It was a skandalon!

The New Testament witnesses had to fight with all their strength to keep the Lord’s death at the forefront of the preaching, worship, and ethics of the new faith. Paul’s term skandalon (“stumbling block,” “pitfall”) well conveys the perverse nature of the cross. Forces within and without the early church exploited every opportunity to minimize or set aside the absurdly irreligious claim that a degrading, state-sponsored execution had secured the salvation of the entire cosmos. But all four Evangelists resisted these pressures to move in the direction of something more spiritually familiar, and instead made the long, continuous passion narrative the climax of their work.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 69

Tolstoy's Confession of Faith

403 Confession of Faith

I believe in God, who is for me spirit, love, the principle of all things.
I believe that God is in me, as I am in Him.
I believe that the true welfare of man consists in fulfilling the will of God.
I believe that from the fulfillment of the will of God there can follow nothing but that which is good for me and for all men.
I believe that the will of God is that every man should love his fellow men, and should act toward others as he desires that they should act toward him.
I believe that the reason of life is for each of us simply to grow in love.
I believe that this growth in love will contribute more than any other force to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
                         —Leo Tolstoy
                         Hymns for the Family of God

The world was changed!

The cross, incomparably vindicated by the resurrection, is the novum, the new factor in human experience, the definitive and world-changing act of God that makes the New Testament proclamation unique in all the world. The claim of the early church was that the historical death of Jesus “under Pontius Pilate,” followed by the metahistorical event of the resurrection, had changed everything for all time.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 61

Out of my bondage, sorrow and night

401 Jesus, I Come

1 Out of my bondage, sorrow and night,
   Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into thy freedom, gladness, and light,
   Jesus, I come to thee.
   Out of my sickness into thy health,
   Out of my want and into thy wealth,
   Out of my sin and into thyself,
   Jesus, I come to thee.

2 Out of my shameful failure and loss,
   Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into the glorious gain of thy cross,
   Jesus, I come to thee.
   Out of earth's sorrows into thy balm,
   Out of life's storms and into thy calm,
   Out of distress to jubilant psalm,
   Jesus, I come to thee.

3 Out of unrest and arrogant pride,
   Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into thy blessed will to abide,
   Jesus, I come to thee.
   Out of my self to dwell in thy love,
   Out of despair into raptures above,
   Upward for aye on wings like a dove,
   Jesus, I come to thee.

4 Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
   Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
   Into the joy and light of thy home,
   Jesus, I come to thee.
   Out of the depths of ruin untold,
   Into the peace of thy sheltering fold,
   Ever thy glorious face to behold,
   Jesus, I come to thee.
                         William T. Sleeper
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Too offensive!

The central event of Christianity is too offensive and too much against the grain of religious thought as we know it ever to have emerged out of human religious imagination, no matter how philosophically subtle or humanly moving that religion might be. I personally find parts of the Qur’an and the Bhagavad-Gita quite stirring, but no one has been able to persuade me that there is anything in them equal to “the word of the cross.” Islam teaches that Jesus was not really crucified at all (Qur’an 4:157). John Stott has written, “I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of the Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth. . . . But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross . . . plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. . . . There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering” (The Cross of Christ [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986], 335–36).—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 57–58 n. 40

Tozer for Tuesday

When a Christian breaks through the religious routine and experiences God’s presence for the very first time, he no longer wishes to go back. He has found something so utterly satisfying that he loses his former attraction to the world and the things around him.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 137

A General Thanksgiving

396 A General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for all Your goodness and loving-kindness to us
and to all men.

We bless You for our creation, preservation,
and all the blessings of this life;
but above all for Your incomparable love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us such an awareness of Your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts
we may make known Your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our lives,
by giving up ourselves to Your service,
and by walking before You in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with You and the Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

—Standard Book of Common Prayer
Hymns for the Family of God

It's still radical

The Christian gospel—when proclaimed in its radical New Testament form—is more truly “inclusive” of every human being, spiritually proficient or not, than any of the world’s religious systems have ever been, precisely because ofthe godlessness of Jesus’ death. In fact, the “word of the cross” is far more sweeping in its nullification of distinctions than many by-the-book conservative Christians are willing to admit. The Christian gospel, in slicing away all distinctions between “godly” and “ungodly” (Rom. 4:5), spiritual and unspiritual, offers a vision of God’s purpose for the whole human race, believers and unbelievers alike, so comprehensive and staggering that even the apostle Paul is reduced to temporary speechlessness (Rom. 11:36).—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 54 (emphasis original)

Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart

394 Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart

Rejoice, ye pure in heart,
   Rejoice, give thanks and sing;
   Your festive banner wave on high,
   The cross of Christ your King.

Refrain:
   Rejoice, rejoice,
   Rejoice, give thanks and sing.

2 Go on through life's long path,
   Still chanting as ye go;
   From youth to age, by night and day,
   In gladness and in woe. [Refrain]

3 Then on, ye pure in heart,
   Rejoice, give thanks and sing;
   Your glorious banner wave on high,
   The cross of Christ your King. [Refrain]
                         Edward H. Plumptre
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Cyberhymnal adds some verses:

2 Bright youth and snow-crowned age,
   All those for truth do seek;
   Raise high your free, exulting song,
   God's wondrous praises speak. [Refrain]

4. With all the angel choirs,
   With all the saints of earth,
   Pour out the strains of joy and bliss,
   True rapture, noblest mirth. [Refrain]

5. Your clear hosannas raise;
   And alleluias loud;
   Whilst answering echoes upward float,
   Like wreaths of incense cloud. [Refrain]

6. With voice as full and strong
   As ocean’s surging praise,
   Send forth the hymns our fathers loved,
   The psalms of ancient days. [Refrain]

8. Still lift your standard high,
   Still march in firm array,
   As warriors through the darkness toil,
   Till dawns the golden day. [Refrain]

9. At last the march shall end;
   The wearied ones shall rest;
   The pilgrims find their heavenly home,
   Jerusalem the blessed. [Refrain]

</idle musing>

Sing . . . with enthusiasm!

393 Thanksgiving and Praise

Thanksgiving and praise are to be the major elements in our singing. It is possible to give thanks and praise God individually but if any congregation took time to let everyone do that, it would take all day. . . . Singing is something we can do together. So through the ages the believers in God both of the Old and New Testament have sung their praises and thanksgiving. . . . It is the reason we should be careful not to sing in a desultory manner. There is nothing more conducive to dullness in a service than half-hearted singing. So the exhortation here is most appropriate. “O, come, let us sing to the Lord: "let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
                         Ray Stedman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Thanks to God for My Redeemer

386 Thanks to God for my Redeemer

1. Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
   Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
   Thanks for times now but a mem’ry,
   Thanks for Jesus by my side!
   Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
   Thanks for dark and stormy fall!
   Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
   Thanks for peace within my soul!

2. Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
   Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
   Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
   Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
   Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
   Thanks for comfort in despair!
   Thanks for grace that none can measure,
   Thanks for love beyond compare!

3. Thanks for roses by the wayside,
   Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
   Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
   Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
   Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
   Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee!
   Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
   Thanks through all eternity!
                         August Ludwig Storm
                         Tr. by Carl E. Backstrom
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
We know nothing about the translator, but the author was no stranger to pain, which makes the words more powerful. He was speaking from lived experience.
</idle musing>

Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

385 Holy God, We Praise Thy Name

1. Holy God, we praise thy name!
   Lord of all, we bow before thee!
   All on Earth thy sceptre claim,
   All in Heav'n above adore thee;
   Infinite thy vast domain,
   Everlasting is thy reign.

2. Hark! the loud celestial hymn
   Angel choirs above are raising!
   Cherubim and seraphim,
   In unceasing chorus praising,
   Fill the heav'ns with sweet accord;
   Holy, holy, holy, Lord!

3. Holy Father, holy Son,
   Holy Spirit, Three we name thee,
   Though in essence only one,
   Undivided God we claim thee;
   And adoring bend the knee,
   While we own the mystery.
                         Attr. to Ignaz Franz
                         Tr. by Clarence A. Walworth
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
This hymn actually has seven verses; Hymnary.org has the rest:

3. Lo! the apostolic train
   Join thy sacred name to hallow!
   Prophets swell the loud refrain,
   And the white-robed martyrs follow,
   And from morn to set of sun,
   Through the Church the song goes on.

5. Thou art King of glory, Christ!
   Son of God, yet born of Mary;
   For us sinners sacrificed,
   And to death a tributary;
   First to break the bars of death,
   Thou hast opened Heav’n to faith.

6. From thy high celestial home,
   Judge of all, again returning,
   We believe that thou shalt come
   On the dreadful doomsday morning,
   When thy voice shall shake the earth,
   And the startled dead come forth.

7. Spare thy people, Lord, we pray,
   By a thousand snares surrounded;
   Keep us without sin today;
   Never let us be confounded!
   Lo! I put my trust in thee;
   Never, Lord, abandon me.

</idle musing>

Is it in our power?

Allowing for all of gnosticism’s varieties, we can safely say this, in summary: in gnosticism’s portrayal of salvation, the power to redeem (God’s power) has been subsumed into our capacity for being redeemed. Therefore the crucifixion becomes unnecessary.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 52

It ain't egalitarian, folks!

Gnostic emphasis on esoteric knowledge has a number of ramifications. Where there is gnosticism, there is spiritual hierarchy. This is not always obvious at first, because the gentle spiritual paths typical of many gnostic programs promise well-being, personal enrichment, and access to the divine for all, often with special emphasis on women, gay people, people with disabilities, and others who may feel marginalized. Sooner or later, though, the hierarchy will make itself known, for in gnosticism higher reality is “spiritual,” so that religious advancement depends on achieving degrees Of spiritual enlightenment. Masters (of either gender) lead disciples through various stages of evolved consciousness. Naturally, this results in stratification, with adepts at the top. Those who do not find meditation, spiritual exercises, or consciousness-raising congenial find themselves left behind.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 47–48

Praise the Lord, His Glories Show

373 Praise the Lord, His Glories Show

1 Praise the Lord; His glories show, Alleluia,
   Saints within His courts below, Alleluia,
   Angels round His throne above, Alleluia,
   Praise Him, all who share His love, Alleluia.

2 Earth, to heav’n exalt the strain, Alleluia,
   Send it, Heav’n, to earth again; Alleluia,
   Age to age, and shore to shore, Alleluia,
   Praise Him, praise Him evermore, Alleluia.

3 Praise the Lord; His goodness trace; Alleluia,
   All the wonders of His grace; Alleluia,
   All that He hath borne and done, Alleluia,
   All He sends us thro’ His Son, Alleluia.
                         Henry Francis Lyte
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Hymnary.org adds a final verse:

4 Strings and voices, hands and hearts, Alleluia,
   In the concert bear your parts; Alleluia,
   All that breathe, your Lord adore, Alleluia,
   Praise Him, praise Him evermore, Alleluia.

</idle musing>

Sentimental love vs. agape love

Sentimental, overly “spiritualized” love is not capable of the sustained, unconditional agape of Christ shown on the cross. Only from the perspective of the crucifixion can the true nature of Christian love be seen, over against all that the world calls “love.” The one thing needful, according to Paul, is that the Christian community should position itself rightly, at the juncture where the cross calls all present arrangements into question with a corresponding call for endurance and faith.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 45

What a Wonderful Savior

372 What a Wonderful Savior

1 Christ has for sin atonement made,
   What a wonderful Saviour!
   We are redeemed! the price is paid!
   What a wonderful Saviour!

Chorus:
   What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Jesus!
   What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Lord!

2 I praise Him for the cleansing blood,
   What a wonderful Saviour!
   That reconciled my soul to God;
   What a wonderful Saviour! [Chorus]

3 He cleansed my heart from all its sin,
   What a wonderful Saviour!
   And now He reigns and rules therein;
   What a wonderful Saviour! [Chorus]

4 He gives me overcoming pow'r,
   What a wonderful Saviour!
   And triumph in each trying hour;
   What a wonderful Saviour! [Chorus]
                         Elisha A. Hoffman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Hymnary.org adds a couple of verses:

4 He walks beside me all the way,
   What a wonderful Saviour!
   And keeps me faithful day by day;
   What a wonderful Saviour! [Chorus]

6 To Him I've given all my heart,
   What a wonderful Saviour!
   The world shall never share a part;
   What a wonderful Saviour! [Chorus]

</idle musing>

a comfortable society

As a general rule, the theologia gloriae (theology of glory) will drive out the theologia crucis (theology of the cross) every time in a comfortable society. We will often observe that this is particularly true in America, where optimism and positive thinking reign side by side.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 43–44

Tozer for Tuesday

I believe, and I could be wrong here but I do not think I am, that God’s people are hungry for the real spiritual food. They have had it with artificial light and hard, stale bread and odorless incense. They have had it with the cheap imitations imported from the world; they long for the reality of God’s presence among them.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 135

To God be the Glory

363 To God Be the Glory

1 To God be the glory - great things He hath done!
   So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
   Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
   And opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Refrain:
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice!
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!
   O come to the Father, through Jesus, the Son,
   and give Him the glory - great things He hath done.

2 O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood!
   To ev'ry believer the promise of God;
   The vilest offender who truly believes,
   That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. [Refrain]

3 Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
   And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
   But purer and higher and greater will be
   Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. [Refrain]
                         Fanny Crosby
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I was very surprised to see that this standard Crosby hymn only occurs in about 230 hymnals. I was also surprised to see that I hadn't posted it yet. Apparently it doesn't occur in any of the three Methodist hymnals I own! I grew up singing it, so I'm not sure where I learned it, unless it was in a hymnal/songbook my parents owned—or maybe in a Sunday School songbook.
</idle musing>

The centrality of the passion in the early church

The portions of the four Gospels dealing with the life and teachings of Jesus were divided into short, discrete units (pericopes) suitable for reading and exposition in the context of worship in the early church. Once the Last Supper begins, however, the method changes. The portions describing the arrest, trial, suffering, and execution of Jesus are quite unlike the rest of the Gospels. These sequences are staged as long dramatic narratives, differing noticeably from the division of the earlier material into brief pericopes. The passion stories take up one-fourth to one-third of the total length of the four Gospels, and biblical interpreters generally agree that the material was shaped by the church’s oral traditions prior to being put into written form, in a way that forever indicates the surpassing importance of the suffering of Christ for the life of the earliest Christian communities.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 42

Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him

362 Praise the Savior, Ye Who Know Him

1 Praise the Savior, ye who know Him!
   Who can tell how much we owe Him?
   Gladly let us render to Him
   all we are and have.

2 Jesus is the name that charms us;
   He for conflict fits and arms us;
   nothing moves and nothing harms us
   while we trust in Him.

3 Trust in Him, ye saints, forever;
   He is faithful, changing never;
   neither force nor guile can sever
   those He loves from Him.

4 Keep us, Lord, O keep us cleaving
   to Thyself, and still believing,
   till the hour of our receiving
   promised joys with Thee.
                         Thomas Kelly
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Hymnary.org adds a fifth verse:

5 Then we shall be where we would be,
   then we shall be what we should be;
   things that are not now, nor could be,
   soon shall be our own.

</idle musing>

I Will Praise Him!

359 I Will Praise Him!

1 When I saw the cleansing fountain,
   Open wide for all my sin,
   I obeyed the Spirit’s wooing
   When He said, Wilt thou be clean?

Chorus:
   I will praise Him! I will praise Him!
   Praise the Lamb for sinners slain;
   Give Him glory, all ye people,
   For His blood can wash away each stain.

2 Tho' the way seems straight and narrow,
   All I claimed was swept away;
   My ambitions, plans, and wishes,
   At my feet in ashes lay. (Chorus)

3 Then God’s fire upon the altar
   Of my heart was set aflame;
   I shall never cease to praise Him,
   Glory, glory to His name! (Chorus)

4 Blessed be the name of Jesus!
   I’m so glad He took me in;
   He’s forgiven my transgressions,
   He has cleansed my heart from sin. (Chorus)

5 Glory, glory to the Father!
   Glory, glory to the Son!
   Glory, glory to the Spirit!
   Glory to the Three in One! (Chorus)
                         Hymns for the Family of God
                         Margaret J. Harris

O Could I Speak the Matchless Worth

344 O Could I Speak the Matchless Worth

1 O could I speak the matchless worth,
   O could I sound the glories forth
   Which in my Savior shine,
   I'd soar and touch the heavenly strings,
   And vie with Gabriel while he sings
   In notes almost divine,
   In notes almost divine.

2 I'd sing the precious blood He spilt,
   My ransom from the dreadful guilt
   Of sin and wrath divine!
   I'd sing His glorious righteousness,
   In which all perfect heavenly dress
   My soul shall ever shine,
   My soul shall ever shine.

3 I'd sing the characters He bears,
   And all the forms of love He wears,
   Exalted on His throne.
   In loftiest songs of sweetest praise,
   I would to everlasting days
   Make all His glories known,
   Make all His glories known.

4 Soon, the delightful day will come
   When my dear Lord will bring me home,
   And I shall see His face;
   Then with my Savior, Brother, Friend,
   A blest eternity I’ll spend,
   Triumphant in His grace,
   Triumphant in His grace.
                         Samuel Medley
                         Hymns for the Family of God

The importance of the incarnation

The incarnation is the other essential pole of the Christian confession. God’s own self is totally, unreservedly, unconditionally invested in the self-offering “even to death on a cross” of the man Jesus. If God is not truly incarnate in Jesus as he accomplishes his work on the cross, then nothing has really happened from God’s side and we are thrown back on ourselves. If there is no incarnation of the Godhead in Jesus’ sacrifice, then there is no salvation apart from what human nature can contribute.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 32

Come, Christians, Join to Sing

342 Come, Christians, Join to Sing

1. Come, Christians, join to sing
   Alleluia! Amen!
   Loud praise to Christ our King;
   Alleluia! Amen!
   Let all, with heart and voice,
   Before His throne rejoice;
   Praise is His gracious choice:
   Alleluia! Amen!

2. Come, lift your hearts on high;
   Alleluia! Amen!
   Let praises fill the sky;
   Alleluia! Amen!
   He is our guide and friend;
   To us He'll condescend;
   His love shall never end:
   Alleluia! Amen!

3. Praise yet our Christ again;
   Alleluia! Amen!
   Life shall not end the strain;
   Alleluia! Amen!
   On heaven's blissful shore
   His goodness we'll adore,
   Singing forevermore,
   "Alleluia! Amen!"
                         Christian Henry Bateman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Why the weak church?

The drift away from the Bible has weakened the church. Many people are ready to believe but have been intimidated into thinking that no educated person with any pretense to cultural sophistication could actually take the testimony of the Bible seriously. The one antidote to this is a robust exposition of the apostolic gospel.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 30

We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer

334 We Praise Thee, O God, Our Redeemer

1. We praise You, O God, our Redeemer, Creator,
   In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
   We lay it before You, we kneel and adore You,
   We bless Your holy name, glad praises we sing.

2. We worship You, God of our fathers, we bless You;
   Thro' life's storm and tempest our Guide You have been.
   When perils o'er-take us You will not forsake us,
   And with Your help, O Lord, our battles we win.

3. With voices united our praises we offer,
   And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise.
   With You, Lord, beside us, Your strong arm will guide us.
   To You, our great Redeemer, forever be praise.
                         Julia C. Cory
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Not a terribly popular hymn, only occurring in abour 175 hymnals. Cyberhymnal notes that she later added a fourth verse for Christmas:

Thy love Thou didst show us, Thine only Son sending,
   Who came as a babe and whose bed was a stall,
   His blest life He gave us and then died to save us;
   We praise Thee, O Lord, for Thy gift to us all.

</idle musing>

Jesus of History?

The key to Jesus is now, as it has always been, his crucifixion and resurrection. Nothing whatever is known from first-century extrabiblical sources about Jesus as a historical figure. The New Testament is the only witness we have. Any modern reconstruction of the “historical Jesus,” therefore, is certain to be a product of the cultural environment that produced it, whereas the Jesus proclaimed as Lord in the New Testament comes closer than any other figure known to human history to being universal, transcending time and historical location, belonging to all cultures and all people everywhere and forever.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 29

Psalm 92 (hymn version)

330 It Is Good to Sing Thy Praises

1 It is good to sing Your praises
   and to thank You, O Most High,
   showing forth Your lovingkindness
   when the morning lights the sky.
   It is good when night is falling,
   of Your faithfulness to tell,
   while with sweet, melodious praises
   songs of adoration swell.

2 You have filled our hearts with gladness
   at the works Your hands have wrought;
   You have made our lives victorious;
   great Your works and deep Your thought.
   You, O LORD, on high exalted,
   reign forevermore in might;
   all Your enemies shall perish,
   sin be banished from Your sight.

3 But the good shall live before You,
   planted in Your dwelling place,
   fruitful trees and ever verdant,
   nourished by Your boundless grace.
   In His goodness to the righteous,
   God His righteousness displays;
   God, my Rock, my Strength and Refuge,
   just and true are all Your ways.
                         Psalm 92
                         Hymns for the Family of God

It's still a skandalon

The case of Jesus is in a class by itself. We can study the historical facts, ponder the motives of Pilate, debate the role of “the Jews,” and propose alternative interpretations until the fourth millennium, and we will be no closer to the reasons for the utter uniqueness of this death. Paul writes in Romans 1:17 that the gospel is “revealed through faith for faith.” This has never been an easy presupposition to defend. Like the “word of the cross” itself, the uncompromising nature of the Scriptures is a roadblock, a skandalon (I Cor. 1:23). Yet we cannot allow ourselves to be reduced to mumbling, “Well, you just have to take it on faith.” We have evidence from within Scripture itself that scholarship, reflection, and wrestling with the text are part of our calling as God’s people; the profound engagement of the Evangelists and apostles with their own received Hebrew Scriptures bears witness to this.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 21

Tozer for Tuesday

Our worship services should be so holy and so filled with a sense of God’s presence that unholy men will be very uncomfortable. Now we have done it the other way around. The most unholy person in town can come into the church and feel quite comfortable. People should come to a church worship service not anticipating entertainment but expecting the high and holy manifestation of God’s presence.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 134

Begin, My Tongue, Some Heavenly Theme

328 Begin, My Tongue, Some Heavenly Theme

1 Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme,
   And speak some boundless thing;
   The mighty works, or mightier name,
   Of our eternal King.

2 Tell of his wondrous faithfulness,
   And sound his power abroad;
   Sing the sweet promise of his grace,
   And the performing God.

3 His very word of grace is strong
   As that which built the skies;
   The voice that rolls the stars along
   Speaks all the promises.

4 O might I hear the heav’nly tongue
   But whisper, Thou art Mine!
   Those gentle words shall raise my song
   To notes almost divine.
                         Isaac Watts
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I wasn't familiar with this Isaac Watts hymn, which occurs in about 300 hymnals. And, oh my!, the variations. As usual, Cyberhymnal has the fullest listing of verses:

3. Proclaim salvation from the Lord
   For wretched, dying men;
   His hand has writ the sacred Word
   With an immortal pen.

4. Engraved as in eternal brass
   The mighty promise shines;
   Nor can the powers of darkness rase
   Those everlasting lines.

5. He that can dash whole worlds to death,
   And make them when He please,
   He speaks, and that almighty breath
   Fulfils His great decrees.

7. He said, Let the wide heav’n be spread,
   And heav’n was stretched abroad:
   Abram, I’ll be thy God, He said,
   And He was Abram’s God.

9. How would my leaping heart rejoice,
   And think my heav’n secure!
   I trust the all-creating voice,
   And faith desires no more.

</idle musing>

It's the Trinity!

Understanding the cross and resurrection as a single event, undertaken from within the Trinity itself, is of utmost importance and will continue to inform the discussion throughout. The scandalous “word of the cross” is not a human word. It is the Spirit—empowered presence of God in the preaching of the crucified One. The Holy Spirit, so central to New Testament writings as diverse as those of Paul, John, and the author of Acts, inhabits the message and empowers the speaker, so that the proclamation of God’s act in Christ is the new occasion of creation, issuing from the Trinitarian power of the originating Word itself.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 19 (emphasis original)

Te Deum

324 Te Deum We praise Thee, O God;
We acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting.
To Thee all angels cry aloud; the heavens and all the powers therein.
To Thee cherubim and seraphim continually do cry;
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise Thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise Thee.
The holy Church, throughout all the world, doth acknowledge Thee,
The Father of an infinite majesty;
Thine adorable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man,
Thou didst humble Thyself to be born of a virgin.
When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge.
We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants,
Whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting.
O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thy heritage.
Govern them, and lift them up forever.
Day by day we magnify Thee;
And we worship Thy name ever, world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.
O Lord, let Thy mercy be upon us, as our trust is in Thee.
O Lord, in Thee have I trusted;
Let me never be confounded.
Amen

Christ Returneth!

304 Christ Returneth!

1. It may be at morn, when the day is awaking,
   When sunlight thro' darkness and shadow is breaking,
   That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory
   To receive from the world His own.

Chorus:
   O Lord Jesus, how long, how long
   Ere we shout the glad song?
   Christ returneth, Hallelujah! hallelujah!
   Amen, Hallelujah! Amen.

2. It may be at midday, and it may be at twilight,
   It may be, perchance, that the blackness of midnight
   Will burst into light in the blaze of His glory,
   When Jesus receives His own. [Chorus]

3. While His hosts cry Hosanna, from heaven, descending,
   With glorified saints and the angels attending,
   With grace on His brow, like a halo of glory;
   Will Jesus receive "His own." [Chorus]

4. O joy! O delight! should we go without dying,
   No sickness, no sadness, no dread, and no crying,
   Caught up thro' the clouds with our Lord into glory,
   When Jesus receives His own. [Chorus]
                         H. L. Turner
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Christ Arose

298 Christ Arose

1 Low in the grave He lay, Jesus, my Savior!
   Waiting the coming day, Jesus, my Lord!

Refrain: Up from the grave He arose,
   With a mighty triumph o'er His foes;
   He arose a victor from the dark domain,
   And He lives forever with His saints to reign;
   He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

2 Vainly they watched His bed, Jesus, my Savior!
   Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus, my Lord! [Refrain]

3 Death could not keep his prey, Jesus, my Savior!
   He tore the bars away, Jesus, my Lord! [Refrain]
                         Robert Lowry
                         Hymns for the Family of God

The skandalon of the cross

He wants to emphasize the skandalon of the crucifixion. This was not a popular topic in Paul’s time, and it is not a popular topic today. This is hard to understand, especially in view of Paul’s declarations, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (I Cor. 2:2) and “Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the World” (Gal. 6:14.). It sometimes seems as though the church has willfully decided to ignore the radical content of such passages, concentrating instead on a more generic, less offensive interpretation of Jesus’ death — for example, “Jesus died to show how much he loved us.” That is true, certainly, but it has a bland sound and falls far short of accounting for the particular horror of crucifixion. The question this raises is this: On the cross, was Jesus simply “showing” us something, or was something actually happening?—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 17 (emphasis original)

Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

297 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

1 Jesus Christ is ris'n today, alleluia!
   our triumphant holy day, alleluia!
   who did once, upon the cross, alleluia!
   suffer to redeem our loss, alleluia!

2 Hymns of praise then let us sing, alleluia!
   unto Christ, our heav'nly King, alleluia!
   who endured the cross and grave, alleluia!
   sinners to redeem and save, alleluia!

3 But the pains which He endured, alleluia!
   our salvation have procured; alleluia!
   now above the sky He's King, alleluia!
   where the angels ever sing: alleluia!

4 Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
   Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
   Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
   Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!
                         Latin: 14th Century
                         Charles Wesley, stanza 4
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Cyberhymnal lists all these verse under "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" and attributes them all to Wesley—and that's usually the way I've seen them.
</idle musing>

True humility

To become an apostle to the Gentiles, he had to turn away from his rarefied existence as a leader among the religious elite to a life of almost unimaginable danger and affliction as he traveled the world over, preaching Christ crucified to people of every sort, including slaves and those at the bottom of the socioeconomic heap.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 15

Because He Lives

291 Because He Lives

1 God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
   He came to love, heal and forgive;
   He lived and died to buy my pardon,
   An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Refrain:
   Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
   Because He lives, all fear is gone;
   Because I know He holds the future,
   And life is worth the living,
   Just because He lives!

2 How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
   And feel the pride and joy he brings;
   But greater still the calm assurance:
   This child can face uncertain days because He Lives!

And then one day, I'll cross the river,
   I'll fight life's final war with pain;
   And then, as death gives way to victory,
   I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives!
                         Gloria Gaither
                         William J. Gaither
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I've always liked this hymn. Nothing terribly profound, and yet extremely profound in that it gets at the results of the resurrection—assurance, hope, and courage in God to face the future. And that is certainly something we need these days!
</idle musing>

Our labor is not in vain

The deeds of Christians in this present time — however insignificant they may seem, however “vain” they may appear to those who value worldly success —— are already being built into God’s advancing kingdom. In other words, Christians do not simply look to the cross of Christ with prayerful reverence. We are set in motion by its power, energized by it, upheld by it, guaranteed by it, secured by it for the promised future because it is the power of the creating Word that “gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist” (Rom. 4:17). Our labor is not only “not in vain” but also has eternal significance because it is being built into God’s future in ways that we presently see “through a glass, darkly,” but in the fullness of time, “face to face” (I Cor. 13:12 KJV). —Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion,14

Thine Is the Glory

291 Thine Is the Glory

1 Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son;
   endless is the vict'ry Thou o’er death hast won.
   Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
   kept the folded grave-clothes where Thy body lay.

Refrain:
   Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son;
   endless is the vict'ry Thou o’er death hast won.

2 Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb.
   Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
   let His church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
   for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting. [Refrain]

3 No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life!!
   Life is nought without Thee; aid us in our strife;
   make us more than conqu'rors, through Thy deathless love;
   bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above. [Refrain]
                         Edmond L. Budry
                         Tr. by R. Birch Hoyle
                         Hymns for the Family of God

The Trinity and salvation

One of the currently popular substitutes for the name of the Trinity, “Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer,” cannot serve this function because God does not create, redeem, or sustain himself. These terms describe God in relation to us but not within himself, so God’s being (ousia) is not affirmed. When we say “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” however, we are saying that what God is in himself, he also is toward us. The doctrine of the Trinity is therefore a working out of what it means to say that God is love. It tells us that God is love within his own three-personed self, and he is love toward us as we see his action in the Son’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 12 n. 24

Timeless truths from Tozer

Right here I want to say something that will no doubt land me on the wrong side of popular Christian opinion. But I will say it anyway. I do not believe the church is the place for entertainment. With that said, let me explain what I mean.

We have churches today, in desperate need of attendance, advertising in newspapers for the world to come and enjoy “clean entertainment.” We have, so the boast goes, what the world has, only ours is much cleaner and, to add insult to injury, in my opinion, it is family friendly. I am not totally against entertainment; I am just totally against entertainment in the church and entertainment used by the church to try to win the world. How can we battle the world if we have locked arms with the world?—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 133–34

Jesus Lives, and So Shall I

288 Jesus Lives, and So Shall I

1 Jesus lives, and so shall I;
   Death, thy sting is gone forever!
   He who deigned for me to die
   lives, the bands of death to sever.
   He shall raise me with the just:
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

2 Jesus lives, and reigns supreme,
   and, His kingdom still remaining,
   I shall also be with Him,
   ever living, ever reigning.
   God has promised: be it must:
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

3 Jesus lives, and by His grace,
   vict'ry o'er my passions giving,
   I will cleanse my heart and ways,
   ever to His glory living.
   Me He raises from the dust;
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

4 Jesus lives! I know full well
   nought from Him my heart can sever,
   life nor death nor pow'rs of hell,
   joy nor grief, henceforth forever.
   None of all His saints is lost;
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

5 Jesus lives, and death is now
   but my entrance into glory.
   Courage, then, my soul, for thou
   hast a crown of life before thee;
   thou shalt find thy hopes were just;
   Jesus is the Christian's Trust.
                         Christian F. Gellert
                         Tr. by Philip Schaff
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Yep. That Philip Schaff, the one who wrote all those church history volumes. Makes sense he would also translate hymns—I just never noticed any before. Some hymnals insert a verse after verse 2:

3 Jesus lives, and God extends
   grace to each returning sinner;
   rebels He receives as friends
   and exalts to highest honor.
   God is True as He is Just;
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

</idle musing>

The role of the Trinity in the crucifixion

God is the triune God. He is one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus of Nazareth was not a free-floating holy man. If he is not the second person of the Trinitarian Godhead and the only-begotten Son attested in the Nicene Creed, then God’s self was not directly involved at Golgotha. In that case, Jesus would be detached from the eternal plan of God shown forth in the history of Israel, and the cross would be a random event of no more than passing interest.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 12

Were You There?

287 Were You There?

1 Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
   Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
   Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
   Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2 Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
   Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
   Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
   Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

3 Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
   Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
   Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
   Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

4 Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
   Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
   Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
   Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
                         American Folk Hymn
                         Hymns for the Family of God

If We Had Been There (A very relevant thought for today)

286 If We Had Been There

Minister: If we had been Jews, would we have spoken out for Him when the Sanhedrin accused Him of blasphemy?
      If we had been Gentiles, would we have defended Him when the Romans condemned Him to death?
      If we had been disciples, would we have stayed with Him when the crowd became a crucifying mob?
      Or would we have been like Peter-
      who followed Him and loved Him
      and denied Him three times before the dawn?

Choir: Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
      O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Minister: And the Christ who was crucified there, once said.
      “As you have done it to the least of these, My brothers, you have done it unto Me.”
      As nations rise in war
      As governments oppress the poor
      As passive people turn and look aside
      In silence
      We crucify.
      Again-
      We crucify.

People : As indifference forms the pattern of our lives,
      As hungry children cry for food,
      As widows mourn alone in empty rooms,
      In apathy-
      We crucify.
      Again-
      We crucify.

Choir: Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
      O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Minister: I think of the nails that crucified my Lord.
      They were made of iron,’ but more-
      They were made of hatred, prejudice and greed.
      And I wonder-
      What part of myself is found in the shadow of that mob that stretches down through history?
      What part of myself creates nails in other forms that wound my brother—and my Lord?

People: You know how many times I have betrayed You, Lord.
      You know the times lhave chosen evil over good.
      Guilt lies upon me like an iron cloak.
      My soul is heavy—my burden hard.

Choir: Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
      O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Minister: In the act of death He absorbs our sins.
      In love, He forgives our failures.
      In the act of resurrection He gives the promise of acceptance, the assurance of forgiveness, the affirmation of eternal life.
      “Your sins are forgiven you”, He said, “Go and sin no more. ”

People: Through Your love, I am made whole,
      Through Your death, I have found new life.
      You are my shield, my redeemer and my hope.
      My sins are forgiven—Hallelujah!
                         —MariIee Zdenek
                         Hymns for the Family of God

What Wondrous Love Is This?

283 What Wondrous Love Is This?

1 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
   What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
   What wondrous love is this
   That caused the Lord of bliss
   To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
   To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

2 To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;
   To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
   To God and to the Lamb
   Who is the great "I Am";
   While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;
   While millions join the theme, I will sing.

3 And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on;
   And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on.
   And when from death I'm free
   I'll sing and joyful be;
   And thro' eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on;
   And thro' eternity, I'll sing on.
                         American Folk Hymn
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Some versions insert a verse after verse 1:

2 When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
   When I was sinking down, sinking down,
   When I was sinking down
   Beneath God's righteous frown,
   Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
   Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

</idle musing>

Amazing God! (covenant)

The particularity of this God is startling; the God of Israel aligns himself with specific mortals with individual names who live in identifiable places on the map. They have life stories unique to themselves, by no means always edifying. This God, unlike the gods of the religions, has chosen of his own sovereign free will to elect a discrete group of people simply because he wills to do so. The irreligiousness of this election is that it has nothing to do with any spiritual attainments by the chosen ones. The opposite is true — they are selected, we might say, in spite of themselves, for if there is one thing certain about the children of Israel, it is that they did not deserve their election. This factor of undeserved election is in view whenever God is called “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 11 (emphasis original)

Go to Dark Gethsemane

281 Go to Dark Gethsemane

1 Go to dark Gethsemane,
   You who feel the tempter's pow'r;
   Your Redeemer's conflict see;
   Watch with Him one bitter hour;
   Turn not from His griefs away;
   Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

2 Follow to the judgment hall;
   View the Lord of life arraigned;
   O the worm-wood and the gall!
   O the pangs His soul sustained!
   Shun not suff'ring, shame, or loss;
   Learn of Him to bear the cross.

3 Calv'ry's mournful mountain climb
   There' adoring at His feet,
   Mark the miracle of time,
   God's own sacrifice complete:
   "It is finished!" Hear the cry;
   Learn of Jesus Christ to die.
                         James Montgomery
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I've never sung this hymn, although it occurs in more than 800 hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a fourth verse:

4 Early hasten to the tomb
   Where they laid his breathless clay;
   All is solitude and gloom;
   Who hath taken Him away?
   Christ is ris'n! He meets our eyes:
   Savior, teach us so to rise.

I like that. Without the fourth verse, the hymn seems truncated and hopeless.
</idle musing>

"Which one?" as a denominational weapon

There have been times when groups of Christians — especially Protestants of an evangelical persuasion — have rated themselves genuine or false by adherence to, or rejection of, a given “theory” of what happened in Christ’s death. This is a difficult stance to maintain, since the great church councils that succeeded in defining the nature of Christ and the Holy Trinity left us with no equivalent conciliar definition of the cross. This fact in itself is suggestive. Does anyone think that the great minds of the early church were not up to the challenge? It seems wiser to posit that there is a reason for the silence of the sources in this respect, and that the reason favors a multifaceted understanding rather than favoring one theory over against another.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 8–9

Come to Calvary's Holy Mountain

276 Come to Calvary's Holy Mountain

1 Come to Calvary's holy mountain
   sinners ruined by the fall;
   Here a pure and healing fountain
   Flows to you, to me, to all,
   In a full perpetual tide,
   Opened when our Savior died.

2 Come in poverty and meanness,
   Come, defiled without, within;
   From imperfection and uncleanness,
   From the leprosy of sin,
   Wash your robes and make them white;
   Ye shall walk with God in light.

3 Come, in sorrow and contrition,
   Wounded, impotent, and blind;
   Here the guilty, free remission,
   Here the troubled peace may find.
   Health this fountain will restore;
   He that drinks shall thirst no more.

4 He that drinks shall live forever,
   'Tis a soul-renewing flood;
   God is faithful; God will never
   Break His covenant of blood;
   Signed when our Redeemer died,
   Sealed when He was glorified.
                         James Montgomery
                         Hymns for the Family of God

It's a kaleidoscope!

The Old and New Testaments give us images — drawn from many sources — making a kaleidoscopic, inexhaustibly rich storehouse from which to draw meaning and sustenance for all times and all generations. No one image can do justice to the whole; all are part of the great drama of salvation. The Passover lamb, the goat driven into the wilderness, the ransom, the substitute, the victor on the field of battle, the representative man — each and all of these and more have their place, and the cross is diminished if any one of them is omitted. We need to make room for all the biblical images. We will be best enriched by the meaning of the crucifixion in all its manifold aspects, not just as an intellectual construct, but as dynamic, living truth empowering us for the living of these days.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 7

Up Calv'ry's mountain (Blessed Redeemer)

275 Blessed Redeemer

1 Up Calv'ry's mountain one dreadful morn
   Walked Christ, my Savior, weary and worn;
   Facing for sinners death on the cross,
   That He might save them from endless loss.

Chorus:
   Blessed Redeemer! Precious Redeemer!
   Seems now I see Him on Calvary's tree;
   Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading—
   Blind and unheeding— dying for me!

2 "Father, forgive them!" thus did He pray,
   E'en while His lifeblood flowed fast away;
   Praying for sinners while in such woe–
   No one but Jesus ever loved so. [Chorus]

3 O how I love Him, Savior and Friend,
   How can my praises ever find end?
   Thro' years unnumbered on heaven's shore,
   My tongue shall praise Him forevermore. [Chorus]
                         Avis B. Christiansen
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Feel-good religion? Not so much…

The religious imagination seeks uplift, not torture, humiliation, and death. Therefore the principal purpose of this book about the crucifixion will be to strengthen the reader’s surmise that the cross of Jesus is an unrepeatable event that calls all religion into question and establishes an altogether new foundation for faith, life, and a human future.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 2

Jesus Paid It All

273 Jesus Paid It All

1 I hear the Savior say,
   "Your strength indeed is small!
   Child of weakness, watch and pray,
   Find in Me your all in all."

Refrain:
   Jesus paid it all,
   All to Him I owe;
   Sin had left a crimson stain–
   He washed it white as snow.

2 For nothing good have I
   Whereby Your grace to claim–
   I'll wash my garments white
   In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb. [Refrain]

3 And when before the throne
   I stand in Him complete,
   "Jesus died my soul to save,"
   My lips shall still repeat. [Refrain]
                         Elvina M. Hall
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
The author only wrote a few hymns; this one was by far the most popular, occurring in more than 850 hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

2 Lord, now indeed I find
   Your pow'r, and Yours alone,
   Can change the leper's spots
   And melt the heart of stone. [Refrain]

</idle musing>

New book started!

Today we start a book I've been meaning to read for about ten years now. I was going to start it on Ash Wednesday, but finally started late last week. It's a thick book, and will probably take a few months to get through, but I think it will be worth it. The book? Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion. Here's the first excerpt:

The Christian faith is empty at its heart if congregations habitually skip over Good Friday as if it had not occurred.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, xvii

Jesus, the Son of God

269 Jesus, the Son of God

1. Do you know Jesus,
   Our Lord, our Savior,
   Jesus the Son of God?
   Have you ever seen Him,
   Or shared of His favor?
   Jesus the Son of God.

Refrain
   O sweet Wonder!
   O sweet Wonder!
   Jesus the Son of God;
   How I adore Thee!
   O how I love Thee!
   Jesus the Son of God.

2. God gave Him, a ransom,
   Our souls to recover;
   Jesus the Son of God.
   His blood made us worthy
   His Spirit to hover;
   Jesus the Son of God. [Refrain]

3. O who would reject Him,
   Despise or forsake Him,
   Jesus the Son of God?
   O who ever sought Him,
   And He would not take Him?
   Jesus the Son of God. [Refrain]

4. If you will accept Him
   And trust and believe Him,
   Jesus the Son of God,
   Your soul will exalt Him,
   And never will leave Him;
   Jesus the Son of God. [Refrain]

5. Then some day from Heaven,
   On clouds of bright glory,
   Jesus the Son of God
   Will come for His jewels,
   Most precious and holy,
   Jesus the Son of God. [Refrain]
                         G. T. Haywood
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Take a minute to read the biography of the author. Interesting guy, although his theology went a bit off the rails when he embraced, and became a founding member of, Oneness Pentacostalism.
</idle musing>

An Easter meditation

300 Easter

Some years ago a newspaper editor telephoned and asked me to tell in a few words what Easter means to me. My testimony was this: Easter means Christ to me. It means Christ in His kingly splendor, Christ in His serene glory, Christ in His gracious condescension. This is because Easter is the return of Christ from inflicted violence, from induced death, from imprisonment in a tomb. Easter is Christ triumphant over all that sin and death and man could do to Him. Easter means Christ.

And where Christ goes, drama goes. For it is impossible to look anywhere in the Gospels and fail to find something powerful happening. This is because Christ is Himself the Gospel and He is life, abundant life, and His life means action, pilgrimage, arrival. Easter means life. Christ defeated death in order that life in Him might always live. And it is life that we want, life in Christ. Whether we put it in words or not, our constant thought is “Life, more life, always more and more life.” We want life in ourselves, in our loved ones, in our friends, the kind of life that cannot be diminished, the kind of life that always expands. Easter is Christ’s victory over all that would restrict, deny and strangle life. “For to me to live is Christ.” That is Easter.
                        —Raymond Lindquist
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Nothing but the Blood

266 Nothing but the Blood

1 What can wash away my sin?
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
   What can make me whole again?
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:
   Oh! precious is the flow
   That makes me white as snow;
   No other fount I know,
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2 For my pardon this I see -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
   For my cleansing this my plea -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]

3 Nothing can for sin atone -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
   Naught of good that I have done -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]

4 This is all my hope and peace -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
   This is all my righteousness -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]
                         Robert Lowry
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Interestingly, this hymn doesn't appear in any United Methodist/Methodist Episcopal hymnal until 1989!
</idle musing>

Are You Washed in the Blood?

259 Are You Washed in the Blood?

1 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
   Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain:
   Are you washed in the blood,
   In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
   Are your garments spotless?
   Are they white as snow?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

2 Are you walking daily by the Savior's side?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
   Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain]

3 When the Bridegroom cometh, will your robes be white,
   Pure and white in the blood of the Lamb?
   Will your souls be ready for the mansions bright
   And be washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain]

4 Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin
   And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?
   There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean;
   Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain]
                         Elisha A. Hoffman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Thwarted!

Then he, without any voice or opening of his lips, formed these words in my soul: ‘By this is the Fiend overcome.’ Our Lord said these words meaning overcome by his blessed Passion, as he had shown it earlier. Now our Lord was revealing how with his Passion he defeats the Devil. God showed that the Fiend is still as wicked as he was before the Incarnation and works as hard, but he continually sees that all those to whom salvation is due escape him gloriously through the power of Christ’s dear Passion, and that grieves and humiliates him severely; for everything that God allows him to do turns into joy for us and into shame and vexation for him. And he feels as much sorrow when God allows him to work as when he does not work; and that is because he may never do as much evil as he would wish, for God holds all the Devil’s power in his own hand.—Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, 60

You can't glamorize it (Good Friday thought)

The crucifixion of a man on a cross outside of the hills of Jerusalem must have been a repulsive thing. There just is no way to glamorize the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Just like the altar in the Old Testament tabernacle was a gory and unpleasant mess, so the cross of Jesus Christ was unpleasant in just about every aspect of it. But the altar in the Old Testament tabernacle foreshadowed the cross of Jesus Christ, and pointed to the one and only acceptable sacrifice for God. To take away the reproach of the cross is to undo God’s remedy for man’s revolt. Not only was the altar in the inner court, but also the laver.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 130–31

A Good Friday meditation

257 Good Friday

We acknowledge, O Lord, that there is so little in us that is lovable. So often we are not lovely in our thoughts, in our words, or in our deeds. And yet Thou dost love us still, with a love that neither ebbs nor flows, a love that does not grow weary, but is constant: year after year, age after age.

O God, may our hearts be opened to that love today. With bright skies above us, the fields and woods and gardens bursting with new life and beauty, how can we fail to respond? With the clear notes of bird songs challenging us to praise, with every lowly shrub and blooming tree catching new life and beauty, our hearts indeed would proclaim Thee Lord, and we would invite Thee to reign over us and make us truly Thine own. May Thy healing love invade our inmost hearts, healing sorrow, pain, frustration, defeat, and despair.

May this day create within us a love for Thee of stronger stuff than vague sentimentality—a love which seeks to know Thy will and do it. So grant that this day of hallowed remembrance may be the beginning of a new way of life for each of us, a new kind of living that shall be the best answer to the confusion and to the challenge of evil in our day. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
—Peter Marshall
Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
It wasn't planned by me that this would be the post from the hymnal I am blogging through! It just "happened" to be the next one. Call it divine appointment.
</idle musing>

Person(ality)-to-person(ality)

Because I am a personality, and God is a personality, I believe that we can have personal interaction with God—the interaction between one personality and another in love and faith, and conversation, to speak and to be answered. It is no proof that we have great faith if we solemnly, glumly, grimly and coldly live our lives, saying, “I believe,” and never have God give any response to our faith. There ought to be a response.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 125

Down at the Cross

255 Down at the Cross

1 Down at the cross where my Savior died,
   Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
   There to my heart was the blood applied;
   Singin', Glory to His name!

Refrain:
   Glory to His name, Precious name.
   Glory to His name, Precious name
   There to my heart was the blood applied;
   singin' Glory to His name, His name!

2 I am so wondrously saved from sin,
   Jesus so sweetly abides within;
   There at the cross where He took me in;
   singin' Glory to His name, His name! [Refrain]

3 Oh, precious fountain that saves from sin,
   I am so glad I have entered in;
   There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean;
   singin' Glory to His name, His name! [Refrain]

4 Come to this fountain so rich and sweet,
   Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet;
   Plunge in today, and be made complete;
   singin' Glory to His name, His name! [Refrain]
                         Elisha A. Hoffman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Gotta love a hymn that doesn't just say forgiven, but says cleansed and saved from sin. And one that says keeps me clean, not just forgiven but still dirty. Good holiness theology there.

The hymn appears in more than 820 hymnals. I recall singing it at VBS and church camp—even though I didn't have a clue what it meant : )
</idle musing>

The humble heart

He who attributes any goodness to himself, obstructs the coming of God’s grace, for the grace of the Holy Spirit always seeks a humble heart. If you would perfectly overcome self and set yourself free from love of creatures, I would come to you with all My grace. But while your interest is in creatures, the vision of the Creator is hidden from you. Learn, then, for love of the Creator, to overcome self in everything, and you shall come to the knowledge of God. But so long as anything, however small, occupies too much of your love and regard, it injures the soul and holds you back from attaining the highest Good.—Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, 148-49 (ch. 42)

"Man of Sorrows," What a Name!

246 "Man of Sorrows," What a Name!

1 Man of sorrows! what a name
   For the Son of God who came
   Ruined sinners to reclaim!
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!

2 Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
   In my place condemned He stood,
   Sealed my pardon with His blood;
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!

3 Guilty, vile, and helpless we,
   Spotless Lamb of God was He;
   Full atonement! can it be?
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!

4 Lifted up was He to die,
   "It is finished," was His cry;
   Now in heaven exalted high,
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!

5 When He comes, our glorious King,
   All His ransomed home to bring,
   Then anew this song we'll sing,
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!
                         Philip P. Bliss
                         Hymns for the Family of God

That our peace cannot depend on Man

CHAPTER 42 That our Peace cannot Depend on Man

Christ speaking: My son, if your peace depends on anyone. by reason of your afiection or friendship with him, you will always be unsettled, and dependent on him. But if you turn to the living and eternal Truth, the departure or death of your friend will not distress you. Your love for a friend must rest in Me, and those who are dear to you in this life must be loved only for My sake. No good and lasting friendship can exist without Me, and unless I bless and unite all love it cannot be pure and true. You should be so mortified in your affection towards loved ones that, for your part, you would forego all human companionship. Man draws the nearer to God as he withdraws further from the consolations of this world. And the deeper he descends into himself and the lower he regards himself, the higher he ascends towards God.—Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, 148

Tozer for Tuesday

The full purpose of our salvation is that we might enjoy the manifest, conscious presence of God as well as He enjoys our presence. When we are enjoying the conscious presenceof God, we are fulfilling the tenets of our salvation. The purpose of our redemption is to bring us into a right relationship to God in order that He might bring us into a conscious relationship with Himself.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 123

Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners

244 Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners

1 Jesus! what a friend for sinners!
   Jesus! lover of my soul;
   Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
   He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Refrain:
   Hallelujah! what a Savior!
   Hallelujah! what a friend!
   Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
   He is with me to the end.

2 Jesus! what a strength in weakness!
   Let me hide myself in Him;
   Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
   He, my strength, my vict'ry wins. [Refrain]

3 Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
   While the billows o'er me roll,
   Even when my heart is breaking,
   He, my comfort, helps my soul. [Refrain]

4 Jesus! what a guide and keeper!
   While the tempest still is high,
   Storms about me, night o'ertakes me,
   He, my pilot, hears my cry. [Refrain]

5 Jesus! I do now receive Him,
   More than all in Him I find,
   He hath granted me forgiveness,
   I am His, and He is mine. [Refrain]
                         J. Wilbur Chapman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Civilization...

“Civilization was fun while it lasted.”—David Brooks in the New York Times, April 10, 2025

The Unveiled Christ

236 The Unveiled Christ

1 Once our blessed Christ of beauty
   Was veiled off from human view;
   But thro' suff'ring, death and sorrow
   He has rent the veil in two.

Chorus:
   O behold the Man of Sorrows,
   O behold Him in plain view;
   Lo! He is the mighty conqu'ror,
   Since He rent the veil in two.
   Lo! He is the mighty conqu'ror,
   Since He rent the veil in two.

2 Now He is with God the Father,
   Interceding there for you;
   For He is the mighty conqu'ror,
   Since He rent the veil in two. (Chorus)

3 Holy angels bow before Him,
   Men of earth give praises due;
   For He is the well-beloved
   Since He rent the veil in two. (Chorus)
                         N. B. Herrell
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I don't recall ever hearing or singing this hymn, which isn't surprising, given that it only occurs in 25 hymnals. Hymnary.org adds a fourth verse:

4 Thro'out time and endless ages,
   Heights and depths of love so true;
   He alone can be the giver
   Since He rent the veil in two. (Chorus)

Join All the Glorious Names

232 Join All the Glorious Names

1. Join all the glorious names
   Of wisdom, love, and power,
   That ever mortals knew,
   That angels ever bore:
   All are too mean to speak His worth,
   To poor to set my Savior forth.

2. Great prophet of my God,
   My tongue would bless Thy name,
   By Thee the joyful news
   Of our salvation came,
   The joyful news of sin forgiv’n
   Of hell subdued, and peace with Heav’n.

3. Divine, almighty Lord,
   My conqueror and my King,
   Thy scepter and Thy sword,
   Thy reigning grace I sing:
   Thine is the power; behold I sit
   In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.

4. Now let my soul arise,
   And tread the tempter down;
   My captain leads me forth
   To conquest and a crown:
   A feeble saint shall win the day,
   Though death and hell obstruct the way.
                         Isaac Watts
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
This one has a lot more verses! Hymnary.org has them:

2. But O what gentle terms,
   What condescending ways,
   Doth our Redeemer use
   To teach his heav’nly grace!
   Mine eyes with joy and wonder see
   What forms of love He bears for me.

3. Arrayed in mortal flesh,
   He like an angel stands,
   And holds the promises
   And pardons in His hands;
   Commissioned from His Father’s throne
   To make His grace to mortals known.

5. Be Thou my counselor,
   My pattern, and my guide,
   And through this desert land
   Still keep me near thy side:
   Nor let my feet e’er run astray
   Nor rove nor seek the crooked way.

6. I love my Shepherd’s voice,
   His watchful eyes shall keep
   My wand’ring soul among
   The thousands of His sheep:
   He feeds His flock, He calls their names,
   His bosom bears the tender lambs.

7. To this dear surety’s hand
   Will I commit my cause;
   He answers and fulfils
   His Father’s broken laws:
   Behold my soul at freedom set!
   My surety paid the dreadful debt.

8. Jesus, my great high priest,
   Offered His blood, and died;
   My guilty conscience seeks
   No sacrifice beside:
   His powerful blood did once atone,
   And now it pleads before the throne.

9. My advocate appears
   For my defense on high;
   The Father bows His ears,
   And lays His thunder by:
   Not all that hell or sin can say
   Shall turn His heart, His love away.

12. Should all the hosts of death,
   And powers of hell unknown,
   Put their most dreadful forms
   Of rage and mischief on,
   I shall be safe, for Christ displays
   Superior power, and guardian grace.

</idle musing>