Love Your People By Giving them Good Hymns

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For some time I have been contemplating posting something on this topic. I am regularly reminded of the great value of good, rich songs in corporate worship. We have such a treasure of them. I admit I have a bias for grand, old hymns, but there are also some new ones I really like. The point though is to give our people songs that nourish their souls. The songs we sing shape our thoughts and lives perhaps even more than sermons, because we sing them regularly. Let us then give them really good ones that capture and explain the message we are preaching. Great hymns are gospel songs which deal explicitly with sin, the cross & resurrection and the hope of heaven. They move us away from the glib assertions that all is well right now to the reality of our struggle with sin and death, all the while anchoring us in the hope of the gospel. This is real world stuff, and I know how much I need it, how much it ministers to my soul. I am so blessed to be in a church which uses them.

So, love your people, aid them, teach them, cherish them, protect them, encourage them, support them, fight for their souls by giving them good, gospel-centered songs.

I will list here just one example (of hundreds). I mention this one because we sang it again yesterday and it always means so much to me.

“Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken”
Jesus, I my cross have taken,
all to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
all I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still mine own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
they have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
And while Thou shalt smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
show Thy face and all is bright.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!
Come, disaster, scorn and pain!
In Thy service, pain is pleasure;
with Thy favor, loss is gain.
I have called Thee, “Abba, Father”;
I have set my heart on Thee:
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather,
all must work for good to me.

Man may trouble and distress me,
’twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
while Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Take, my soul, thy full salvation;
rise ‘er sin, and fear, and care;
Joy to find in every station
something still to do or bear:
Think what Spirit dwells within thee;
what a Father’s smile is thine;
What a Savior died to win thee,
child of heaven, shouldst thou repine?

Haste then on from grace to glory,
armed by faith, and winged by prayer,
Heaven’s eternal day’s before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide thee there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
swift shall pass thy pilgrim days;
Hope soon change to glad fruition,
faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

– Henry F. Lyte, 1824, revised 1833
(and, yes, we sing all the verses!)

The World of Columbus and Sons

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The World of Columbus and Sons , by Genevieve Foster
(1965; reprint, Beautiful Feet Books), pb., 406 pp.

This is a fascinating book! Rather than simply telling about Columbus’ travels, Mrs. Foster portrays Columbus against the backdrop of the political, cultural and social setting of his world. Thus the story covers not simply 1492 but begins in 1451 and goes through 1537. Similarly, the book addresses not simply Spain and the New World, but also the royal families, wars and politics of practically all of Europe as well as the East. This is a large task- hence the 400 pages.

I was skeptical about whether this would be a book to read aloud, doubting that it would hold my boys attention and that they would be able to keep up as the narrative shifted from country to country with all the interconnections between royal families. In fact, less than a quarter of the way through I decided to shift to another book. However, to my surprise, my boys were very disappointed and pleaded for us to continue reading this book! They admitted it was sometimes difficult to keep some of the connections between royal families straight (as it was for me!); nevertheless, they said it was fun to listen to and to see how all these things connected and set the stage for Columbus’ life.

I, personally, found this book to be very informative particularly in the development of Europe in this period. Nowhere else have I seen a book that relates, for example, DaVinci, Michelangelo, Erasmus and Luther to the work of Columbus! If you can’t read this to your kids, but are studying this period read it yourself. Mrs. Foster writes well so it is an enjoyable read.

I don’t know the theological orientation of Mrs. Foster but she is fair in her portrayal of Christianity, willing to point out the glaring errors of Medieval Catholicism but also praising faithful people in the time. She is basically favorable towards Luther. At one point she says that Moses was a priest and warrior and as a result he was denied entrance into the Holy Land. This is not the reason he was denied entry! I was pleased that my sons noticed the error and my oldest suggested (as I was thinking) she may have been thinking of David who was not allowed to build the Temple.

In summary, we strongly recommend this book. Though it is long it provides an overall view of this entire period covering various countries, wars, art and all the key explorations in this era. The integrated view that results is very helpful.

Pilgrim’s Progress

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I am finally catching up with the rest of Christendom in reading Bunyan’s classic. I have read various children’s editions and felt I knew the story from the abundant allusions one comes across. Nevertheless, I had never read it and finally have begun to do so. I am approaching the conclusion now and have really enjoyed this edition. Of course you can find various renditions, but this one has been very helpful. The language has been slightly updated to ease reading, but it is not a heavy handed revision. You can still sense the 17th century language, with many archaic words and phrases retained with bracketed explanations. Bunyan’s marginal notes have been moved to footnotes and the editor has added a few more explanatory notes. I do wish the editor had made clear which notes were original to Bunyan and which had been added, though of course one can readily compare another edition.

This edition would be great for a group study or for a gift. I hope to post soon some reflections on church and pastoral ministry from the reading.

A Note to Reformers

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“I am more afraid of my own heart than of the pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the greatest pope” – Martin Luther

In our work of reforming the church in our day, this statement from a great Reformer is a good reminder to us. There are errors within our churches which grieve us deeply because we believe they grieve God deeply. We do see insidious encroachment of paganism within the people of God as was described in the book of Judges where people practiced paganism in the name of Yahweh. These things should and do bother us. They even discourage us at times.

However, we must remember that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, and our greatest battlefield is not out there anywhere but in our own hearts. Let us not become so engrossed with the planks in the eyes of the church out there that we become ignorant or careless about those in our own eyes. We must continue to be aware of our own need for being personally reformed according to the Word of God and growing in holiness. This will guard us from arrogance and infuse us with graciousness and mercy as we do the necessary task of pointing out error. One cannot truly labor for the purity of the church while bypassing the pursuit of personal purity.

The Place of Solemnity and Ritual in Worship

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Having pointed out something alarming in the Episcopal Church yesterday, let me today point out a great article from an Episcopal priest. I read this article back in November and have been meaning to comment on it since. The article, subtitled “An Episcopal Priest on Casual Ministers & Reverent Marines,” appeared in the November issue of Touchstone. I thought this was a powerful piece, and I encourage you to read it. It is only 1.5 pages in the print magazine. The article grew out of the stark contrast observed at a funeral between the presiding minister and the Marines involved.
The author noted:

The care and dignity of the military rite put the Christian rites to shame. I don’t believe that the priest was intentionally irreverent or unprepared. But by comparison with the marines’ reverent ritual, the chapel service and the committal seemed slapdash.

The author then made six observations. I will highlight three:

1. It is hard to be casual and solemn at the same time.

2. It is hard to be solemn if you are in a hurry.
Haste says that something else is more important than what you are doing at present:
The trend … in the last forty years has been to shorten the services, to streamline things, so that people don’t get bored. … The mentality says, “We know you have more important things to do, so we’ll get through the worship as quickly as possible.”

3. Ritual still has power, even in a culture that in many ways despises it.

My point is not to embrace all of Episcopalian liturgy but to highlight the importance of solemnity and meaningful acts in our worship. Breeziness may be hip, but it is not well suited for arresting the attention of a flighty culture with eternal verities.
I encourage you to read this article and consider the way in which you lead the people of God in worship.

First Voyage to America, From the Log of the Santa Maria

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First Voyage to America, From the Log of the Santa Maria
By Christopher Columbus (Dover, 1991), pb, 91 pp.

This is a very interesting book. The text is taken directly from the surviving notes of Columbus’ log on this famous voyage. To have the actual text of Columbus’ recollections, his own statements about his thoughts, motives, fears, etc. is quite an opportunity. However, it is not a great read just straight through. We started it but shifted to another book. This could be a good book to dip into or to use as a resource.

New Episcopal Bishop’s View of Christianity

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Today’s issue of USA Today has an article on Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, whose installation has caused a fissure in Anglican life. The article is interesting in what you see of her vision of what ministry is about. Perhaps the most striking part is at the end. Another bishop affirmed her saying:

“She’s profoundly faithful to the central claims of the church and the
Scriptures. People who say she’s not are making that up.”

Then we have this from Schori:

She sees two strands of faith: One is “most concerned with atonement, that Jesus died for our sins and our most important task is to repent.” But the other is “the more gracious strand,” says the bishop who dresses like a sunrise.
It “is to talk about life, to claim the joy and the blessings for good that it offers, to look forward.
“God became human in order that we may become divine. That’s our task.”

Whatever that is, it is not faithful to the central claims of the Church and Scripture (1 John 4:1-6). This only serves to remind us of the need to faithfully teach our people the Scriptures in this day.

Titus 1:6, believing/faithful children

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I had thought for sometime about writing something on the interpretation of Titus 1:6. In stating the qualifications for serving as an elder/pastor the text states that “his children are believers.” It could also be translated “his children are faithful.” The standard commentaries do not wrestle much with this issue, but it is huge in considering who should serve in this important role. In dialogue with Justin Taylor I discovered he had written a paper on this very topic. I am very pleased to see it is now available in the most recent 9 Marks newsletter. This is a well written piece and I commend it to you. I agree wholeheartedly with Justin that the text is not requiring that a pastor’s children be Christians but that they be submissive and obedient.

Humility: True Greatness, C. J. Mahaney

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This is an excellent, convicting, concrete, cross-centered, gospel-filled, immensely helpful and humble book. We have already ordered copies to have available at our church.

I decided to read this book because Mahaney himself and those who serve with him exude such a real, tangible spirit of gracious humility- not simply the negative side of not being puffed up, but also the positive side of actively noting evidences of grace in others.
This is such a rare thing, and I wanted to hear from one who evidences this grace.

Anyone might compile the appropriate verses and comment on them. This book, however, is the fruit of wrestling with the Scriptures and his own soul over a number of years. As such it is a great example of real soul work.

I have wrestled for weeks about how to write appropriately about this book. It may take several posts, but let me go ahead and comment on why this book is useful for pastors in particular. It would be great for anyone, but here are some thoughts on why this is a good book for pastors, specifically, to read:

1. Pastors are often thought of as arrogant people and much that is out there in terms of leadership material only encourages this more. This book is a good reminder of the way of Jesus. Here are a couple of notes I jotted down while reading this book:

“Note how self-centered, self-adulating, self-advancing so much church literature and pastoral bio’s are.”
“Is there any wonder we lack the power of God?”

2. The book itself is a great example of pastoral work, what the Puritans called “soul work.” We have here an example of a wise pastor dissecting the messiness in our souls and applying the balm of the gospel. This is our work (in spite of what is often said today), and here we have an example to imitate.

3. We are responsible to lead our people away from the paths of pride that seem so natural to us (especially once they are decorated with church trappings), and towards the way of humility that is so foreign to us. As Mahaney writes, “If humility is to endure in our families and churches, it must be cultivated by parents and pastors and passed on to our families and churches” (156).

4. Lastly, some who rightly emphasize the need for substance in teaching fail to apply truths in compelling, concrete ways. Mahaney excels at this and can serve as a model.

I would urge everyone to get this book and read it. Skip a couple of meals in order to get the money to purchase it if necessary.

Reading Broadly

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I am well behind in posting with other things that are going on, but I wanted to pass on these two quotes from an amazing book, David Larsen’s The Company of the Creative: A Christian Reader’s Guide to Great Literature and Its Themes. This is a great book which arose from one of Dr. Larsen’s preaching classes at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He surveys a broad sweep of literature and how each one aids the preacher. The first chapter, which is an argument for reading broadly, is a great read.

“You can learn more about a nation from reading yesterday’s novel than today’s newspaper.” – James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress (11)

God did not intend that we study our Bibles in a mental vacuum. John Nelson Darby and G. Campbell Morgan both decided that for an extended time they would read only the Bible. They soon discovered that this plan was a mistake. The danger of reading only the Bible is that we do not then really read the Bible. The Bible comes out of an ancient cultural setting. We need the bridges to our own culture that reading more broadly can supply. . . . Our thesis in this study is that all Christians – especially Christian leaders and communicators – need to read broadly, deeply, and copiously. (11-12)