Desert Island Hymns

Over the coming weeks, we will explore what I have called, “Desert Island Hymns”. I have asked members of St Nicholas Methodist Church, Topsham, to choose just one hymn that they would take to a Desert Island.  Today’s choice comes from Jenny and Alan Davies, also chosen be Neil Gaylor; ‘Great is Thy faithfulness’.

Thomas Chisholm (1866-1960) wrote the poem in 1923 about God's faithfulness over his lifetime. Chisholm sent the song to William Runyan in Kansas, who was affiliated with both the Moody Bible Institute and Hope Publishing Company. Runyan set the poem to music, and it was published that same year by Hope Publishing Company and became popular among church groups.

The song was exposed to wide audiences after becoming popular with Dr. William Henry Houghton of the Moody Bible Institute and Billy Graham, who used the song frequently on his international crusades.

Thomas O. Chisholm was born in Franklin, Kentucky on July 29, 1866 in a log cabin and became a teacher at age sixteen. In 1893, aged 27, Chisholm had a Christian conversion experience during a revival in Franklin led by Dr. Henry Clay Morrison. He served as a Methodist minister for only one year before resigning due to poor health. Chisholm wrote over 1,200 sacred poems over his lifetime.

The Biblical lyrics reference Lamentations 3:22-23. (KJV) “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee,

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,

As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;

Join with all nature in manifold witness,

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

Online Worship

 St Nicholas Methodist Church, Topsham Online Worship  link for 30/05/21

https://youtu.be/pFnwjNLoH4o

That’s the Spirit

Pentecost in Practice

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.

Ephesians 3:16-17

When you feel an inner urge to be kind, constructive, forgiving or compassionate, that’s the Spirit at work in your heart. When you settle down to pray, that’s the Spirit bringing you into the world of God. 

When you take up a demanding task because you feel it is the right thing for you to do, that’s the Spirit. When you’re searching with others for the best thing to do in a difficult situation, that’s the Spirit using you as a spokesperson. 

When you find yourself watching out for the needy, that’s the Spirit. When you protest against injustice or falsehood, that’s the Spirit protesting in you. 

When you stand for gospel values and try to be inclusive , that’s the Spirit. 

When you experience deep-seated joy without any special reason, that’s the Spirit.After all, we have high connections, we belong in the best of company. 

We are VIPs who truly share God’s DNA! Once you begin to catch on, you find that the Spirit is everywhere. You begin to attend to your inner promptings, asking, ‘Is this a nudge from the Good Spirit?’Life takes on new colour, and ceases to be boring and predictable. You become free to dance with the Spirit.

Holy One,

ignite within us a fiery passion

for your mission in the world today.

Warm us by the Spirit’s dancing tongues of flame,

that we may feel your kindling blaze within,

urging us to do your greater good.

Make us wholly present to experience a new birth,

and awaken possibilities within us

to share your love in the world.

In this love and abundance,

we come to celebrate your harvest—

a harvest bearing the first fruits of the Spirit

within us.

Show us how to use these gifts,

as we listen for your truth

in the gentle breeze of your Spirit. Amen.

That’s the Spirit

Geared Into Things Eternal

The coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was a gracious experience of fulfilment and blessing and direction for the Christian church. It was the continuing emphasis for believers that we must live to gear ourselves into things eternal and to live the life of heaven here on earth. We must yield our first obedience and loyalty to Jesus Christ, at any cost! Anything we try to offer God that is less than that really is a degradation of the Christian Church. 

One writer put it this way, “Frankly, I would rather be a member of a group that meets in a little room on a side street than to be part of a great activity that is not New Testament in its doctrine, in its spirit, in its living, in its holiness, in all of its texture and tenor.” The Spirit-filled and Spirit-led congregation will be a joyful people. Beyond that, it will be useful and caring and compassionate! I do believe that the Christian Church ought to be a helpful influence to the whole community!

Verse

Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God.

Hebrews 9:14

Thought

We must yield our first obedience and loyalty to Jesus Christ, at any cost!

Prayer

O God, 

You are Spirit;

You are wind;

You are breath.

You meet us in the wonders of creation,

in the awe of wonderful things,

in the terror of fearful things.

You blow among the fallen leaves,

the broken branches,

the whining pain

and the whirlwinds of delight. 

Your wind gently touches our brow

with comfort and caress;

your forgiveness raises us to life;

your challenge disturbs our tidy piles

and spreads opportunities before our eyes.

Gentle Spirit, breathe on us your life.

Strong Spirit, open our closed doors to your compassion;

Universal Spirit, inspire us to sing and sigh for justice;

Spirit of Jesus, teach us to walk, 

to work, to pray, to live, to love, 

your way.

Awaken our dreams,

expand our visions,

heal us for hope,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

That’s the Spirit

The Promise Of The Spirit

The miraculous events wrought in Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost indicated to the disciples that Jesus Christ, the Messiah-Saviour, had indeed taken His place at the right hand of the Majesty on high. With Jewish critics all around, Peter lifted his voice and said that all who were in Jerusalem on that day were seeing the fulfilment of prophecy—the words of Jesus that He would send the Holy Spirit after His death and resurrection and exaltation. 

“Therefore,” Peter cried, “let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus whom you have crucified both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Many have failed to note Peter’s Pentecostal emphasis: the important thing in God’s plan was the fact that Jesus had been exalted in heaven and that His glorification there had been the signal for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit. What a lesson! The Spirit does not have to be begged—He comes when the Saviour is honoured and exalted!

Verse

This Jesus . . . being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:32–33

Thought

The important thing in God’s plan was the fact that Jesus had been exalted in heaven and that His glorification there had been the signal for the coming of the promised Holy Spirit.

Prayer

Lord, we crave the Holy Spirit more than ever. 

As we exalt Your name, 

may we revel in the joy that the Spirit brings to my life.

When we feel alone, when we feel rejected

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

When we feel drained and dried up, and we can’t give any more,

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

When we are unsure of how to move or where to go or what to do,

Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

Come, Holy Spirit, revive us, move in us,

and encourage us on the journey of faith.

Come, Holy Spirit, Come! Amen!

That’s the Spirit

When Pentecost Came

As we read the New Testament, we find a very simple, very plain, and very forceful truth: the Holy Spirit makes a difference! Consider the early disciples; Jesus Himself had taught them for more than three years—the greatest Bible school! But still He had to caution them and encourage them not to depend on their own wisdom and strength: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”(Luke 24:49). He promised that they would receive the Person of the Holy Spirit to carry out His plan of sharing the Good News with all. 

After Pentecost, the Spirit brought them a new and vivid consciousness of the actual presence of God. He gave them the gifts of divine joy and peace. He gave them great and continuing delight in prayer and communion with God! Finally, we recall that before Pentecost, the disciples could only ask questions. After Pentecost, throughout the record in the book of Acts, they stood in the authority of the Spirit and answered all of the questions of the people concerning God’s plan of salvation through the crucified and risen Christ!

Verse

But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses.

Acts 1:8

Thought

The Spirit-filled life is not a special, deluxe edition of Christianity. It is part and parcel of the total plan of God for His people. A W Tozer

Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit,
the one who sang a new melody as God’s Creation rose from Chaos,
who wept at the dark shadow of a cross,
and who danced early in the morning, at the opening of an empty tomb,

Come, Holy Spirit,
the one who could not be contained by wind, or flame, or breath,
the one who blesses the Church with courage, peace, and love.

Come, Holy Spirit, to us, 

who gather this day with trembling hands and uncertain hearts. 

Teach us to sing a new song and to dance with reckless abandon. 

Here in this gathering of believers, as you did with those so long ago,
breathe on us now.

Breathe on us,
blowing away our fears and our hesitations.

Breathe on us,
transforming our hard-heartedness into passion-filled lives.

Breathe on us,
for we need peace, peace that only you can give.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

That’s the Spirit

Honouring the Holy Spirit

I recently read an article on the Holy Spirit that said, “ I think there are a great number of Christian believers who ought to go home and go into their places of prayer and apologise to God for their demeaning attitudes toward His Holy Spirit. Included in their numbers are Bible teachers who are guilty of leading us astray. The have dared to tach Christians that the Holy Spirit will never speak of His own person or position, as though the third Person of the Godhead may be ignored and His ministry downgraded!”

This raises the question how honouring are we in respect of God the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Do you recall how Jesus said, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:13b). In this passage Jesus speaks once more of the unique relationship there exists between the Father, the Son and the Spirit, the great mystery of the Trinity. Three persons, who share everything, even the divinity, so that there is only one God.

St Ignatius spoke of the Trinity in terms of three notes that combine to make one musical chord – each makes a profound contribution to the whole. This may or may not help us to understand the Trinity. But what is more important is that the three divine Persons understand and love us!

Jesus actually tells His disciples that the Comforter will not come to stand alone to speak but will guide you into all truth and will speak and act on the authority of the divine Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our part is to listen and in listening honour the Holy One who comes to us.

Quote “Holiness is not some lofty experience, unattainable except to those who can leap the stars, but it is rather a lowly experience, which lowly people in the lowly walks of life can share with Jesus, by letting His mind be in them." Samuel Logan Brengle

Prayer

Lord, help me never to accept anything but the truth regarding the Holy Spirit. Make me always yielding and malleable in the Holy Spirit’s hands. I praise You and serve You—the Triune God. Amen

That’s the Spirit!

“The spirit is the one who bears witness, because the spirit is the truth.” 1 John 5:6

Today we start an exploration of the promised Holy Spirit and the Comfort Jesus spoke about in his promise to the first disciples.

The importance of God’s presence in our lives is so essential in order to live the life in all its fullness Jesus promised. Without this “presence of the Lord” it is impossible for a follower of Jesus to mirror the transforming radiance of God’s. Was such a Holy Indwelling in the mind of Hymn writer Andrew Reed (1787-1830) when he wrote,  

Holy Ghost, with light divine, 

Shine upon this heart of mine. 

Chase the shades of night away, 

Turn my darkness into day. 

Holy Spirit, all divine, 

Dwell within this heart of mine. 

Cast down every idol throne; 

Reign supreme and reign alone.” 

In spire of our world being filled with hatred and conflict, violence and bloodshed God’s redemption plan has graciously dealt  with this global problem of hatred in the hearts of humankind. Through this Pentecostal outpouring Hod has sent the source of love and light and radiance to the us as Paul testifies: “Already we have some experience of the love of God flooding through our hearts by the Holy Spirit given to us.” (Romans 5:5) J B Philips.

Thought

“It is the Spirit that sheds the love of God abroad in their hearts, and the love of all humankind; thereby purifying their hearts from the love of the world, from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. It is by Him they are delivered from anger and pride, from all vile and inordinate affections.” John Wesley

Lord, thank You so much for the light that is Jesus. I pray Your Holy Spirit will minister to me today in order to empower me for Your service. AMEN

Pentecost Online Worship

 

Link to St Nicholas Methodist Church Topsham 230521

https://youtu.be/9kynmOz4l5M

God is near

 

On the eve of Pentecost, I turn to a poetic work from the pen of William Cowper that has the theme of walking close with God. William Cowper (1731-1800) is regarded as one of the best early Romantic poets.  His literary talents produced some of the finest English hymn texts, but his chronic depression accounts for the somber tone of many of those texts. Educated to become an attorney, Cowper was called to the bar in 1754 but never practiced law. In 1763 he had the opportunity to become a clerk for the House of Lords, but the dread of the required public examination triggered his tendency to depression, and he attempted suicide. 

His subsequent hospitalisation and friendship with Morley and Mary Unwin provided emotional stability, but the periods of severe depression returned. His depression was deepened by a religious bent, which often stressed the wrath of God, and at times Cowper felt that God had predestined him to damnation.

For the last two decades of his life Cowper lived in Olney, where John Newton became his pastor. There he assisted Newton in his pastoral duties, and the two collaborated on the important hymn collection Olney Hymns (1779), to which Cowper contributed sixty-eight hymn texts.

I bring two Bible verses that speak for themselves concerning our walk with God. 

Micah 6:8 “He has made it clear to you, mortal man, what is good and what the LORD is requiring from you— to act with justice, to treasure the LORD’s gracious love, and to walk humbly in the company of your God.”

1 John 1:6-7 “If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 

O for a closer walk with God,

a calm and heav'nly frame,

a light to shine upon the road

that leads me to the Lamb!

Where is the blessedness I knew

when first I sought the Lord?

Where is the soul refreshing view

of Jesus and His Word?

What peaceful hours I then enjoyed!

How sweet their mem'ry still!

But they have left an aching void

the world can never fill.

Return, O holy Dove, return,

sweet messenger of rest;

I hate the sins that made Thee mourn,

and drove Thee from my breast.

The dearest idol I have known,

whate'er that idol be,

help me to tear it from Thy throne

and worship only Thee.

So shall my walk be close with God,

calm and serene my frame;

so purer light shall mark the road

that leads me to the Lamb.

Lord Jesus Christ, I come in need to walk in the hope that only You can give. Sometimes my way is unclear, and my path seems filled with twists and turns and confusion. Show me Your ways, Lord. Show me how You would walk in these places. Teach me Your paths of grace, mercy, integrity and love. Help me to grasp Your ways so I can walk securely in them, even in the valley of darkness. Lord, I need to know Your perspective. Help me, Lord Jesus, to focus on Your ways. Amen

God is near

Today’s poetry is found in another hymn. Although having a language of another era, it contains an important spiritual lesson for we would be pilgrims; that of purposeful surrender to the covenantal loving God who is always near us. In the lovely Old Testament story of Ruth we find a situation of unfettered devotion. Naomi, having lost her sons tried to persuade her daughters-in-law to return to their homelands, but Ruth in a wonderful heart felt outpouring says; ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.” 

This hymn by Fanny Crosby expresses a similar depth of devotion to God that perhaps is as worthy of emulating as is Ruths declaration of allegiance to Naomi.

 

1 I am Thine, a Lord, I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith,

And be closer drawn to Thee.

Refrain:

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou hast died;

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,

To Thy precious, bleeding side.

2 Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,

By the pow’r of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

And my will be lost in Thine. [Refrain]

3 Oh, the pure delight of a single hour

That before Thy throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,

I commune as friend with friend! [Refrain]

4 There are depths of love that I cannot know

Till I cross the narrow sea;

There are heights of joy that I may not reach

Till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]

Thank You Father for the Bible and the wonderful truths that is contains. Thank You for using people like Ruth, to demonstrate such devotion to You, leaving every trace of this world behind in order to seek after the one true and living God. Keep me low at the cross so that I may worship You in humble devotion all the days of my life, and thank You that You loved me so much that the Lord Jesus became my Kinsman-Redeemer and bought me back from slavery to sin into the family of God - to Whom be all praise and glory, AMEN.

God is near

There are a number of hymns that contain the words Nearer my God to Thee. This hymn was written by Sarah Flower, born February 22, 1805 in Essex, England, the second daughter of Bejamin and Eliza Flowers. Sarah grew up in a home surrounded by poetry and song writing and married William Bridges Adams and moved to London where she attended the independent church of William Johnson Fox. She contributed thirteen hymns to his Hymns and Anthems, one of them being "Nearer, My God to Thee". This hymn was written to follow the pastors sermon on Genesis 28:11-19, known as the story of Jacob's ladder, or Jacob's dream. Sarah wrote the hymn in a week and her sister Eliza composed the tune. 

In this Old Testament account it says that when Jacob reached a ‘certain place’ God revealed himself in a particular way and from this encounter Jacob named that place ‘Bethal’ - House of God. 

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,

Darkness be over me, my rest a stone;

Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;

All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv’n;

Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,

Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;

So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,

Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,

Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,

There in my Saviour’s love, perfectly blest;

Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee

Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

Perhaps the way we can fully recognise the truth of God’s promise in Christ ‘to be with us always’, is to recognise that every place on our pilgrim journey is indeed  Bethal - God’s House.

A Prayer

Lord keep me so close to you.

I long to live and breathe and walk

in your presence day by day.

Be my air, my sustenance,

my bread and my water.

Help me hear and know your voice.

Keep me in remembrance of

you hour by hour.

Keep me tuned to your heartbeat. Amen

GOD IS NEAR

The Divine Image

To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love

All pray in their distress;

And to these virtues of delight

Return their thankfulness.

For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love

Is God, our father dear,

And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love

Is Man, his child and care.

For Mercy has a human heart,

Pity a human face,

And Love, the human form divine,

And Peace, the human dress.

Then every one, of every clime,

That prays in their distress,

Prays to the human form divine,

Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.

And all must love the human form,

In Heathen, Turk, or Jew,

Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell

There God is dwelling too.

William Blake 1757-1327

“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2

I really do wonder whether we have even started to grasp the enormity of our position in Christ; the incredible love; the peculiar privileged and the gracious gift that we have received from our Father in heaven - that we should be called His children..

Not only are we called His children and have been permanently adopted into His family, by grace through faith in Christ, but we are told what we shall be in the future - for the day is coming when we shall see Him as He is and we will become like Him.

Prayer

To be like Jesus!
This hope possesses me;
In every thought and deed,
This is my aim, my creed;
To be like Jesus!
This hope possesses me;
His Spirit helping me,
Like Him I’ll be.

John Gowans - 1934 - 2012

GOD IS NEAR

Thou art God

Thou art the peace of all things calm

Thou art the place to hide from harm

Thou art the light that shines in dark

Thou art the heart’s eternal spark

Thou art the door that’s open wide

Thou art the guest who waits inside

Thou art the stranger at the door

Thou art the calling of the poor

Thou art my Lord and with me still

Thou art my love, keep me from ill

Thou art the light, the truth, the way

Thou art my Saviour this very day.

David Adam (20th century)

Psalm 86:10-11”There’s no one quite like you among the gods, O Lord, and nothing to compare with your works. All the nations you made are on their way, ready to give honour to you, O Lord. Ready to put your beauty on display, parading your greatness, And the great things you do— God, you’re the one, there’s no one but you!” 

This Psalm is similar to many psalms that David wrote in his times of distress. Knowing that God is on the side of those who are treated unjustly, the psalmist calls confidently for his help. He trusts in God’s steadfast love (86:1-7). God is supreme. Both creation and history show that he is the only true God (8-10). Therefore, the psalmist desires to know him better, obey him more faithfully and praise him more constantly (11-13). On the basis of God’s close relation with him, he appeals to God to give him strength to escape those who are trying to kill him (14-17).

David appealed to God for preservation as a dependent, needy believer who sought to walk in trust and obedience with his God. He viewed God’s granting of his request as based on His grace, not something God owed him. He looked forward to rejoicing when the answer came.

Prayer:

Lord, we come before your thrown of grace asking that you would give us wisdom & discernment. We ask that you heal everything in us that keeps us from moving forward in you. Our hearts desire is to walk faithfully in obedience to who and what you have called us to be and do in you. We pray that your perfect will and your way be done in our lives. In your Son Jesus's Name we pray believing by faith it is already done. Amen.

God is Near

‘Lo, I am with you always’

Wide fields of corn along the valleys spread;

The rain and dew mature the swelling vine;

I see the Lord in multiplying bread; '

I see him turning water into Wine;

I see him working all the works divine

He wrought when Salemward his steps were led;

The selfsame miracles around him shine;

He feeds the famished; he revives the dead;

He pours the flood of light on darkened eyes;

He chases tears, diseases, fiends away;

His throne is raised upon these orient skies;

His footstool is the pave whereon we pray.

Ah, tell me not of Christ in Paradise,

For he is all around us here today.

John Charles Earle late 19th—20th century?

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20

These are Jesus' last words, his final commission. The eleven poor fishermen, still shaken by the experience of the crucifixion, must have listened with astonishment. “Make disciples of all nations”, when we barely know one language and are most of us good only for fishing! But they started where they were, in Jerusalem. If Francis Xavier, that globe-trotting missionary, was alive today, he would no doubt start where we are, on line, and linking far and near across the net as we do, to reach people in a score of languages. The Lord is with us as he was with the disciples -- how otherwise can you explain the 1.8 billion on earth today who call themselves Christian? 

Prayer: Lord, your are with us whenever we speak of you to others. Give us the courage to speak your name. Whilst some of the first disciples doubted,7 yet you spoke to them all. Jesus send us, just as you did them in spite of our hesitations and weaknesses. Help us to take your words, `I am with you always,” and allow them to settle in our hearts. Amen