We aren't inclined to sing hymns of this length today, which—as we've seen in previous hymns—is to our detriment. This hymn is worthy of our close reading and meditation during the penitential season of Lent.

1. Depth of mercy! Can there be Mercy still reserved for me? Can my God His wrath forbear, Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

2. I have long withstood His grace, Long provoked Him to His face, Would not hearken to His calls, Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

3. I my master have denied, I afresh have crucified, And profaned His hallowed name, Put Him to an open shame.

4. I have spilt His precious blood, Trampled on the Son of God, Filled with pangs unspeakable, I, who yet am not in hell!

5. Lo! I still walk on the ground: Lo! an advocate is found: Hasten not to cut him down, Let this barren soul alone.

6. Jesus speaks, and pleads His blood! He disarms the wrath of God; Now my Father’s mercies move, Justice lingers into love.

7. Kindled His relentings are, Me He now delights to spare, Cries, How shall I give thee up? Lets the lifted thunder drop.

8. Whence to me this waste of love? Ask my advocate above! See the cause in Jesus’ face, Now before the throne of grace.

9. There for me the Savior stands, Shows His wounds and spreads His hands. God is love! I know, I feel; Jesus weeps and loves me still.

10. Jesus, answer from above, Is not all Thy nature love? Wilt Thou not the wrong forget, Permit me to kiss Thy feet?

11. If I rightly read Thy heart, If Thou all compassion art, Bow Thine ear, in mercy bow, Pardon and accept me now.

12. Pity from Thine eye let fall, By a look my soul recall; Now the stone to flesh convert, Cast a look, and break my heart.

13. Now incline me to repent, Let me now my sins lament, Now my foul revolt deplore, Weep, believe, and sin no more.

#hymnody #Lent

Teach me the measure of my days, Thou Maker of my frame! I would survey life's narrow space, And learn how frail I am.

A span is all that we can boast: A fleeting hour of time; Man is but vanity and dust, In all His flower and prime.

Vain race of mortals, see them move Like shadows o'er the plain: They rage and strive, desire and love, But all the noise is vain.

Some walk in honor's gaudy show; Some dig for golden ore; They toil for whom they do not know, And straight are seen no more.

What should I wish or wait for then, From creatures, earth, and dust? They make our expectations vain, And disappoint our trust.

Now I resign my earthly hope, My fond desires recall; I give my mortal interest up, And make my God my all.

#hymnody #Lent

Salvation unto us has come By God’s free grace and favor; Good works cannot avert our doom, They help and save us never. Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone, Who did for all the world atone; He is our one Redeemer.

What God did in His Law demand And none to Him could render Caused wrath and woe on ev’ry hand For man, the vile offender. Our flesh has not those pure desires The spirit of the Law requires, And lost is our condition.

It was a false, misleading dream That God His Law had given That sinners might themselves redeem And by their works gain heaven. The Law is but a mirror bright To bring the inbred sin to light That lurks within our nature.

From sin our flesh could not abstain, Sin held its sway unceasing; The task was useless and in vain, Our guilt was e’er increasing. None can remove sin’s poisoned dart Or purify our guileful heart— So deep is our corruption.

Yet as the Law must be fulfilled Or we must die despairing, Christ came and hath God’s anger stilled, Our human nature sharing. He hath for us the Law obeyed And thus the Father’s vengeance stayed Which over us impended.

Since Christ hath full atonement made And brought to us salvation, Each Christian therefore may be glad And build on this foundation. Thy grace alone, dear Lord, I plead, Thy death is now my life indeed, For Thou hast paid my ransom.

Let me not doubt, but trust in Thee, Thy Word cannot be broken; Thy call rings out, “Come unto Me!” No falsehood hast Thou spoken. Baptized into Thy precious name, My faith cannot be put to shame, And I shall never perish.

The only righteous in God’s sight Are they this faith possessing; But faith shines forth with heav’nly light, Itself by works professing. Though faith is all that God requires, Thy love the neighbor’s good desires If God hath truly borne Thee.

The Law reveals the guilt of sin And makes men conscience-stricken; The Gospel then doth enter in The sinful soul to quicken. Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live; The Law no peace can ever give, No comfort and no blessing.

Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone And rests in Him unceasing; And by its fruits true faith is known, With love and hope increasing. Yet faith alone doth justify, Works serve the neighbor and supply The proof that faith is living.

Hope waits in patience for that time When God will show His power. When to expect this joy sublime, God sets for us no hour. He knows full well when best to aid; Though help may often be delayed, In this we all must trust Him.

If His goodwill be hid in night, Dismiss this fear unbidden. To those in whom is His delight, His love is often hidden. His Word shall take away thy doubt, And if thy flesh its “No” should shout, Still cast from thee all terror.

May glory, laud, with highest praise, For this, our God’s salvation, To Father, Spirit, Son be raised, Who’ll bring unto completion The work He hath in us begun, That glory may for Him be won. For this His name be hallowed.

His kingdom come, His will on earth Be done as ’tis in heaven. Of daily bread be there no dearth, And be our sins forgiven As we do them who owe us aught. Into temptation lead us not, From evil free us. Amen.

#hymnody #Lutheran #theology

#theology #hymnody

miscellany [ mis-uh-ley-nee], noun 1. a miscellaneous collection or group of various or somewhat unrelated items 2. a miscellaneous collection of literary compositions or pieces by several authors, dealing with various topics, assembled in a volume or book

It's been a long while since I posted any miscellanies...until recently, it had been a long time since I posted anything. Miscellanies are back as a list of the most interesting things I came across in the previous week that I think are worth reading and considering, as informed, historic Christians. With pithy re-introductions aside, here is this week's list.

What Protestants Get Wrong About the Epistle to the Hebrews Peter Leithart (conservative Presbyterian/Reformed) makes the case that, while the New Covenant is 'not a conservative gospel, but a revolutionary one,' having significant differences from the Old Covenant, it is not something completely new but brings with it the reality that was hidden in the shadows before Christ. Specifically considering worship, he says that “Christian liturgical practice is still sacrificial and priestly, but through Jesus we have access to the real, original, heavenly things. What Israel did in twilight, the church does in the full light of day. The new doesn’t inaugurate an a-liturgical form of life and worship, but radically rearranges liturgy itself.” This is a short, thought, provoking piece about how Christian worship ought to look as a continuation and fulfillment of everything before us.

The Re-Churching of Men. This is an article I referenced last Sunday when talking about growth among traditional churches as opposed to 'plain vanilla' Evangelical churches with contemporary worship. He refers to a New York Times piece documenting the increased numbers of Gen-Z men attending to churches with conservative doctrine and traditional liturgy. He laments the decreased attendance among women in this generation and cautions against the pendulum swinging too far. “The answer to toxic masculinity is not vapid egalitarianism in the style pioneered by liberal Protestants and mimicked by progressive evangelicals. Nor is it the gnostic androgyny of our sexually confused culture. The answer is bold, sacrificial, and Christ-like masculinity. Christ faces evil and lays down his life for his bride. The priest, acting in the person of Christ the head, must be a masculine icon for his parish, an assertive yet tender spiritual father. A re-churching of men has the potential to correct men’s worst impulses while ­redeeming men through the power of Christ crucified. This redemption may yet occasion the return of men and women to a renewed church, one in which the sexes will flourish together.”

It's Time We Stop Singing About Ourselves At Mass. Though written by a Catholic in the context of the Mass (so don't get lost in some unfamiliar liturgical terms), this article asks the important question, “What makes for a 'suitable hymn'? How should we gauge 'good' and 'bad' hymns?” It's a subject I've brought up many times, important because the hymns we sing will stick with us long after even the best sermon is forgotten. This author answers his own question this way, “I would suggest using a very simple litmus test by asking this question: 'Whom are we singing to?'” The article contains some interesting statistics about the focus of recent hymnody in the Catholic Church (which I'd suggest is following trail blazed by Evangelicals) showing that recent hymns are “written with an orientation of me, myself, and I. The worship is not a vertical gaze toward Heaven. Rather, the orientation is a horizontal glance around the room.” It's a thought-provoking read!

#miscellanies #hymnody

Yesterday during divine service we sang the familiar hymn “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” After worship, several folks came and asked me about the line that says, “Here I raise mine Ebenezer hither by Thy help I'm come.” In essence asking, “What on earth is an Ebenezer anyway?”

Gold star for those of you who wondered enough about this to come and ask—you know who you are!

So what on earth does this line refer to? It's an Old Testament reference from 1 Samuel 7 that is lost on many of today.

Here's the story...the Ark of the Covenant had just been returned to Israel from the Philistines, who sent it back as quickly as they could after seeing the havoc God was wreaking among them. After twenty years (yes, you read that right!) of lamenting and wallowing in sin, Samuel called the people back from their idolatry to faithfulness to God. He reminded them that their oppression by the Philistines was a consequence of their faithlessness. Israel responded by getting rid of their idols and turning again to God. They gathered together at Mizpah to pray, fast, and seek the Lord—then the Philistines attacked!

Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”

As one who regularly interceded to God on behalf of the people, Samuel responded.

And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”

There it is, right at the end! In Hebrew, 'Ebenezer' means 'stone of help.' This Ebenezer was a stone memorial, set up for the people as a physical reminder of God's aid in their time of need. It was something they could see, touch, talk about, and use in the future to teach others about God's gracious deliverance.

Robert Robinson, the hymnwriter of “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” calls us to remember God's gracious redemption, provision, and protection, through good times and through trials. Those reminders, those Ebenezers, give us confidence that “by Thy good pleasure” we will safely arrive at our home in heaven. We each have episodes in our lives that can serve as Ebenezers for us, but Robinson calls us to Christ—the most sure and certain sign of God's grace love and grace for us. Right after that puzzling line we sang, “Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.” As the Good Shepherd, while we were separated from God and without hope, Christ sought us, shed his blood for us, and reconciled us to God (Eph 2.12-13).

This is one example of why our hymnals are such great devotional tools! Lyrics stick in our heads much better than prose, and great hymns merely restate God's word and remind of us of Christ's work for us that we grasp daily by faith. Sing on, saints!

#devotional #hymnody #TFCC

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