Nursing Home Ministry

More About Jesus

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I have always loved the words of the song, “More About Jesus.” They have encouraged me over the fifty plus years that I have been a Christian, because, when I have failed, sometimes fallen into sin, or made foolish decisions, they remind me that God has something better in His plan. He has planted something in my heart that longs to be more like Jesus and to show His love as I should, and He intended. This precious hymn was written in 1887 by Eliza Hewitt after a severe injury forced her early retirement from school teaching. But instead of anger or bitterness at losing the opportunity to do what she loved, her response was to write, “More about Jesus would I know – More of His love to others show”

As Eliza Hewitt shows us, there is nothing Jesus commanded more than for us to show His love to other people. First, He told us to love our Christian brothers and sisters and lay our lives down for them. Most of us get that part, but Jesus didn’t stop there. He also commanded us to love our neighbors, especially those who are completely different than us, like in the story of the Good Samaritan. Then, most surprising of all, Jesus also commanded us to love our enemies and shockingly, to pray for God’s blessing on them! Why in the world did He ask us to do that? Why should we love people who have hurt us, abused our trust or deceived us for their own gain? I love that, instead of giving us a long explanation, Jesus showed us what that means by allowing His enemies to drive nails through HIs hands and feet and then praying, “Father forgive them.” Until that truth touches the deepest part of our hearts, we will never really know the love of Christ as we should, because the Cross is where we learn to love Him and to serve Him by allowing that love to flow through us to others. I do hope you will enjoy our simple rendering of this old hymn. May God bless you as you seek to serve Him, by loving others today.

Victory in Jesus

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But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV

The hymn “Victory in Jesus” was requested near the end of our Friday nursing home service, and though I do love this song, it has been quite a while (maybe years!) since I sang it. I was amazed at how my friends at Life Care Center, just lit up and clapped all the way through. Then I looked up a little of the background of this song and discovered that in 1939 when Eugene Bartlett wrote this song, he had been recently paralyzed by a stroke and was confined to bed. Though he had written many other hymns, this one became his most popular and was later sung around the country by his son, Eugene Jr., as he carried on his dad’s ministry.

At the nursing home, I saw how the words and music really struck a chord of hope in the hearts of the residents. Our friends in long-term care, know better than any of us on the outside what it means to look ahead to our eternal victory in Jesus Christ. Rather than focusing on naming and claiming, we are reminded that, Jesus named and claimed us, by His redeeming blood. The Old Testament tells us, “The life is in the blood.”, and today true life and victory can be found nowhere else but in the blood of Jesus Christ. Through HIs blood He purchased our mansion in glory, where, in the words of the song, “some sweet day we’ll sing up there that song of victory!”

Is Your Name on the Roll?

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Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:20 ESV

Yes, we will rejoice when we see our names written in the book of life, but an even greater joy it will be when we realize that there in Heaven, Jesus will be there with us! “When the trumpet of the Lord will sound and time will be no more.”, we will pass from the shadow lands of earth, into the presence of Jesus, where we will see Him face to face. It is impossible to imagine how amazing it will be, though the word of God leaves us hints. “In HIs presence is fullness of joy.” Psalms 16:11 ESV and “He will wipe away every tear.” Revelation 21:4 ESV

For me the closest thing to understanding the joys of that day, comes when I sing with my friends in long term care. Maybe it is because those who are believers know that they have one foot on the doorstep of the house where Jesus lives! I do hope you will enjoy our rather rousing rendition of, “When the Roll is called up Yonder. Have a blessed Lord’s Day!