of the world is Jesus.
   The Lamb is the Light in the city of gold;
   The Light of the world is Jesus. [Refrain]
                         Philip P. Bliss
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I don't recall ever hearing or singing this Philip Bliss song. It isn't one of his better know ones, only occurring in about 180 hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

3 Ye dwellers in darkness with sin-blinded eyes:
   The Light of the world is Jesus.
   Go, wash at His bidding, and light will arise;
   The Light of the world is Jesus. [Refrain]

</idle musing>

Why Do I Sing about Jesus?

635 Why Do I Sing about Jesus?

1 Deep in my heart there's a gladness,
   Jesus has saved me from sin!
   Praise to His name, what a Saviour!
   Cleansing without and within.

Refrain:
   Why do I sing about Jesus?
   Why is He precious to me?
   He is my Lord and my Saviour,
   Dying! He set me free!

2 Only a glimpse of His goodness,
   That was sufficient for me;
   Only one look at the Saviour,
   Then was my spirit set free. (Refrain)

3 He is the fairest of fair ones,
   He is the Lily, the Rose;
   Rivers of mercy surround Him,
   Grace, love, and pity He shows. (Refrain)
                         Albert A. Ketchum
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Reconciliation

“Evil forces are to be cast out, not reconciled. Reconciliation is the result of that struggle, and is brought about only through conflict and eventually through death itself.”—Kenneth Leech, We Preach Christ Crucified (Cambridge Mass.: Cowley, 1994), 50, in Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 344

God's work—from beginning to end

The bedrock of the gospel is that the whole matter of reconciliation (laid out in Eph. 1:7—2:7) is God’s work from beginning to end; we receive God’s justifying grace passively, as pure gift. We are <>acted upon<> by God. But this is only half of the picture. Even as we receive God’s gracious action passively, we are in the same motion <>activated<> for a life of service. Verse 10 is an extraordinarily illuminating verse, splendid for teaching the relation of human activity to the divine activity. This exceptional passage should lay to rest all complaints that the emphasis on God’s agency leaves us with nothing to do.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 342 (emphasis original)

O, How I Love Jesus

634 O, How I Love Jesus

1 There is a name I love to hear,
   I love to sing its worth;
   It sounds like music in my ear,
   The sweetest name on earth.

Refrain:
   O how I love Jesus,
   O how I love Jesus,
   O how I love Jesus,
   Because He first loved me!

2 It tells me of a Savior's love,
   Who died to set me free;
   It tells me of His precious blood,
   The sinner's perfect plea. [Refrain]

3 It tells of One whose loving heart
   Can feel my deepest woe,
   Who in each sorrow bears a part,
   That none can bear below. [Refrain]
                         Frederick Whitfield
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

3 It tells me what my Father has
   In store for ev'ry day,
   And though I tread a gloomy path,
   The sinner's all the way. [Refrain]

</idle musing>