Hymns

When Morning Comes

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:59-60 ESV

For the followers of Jesus, the darkest night of their lives began as Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus down from the cross. Though Jesus Himself had told them on many occasions that He was to die, few really heard Him. Now, seeing His limp body being rolled in a linen shroud and placed in a tomb, the reality came crashing down like an avalanche burying their hopes and dreams. After the shouts, curses and screams they had heard on Friday as Jesus along with two thieves were crucified, Saturday passed in silence and rest. Wondering what they would do next, Mary Magdalene and some of the women determined that at least they could bring more spices on the first day of the week to give honor and dignity to the dead according to their customs. But when they got to the tomb, nothing was as they imagined. The stone had been rolled away, and an angel greeted them with the astonishing news. “He is not here! He has risen!” That first Easter message reminds me of the song, “When Morning Comes” often called, “Bye and Bye”

" Oft our cherished plans have failed
disappointments have prevailed
And we've wandered in the darkness
heavyhearted and alone
But we're trusting in the Lord
and according to His Word
We will understand it better by and by"
When Morning Comes by Charles A. Tindley 1905

Maybe you are in a place this morning when your own cherished plans have failed. You feel as if you are sitting alone in the dark. The good news for you is that, just as Jesus broke through the darkness on that first Easter morning, He will break through the darkness of anyone who will come seeking Him. He is not dead. He is alive and able to help us, restore our hopes and teach us how to live for Him today!

I’ll Meet you at the Hymnbook!

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:4-6 NKJV

Sadly the hymn book seems to have vanished from most of our churches. I understand that with new ways of preserving information that books in general are becoming scarce. I also heartily agree that simply being old, doesn’t make a song more biblical and some of the hymns could deservedly be forgotten. However, the great redeeming quality of the hymn book is that it is the one place where we all meet. Black, White, Hispanic, wealthy and poor, young and old, we often go to our own little corners to worship. Yet, surprisingly, I have found in our nursing home services that, like it or not we usually sing each other’s songs! Onward Christian Soldiers, meet at the Mighty Fortress Lutherans sing about. He’s got the Whole World in His Hands is joyfully sung with nary a dark face in the meeting and during my visit to a large African-American church in Philadelphia , I found they delighted singing “What a friend we have in Jesus.” written by a very white Joseph Scriven for his mother back in Ireland. How God may choose to bring unity among the next generation, I can’t imagine, but for now dear brothers and sisters, “I’ll meet you at the hymnbook!”

Revival at Nursing Home

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

What comes to your mind when you hear the word revival? Is it long lines of people waiting for the doors of church to open? Is it an altar full of people praying after the service? I would answer, “Yes and Amen!” to both. But revival is also about joy in the place of hardship and faith in an environment of wheelchairs, doctor’s visits and painful nights. Revival at nursing home isn’t about the numbers, the excitement or the breathless expectations of large meetings. Nursing home revival is about the love of Jesus breaking out in miraculous ways, of residents praying for one another and of nurses wiping a tear away when they hear their special people singing. Revival is about God breaking through in the most unexpected place and at times we never imagined. In 1962 Doris Mae Akers was directing the choir. As they neared the end of their rehearsal time, Doris felt the presence of God in a such a special way, that she said, “You are not ready to go in,” Later that night, still sensing that God had something more, she took pen in hand and wrote words that we have been singing for the last sixty-three years, “There’s a Sweet Sweet Spirit in this place. And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord.” Are you looking for something more in your walk with the Lord Jesus? Then linger in prayer and worship, listen in the quiet place of prayer and determine to take whatever time is needed for God to break through. Then, “Without a doubt we’ll know, that we have been revived. When we shall leave this place!”