Hymns

There is a Fountain

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We often hold the hymn writers in such high esteem that we forget that these giants of faith had feet of clay. Though being trained under the ministry of John Newton, William Cowper spent long periods of his life struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. Those dark places are not what God wants for us, but it was from the depths of despair HIs words sprung:

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains 
Lose all their guilty stains 
Lose all their guilty stains 
Lose all their guilty stains!

This week we opened the service at Discovery Villages with “There is a Fountain,” and talked about the dying thief who was promised paradise, in verse two of Cowper’s hymn. After we finished, I imagined a conversation between the thief and Abraham, with Abraham asking, “How long did you know Jesus?” and the thief answering, “About five minutes!” Just like that thief, our salvation doesn’t depend on the length of our walk with God or the number of things we have done in His name. Everything we will ever need we have only in one thing – the Cross of Christ! So, when we get to heaven, there will be no finger pointing! No shame! No more guilty stains! May you each have a blessed week. If you are considering volunteering at a nursing home in your community, remember that we have Mother’s Day right around the corner. Why not buy some inexpensive cards or even make your own and then pass them out to the ladies there. Your small act of kindness will be a blessing far beyond anything you can imagine!

Morning on the Back Porch

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Dawn would be too nice of a description for the gray morning light gradually brightening today’s cloudy sky. But one dove welcomes our morning, sunny or not, with her gentle cooing. Then a mockingbird wipes sleep from his eyes and begins running through his seemingly limitless repertoire of borrowed songs. Not to be outdone one far less glamorous crow, perches on the crown of our roof and loudly proclaims that morning is here: it’s time to wake up and get going for the day! All these members of God’s choir know something about rejoicing in the moment that I too easily forget.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night, Psalm 92:1-2 NKJV

I confess that with the multiplying of aches and pains, the complications of family issues and the sadness of unfulfilled dreams, that mornings often come with their own chilly spiritual fog. But God has not left Himself without a witness, and when I sit quietly and listen, He sends messengers to wake my heart up again and hope in Him. In the words of the carol, by Longfellow:

“Then pealed the bells
More rich and deep
God is not dead nor doth He sleep,”
Christmas Bells

There is a hope we may find far better than doves, mockingbirds, and crows. A song deeper still than church bells and a dawn that breaks behind any gray sky, because though the darkness of the cross lies ahead, Easter is coming. Jesus watches us through our night seasons, and the depth of His love brightens our grayest morning and shines through even our darkest night!

When Morning Comes

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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!