Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Augustine on grace
Come Let Us Tune Our Loftiest Song
1 Come, let us tune our loftiest song
And raise to Christ our joyful strain;
Worship and thanks to Him belong,
Who reigns and shall forever reign.
2 His sovereign power our bodies made;
Our souls are His immortal breath;
And when His creatures sinned, He bled,
To save us from eternal death.
3 Burn every breast with Jesus’ love;
Bound every heart with rapturous joy;
And saints on earth, with saints above,
Your voices in His praise employ.
4 Extol the Lamb with loftiest song;
Prolong for Him your cheerful strain;
Worship and thanks to Him belong,
Who reigns and shall forever reign.
Robert A. West
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
<idle musing>
Not a very popular hymn, only occurring in about 60 hymnals. I don't recall ever singing it. The author also was on the committee that produced the first American Methodist hymnal.
</idle musing>
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
One does not entail the other five
Before Jehovah's Awful Throne
1 Before Jehovah's aweful throne,
ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
know that the Lord is God alone:
he can create, and he destroy.
2 His sovereign power, without our aid,
made us of clay, and formed us then;
and, when like wandering sheep we strayed,
he brought us to his fold again.
3 We'll crowd thy gates with thankful songs,
high as the heavens our voices raise;
and earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
shall fill thy courts with sounding praise.
4 Wide as the world is thy command,
vast as eternity thy love;
firm as a rock thy truth must stand,
when rolling years shall cease to move.
Isaac Watts
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
Monday, June 24, 2024
Grace a la carte
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
1 All people that on earth do dwell,
sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;
him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell,
come ye before him and rejoice.
2 The Lord, ye know, is God indeed,
without our aid he did us make;
we are his folk, he doth us feed,
and for his sheep he doth us take.
3 O enter then his gates with praise;
approach with joy his courts unto;
praise, laud, and bless his name always,
for it is seemly so to do.
4 For why? the Lord our God is good;
his mercy is for ever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.
William Kethe
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
<idle musing>
Seems the author was one of the translators of the Geneva Bible and spent a good deal of time on the continent, avoiding persection.
</idle musing>
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones
1 Ye watchers and ye holy ones,
bright seraphs, cherubim, and thrones,
raise the glad strain, Alleluia!
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, powers,
virtues, archangels, angels' choirs:
Refrain:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
2 O higher than the cherubim,
more glorious than the seraphim,
lead their praises, Alleluia!
Thou bearer of th' eternal Word,
most gracious, magnify the Lord: [Refrain]
3 Respond, ye souls in endless rest,
ye patriarchs and prophets blest,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Ye holy twelve, ye martyrs strong,
all saints triumphant, raise the song: [Refrain]
4 O friends, in gladness let us sing,
supernal anthems echoing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One: [Refrain]
Athelstan Riley
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
Saturday, June 22, 2024
How Great Thou Art
1 Oh Lord, my God
When I, in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
2 When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:
Refrain
3 And when I think that God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin
Refrain
4 When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration
And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art
Carl Gustav Boberg
Trans. by Stuart K. Hine
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
<idle musing>
As I've mentioned before, this hymn wasn't in the hymnal I grew up with; it wasn't until 1969 or so when we got the new hymnal that we could sing it as a congregation. Before that it was always a solo special. One person who sang it especially well was Earl Knight, a friend of the family. He told the story of how one time he and his wife were flying to the Southwest and as they were flying over the the Rockies, he looked out and saw the mountains. His response was to take out his ukelele and sing "How Great Thou Art" right there in the plane. All the passengers applauded when he was done. I'm sure some joined him on the chorus.
One little factiod that I just learned by reading the short bios is that this is actually a translation from the Russian of a translation into the German from the original Swedish! So, a fourth generation translation.
</idle musing>
Friday, June 21, 2024
It's all about … power
Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above
1. Praise the Lord who reigns above,
And keeps His court below;
Praise the holy God of love,
And all His greatness show;
Praise Him for His noble deeds,
Praise Him for His matchless pow'r;
Him from whom all good proceeds
Let earth and heav'n adore.
2. Celebrate th'eternal God
With harp and psaltery,
Timbrels soft and cymbals loud
In His high praise agree;
Praise Him ev'ry tuneful string;
all the reach of heav'nly art,
All the pow'rs of music bring,
The music of the heart.
3. Him in whom they move and live,
Let ev'ry creature sing,
glory to their Maker give,
And homage to their King.
Hallowed by His name beneath,
As in heav'n on earth adored;
Praise the Lord in ev'ry breath,
Let all things praise the Lord.
Charles Wesley
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
<idle musing>
Somewhat unusually, there is only one more verse that appears to be part of this hymn. Hymnary.org has it:
2. Publish, spread to all around</idle musing>
the great Jehovah’s name,
Let the trumpet’s martial sound
the Lord of hosts proclaim:
Praise Him in the sacred dance,
harmony’s full concert raise,
Let the virgin choir advance,
and move but to His praise.
Thursday, June 20, 2024
Taking it to the extreme
Open Now Thy Gates of Beauty
1 Open now thy gates of beauty,
Zion, let me enter there
Where my soul in joyful duty
Waits on Him who answers prayer.
O how blessed is this place,
Filled with solace, light and grace!
2 Gracious God, I come before Thee,
Come Thou also down to me.
Where I find Thee and adore Thee,
There a heav'n on earth must be.
With Thy grace O enter Thou,
Make my heart Thy temple now.
Benjamin Schmolck
Trans. by Catherine Winkworth
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
<idle musing>
Hymnary.org lists the following additional verses:
3 Here Thy praise is gladly chanted,</idle musing>
Here Thy seed is duly sown;
Let my soul, Thy blessing granted,
Precious sheaves bring forth alone.
Grant that all I hear may be
Fruitful unto life in me.4 Thou my faith increase and quicken,
Let me keep that gift divine;
When temptations come and thicken,
Make Thy Word forever shine
As my guiding star thro' life,
As my comfort in the strife.5 Speak, O Lord, and I will hear Thee,
Let Thy will be done indeed;
May I undisturbed draw near Thee
While Thou dost Thy people feed;
Here of life the fountain flows,
Here is balm for all our woes.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
A modern construct?
Let all the world in every corner sing
1 Let all the world in every corner sing,
"My God and King!"
The heav'ns are not too high,
God's praise may thither fly;
the earth is not too low,
God's praises there may grow.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
"My God and King!"
2 Let all the world in every corner sing,
"My God and King!"
The church with psalms must shout:
no door can keep them out.
But, more than all, the heart
must bear the longest part.
Let all the world in every corner sing,
"My God and King!"
George Herbert
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
O Thou in All Thy Might So Far
1 O thou in all thy might so far,
In all thy love so near,
Beyond the range of sun and star,
And yet beside us here:
2 What heart can comprehend thy Name,
Or searching find thee out,
Who art within, a quickening flame,
A presence round about?
3 Yet though I know thee but in part,
I ask not, Lord, for more;
Enough for me to know thou art,
To love thee, and adore.
4 And dearer than all things I know
Is childlike faith to me,
That makes the darkest way I go
An open path to thee.
Frederick Ludian Hosmer
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
The "free" gift
I'll praise My Maker While I've Breath
1 I’ll praise my Maker with my breath,
and when my voice is lost in death,
praise shall employ my noblest pow'rs;
my days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life, and thought, and being last,
or immortality endures.
2 Happy the man whose hopes rely
on Israel's God; He made the sky,
and earth and seas, with all their train;
His truth for ever stands secure;
He saves th'oppressed, He feeds the poor,
and none shall find His promise vain.
3 The Lord pours eye-sight on the blind;
the Lord supports the fainting mind
and sends the lab'ring conscience peace;
He helps the stranger in distress,
the widowed and the fatherless,
and grants the pris'ner sweet release.
4 I’ll praise Him while He lends me breath;
and when my voice is lost in death,
praise shall employ my noblest pow'rs;
my days of praise shall ne'er be past,
while life and thought and being last,
or immortality endures.
Isaac Watts
Alt. by John Wesley
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
<idle musing>
Again, more verses are available:
2 Why should I make a man my trust?
Princes must die and turn to dust;
vain is the help of flesh and blood:
their breath departs, their pomp and pow'r,
and thoughts all vanish in an hour,
nor can they make their promise good.5 He loves His saints, He knows them well,
but turns the wicked down to hell;
thy God, O Zion, ever reigns;
let every tongue, let every age,
in this exalted work engage;
praise Him in everlasting strains.
Religious rattles
For the mature Christian, any unlovely place is suitable for worship if the heart is right and the Spirit dwells within. Worship and communion with God can be real and can be unaffected, and the tranquility can remain the same, because the spiritual Christian does not rest in the external.—A.W. Tozer, Reclaiming Christianity, 123
Monday, June 17, 2024
Seneca on giving
Come Ye That Love the Lord
1 Come, we that love the Lord,
and let our joys be known;
join in a song with sweet accord,
and thus surround the throne.
2 Let those refuse to sing
who never knew our God;
but children of the heav'nly King
may speak their joys abroad.
3 The hill of Zion yields
a thousand sacred sweets
before we reach the heav'nly fields,
or walk the golden streets.
4 Then let our songs abound,
and every tear be dry;
we're marching through Emmanuel's ground
to fairer worlds on high.
Isaac Watts
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
<idle musing>
As is usual for an Isaac Watts hymn, there are plenty more verses; there's even a refrain in some versions. Here's what Cyberhymnal has
1. Come, we that love the Lord,</idle musing>
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.Refrain
We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.2. The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
Religion never was designed,
To make our pleasures less,
To make our pleasures less. [Refrain]3. Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But favorites of the heavenly King,
But favorites of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad,
May speak their joys abroad. [Refrain]4. The God that rules on high,
And thunders when He please,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
And manages the seas,
And manages the seas. [Refrain]5. This awful God is ours,
Our Father and our Love;
He will send down his heav’nly powers,
He will send down his heav’nly powers,
To carry us above,
To carry us above. [Refrain]6. There we shall see His face,
And never, never sin!
There, from the rivers of His grace,
There, from the rivers of His grace,
Drink endless pleasures in,
Drink endless pleasures in. [Refrain]7. Yea, and before we rise,
To that immortal state,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss,
Should constant joys create,
Should constant joys create. [Refrain]8. The men of grace have found,
Glory begun below.
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow,
From faith and hope may grow. [Refrain]9. The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets,
Or walk the golden streets. [Refrain]10. Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,
To fairer worlds on high,
To fairer worlds on high. [Refrain]
Saturday, June 15, 2024
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
4 Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
1. Sing praise to God who reigns above,
the God of all creation,
the God of power, the God of love,
the God of our salvation.
With healing balm my soul is filled
and every faithless murmur stilled:
To God all praise and glory.
2. What God’s almighty pow'r has made,
In mercy He is keeping.
By morning glow or evening shade
His eye is never sleeping.
Within the kingdom of His might
All things are just and good and right:
To God all praise and glory!
3. The Lord is never far away,
but through all grief distressing,
an ever present help and stay,
our peace and joy and blessing.
As with a mother's tender hand,
God gently leads the chosen band:
To God all praise and glory.
4. Thus, all my toilsome way along,
I sing aloud thy praises,
that earth may hear the grateful song
my voice unwearied raises.
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart,
both soul and body bear your part:
To God all praise and glory.
5. O ye who name Christ’s holy name,
give God all praise and glory!
all ye who own his power proclaim,
aloud the wondrous story!
Cast each false ido from his throne
The Lord is God, and he alone:
To God all praise and glory!
Johann J. Schütz
Trans. by Frances E. Cox
The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition
Friday, June 14, 2024
It's all about gratitude
Thursday, June 13, 2024
The Roman Republic's collapse
<idle musing>
Hmmm... sounds suspiciously familiar, doesn't it?
</idle musing>
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Euergetism and taxation (Greek)
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
The more things change…. SCOTUS and Pericles (5th cent. BCE Athens)
<idle musing>
The more things change, the more they remain the same, eh? Not much has changed in 2500 or so years. Think SCOTUS, gits, and justice. Which one suffers when SCOTUS accepts gifts? (Hint: it isn't the gift-giver!)
</idle musing>
Tozer for Tuesday
Monday, June 10, 2024
do ut des, but…
Friday, June 07, 2024
Grace. What in the world is it?
Thursday, June 06, 2024
Relax and smile!
<idle musing>
That's the final snippet from this book. I hope you enjoyed it and found some beneficial thoughts in it. I know I did.
Next up is John Barclay, Paul and the Gift. It's a monster of a book, but extremely interesting.
</idle musing>
Wednesday, June 05, 2024
Projecting God
The four types of church-goers
There is another class, those who are trained to be Christians but are not. They appear as Christians because they have learned the language and are able to perform certain things, giving every- body the impression that they are in fact Christians. Usually, you find them in charge of all of the activities of the local church.
Then there are true Christians, but they are carnal. They have never developed into a mature, functioning Christian. They are where they were when they were saved. Thankfully, there are also those who are true Christians and are spiritual. Unfortunately, this seems to be the minority in most churches.—A.W. Tozer, Reclaiming Christianity, 120
Tuesday, June 04, 2024
Forget 80/20; it's 90/10
The Gospels would essentially agree with that assessment, spiritual health is 90 percent about honesty. What is best within the secular world would also agree with that; despite our moral and emotional struggles, we still identify integrity with honesty.—The Holy Longing, 229