<idle musing>
How many times have you asked yourself that? I'll be honest, it was a new idea to me—but a powerful one!
</idle musing>
Monday, March 18, 2024
But is it Ṭov?
Come, let us join our friends above
1 Come, let us join our friends above,
That have obtained the prize,
And on the eagle wings of love
To joy celestial rise.
2 Let all the saints terrestrial sing,
With those to glory gone;
For all the servants of our King,
In earth and heaven, are one.
3 One family, we dwell in Him,
One Church above, beneath;
Though now divided by the stream,
The narrow stream of death.
4 One army of the living God,
To His command we bow;
Part of His host has crossed the flood,
And part is crossing now.
5 Even now by faith we join our hands
With those that went before,
And greet the blood-besprinkled bands
On the eternal shore.
Charles Wesley
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
This hymn by Charles Wesley occurs in a little over 340 hymnals. And again, as usual for a Wesley hymn, there are more verses. Hymnary.org lists these:
5 His militant, embodied coast,</idle musing>
With wishful looks we stand,
And long to see that happy coast,
And reach that heavenly land.7 Lord Jesus, be our constant Guide,
And when the word is given,
Bid the cold waves of death divide,
And land us all in heaven.
Sunday, March 17, 2024
No form of human framing, no bond of outward might
1. No form of human framing, no bond of outward might,
Can bind Thy Church together, Lord, and all her flocks unite;
But, Jesus, Thou hast told us how unity must be:
Thou art with God the Father one, and we are one in Thee.
2. The mind that is in Jesus will guide us into truth,
The humble, open, joyful mind of ever-learning youth;
The heart that is in Jesus will lead us out of strife,
The giving and forgiving heart that follows love in life.
3. Wherever men adore Thee, our souls with them would kneel;
Wherever men implore Thy help, their trouble we would feel;
And where men do Thy service, though knowing not Thy sign,
Our hand is with them in good work, for they are also Thine.
4. Forgive us, Lord, the folly that quarrels with Thy friends,
And draw us near to Thy heart, where every discord ends;
Thou art the crown of manhood, and Thou of God the Son;
O Master of our many lives, in Thee our life is one.
Henry van Dyke
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
Well, I'm certainly continuing in my trend of choosing the less popular hymns. This one occurs in a paltry eight hymnals! Henry van Dyke is better known as the author of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. He is also the author of The Other Wise Man, which you may be familiar with. If not, take a look! It's out of copyright, so freely available to read.
</idle musing>
Saturday, March 16, 2024
City of God, how broad and far
1 City of God, how broad and far
outspread thy walls sublime!
The true thy chartered freemen are
of every age and clime:
2 How gleam thy watch-fires through the night
with never-fainting ray!
How rise thy towers, serene and bright,
to meet the dawning day!
3 How purely hath thy speech come down
from man's primaeval youth!
How grandly hath thine empire grown
of freedom, love, and truth!
4 In vain the surge's angry shock,
in vain the drifting sands:
unharmed upon the eternal Rock
the eternal city stands.
Samuel Johnson
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
I don't recall ever singing this one, and it only occurs in 166 hymnals. For being a relatively unpopular hymn, the verses seem to have been scrambled a good bit and many versions include a fifth verse, variously placed:
2 One holy church, one army strong,As seems apparent once one knows it, the author of the hymn has strong Unitarian leanings, although never officially a Unitarian.
one steadfast, high intent;
one working band, one harvest-song,
one King omnipotent.
</idle musing>
Friday, March 15, 2024
On the margins
Jesus, united by Thy grace
1. Jesus, united by Thy grace,
And each to each endeared,
With confidence we seek Thy face
And know our prayer is heard.
2. Help us to help each other, Lord,
Each other’s cross to bear;
Let all their friendly aid afford,
And feel each other’s care.
3. Up onto Thee, our living Head,
Let us in all things grow;
Till Thou hast made us free indeed
And spotless here below.
4. Touched by the lodestone of Thy love,
Let all our hearts agree,
And ever toward each other move,
And ever move toward Thee.
Charles Wesley
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
I seem to have a penchant for choosing relatively unpopular hymns. This one only occurs in 160 or so hymnals. And, again, as is normal for Wesley hymns, there are many more verses, which Cyberhymnal conveniently lists:
2. Still let us own our common Lord,The overarching theme of this hymn is the heartbeat of the Wesleyan revival: a heart made perfect in love—now, not just in the future. That's why one can say that it is a holiness of heart first and foremost. Behavior follows because, as Paul says in Romans, "love worketh no ill to its neighbor" (KJV).
And bear Thine easy yoke,
A band of love, a threefold cord,
Which never can be broke.3. Make us into one spirit drink;
Baptize into Thy name;
And let us always kindly think,
And sweetly speak, the same.7. To Thee, inseparably joined,
Let all our spirits cleave;
O may we all the loving mind,
That was in Thee receive.8. This is the bond of perfectness,
Thy spotless charity;
O let us, still we pray, possess
The mind that was in Thee.9. Grant this, and then from all below
Insensibly remove:
Our souls their change shall scarcely know,
Made perfect first in love!10. With ease our souls through death shall glide
Into their paradise,
And thence, on wings of angels, ride
Triumphant through the skies.11. Yet, when the fullest joy is given,
The same delight we prove,
In earth, in paradise, in Heaven,
Our all in all is love.
</idle musing>
Thursday, March 14, 2024
The way of suffering? Or the way of violence?
All praise to our redeeming Lord
1 All praise to our redeeming Lord,
who joins us by his grace,
and bids us, each to each restored,
together seek his face.
2 He bids us build each other up;
and, gathered into one,
to our high calling’s glorious hope
we hand in hand go on.
3 We all partake the joy of one,
the common peace we feel,
a peace to sensual minds unknown,
a joy unspeakable.
4 And if our fellowship below
in Jesus be so sweet,
what heights of rapture shall we know
when round his throne we meet!
Charles Wesley
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
This is definitely not one of Wesley's more popular hymns; it only occurs in 142 hymnals. As is usual with a Wesley hymn, there are more verses:
3 The gift which he on one bestows,</idle musing>
we all delight to prove;
the grace through every vessel flows,
in purest streams of love.4 Ev'n now we think and speak the same,
and cordially agree;
concentred all, through Jesus’ name,
in perfect harmony.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
What is a peace ethic?
Blest be the tie that binds
1. Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
2. Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.
3. We share each other’s woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.
4. When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.
John Fawcett
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
Today's hymn is extremely popular, occurring in over 2500 hymnals. A good number of hymnals add a final two verses, which I don't recall ever seeing before:
5. This glorious hope revivesYou might want to read the bio linked above. Interesting back story on this hymn. I fear that not too many people today would turn down the lucrative city post to stay in the backwater…
Our courage by the way;
While each in expectation lives,
And longs to see the day.6. From sorrow, toil and pain,
And sin, we shall be free,
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.
</idle musing>
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
What got healed?
<idle musing>
That ends our quick jaunt through Incarnation: The Person and Life of Christ. I hope you enjoyed it. Maybe someday I'll tackle the next volume, but first, let's read through Scot McKnight's The Audacity of Peace. I'll start that tomorrow and go back to one post per day for it, since it's a shorter book.
</idle musing>
What's the point?
Tozer for Tuesday
For the Bread, which Thou hast broken
1 For the bread, which Thou hast broken;
For the wine, which Thou hast poured;
For the words, which Thou hast spoken;
Now we give Thee thanks, O Lord.
2 By this pledge that Thou dost love us,
By Thy gift of peace restored,
By Thy call to heaven above us,
Hallow all our lives, O Lord.
3 With our sainted ones in glory
Seated at our Father’s board,
May the Church that waiteth for Thee
Keep love’s tie unbroken, Lord.
4 In Thy service, Lord, defend us;
In our hearts keep watch and ward;
In the world where Thou dost send us
Let Thy kingdom come, O Lord.
Louis F. Benson
The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition
<idle musing>
Well, I'm continuing in my tradition of posting hymns that aren't in the top 1000, let alone the top 10! This one only occurs in forty-six hymnals.
I admit, the theology is pretty thin and the hymn seems trite, but I kinda like it. YMMV, of course.
</idle musing>