Hymns

He Giveth

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments 
 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

If anyone knows about weakness, it is the residents of nursing home and assisted living facilities. Our weekly conversations and prayer requests are filled with the news of some dear one in the hospital again, or recovering from a fall, or mourning the passing of a roommate. Maybe that is why they identify so well with this wonderful old hymn. When Annie Johnson Flint composed the lyrics, she was suffering from a severe form of arthritis which she began to experience in her early twenties and worsened throughout her life. Yet in spite of Annie’s suffering, her struggles lead her to trust more and more deeply on the grace and power of God and to write for us these timeless words:

"When we've reached the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving has only begun
His love has no limit
His grace has no measure
His power has no boundaries
Known unto men
So out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth and giveth again!"

Where are you this morning: not geographically, but spiritually and emotionally? Have the difficulties in your life driven you to despair, loneliness, isolation and confusion? Have you, as Annie Johnson Flint did, reached the end of your hoarded resources? The healing news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that His suffering in our place on the cross, qualifies and empowers Him and only Him, to become the source of hope and salvation for us. No matter how far from God we feel at this very moment, the Bible tells us that, “By HIs wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). And from those fatal wounds of our dear Savior, flowed the blood that bought and redeemed us. Today, right at this very moment, if we will humbly come to Him in faith and repentance, He will receive us, fill us, and give us His unmeasurable grace, limitless love and mighty mercy. What a hope we have because of He gave His life for lost sheep, lost children, and lost sinners just like you and me!

Singing With Virginia

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments 
O Sing unto to the Lord a new song; sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 96:1 KJV

A few years ago, I had been praying for God to open doors at the long-term care facilities I visit, but I wasn’t prepared to see them swing open quite so wide. One morning I arrived at the memory-care ward of a local facility and found about a dozen folks seated in the TV area by the nurse’s station. They seemed happy to see me and as I took out my guitar and started singing “Put Your Hand in the Hand of the Man who stilled the waters!”, I noticed behind one lady pacing aimlessly back and forth hunched over her walker. I paid little attention to her until she suddenly started shuffling in our direction. Being concerned that she might fall, one of the nurses jumped up and gently redirected her back to the hall. But just a minute later she was back, and this time walked right up to me and stood quietly for a moment, then reached out her finger and touched the strings of my guitar. Curious to see what she would do; I assured the nurse that it was fine. “What’s her name?” I asked the nurse. “Oh, that’s Virginia.” She called back. I had not been able to see Virginia’s face because she was so completely bent over her walker but when she heard her name she looked up and smiled. Then as we started the next hymn Virginia began to sing. Her face lit up as our voices joined together, “Jesus – Jesus – Jesus – Sweetest name I know. Hears every longing of my heart – Keeps me singing as I go!” Oh yes doors began opening today but the one that swung the widest was the one to my heart. Virginia reminded all of us that everyone on earth can sing a new song for you!

What’s Your Story?

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment 
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:30-31 ESV

It is almost impossible to rank the 10 bestselling autobiographies of all time, because no matter where you look, what you actually see are the ten books that someone else likes the best or are hoping to sell to you. But if we were to rank by the number of readers, that list would certainly include the Gospel of John. Interestingly, while in these books, most authors make themselves, either the hero or heroine of their tales, John barely appears. John’s passion was to tell the story Jesus and the lives that He changed forever.

Now as we know, the original document was a scroll and was not divided into chapters. Instead, as it unrolls, we encounter the stories of many different people. First, he introduces us to John the Baptist, who we find shouting to anyone who would listen, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Second on the list is Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose advice is, “Whatever he tells you to do, do it.” Our third person is Nicodemus, whose question about being born again, brought us perhaps the most loved verse in the Bible, “For God so loved the world…” Next in line comes the woman at the well who joyfully discovers the living water that Jesus gives. As the scroll continues unrolling, we encounter a man that Jesus heals, who for 38 years had waited by the pool of Bethesda. Then, in possibly the most dramatic story so far, we find Jesus multiplying bread for 5,000 men on a hillside, all from the gift of one special young boy. Each chapter tells us the story of another person, and though John is writing the account, he finds little opportunity to mention himself. To me, most amazing of all, though Matthew, Mark and Luke speak regularly of John, in John’s own gospel, he never once mentions himself by name. John chose to make the story of His life, about the story of those who Jesus blesses, and only includes himself as, “The disciple who Jesus loved.” So, what’s your story? What is mine? If someone were to sit down with us at a party and ask, “Tell me about yourself.” How would we answer. What stories could we tell?