George Croly - Lyrics
1780-1860
Born: August 17, 1780, Dublin, Ireland.
Died: November 24, 1860, Holborn, England
Frederick Cook Atkinson - Composer
1841-1896
Born: August 17, 1780, Dublin, Ireland.
Died: November 24, 1860, Holborn, England
Hymn History
Following Resurrection Sunday, there are two other important Church calender days which many Christians often neglect to recognize. The first is Day the Lord Jesus Christ Ascending into heaven - forty days following His Resurrection. The second important day is Pentecost-ten days after Jesus Christ’s ascension. It is thrilling at Christmas to recall the events of our Savior’s birth, or at His Resurrection and his triumph over death. Yet if
He had never ascended to make intercession for us or had never sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within and to guide us, our relationship with God would be most incomplete.
One of the finest of all hymns for Pentecost is this hymn, “Spirit of God, Descend upon My Heart.” It was written by the Rev. George Croly, a minister in the Anglican Church. Croly was born in Dublin, Ireland, and was graduated from Trinity College. he came to London, England, around 1810, where he served a small parish church. he was also active during this time as a literary writer of poems and novels as well as biographical, historical and scriptural material. Later, in 1835, he was asked by the church’s leadership to re-open a church in the worst slum area of London, St. Stephen’s Church, which had been closed for more than a century. His forceful, magnetic preaching soon attracted large crowds. Croly was characterized by his associated as a “Fundamentalist in theology, a fierce conservative in politics, and a intensely opposed to all forms of liberalism.”
In 1854, when he was sevnty-four years of age, he desired a new hymnal for his congergation and eventually prepared and published his own Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship. This text is from that collection and was originally entitled “Holiness Desired.” It is Croly’s only surviving hymn from that collection.
The tune, “Morecambe,” was written by Frederick C. Atkinson, an English church organist, in 1870. It was originally intended for Henry Lyte’s hymn, “Abide with Me.” It is thought that the tune was named after an English town in Midland district where music festivals were held periodically.
Spirit of God, descend upon my Heart
Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art;
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.
Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.
I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:
O let me seek Thee, and O let me find!
Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear.
To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh,
Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.
Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
One holy passion filling all my frame;
The kindling of the heaven descended Dove,
My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.
The windows of heaven are open
by John R. Rice
The windows of heaven are open
The blessings are falling tonight
There's joy, joy, joy in my heart
For Jesus made everything right
I gave Him my old tattered garment
He gave me a robe of pure white
I'm feasting on manna from heaven
And that's why I'm happy tonight.
John Mason Neale - Translated Lyrics to English
1818-1866
Born: 1816 London, England.
Died: 1866
Thomas Helmore - Arranged By
1811-1890
Born: May 7, 1811, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England.
Died: July 6, 1890, Westminster, England.
Hymn History
The Hymnal is truly an amazing collection of expressions regarding spiritual truths. It represents the experiences and feelings of people from man different religious backgrounds throughout various cultures and periods of history. This hymn, for example, finds its origin in the medieval Roman Church of the twelfth century and possibly even earlier. It began as a series of Antiphons–short statements sung at the beginning of the
Psalm or of the Magnificat at Vespers during the Advent season. Each of the Antiphons greets the Savior with one of the many titles ascribed to Him in the Scriptures: Emmanuel, Lord of Might, rod of Jesse, Day Spring, Key of David. The hauntingly catchy modal melody for this text was originally a Plainsong or Chant, the earliest form of singing in the Church.
During the nineteenth century there were a number of Anglican ministers and scholars, such as John M. Neale, who developed a keen interest in rediscovering and translating into English many of the ancient Greek, Latin and German hymns. John Neale, born in London, England, on January 24, 1818, undoubtedly did more than any other person to make available the rich heritage of Greek and Latin hymns.
John M. Neale is also the translator of the hymns “The Day of Resurrection”, “All Glory. Laud and Honor”, and “Art Thou Weary?”
Advent, beginning four Sundays before Christmas, is the season of the church year that emphasizes the anticipation of the first coming of Christ to this earth. His coming as the Messiah was first prophesied in the sixth century B.C. when the Jews were captive in Babylon. For centuries thereafter faithful Hebrews looked for the Messiah with great longing and expectation, echoing the prayer that He would “ransom captive Israel.” The
tragedy of tragedies, however, is the Biblical and historical fact that He did come “unto His own” to establish a spiritual kingdom of both redeemed Jew and Gentile, “but His own received Him not...”
Today most hymnbooks use just five of the original statements addressed to the anticipated Messiah.
Verse One - “Emmanuel”-Deliver. (Pronounced Em-manuel, not E-manuel.) God’s people now
separated from heaven are here compared to Israel. during the Babylonian exile, being
separated from God’s holy temple in Jerusalem.
Verse Two - “Lord of Might” This is addressed to Almighty Jehovah, the One who first gave the Law at
Mount Sinai to the awesome accompaniment of lightning and thunder (Exodus 19:16).
Verse Three - “Rod of Jesse.” This is a reference to Isaiah 11:1: “and there shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.” This prophecy was perfectly
fulfilled with the birth of Christ, who came from the kingly line of David, the son of Jesse.
Verse Four - “Day Spring.” This address to the Messiah means literally “sun-rising.” This prophetic
reference was reechoed by the priest Zacharias in these words upon hearing of Christ’s
birth: “The day-spring from on high has visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:78b, 79a).
Verse Five - “Thou Key of David.” This expression is first recorded in Isaiah 22:22 “And the key of the
house of David will I lay upon His shoulder.” The well-known verse from Isaiah 9:6 also
confirms this royal authority of Christ: “and the government shall be upon His shoulder...”
Truly our hearts can rejoice with God’s people of all ages when we realize that Christ the Messiah did come two thousand years ago and accomplished a perfect redemption for Adam’s hopeless race. Yet we wait with the same urgent expectancy, as did the Israelites of old, for the piercing of the clouds–His second advent, when victory over sin and death will be final.
~101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck
O come, O come, Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
'Twas the Night Jesus Came
'Twas the night Jesus came and all through the house
Not a person was praying, not one in the house
The Bibles were left on the shelf without care
For no one thought Jesus would come there
The children were dressing to crawl into bed
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head
And Mom in her rocker with a babe in her lap
Was watching the late show while I took a nap
When out to the East there rose such a clatter
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and lifted the sash
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here!
The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus returning, just like He said
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself
In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was the name of every Believer, every saved man
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name
When He said, "It's not here", my head hung in shame
The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above
With those who were ready He rose without sound
While all the rest were left standing and gazing around
I fell to my knees, but it was too late
I had waited too long, and thus sealed my fate
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight
Oh, if only I'd known that this was the night!
In the words of this poem, the meaning is clear
The coming of Jesus is now drawing near
There's only one life, and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all.
Read other versions:
Twas the night before Christmas~Mom style
Twas the night before Christmas~Dieter's style
Twas the night before Baby Jesus Came
James Montgomery - Lyrics
1771-1854
Born: November 4, 1771, Irvine, Ayrshire, Scotland.
Died: April 30, 1854, Mount, Sheffield, England.
Buried: Sheffield, England. In his memory, a statue was erected in the Sheffield cemetery, a stained glass window was installed in the parish church, and a public hall was named after him.
Henry Thomas Smart - Composer
1813-1879
Born: October 26, 1813, London, England.
Died: July 6, 1879, London, England.
Buried: Hampstead Cemetery, London.
Hymn History
When one recalls important contributors to the development of English hymnody, the names of Isaac Watts, generally titled the father of English hymnody, and Charles Wesley, provider of approximately 6,500 hymn texts, are usually acclaimed the most important. Next to these two spiritual leaders, however, it is commonly agreed by students of hymnology that no writer has made a greater contribution to English hymnody than has
James Montgomery. A foremost authority in hymnology, John Julian, has written.
Montgomery’s devotional spirit was of the noblest type. With the faith of a strong man he united the beauty and simplicity of a child. Richly poetic without exuberance, dogmatic without uncharitableness, tender without sentimentality, elaborate without diffusiveness, richly musical without effort, he has bequeathed to the church wealth which could only come from true genius and a sanctified heart.
“Angels, From the Realms of Glory” first appeared as a poem in Montgomery's newspaper on December 24 1816. Later it was published in a hymnal entitled Montgomery’s Original Hymns and was known as have acclaimed this as one of the finest Advent hymns.
The composer of this tune, know as “Regent Square,” was Henry Smart, born on October 26,1813, in London, England. Although largely self-taught, Smart was recognized as one of the finest organist and composers in the British Isles in his day. He was totally blind for the last fifteen years of his life, yet he continued to play and write some of his finest music. “Regent Square” was written during this period of blindness. The tune was composed especially for a hymnal being compiled by Dr. Hamilton, pastor of London’s Regent Square Presbyterian Church, known as the “Cathedral of Presbyterianism” in London.
~101 Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck
Angels from the realms of glory
Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Though an Infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father’s throne,
Gather all the nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in One.
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
“Making Christmas Personal”
Kathi Macias
It was Christmas Eve, my favorite night of the year, as we sat shoulder-to-shoulder on a rear pew in the quaint but packed country church. I had been a Christian for slightly less than ten years, but each day since that unforgettable moment in July 1974 when I had received Jesus as my Savior, I had prayed for my dad’s salvation. Dad was the last “holdout” in our family. Prior to 1969, none of us had known Jesus as Lord and Savior, but since that time we had all become Christians—except Dad. My stubborn German father, though raised by a praying mother, had rejected his childhood faith and now insisted he was an atheist.
That night my family was sure all that would change, for Dad had agreed to accompany us to the Christmas Eve service. We had been shocked but thrilled when he accepted our invitation, since we invited him to church quite often and he always refused. For the first time, on that night of all nights when the faithful gather together to commemorate the birth of God’s Son, my dad was with us.
As the service progressed, I found myself peeking out of the corner of my eye every few moments to make sure he was still there, sitting next to my mom, whose face literally shone with joy and excitement. But so far nothing was happening. Dad sat perfectly still, his big hands resting in his lap, his broad shoulders straight, his lined face expressionless. With the service about to end, I found myself fighting discouragement.
And then the lights went down and, as if on cue, the parishioners seated on the center-aisle end of the pews passed small unlit candles to everyone in their row. At the same time two ushers began to make their way down the center aisle, stopping at the end of each pew and lighting the candle of the first parishioner in each row. Those parishioners then turned and lit the candle of the next person in the row, and so on until everyone held a lit candle.
Clutching my own candle as I waited for the usher to reach our row, I glanced over at my parents and realized my ever-practical father must have decided the process was going much too slowly, for he suddenly fished his cigarette lighter out of his pocket and started lighting candles. Within minutes he had lit every candle at his end of the pew and was reaching over to the people in the pew in front of us to start on theirs.
Fighting humiliation, I closed my eyes and felt the sting of unexpected tears as I realized my dad was simply trying to be helpful. I heard a couple of chuckles in nearby rows, but no one said anything until the usher arrived at our pew. With the glow from his candle illuminating his face, the smiling man thanked my father for his assistance. Dad returned his smile and assured him he was glad to be of help, and the gracious usher moved on.
It was nearly fifteen years later before the last “holdout” in our family responded to the loving call of his heavenly Father. At eighty-eight years of age, less than one week before his death in October 1999, my sweet but stubborn German father received Jesus as his Savior—and then promptly went home to be with Him.
I have thought of that Christmas Eve so many times over the last couple of decades. With the exception of occasional weddings, funerals, or baptisms, Dad never came back to church with us after that night, though we asked him nearly every week. There were times we wondered how God would ever penetrate Dad’s seemingly hard heart with the gospel, but we clung to the knowledge that God is faithful and nothing is impossible with Him. And how we rejoiced when God finally broken through Dad’s resistance and we saw the tears of joy in his clouded eyes. Though a series of small strokes had left him bedridden and unable to speak, we were thrilled each time he grinned and lifted his finger to point heavenward at the mention of the name of Jesus. And we were so very grateful. But I have to admit that, despite my gratitude and joy, I also wondered why Dad had waited so long to receive such a truly awesome gift. As it turned out, because he died in October, he never got to experience the wonder of Christmas as a believer—or did he?
As I thought and prayed about that very issue, I realized how I had allowed myself to get locked into dates. I knew, of course, that Jesus may not have been born exactly on December 25, but I hadn’t really considered that Christmas could be celebrated at any time other than on that precise date. And yet, I reasoned, wasn’t Christmas the celebration of the birth of God’s Son into the world? What, then, had happened in October 1999 just days before my dad slipped out of his earthly body and was whisked into the presence of God? Hadn’t Jesus been birthed by God’s Spirit into Dad’s heart? If I believed that—and I certainly did—then that wonderful day of new birth for my dad, though it took place in October, had been his personal Christmas celebration here on earth.
I was thrilled—not just because of what had happened to my father, but because I suddenly realized that the day of our salvation—our new birth—is also the day of our own personal Christmas. After knowing and walking with Jesus for more than a quarter of a century, I had come into a new and fresh appreciation of the most beautiful of all holidays. In fact, I realized how much more meaningful Christmas would be if, when we get together as a family to celebrate the gift of Jesus, we also recount our own Christmas stories, telling of the day Jesus was birthed into our hearts. If we have guests who have never received Jesus, it would be the perfect opportunity for them to do so.
But we wouldn’t have to stop there. Why not have several Christmas celebrations throughout the year? Regardless of the date, each time one of us comes to the anniversary of our new birth, we could have a Christmas party in honor of the event. Guests could bring gifts, and the person celebrating his or her own personal Christmas could designate a charity to receive them. It would provide us with opportunities to invite unsaved friends, neighbors, and loved ones, and to present the gospel to them throughout the year.
I will always cherish the memory of my dear father “helping” the ushers at that Christmas Eve candlelight service so many years ago, and the opportunities that it generated to make Christmas personal all year long and to tell others about the greatest gift ever given—God’s own Son, born into a world of sin that He might also be born in our hearts and wash those sins away forever.
*Printed first in “Victory in Grace” Magazine, December 2005; second in Crosswalk.com, December 2006.
Communicating the vision… (Hab.2:2)
alandkathi@ca.rr.com
www.kathimacias.com
http://kathieasywritermacias.
(This wonderful poem can be sung to
the tune, "I Believe.")
I Believe that Jesus is the reason why
There’s Christmas Day.
I Believe the infant Child of Mighty God
Lay on the hay.
I Believe that shepherds saw,
up in the sky,
The Heavenly Host ~
To praise Him high.
I Believe! I Believe!
I Believe the eastern wise men traced a star
And bowed their knees.
And, I know that, in her heart,
His mother knew
He would be King!
Time was split, a plan engaged
designed to bring
The heart of man
To God again,
With upraised hands. I Believe!
Every time I see the scenes
of Christmas Day
Or hear the songs,
I know the Way
Lies in the Child of Christmas Day!
I Believe!! I Believe!!
Written by Joan Clifton Costner ©
MARY, DID YOU KNOW?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with his hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
And when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.
The blind will see, the deaf will hear and the dead will live again.
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb.
Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I AM.
Lyrics by Mark Lowry
Music by Buddy Greene
HYMN HISTORY:
No Thanksgiving Day service would be complete without the singing of this traditional Dutch Hymn. Today, we sing this hymn as an expression of thanks to God as our defender and guide throughout the past year. The text was originally written by an anonymous author, at the end of the sixteenth century, to celebrate the Dutch freedom from the Spanish overlords, who had been driven from their land, and the freedom that was
theirs, both politically from Spain and religiously from the Catholic Church. A number of Dutch nationalistic songs developed as a result of this patriotic emphasis. “We Gather together” is generally considered to be the finest of these musical expressions. It was first published in Adrian Valerius’ Nederlandtsche Gedenckclanck, in 1626, in Haarleem. For the next two centuries, the singing of this hymn was limited to the Dutch people. In 1877,
it was discovered by Edward Kremser, a Viennese musician, who published it in his collection entitled Sechs Altniederlanddische Volkslieder. The English translation of this text was made by Theodore Baker, in 1894, and it appeared in Dutch Folk Songs (1917) compiled by Coenraad V. Bos.
“We Gather Together” must be understood and appreciated from its historical setting. For many years, Holland had been under the scourge of Spain, and in 1576, Antwerp was captured and sacked by the Spanish armies. Again, 1585, it was captured by the Spanish and all of the Protestant citizens were exiled. Many other Dutch cities suffered similar fates. One of the revered leaders of this struggle against Spain was William the Silent, who eventually was murdered by a Catholic assassin. In 1625, his youngest son, Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange, assumed the leadership of the Union of Dutch Provinces. Under his able leadership for more than a quarter century, a great golden age of prosperity and rich post-reformation culture developed throughout Holland. Commerce was expanded around the world, and this was the period of great Dutch art, with such well-known painters as Rembrandt and Vermeer. In 1648, the Spanish endeavors to control Holland were finally destroyed beyond recovery.
One can readily see the references to these historical events throughout the hymn’s text: “The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing,” “so from the beginning the fight we were winning,” as well as the concern, in the final stanza, that God will continue to defend–”and we pray that Thou still our defender will be.”
The tune, “Kremser,” was named after the Viennese musician, who discovered and published this hymn after two centuries of neglect. The original melody is thought to be a folk song from the Netherlands. Edward Kremser was born on April 10, 1838, in Vienna, Austria, and died there on November 27, 1914. He was a noted choral director as well as the composer and publisher of numerous vocal and instrumental works.
The English translator of this text, Theodore Baker, was born in New York City on June 3, 1851. He was highly respected as a noted music researcher. His famous Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, first published in 1900, became an authoritative, reference book for all serious students of music. From 1892 to 1926, Baker served as literary editor for the G. Schirmer Music Company. Upon his retirement in 1926, Theodore Baker returned to Germany, where he had relieved his earlier musical training, and died in Dresden, Germany, on October 13, 1934.
~101 More Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck
Edward Kremser - Arranged & translated Lyrics from Dutch to Latin
1838-1914
Born: April 10, 1838, Vienna, Austria.
Died: November 27, 1914, Vienna, Austria.
Buried: Zentralfriedhof, Vienna, Austria.
We Gather Together
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.
Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!
We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
HYMN HISTORY:
“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” is considered to be one of the most choice Thanksgiving hymns in all of hymnody. It was written or the English harvest festivals, a movable feast varying with the harvest time in the various villages. Its author, Henry “Dean” Alford, is generally regarded as one of the most gifted, Christian leaders of the nineteenth century, distinguishing himself as a theologian, scholar, writer, poet, artist, and musician.
Henry Alford was born in Bloomsbury, October 7, 1810. His father, as well as his ancestors in several previous generations, were respected clergymen in the Anglican Church, and early in life, young Alford decided to follow their examples. At the age of sixteen, he wrote in the fly-leaf of his Bible these words which characterized his life: “I do this day, in the presence of God and my own soul, renew my covenant with God, and solemnly determine henceforth to become His, and to do His work as far as in me lies.”
At Trinity College, Cambridge, Alford distinguished himself as a student and writer, and, upon graduation in 1832, be began his public ministry in London. He rose rapidly from one position to another, until he was named Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, the ”mother-church” of all England, at the age of forty-seven, where he remained, until his
death in 1871. Even in this prestigious position, Alford maintained strong relations with evangelicals and other non-conformist groups and did all he could to resist the high church movement within the Anglican Church. It was as a Greek scholar that he attained his greatest distinction. His four-volume edition of the Greek Testament, on which he labored for twenty years, became the standard critical commentary of the later nineteenth century.
As a member of the new Testament Revision Committee, he made a notable contribution to biblical knowledge on both sides of the Atlantic.
Hymnology was one of Henry Alford’s major interests, and he translated and composed numerous hymns, which he published in hi Psalms and Hymns (1844), The Year of Praise (1867), and Poetical Works (1852 and 1868). Of these many works, only “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” is still in general use in most evangelical hymanls.
The hymn first appeared in Alford’s Psalms and Hymns, in 1844. It was originally titled “After Harvest” and was accompanied by the text “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:6). The hymn originally contained seven stanzas, but only four have remained in common usage.
The first stanza of this thanksgiving hymn is an invitation and a exhortation to give thanks to God in the earthly temple–His Church–for the heavenly care and provision of our earthly needs. The following two stanzas are an interesting commentary on the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares as recorded in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. The final stanza is a prayer for the Lord’s return–”the final harvest home”– the culminating event that Henry Alford sees as the ultimate demonstration of God’s goodness in His eternal purpose of man’s Redemption.
It is said that at the end of a hard day’s work, as well as after every meal, it was customary practice for “Dean” Alford to stand to his feet and give thanks to God for the blessings just relieved or enjoyed during the day. This spirit of perpetual gratitude is clearly evidenced throughout this hymn.
Because of Alford’s strenuous efforts and unlimited activities in the Christian ministry, he suffered a physical breakdown in 1870, and died on January 12, 1871. His passing was mourned throughout the entire Christian world. During his lifetime one of the “Dean’s” unfulfilled, cherished dreams was to visit the Holy Land. Although this dream was never realized, it was said of him that is eyes were fixed upon the Heavenly Jerusalem toward which he journeyed. On his tombstone the following appropriate inscription is found: “The Inn of a Pilgrim Traveling to Jerusalem.”
The composer of this tune, “St. George’s, Windsor”, was George J. Elvey, who served as the organist for forty-seven years at the historic, royal chapel at Windsor Castle in England. He originally composed the music for James Montgomery’s text “Hark! the Song of Jubilee,” published in E. H. Throne’s Selection of Psalms and Hymn Tunes in 1858. In 1861, this tune first appeared wedded to Henry Alford’s text in the well-known Anglican Church hymnal, Hymns Ancient and Modern. It has found a place in nearly every published hymnal to the present time.
George Elvey was knighted by Queen Victoria, in 1871, for his many years of faithful service to the royal family as well as for his various musical publications, including several oratorios, anthems, and collections of service music. Elvey is also the composer of the familiar hymn tune “Diademata,” generally used with such hymn texts as “Crown Him With Many Crowns” and “Soldiers of Chris Arise.”
~ 101 More Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck
| 101 More Hymn Stories by Kenneth W. Osbeck |
Henry Alford - Lyrics
1810-1871
Born: October 7, 1810, Bloomsbury, Middlesex, England.
Died: January 12, 1871, Canterbury, Kent, England.
Buried: St. Martin’s, Canterbury, Kent, England.
George Job Elvey - Composer
1816-1893
Born: March 27, 1816, Canterbury, England.
Died: December 9, 1893, Windlesham, Surrey, England.
Buried: St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, England.
Come, Ye Thankful People, Come
Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
All the world is God’s own field, fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.
For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day all offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.
Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified, in Thy garner to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" - Jeremiah 17:9
The creation is filled with plants and animals, which use deception to survive. The glow in the dark cookie-cutter shark is a master at such deception.
The cookie-cutter shark is only a foot to at foot and a half long. It doesn't have powerful muscles and can't swim very fast. but it doesn't need to. Lunch serves itself. The shark typically lives between 600 and 3,000 feet below the surface of the water. Looking down from above one of these sharks, you would probably not see it because the top of its body is as dark as the deep waters where it lives. Looking up from below, you wouldn't see the dark outline of the shark against the light that filters down from the surface. This is because of the shark's first deception: its underside is completely covered with light emitting cells that match the illumination from above. The deception doesn't stop there, however. A small patch beneath the shark's jaw doesn't glow. From beneath, the cookie-cutter shark looks like a small fish, just the kind of dinner a tuna might like. As the tuna speeds toward what it thinks is a small fish, at the last minute the shark turns and takes a bite out of the tuna. Its open, round jaw takes a plug of flesh out of the tuna-hence, the name cookie-cutter shark. Interestingly, most cookie-cutter shark wounds are not fatal.
The fact that the cookie-cutter shark's form, deceptions and habits all match each other perfectly is not a result of chance, mindless evolution but of God's careful design.
_________________________________________________________
~George Washington
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
God's Rosebud
It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.
The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so easily,
But in my hands they die.
If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?
So I'll trust in God for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to God for guidance
In each step of the way.
The path that lies before me,
Only my Lord knows.
I'll trust god to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose.
_________________________________________________________
~ James Madison
_________________________________________________________
Airplane Fingers
"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." - Genesis 1:20
Aerodynamics, the science of flight, is a highly complex science. this is because many complex forces are acting on anything in flight. These forces include the power available for flight and drag produced by the flying object. Each of these categories includes many additional forces that depend on the shape of the flying object, the shape and length of the wings, the speed and the altitude. This is why, for example, hight altitude planes have very long wings.
One critical force that has been under recent study is the turbulence that forms at the tips of the wings. The shorter the wing, the more energy-consuming turbulence forms at the tip of the wing. Different wing designs have been tried to decrease this turbulence. Engineers have had some success reducing this turbulence with winglets. You may have seen these small vertical wings on the wingtips of some airplanes. Swiss researchers have been studying vultures with the hope of finding a better solution to this problem because vultures have a relatively short wing span that has proven to be surprisingly efficient. They discovered that this is because the feathers at the vultures' wing tips spread out. They then tested a wing with a finger like cascade of blades at the end. Their new wing was more than four times more efficient than the average wing design in use today! It takes a great deal of faith in evolution to think that natural selection possesses such knowledge of aerodynamics. Clearly the vulture was designed by an intelligent Creator Who understands aerodynamics even better than we do!
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Woe Could be Headed Your Way!
If you are involved in sin, stop now, because you are headed for great sorrow, grief and misery. Payday for iniquity is someday; either immediately or in an eternal future.
Over 98 times the King James Bible warns that woe will be had by sinners. Twenty-six of those times the warning was given to nations given over to sin. The rest of the references were to sinning individuals.
" Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him."
- Isaiah 3:11
_________________________________________________________
~ Samuel Adams
_________________________________________________________
Bloopers Found in Church Bulletins!
• The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on the Water'
The sermon this evening: 'Searching for Jesus'
• Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
• Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
• For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
• Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. they need all the help they can get.
• Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
• Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.
• Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
• The eighth-grader will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
• Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
_________________________________________________________
~ Abigail Adams
With cooler breezes, autumn hues, and shorter days……FALL has arrived… and with it comes PUMPKINS! One of our favorite FALL activities has been carving a pumpkin with a lovely and HAPPY face~
A friend of mine shared this with us years ago….We’ve adapted it for our family, but it’s proven to be a FABULOUS BIBLE STUDY, even for the tiniest of carvers. It’s a great way to share some wonderful passages while engaging in a FUN,and GOOEY Family activity! Why not pop some popcorn, throw in some candy corn and make a night of it watching the fall sky? Older kids? Let them have a carving “contest” of sorts, letting them see who can carve the happiest pumpkin and recall the most verses! Lighting these “guys” for all the world to see is always the BEST part of the night! Nothing spooky about Spreading the Good News!
Create a pumpkin. Make it big, little, short, tall fat or skinny. No matter which, it will be a WONDERFUL pumpkin.
"For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD:..." Isaiah 66:2
Harvest the pumpkin when it’s fully ready.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Hold the pumpkin gently as you cleanse the dirt outside, washing all the dirt away.
“...wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Acts 22:16
Make an opening at the top, Search into the dark cavity for anything that needs to be removed.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23, 24
Remove all the stringy pulp and slime, and clean out the entire cavity.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
Give that pumpkin a big set of eyes so that he may see all the good around him.
“...Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:” Luke 10:23
Carve a nice nose so that he can take in the wonderful scents of the world.
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” Ephesians 5:2
Carve a great big SMILE so that he can bring JOY to anyone who sees him.
“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance:...” Proverbs 15:13
Make the pumpkin glow all over with a little white light inside.
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. II Cor 4:6
Rejoice in the “NEW” pumpkin that has been created and given new life.
“...he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” Luke 15:6
Place the pumpkin in the perfect spot so that the light will guide others.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Now let it be a reminder to each of us to go out into the world and let our LIGHT shine for all the world to see! Even the “tinest” carvers can understand that!
It’s often in the details of life that our greatest messages are seen and taught. Taking time to truly ENJOY the splendor of a new season will make memories for a lifetime!
William O. Cushing - Lyrics
1823-1902
Born: December 31, 1823, Hingham Center, Massachusetts.
Died: October 19, 1902, Lisbon Center, New York.
Buried: Jones Cemetery, near Searsburg, New York.
Ira David Sankey - Composer
1840-1908
Born: August 28, 1840, Edinburg, Pennsylvania.
Died: August 13, 1908, Brooklyn, New York.
Buried: Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.
HYMN HISTORY:
William O. Cushing was for more than twenty years a successful pastor in the eastern area of the United States. Following the death of his wife in 1870, ill health forced his retirement from the active ministry. During this time he became intensely interested in hymn writing and wrote more than three hundred hymns, cooperating with such gospel musicians as Ira Sankey, Robert Lowry, George Root, and others.
Mr Cushing has left the following account regarding the writing of “Hiding in Thee”:
“Hiding in Thee” was written at Moravia, New York, in 1876. It must be said of this hymn that it was the outgrowth of many tears, many heart conflicts, and yearnings of which the world can know nothing. The history of many battles is behind it. But the occasion which gave it being was the call of Mr. Sankey, He said, “Send me something new to help me in my gospel work.” A call from such a source, and for such a purpose, seemed to be a call from God. I so regarded it and prayed, “Lord, give me something that may glorify Thee;”
It was while thus waiting the “Hiding in Thee” pressed to make itself known. Mr Sankey called forth the tune, and by his genius gave the hymn wings, making it useful in the Maser’s work.
William C. Cushing is also the author of “Ring the Bells of Heaven” and “When He Cometh.”
Ira D. Sankey is often called the “father of the gospel song” because he made extensive use of this new type of music in his evangelistic campaigns with D. L. Moody, and he worked hard in widely publishing and distributing gospel songbook collections. One collection alone Sacred Songs and Solos, is said to have sold more the eighty
million copies in the first fifty years following its initial publication. This book is still being published and used today. This collection, as well as a series of publications in which Sankey collaborated with P. P. Bliss and George C. Stebbins, Gospel Hymns Numbers 1-6, has had an extraordinary influence on evangelical church music to the present time.
Although the singing of the Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs had always been an important part of public worship since the time of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation, Sankey introduced a style of congregational singing that was “calculated to awaken the careless, to melt the hardened, and to guide the inquiring souls to Jesus Christ.”It was frequently said that Sankey was as effective a preacher of the gospel of salvation with his songs as his associate, D .L. Moody, was with his sermons.
For nearly thirty years Sankey and Moody were inseparable in the work of the gospel, both in the United States and throughout Great Britian. Sankey's smooth, cultured ways complemented and made up for Moody’s poor English and impulsiveness. They were often referred to as the “David and Jonathan of the gospel ministry.”
Ira Sankey had little or no professional voice training. He generally accompanied himself on a small reed organ, singing simply but with careful enunciation and much feeling and expression. His voice was described as an exceptionally strong baritone of moderate compass. An English newspaper once wrote the following review:
As a vocalist, Mr Sankey has not many equals. Possessed of a voice of great volume and richness, he expresses with exquisite skill and pathos the gospel message, in words very simply but replete with love and tenderness, and always with marked effect on the audience. It is , however, altogether a mistake to suppose that the blessing which attends Mr. Sankey’s efforts is attributed only or chiefly to his fine voice and artistic expression.
Another writer wrote as follows regarding Sankey’s manner of singing:
There was something about his baritone voice that was enormously affecting. He had a way of pausing between lines of the song, and in that pause the vast audience remained silent.
“Hiding in Thee” first appeared in a collection entitled Welcome Tidings, compiled by Robert Lowry, William H. Doane, and Ira Sankey in 1877.It was preface with the Scriptural text “My strong rock for a house of defense.”
Hiding in Thee
O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”
I’m hiding in Thee.
In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o’er me its power;
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”
I’m hiding in Thee.
How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”
I’m hiding in Thee.
Today I'm going to share a devotional that came in my in-box. I subscribe to the Transformation Garden's daily e-mail devotionals. Each devotional has an Exploration section, Inspiration section and an Affirmation section. I enjoyed today's devotional thought. So, I'm sharing it here on my blog.
Remember I'm not the author of this devotional.
“Cookie-Cutter Rulership”
“The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity.”
Robert Anthony
“Only dead fish swim with the stream.”
Linda Ellerbee
“Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and lethargy steals over all the finer nerves and faculties of the soul.”
The Common Reader
(1925)
I believe that for many of us, those tender teenage years were a time in each of our lives when “conforming,” especially to the whims of our friends, was at a peak point. Following the crowd and fitting in made life a lot easier. How I wish conforming to a “group mentality” was a trait we could all say we out grew.
But if current world society is any clear indicator, young and old alike, can be easily swayed by a variety of means. Money and power come to my mind as just two of the many tools used to rule the masses.
I’m thankful I had parents, who when witnessing the extreme peer pressure applied to teens, confronted the situation head-on by alerting me to the fact that the majority isn’t always right. In fact, it can be very wrong.
I’ll never forget my dad’s advice one day when I was struggling with the challenge of doing what I knew to be right versus what all my friends were doing. As he said to me, “Dorothy, don’t be a cookie-cutter person.” This statement was quite typical of some of the unique phrases my dad would delight us with. This particular one struck – for years later, long after my father’s death, I constantly remind myself that it’s alright not to be a “cookie-cutter” person – stamped out of the same mold and looking identical to every other cookie in the bag.
In Samuel 8, we find that God’s children fell straight into a “cookie-cutter” mentality. Having looked around at all the other nations, heathen ones I might add, they decided they wanted to match everybody else. They wanted to fit in.
For certain, Samuel was no “cookie-cutter.” Raised by a devoted mother like Hannah, who knew no fear standing up for God, this young man embraced his heavenly Father and then throughout his life made God’s way his way.
To give the Israelites some credit, they “got it!” They understood who Samuel was molded after and it wasn’t the people in the surrounding nations. Their false god, their money and their power couldn’t change Samuel’s mold. But Samuel’s children were another story. As we so sadly found out yesterday, their position of leadership was influenced by the longing for loot and one day, the Israelites took a close look and said to themselves, “Joel and Abijah are just as crooked as the other nations, so why not dump these guys and get ourselves a king like everybody else. Then we’ll be on an equal footing with the other nations.”
So with this little plan all hatched-up, the elders of Israel headed off to Samuel to inform him that his “God-mold” no longer fit their needs and instead they wanted to fit into a new mold – the mold of the surrounding nations. They wanted to come out of a cookie-cutter that made them fit in with everybody else. What a terrible mistake this was. Not to be redundant, these were God’s children, looking at the people of Canaan and saying, “This is who we want to look like.”
Lest we be too hard on these people, I think first I’d better look in a mirror and ask myself, “How many times have I done the same thing?” Malcolm Watts penned these truth filled words: “We can tell when we have been influenced by the world. It is when we find ourselves neither hot nor cold, just compromised.” And this was what happened to God’s children. By trying to fit in, they lost the distinction that gave them their identity. And way too often we do the same thing.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you and I should be contrary just for the sake of being disagreeable. Nor do we need to stick out like a sore thumb just to get noticed.
But unfortunately, it’s usually our attempt to blend in that gets us in the most trouble not our strength to stand out and stand up for the right.
In her book entitled, Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself, author Radclyffe Hall describes the heroine this way, “Miss Ogilvy had found as her life went on that in this world it is better to be one with the herd, that the world has no wish to understand those who cannot conform to its stereotyped pattern.” This statement sheds light on the challenge we all face every day and that is to be one of the herd, just for the sake of fitting somebody’s pattern. However, when it is the pattern of the Canaanites, we’d better look out, for the end result, as we will see, will be exactly the same as with God’s children during Samuel’s life. History does, unfortunately, repeat itself.
There is an Indian Proverb called, “Courage”, which states: “A candle is a protest at midnight. It is a non-conformist. It says to the darkness, ‘I beg to differ.’”
Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe or what you do – no matter how small for you can make a difference. Remember, you are unique. There’s only one of you. You are not a “cookie-cutter person.”
“A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God’s truth is attacked and yet would remain silent without giving any sound.”
John Calvin
“Fear Not”
“Those in power can no longer overlook the handwriting on the wall. Their subjects think twice about nodding agreement…the friends of Jesus block the roads…children learn the truth. How are we to recognize an angel except that (she) brings courage where fear was – joy where even sadness refused to grow – objections where hard facts used to rule the day – disarming love where terror was a credible deterrent. Fear not. Courage is growing.”
Dorothy Solle
(Adapted)
Your friend,
Dorothy Valcàrcel, Author
When A Woman Meets Jesus
Dorothy@Transformationgarden.com
P.S. My book, When A Woman Meets Jesus, is now available wherever books are sold and on the internet at www.amazon.com, Christianbook.com, or by calling toll-free, 1-800-Christian. You can also go to www.whenawomanmeetsjesus.com and purchase the book through Paypal for $10.00.
If you would like to purchase When A Woman Meets Jesus at discount for your Women’s Ministry Program or for Bible Study Groups, please call: 1-888-397-4348.
God Created us with the need for happiness. Matter in fact, He wants us to be happy. People are in desperate search for happiness and will go to great length to find it.
If you do a search in your concordance for happy, joy, joyful, etc. You'll find the word(s) many a times. However, as with any of God's promises there are conditions. He will do something, but we likewise must do something. He has promised us happiness, but only if we are following Him.
Ps. 144:15 - "... happy is that people, whose God is the LORD."
He has promised us to be happy if He is our Lord. If He isn't our Lord then we have no promise of happiness. WOW! No wonder there are so many unhappy people in this world.
Many people try to find happiness in possessions, money, having the biggest, best and most. All too often it leads to emptiness, nothingness. If we are apart from God there is emptiness. No Happiness.
It is in His presence and doing His will that we find happiness
Ps. 16:11 - "...in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
Ps. 19:8 - "The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart:..." (Note: in place of statutes we can put ways) When we're doing what He wants our heart will be rejoicing.
As Christians, when we are doing what God wants we are happy. However, the minute we do what we want what happens? Yep, we immediately become unhappy, dissatisfied. Like a child, generally they are unhappy campers when they are in disobedience to their parents.
Therefore, we can safely say the pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of holiness.
I Peter 1:14-16 - "As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
In being holy, we are set aside for God's purpose and use as He sees fit. We see this in illustration many times in the Old Testament. God doesn't share. He is a jealous God.
So do you want happiness? Then follow after God. Seek Him first in all you do. Be Holy!