And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:9-10 KJV
While Thanksgiving weekend is a big date on most of our calendars, life at the nursing home stays pretty much the same. Sure, there is a big inflatable turkey behind me, and they served a special lunch yesterday, but few of the residents received visits from family members and fewer still have even been outside in months. But, just like those shepherds, who were overlooked by everyone else, God is sending them His message, that Jesus Christ has come down, right where we are. He came to give His life, so that we could have our sins forgiven and be restored to a loving relationship with our Father in Heaven. So, let’s “Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!”
And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:47 ESV
The story behind the writing of the hymn, “Pass Me Not” is both interesting and complicated. It all began one day when the now famous hymn writer, Fanny Crosby, went to speak at a prison. As she passed between the cell blocks, she heard one of the prisoners calling out, “O Lord, please don’t pass me by.” This led Fanny to sit down soon afterward and pen the familiar words, “Pass me not oh gentle Savior, hear my humble cry!” These were almost word for word the cry of the blind beggar named Bartimaeus who we meet in Mark’s gospel. Bartimaeus was sitting by the side of the road as Jesus began to pass and he cried out with both desperation and faith. Desperation, because he knew that only Jesus could help, and faith because he believed that He would. But even beyond the Biblical application, we can find even another layer of meaning, when we realize that, Fanny Crosby, just like Bartimaeus had been blind most of her life.
But as we sang together today at Sunshine Memory Care, I was struck by the fact that my friends there, were not singing these words in desperation or sadness, but with faith and joy. Next week is Thanksgiving and few of these precious people will have any family to sit down with, and the piece of turkey with a bit of gravy on their lunch menu is all the celebrating they will get to do. But God knows every one of them by name. He has the hairs of their heads all numbered and if no one else will sit down with them, they know that Jesus will, if they simply invite Him in! If Jesus remembers them, He also remembers you. In all the busyness of your holiday season, remember to slow and then invite Jesus into your heart for Thanksgiving! It is an invitation He will never refuse!
When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends. James 1:2 J. B. Phillips
All of us want grace, yet few of us enjoy experiencing the desperate need that drives us to ask God for it. I rarely stray from the more literal translations, but I loved the way that J. B. Phillips captures for us the essence of the message the apostle James in this passage. I have discovered that finding grace is often not simply about either thanking God for blessings or enduring difficulty, but it is about the way with which I greet them. Lately the lyrics of “He Giveth More Grace”, written by Annie Johnson Flint, more than a century ago, have been playing on a constant loop within my heart. Though Annie was a brilliant and God-fearing woman, her life was filled with difficulties right from the start. When Annie was just three, her mother passed away while giving birth. Then a few years later, her father also died, though not before giving her up for adoption to a young Christian couple who were friends of the family. Annie came to faith in Christ early in life, and things were looking up as she went on to begin a career as a teacher. But an early onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis, brought suffering into her universe and her adopted family sent Annie, her sister and some cousins on a trip to Switzerland, in hopes that the climate might do her good. Yet after a brief and blessed time of rejuvenation and strength, Annie came down with a fever and was diagnosed with Typhoid. Though she did ultimately recover, the disease left its toll. Yet, in spite of these fiery trials, rather than her experiences leaving Annie feeling defeated, it was during this time that she, began to write the words to today’s hymn:
He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greatest
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase
To added affliction He addeth His mercies
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace!
His love has no limit
His grace has no measure
His power has no boundaries
Known unto men
And out of His infinite
Riches in Jesus
He giveth and giveth
And giveth again!
Like the Apostle James, Annie had learned that the trials, which came her way, instead of being harbingers of failure, were actually friends, bringing with them God’s unending grace and strength. I do hope you will enjoy our rendition of this hymn. My friends at Watermark Assisted Living know more of what it means to lean on God’s grace than most of us and it was a real blessing getting to sing it with them.
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