Southwood Lutheran Church

He Keeps Me Singing

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25 NRSV)

Do you love to sing? Where are you likely to sing . . at home, in the car, in church, at the ballpark? In this text from Acts, we find Paul singing in prison. “Jesus was the song of Paul’s heart. Otherwise he would not have been able to sing hymns to God in the prison at midnight. Paul and Silas visited Philippi to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When Paul cast out an evil spirit from a fortune-telling slave girl, the two of them were severely flogged and thrown into prison in the inner cell with their feet in stocks. Their prospects were dismal. Yet at midnight they prayed and sang songs from their heart in earshot of the other prisoners. Their song expressed their confident faith in Jesus and a bold witness to the prison under dire circumstances. “Suddenly an earthquake shook the prison. All chains were broken. The jailer nearly committed suicide, thinking the prisoners had escaped. Paul had opportunity to spare his life and more important to answer his desperate question –‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’—with the song of his heart, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved—you and your household’ (Acts 16:30-31 ESV). Songs in the night heard, God’s Spirit working through Paul’s clear Gospel witness, the jailer and his family believed and were baptized. “When dire circumstances come into your life, when your faith is sorely tested, sometimes because of your faithful witness to Jesus, God’s Spirit will work through His Word so you hear again Jesus as the song of your heart. Your witness in improbable circumstances may well bring others to faith in the Savior.”¹

1. Carter, Stephen. Witness to the Light. (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2006.) Devotion for January 15.

Will You Come and Follow Me

The beautiful hymn “Will You Come and Follow Me” was written by John Bell. John Bell was born in and resides in Scotland. He is a liturgical composer who writes cooperatively with colleagues in Glasgow. He has a deep interest in music from non-European cultures and a passion for song of the Assembly. In May, I had the opportunity to go to a conference in Atlanta, Georgia and hear John Bell present a series of workshops on music and worship. It was a great joy to listen to him lead songs that he has written and witness his passion first hand.

“'Will you come and follow me’ (called ‘The Summons’ in The Faith We Sing) is perhaps the most famous of Mr. Bell’s hymns. The hymn appeared initially in the first collection of music produced by the Wild Goose Worship Group, Heaven Shall Not Wait: Songs of Creation, the Incarnation, and the Life of Jesus (1987). The song asks a series of 13 questions, perhaps a record in the annals of hymnody.

Characteristic of Mr. Bell’s style, the text is prophetic, using many words not usually found in traditional hymns. ‘The Summons’ of Christ is to a radical Christianity. We are challenged to ‘leave yourself behind’ and to ‘risk the hostile stare’ (stanza two), ‘set the prisoner free’ and ‘kiss the leper clean’ (stanza three), and ‘use the faith you’ve found to reshape the world around’ (stanza four).

The tune is a traditional Scottish ballad entitled KELVINGROVE, named after a section of Glasgow. Mr. Bell often uses traditional melodies from Ireland, Scotland and England for his hymns. These tried and true tunes make the songs not only singable, but often provide a Celtic flavor that is popular today.

For Mr. Bell, the purpose for singing is to engage people in a fuller participation in the congregation’s song, stretch their faith and encourage them to live in a manner that reflects justice.”¹

1. Hawn, C. Michael. HISTORY OF HYMNS: Bell’s Scottish hymn gives radical summons. ©2012 UMR Communications, Inc. Date visited: May 20, 2012. http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=6012

Spirit, Shine On Us

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17NIV)

This Sunday is Pentecost. On Pentecost we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the world, to the church, and to each of us individually. We remember the Holy Spirit is a continued gift that is renewed each day. In addition to singing hymns about God’s Spirit, a small group will share an anthem called “Spirit, Shine on Us.” Included in the anthem is the song “Spirit of the Living God.” Author Debbie Carsten shares these thoughts about that song:

“Imagine being one of Jesus’ disciples when He breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). With Jesus’ breath, the disciples received the power and authority to bring His life to the world. Christ has also given us that authority. Because ‘all Scripture is God-breathed’ (2 Timothy 3:16), we encounter the living Word every time we open the Bible. And God’s Spirit breathes into us as we receive His truth.

This truth, the truth about Jesus, is meant to set us free (John 8:32)! WE become all God wants us to be as we let the Holy Spirit apply His Word to our lives. We break out of old patterns and ways of thinking and are given newness and freshness. The Holy Spirit knows how to use Scripture to melt us, mold us, and set us free.

Instead of being fearful about what God may do in us, we can be assured that HE wants to bring us into new levels of freedom. He wants to melt our resistance to change, mold our desires to higher purposes, fill us with the power to live an abundant life, and use us beyond what we could imagine. All that, and heaven, too!

Look into God’s Word and heed Jesus’ words from John 20: ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ (John 20:22)”.

 

1. Carsten, Debbie. Open the Eyes of My Heart: Daily Devotions. (Brentwood, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2002.) Pg. 91.

The Potter's Hand

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8 NIV)

This Sunday in worship we recognize the many high school seniors who will be graduating soon. We pray God’s blessings on them and hope they will ask God the Potter to mold and direct their paths of faith.

“The story is told of a master pottery maker in Peru. Having heard of the distinct quality of his work, people from all over the world traveled to the outskirts of Lima in search of his unpretentious shop. It was an uncovered, cluttered workspace exposed to the intense rays of the South American sun. As a result of forty years of continuous labor, the potter’s sun-baked skin resembled the dark reddish-brown clay he shaped into beautiful pots and bowls.

What distinguished this artisan’s pottery was a small indentation that every piece boasted. The notch- like feature at first glance might be considered a flaw. But it was not. It was the result of a claw-like digit on the potter’s right hand. He was born with it instead of a thumb. The shriveled stub and its permanent sharp fingernail imprinted the clay as it was fashioned in its final form. What had been a source of endless humiliation as a child had become the signature of success.

Although our Creator’s fashioning hands are not deformed, as He shapes us into His image, the evidence of His fingerprints in our lives render us valuable and priceless in His eyes. Celebrate the worth He sees as He looks at you today.”¹

 

1. Asimakoupoulos, Greg. Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart –Daily Devotions from the Greatest Praise and Worship Songs of All Time (Brentwood, TN: Integrity Publishers. 2002), pg. 113.

For the Beauty of the Earth

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.” (Psalm 103:2 KJV)

Have you ever taken a walk among your blessings? Folliot Pierpoint did. He was feeling discouraged and a friend suggested that he take a walk among his blessings. The list of his many blessings is found in his hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth.” Since this Sunday is Mother’s Day, reflect especially on the blessings of this verse: “For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child . . .”

“One of the delights that we as adults have in being around children is to hear their squeals of pleasure as they observe and discover some ordinary object about them. No doubt our heavenly Father is also pleased when His children take time to observe and appreciate His creation and then to simply express joyous gratitude to Him for His countless blessings. Today’s hymn reminds us of the common blessings of life that many of us often take for granted—the beauties of nature, our parents, family, friends, church. The lyrics then direct our ‘grateful praise’ to God Himself, the giver of every good and perfect gift.”¹

 

1. Osbeck, Kenneth W. Amazing Grace (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1990, 2002), pg. 331.

There is a Redeemer

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17 NIV)

On Easter Sunday, the Senior Choir sang an arrangement of the hymn, “There is a Redeemer.” It was a powerful way to celebrate that Christ has Risen! The celebration continues during this Easter season.

God deserves our most heartfelt thanks. This song provides the opportunity to express our profound gratitude to God for sending Jesus to us. He didn’t have to. He could have let us live aimless, worthless lives, eventually dying far from Him. He didn’t have to love us; He didn’t have to save us. After all, our sin had hurt Him deeply and separated us from Him eternally.

God knew we were lost. He knew we were hopeless and that the only way to save us would be to do it Himself. So He did that, coming to earth in His Son. Then, when Jesus returned to heaven, He gave us His Holy Spirit. Jesus called Him our “Counselor” who would be with us forever (John 14:16). God did not leave us to our own devices; He left us the Holy Spirit to walk with us and to guide us.

The Holy Spirit empowers us to do Christ’s work on earth—the work of serving, loving, sharing, and helping others enter the kingdom. One day God’s work on earth will be done. On that day, we will rejoice at all that God has done in us and through us for His glory!¹

 

1. Carsten, Debbie. Open the Eyes of My Heart: Daily Devotions. (Brentwood, TN: Integrity Publishers, 2002.) Pg. 21.

The Day of Resurrection

T“While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” (Luke 24:4-5 NRSV)

This Sunday we continue the celebration of Easter. We sing with joy that Christ has victory over death and that we will have live eternally with Him in heaven. Our opening hymn is “The Day of Resurrection” and we join a long procession of saints who have sung this Easter hymn. This hymn is around 1200 years old!!

"The Day of Resurrection" is one of the oldest hymns in our hymnal. The words were written by St. John of Damascus of the Greek Orthodox Church. John was born in Damascus in the 8th century, and was engaged in secular work for many years. He became an Orthodox priest late in life, and spent the rest of his life at St. Sabas convent near Jerusalem. He was a gifted poet¶#151;the greatest poet of the Greek Church. The story is told of John writing a hymn for the funeral of a fellow monk—a monk not yet dead but at death's doorstep. After writing the hymn John started practicing it loudly. The next thing he knew, the dying monk came shuffling into the room to protest the unseemly noise.

This hymn, "The Day of Resurrection," was part of a much longer poem. John Mason Neale translated it into English in the 19th century—a thousand years after it was first written. The first verse calls us to celebrate the resurrection—to proclaim it abroad. The second verse calls us to live lives pure from evil—to live, as it were, resurrection lives. The third verse calls all the heavens and earth to be joyful—to sing—to proclaim a joy that has no end.”¹

 

1. Richard Niell Donovan, “Hymn Story: The Day of Resurrection” Copyright, 2007. Date visited: March 17, 2012. http://www.lectionary.org/HymnStories/The%20Day%20of%20Resurrection.htm

We Walk by Faith

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. (1 Peter 1:8 NIV)

Last Sunday we celebrated Easter with great enthusiasm and we had little doubt that Christ had risen from the dead. This Sunday, we hear the story of doubting Thomas and we confess that we too struggle with doubts as we make our way through the difficulties of life. Is it a weakness to doubt or is there perhaps a positive side to doubt? Wayne Wold gives this answer:

“First of all, doubt is a sign of a thinking mind. Just as it takes little thought to simply accept all we are told, rejecting any ideas that lie beyond our own imaginations is an equally scandalous underuse of gray matter. Having doubts means we are capable of weighing possibilities and reaching conclusions. Second, strugglers and searcher have a better chance of working through doubts than those who neither question nor search. Come to think of it, if it weren’t for doubt how would we know when we do have convictions? How do we know we do believe if we never consider not believing? Third, if Thomas’s encounter can be used as an example, expressing honest doubt may lead to a one-on-one encounter with Jesus. Just as having faith is not something we can attain on our own, we need each other, we need the word and sacraments of the church, and we need the real presence of Christ to help us as we grapple with doubt. And when we gather together with others who think, and doubt, and struggle and, yes, believe, we encounter the risen Christ in our midst.”¹

 

1. Wold, Wayne. Soli Deo Gloria. (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2009) pg. 58.

All Glory Laud and Honor

The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord-- the King of Israel!" (John 12:12-13 NRSV)

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. We sing the hymn “All Glory Laud and Honor” as we celebrate Jesus’ procession into Jerusalem. It is important to remember that this procession turns quickly into the events of Holy Week – the upper room, to Gethsemane, to the judgment Hall and finally to the cross. The reason Jesus enters Jerusalem is to die on the cross for us that we might know life eternally with Him.

All Glory Laud and Honor “was written approximately AD 820 by Bishop Theodolph of Orleans, France, while he was imprisoned at the monastery of Angers. Theodolph was well known in his day as a poet, pastor, and beloved bishop of Orleans. When Emperor Charlemagne died in 814, the bishop was put into a monastic prison by Charlemagne’s son and successor, Louis I the Pious, for allegedly plotting against him. A well-known legend has long been associated with this hymn. It is believed by many that a short time before the bishop’s death in 821, Louis was visiting in the area where the bishop was imprisoned and by chance passed under his cell. The bishop is said to have been singing and worshiping by himself. When the emperor heard this particular text being sung, he was so moved by the incident that he immediately ordered the bishop’s release.”¹

1. Osbeck, Kenneth W., Amazing Grace (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1990, 2002), pg. 120.

Create in Me a Clean Heart

God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and give me a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:10-12 HCSB)

During the season of Lent, we sing the song “Create in Me” each Sunday. The song is based on Psalm 51 and is a poem on forgiveness. It is especially appropriate during this season in which we focus on the saving love of Jesus Christ.

“The most priceless thing in the universe is the human soul. We see its value at Calvary, because the most costly thing in the world—our sin—required the payment of Jesus’s blood to redeem us.

We also see sin’s toll on our lives. Before David sinned he was a friend of God, straight, meeting His goals. After he sinned he was a crooked rebel, missing the mark . . .

We don’t have to rehearse David’s sins. The story of how he committed adultery, murdered a man, and tried to cover up his sin for a year is well known. The effects were disastrous . . .

David uses three verbs to ask forgiveness. Blot out refers to paying a debt. Wash indicates that sin defiles the entire person. Cleanse means the sinner is like a leper, in need of total healing . . .”¹

In this Psalm, David teaches us to confess our sins. After we confess our sins, they will be washed away and we will be completely cleansed, so that we can again find the joy of our salvation!

1. Wiersbe, Warren. Prayer, Praise & Promises. (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 2011), Devotion for May 9. target="_blank">www.gettymusic.com