Indeliblog

Here is a great Anne Steele text about the life and death of Christ - a great text for meditation I think. Some of you will notice that I took a couple of these verses to make the hymn “O Love Incomprehensible” for our “Pilgrim Days” CD. But I thought you would all enjoy the full text:

Anne Steele HYMN IV. “Redeeming Love”

1. Come heavenly love, inspire my song With thy immortal flame,
And teach my heart, and teach my tongue The Savior’s lovely name.

2. The Savior! 0 what endless charms Dwell in the blissful sound!
Its influence every fear disarms, And spreads sweet comfort round.

3. Here pardon, life, and joys divine In rich effusion flow,
For guilty rebels lost in sin, And doomed to endless woe.

4. In our first parent’s crime we fell; Our blood, our vital breath,
Deep tinged with all the seeds of ill, Sad heirs to sin and death.

5. Black o’er our wrath-devoted heads Avenging justice frowned
While hell disclosed her deepest shades And horrors rose around.

6. Wrapt in the gloom of dark despair, We helpless, hopeless lay:
But sovereign mercy reached us there, And smiled despair away.

7. God’s only son, (stupendous grace!) Forsook his throne above;
And swift to save our wretched race, He flew on wings of love.

8. Th’ Almighty former of the skies Stooped to our vile abode;
While angels viewed with wondering eyes, And hailed the incarnate God.

9. The God in heavenly strains they sung, Arrayed in human clay:
Mysterious love ! what angel tongue Thy wonders can display?

10. Mysterious love, in every scene, Through all his life appears:
His spotless life exposed to pain, And miseries and tears.

11. What blessings on a thankless race? His bounteous hand bestowed!
And from his tongue what wondrous grace, What rich instruction flowed!

12. The dumb, the deaf, the lame, the blind Confessed his healing power;
Disease and death their prey resigned, And grief complained no more.

13. Infernal legions trembling fled, Awed by his powerful word;
And winds and seas his voice obeyed, And owned their sovereign Lord.

14. But man, vile man, his love abused Blind to the noblest good
Blasphemed his power, his word refused, And sought his sacred blood.

15. Still his unwearied love pursued Salvation’s glorious plan;
And firm the approaching horrors viewed Deserved by guilty man.

16. What pain, what soul-oppressing pain, The great Redeemer bore;
While bloody sweat, like drops of rain, Distilled from every pore!

17. And ere the dreadful storm descends Full on his guiltless head,
See him by his familiar friends Deserted and betrayed!

18. While ruffian bands the Lord surround, Relentless, murderous foes;
Meek, as a lamb for slaughter bound, The patient sufferer goes

19. Arraigned at Pilate’s impious bar, (Unparralled disgrace!)
See spotless innocence appear In guilt’s detested place!

20. When perjury fails to stain his name, The mob’s envenomed breath
Extorts his sentence, “Public shame And painful lingering death.”

21. Patient, the cruel scourge he bore; The innocent, the kind!
Then to the rabble’s lawless power And rudest taunts consigned

22. With thorns they crown that awful brow, Whose frown can shake the globe;
And on their king in scorn bestow The reed and purple robe.

23. Ah! see the fatal cross appears, Heart-wounding, dreadful scene
His sacred flesh rude iron tears, With agonizing pain.

24. Exposed with thieves, to public view Could nature bear the sight?
The blushing sun his beams withdrew, And wrapped the globe in night!

25. Then, Oh! what loads of wrath unknown The glorious sufferer felt;
For crimes unnumbered to atone, To expiate mortal guilt!

26. The Father’s blissful smile withdrawn, In that tremendous hour;
Yet still the God sustained the man With his almighty power,

27. ‘Tis finished,’ now aloud he cries, ‘No more the law requires’
And now, (amazing sacrifice!) The Lord of life expires.

28. Earth’s firm foundation felt the shock, With universal dread;
Trembled the mountain, rent the rock, And waked the sleeping dead!

29. Now breathless in the silent tomb, His sacred body lies:
Thither his loved disciples come, With sorrow-streaming eyes.

30. But see the promised morn appear Their joy revives again;
The Savior lives; adieu to fear, To every anxious pain.

31. His kindest words their doubts remove, Confirm their wavering faith;
He bids them teach the world his love, Salvation by his death.

32. Triumphant he ascends on high, The glorious work complete
Sin, death, and hell, low vanquished lie Beneath his awful feet.

33. There, with eternal glory crowned, The Lord, the conqueror, reigns;
His praise the heavenly choirs resound In their immortal strains.

34. Amid the splendors of his throne, Unchanging love appears;
The names he purchased for his own, Still on his heart he bears

35. Still with prevailing power he pleads Their cause for whom he died;
His Spirit’s sacred influence sheds, Their comforter and guide.

36. For them, reserves a radiant crown, Bought with his dying blood;
And worlds of light, and joys unknown, For ever near their God.

37. 0 the rich depths of love divine! Of bliss, a boundless store:
Dear Savior, let me call thee mine; I cannot wish for more.

38. I yield to thy dear conquering arms, I yield my captive soul:
0 let thy all-subduing charms My inmost powers control!

39. On thee alone my hope relies: Beneath thy cross I fall,
My Lord, my life, my sacrifice, My Savior and my all

In honor of Thanksgiving I thought I would post this background to a great Thanksgiving hymn “Now Thank We All Our God” by Martin Rinkart (A 17th century German hymnwriter). The following is from Catherine Winkworth’s “Christian Singers Of Germany.” She is the one who translated the hymn in the 19th century.

This classic hymn was written by a pastor (Martin Rinkart) who suffered greatly through the 30 Years War in Germany during which (through war and famine) 4/5 of the population of Germany died. He himself was in extreme poverty and when the pastors of his 2 neighboring towns died he ended up having to do the work of 3 pastors, burying 4,000 people in 1637 (50 per day!) - including his wife - when the plague hit. This was followed by a famine so sever that 30-40 people could be seen in streets fighting to the death over the corpse of a dead cat. And then right after this the Swedes invaded and demanded a ridiculous amount of money in tribute. The story goes that he went to intercede with the Swedish commander to reduce the tribute and the commander refused. At this point Rinkart turned to the crowd that was with him and said “Come my children, we can find no hearing, no mercy with men. Let us take refuge with God.” he then fell to his knees and prayed with such pathos that the commander reduced the tribute from $30,000 to $2,000. He wrote this hymn in 1644, 4 years before the Peace of Westphalia that ended the War in 1648.

Here is the text:

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

And here is another “Thanksgiving” hymn text called The Pilgrim’s Song (by Henry Lyte)

“The Pilgrim’s Song” by Henry Lyte (author of Jesus I My Cross Have Taken)

My rest is in heaven; my rest is not here
Then why should I murmer when trials are near?
Be hushed my dark spirit! The worst that can come
But shortens my journey, and hastens thee home

It is not for me to be seeking my bliss
And building my hopes in a region like this
I look for a city which hands have not piled
I pant for a country by sin undefiled

The thorn and the thistle around me may grow
I would not lie down upon roses below
I ask not my portion, I seek not a rest
Till I find them, O Lord, in Thy sheltering breast

Afflictions may damp me, they cannot destroy
One glimpse of Thy love turns them all into joy
And the bitterest tears, if Thou smile but on them
Like dew in the sunshine, grow diamond and gem

Let doubt then, and danger, my progress oppose
They only make Heaven more sweet at the close
Come joy, or come sorrow, whate’er may befall
And hour with my God will make up for it all

A scrip on my back, and a staff in my hand
I march on in haste through an enemy’s land
The road may be rough, but it cannot be long
And I’ll smooth it with hope, and I’ll cheer it with song!