The inspiration of words

The soul of a person is captured in what they write and speak. This is a week where we remember how Christ changed the heart and mind of Charles Wesley, the inspiration behind thousands of songs and hymns. His popular hymns include Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing and Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus.

Besides the words of his songs, Wesley also had some memorable quotes, which have been passed down through the ages. These include:

• "God buries His workmen but carries on His work." 
• "The person who bears and suffers evils with meekness and silence is the sum of a Christian man." 
• "Be friends of everyone. Be enemies of no-one." 

Psalm 19:14 - May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Living in Grace

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Stand By Me

When Ben E. King wrote his now famous song Stand by me, little did he realise how remarkable it would be. The lyrics of this powerful song reach into all areas of our lives but undoubtedly can also speak on a spiritual level to weary souls. Perhaps we would need to change the words of the chorus a little, but I think you get the point :)

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No, I won't be afraid
Oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No, I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me

And darlin', darlin'
Stand by me, oh, stand by me
Oh, stand now, stand by me
Stand by me

The words of Scripture are closely connected to this song, as Ben King admitted that some of the lyrics were inspired by Psalm 46:1-2.

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.

Living in Grace

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And can it be? A song that expresses the power of Good Friday

In the moving hymn And Can It Be? written by Charles Wesley, we find expression of the power, joy, mystery, grace, mercy and invitation of the cross. May these words be a blessing for you on the day we remember Jesus' ultimate revelation of love.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?

Refrain:
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!

He left His Father's throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race;
'Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me. [Refrain]

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee. [Refrain]

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own. [Refrain]

John 13:12-13 - This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.

Living in Grace

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Longing for ...

There is a beautiful song which reminds us of all the things that we long for but seem to never find. It is entitled: Christ be our Light and is written by Bernadette Farrell. Each verse of the song speaks of these gifts that we long for:

• Longing for light, we wait in darkness
• Longing for truth, we turn to you
• Longing for peace, our world is troubled
• Longing for hope, many despair

And each time she laments the things that still elude us, Bernadette brings us to the prayerful chorus:

"Christ be our light, shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness
Christ, be our light!
Shine in your church."

I pray that as we all begin the remarkable journey of Lent, that Christ would shine his light on our path.

Living in Grace

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Paying Tribute

Paying tribute to someone is usually something that you say to show respect or affection for someone. We find that this happens a lot during a service of memorial. However, it also used to happen when a nation was conquered by an enemy. They were forced to pay a 'tribute' to their new rulers. 

One of our well-known hymns reminds us of this task of paying tribute to our Lord Jesus.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet your tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King!

The Psalmist wrote of this same concept when reflecting on the hope of a Messiah. He said:

"The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts." - Psalm 72

The question that remains for us, is "what TRIBUTE do we bring to Jesus this year?"

Living in Grace

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Let every heart prepare Him room

Isaac Watt’s grand hymn: Joy to the world. The Lord is Come! is one of my favourite Christmas songs. In the opening verse of his song Watts makes a powerful call for all of us to prepare room in our hearts for the birth of Jesus.

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.”

As Advent begins, how will we make space for the Lord? 

What have you found helpful in your spiritual journey?

Living in Grace

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If you don't know me by now...

The song "If you don't know me by now" was written in the 1970's, but gained world-wide fame in 1989, when Simply Red released their version of the song. The opening lines of the song raise an interesting point. They state:

"If you don't know me by now,
You will never, never, never know me..."

The reason I mention this is because the question we reflected on in yesterday' sermon was: "Don't know you me as yet?" - this is the searching question that Jesus asked Philip. It was a gentle rebuke of Philip suggesting to him that he should know the ways of Jesus a lot more, especially since he had spent enough time with Jesus already. 

"Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? - John 14:9

For me, there is a difference between the 2 statements. The first one implies that we will never get to truly know the other person, no matter how hard we try. While Jesus' challenge leaves room for us to decide to 'know' God on a deeper level. I am not sure if that makes sense to you, but I am inspired to lean into the scriptures to get to know Jesus as my brother and friend. What about you?

“I am not asking whether you know things about Him but do you know God, are you enjoying God, is God the centre of your life, the soul of your being, the source of your greatest joy?” - Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Living in grace

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Through it all

Every now and then a song keeps playing in my mind and it speaks directly into my heart. In preparing for last Sunday's services, I was reminded of this song called "Through it all." The lyrics speak of how God is with us through the seasons of our lives and that when we look back, we can offer God our prayers of thanks and gratitude.

"You are forever in my life
You see me through the seasons
Cover me with Your hand
And lead me in Your righteousness

And I look to You
And I wait on You

I will sing to You, Lord
A hymn of love
For Your faithfulness to me
I'm carried in everlasting arms
You'll never let me go
Through it all."

If you get the chance, please listen to the song as it really is a beautiful song. You can use this link if you need. May we all remember that 'through all that happens to us, Christ is with us."

Isaiah 43:1-3

 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Living in grace

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Take my hand

There are many stories of how difficult circumstances have birthed songs, books or poems. The songwriter, Thomas Dorsey, wrote the words to "Precious Lord, take my hand", after hearing of the tragic death of his wife and infant son. I can't imagine the pain he must have been experiencing, but I find it remarkable how he was able to put his emotions into these words. I believe that these words can offer us all some hope and courage in our own times of difficulty. 

Lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light:

Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

When my way grows drear,
Precious Lord, linger near,
When my life is almost gone,
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall:

When the darkness appears
And the night draws near,
And the day is past and gone,
At the river, I stand,
Guide my feet, hold my hand:

Psalm 73:23 - Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

Living in Grace

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Come thou long expected Jesus

When Charles Wesley wrote the words of the hymn 'Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus', in 1744, I wonder if he grasped the legacy of his words. I am sure he wanted Christians to proclaim their desire for the return of Jesus, but did he think that we would still be singing his words in 2023? I am not so sure!

Anway, regardless of Charles Wesley's wishes, we are still singing this powerful song and I believe that each word holds the incredible grace and truth of God's love for us all. 

As we read these words again today, may they become our deepest prayer for this Advent season. 

Come, thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us;
Let us find our rest in Thee
Israel's Strength and Consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Living in Grace

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Safe thus far

In the well-known hymn Amazing Grace, there is a verse that says:

"Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home."

As we read these words today, what things has God brought us safely through? Can you think of some snares and dangers that the grace of Christ has carried you through lately?

I am thankful that this hymn reminds me that God has been with me in the past and he will continue to lead me home. 

1 Samuel 7:12 - Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

Living in Grace

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He will hold me fast

Keith and Kristyn Getty wrote a beautiful song called "He will hold me fast." It really is an inspirational song and fills one with lots of hope. If you would like to listen to the song or forward it unto someone in need, then here is the link. 

The chorus reminds us all of the wonderful promise that Jesus will hold us fast, no matter what is happening around us. He is our strength and our anchor.

"He will hold me fast,
He will hold me fast,
For my Saviour loves me so,
He will hold me fast."

1 Thessalonians 5:21 - Hold on to what is good.

Isaiah 41:10 - Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Living in Grace

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Jesus loves me, this I know!

                                         

When Anna Warner and her sister Susan teamed up to write the poem, “Jesus loves me”, I doubt they realised that it would have the incredible impact that it has had on the Christian community.

The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called Say and Seal, written by Susan Warner, in which the words were spoken as a comforting poem to a dying child. So, we can picture the scene in the story – there is a child who is lying incapacitated, vulnerable, and alone. The person who is caring for this little child, can think of only one person who could bring comfort to her and so she speaks:

Jesus loves me—this I know,
For the Bible tells me so:
Little ones to him belong, —
They are weak, but he is strong.

The refrain was written and added later many years later, but it certainly added to the overall power of the song:

Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
For the Bible tells me so.

And the Warner sisters are 100% correct – the Bible is filled with passages to point us to the truth, that God loves us. Arguably the entire Canon of Scripture is underpinned with this key thought: 

Jesus Loves Me!

1 John 3:1 - See how very much our father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! 

Living in Grace

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Precious Lord, take my hand

“Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand;
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light;
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.”

The words of Thomas Dorsey have offer hope and comfort to millions of people over the last century, including Martin Luther King Jnr, Elvis, Jim Reeves and others. Written in a time of his own pain and suffering, Thomas found the solace and inspiration from his knowledge that God is always with us. 

May his words also speak to you today.

"My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." - Psalm 119:50

Living in Grace

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Not a burden we bear

"Not a burden we bear,
Not a sorrow we share,

But our toil he doth richly repay;

Not a grief nor a loss,

Not a frown nor a cross,

But is blest if we trust and obey." - John Henry Sammis

The words of this hymn speak into our daily lives. There is not one burden, or tear or feeling of anxiety, that God isn't aware of. 

Let us trust in God's goodness to help us through each day.

Isaiah 12:2 - "See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory."

Living in Grace

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Love that will never let me go

"O Love that will not let me go;

I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine oceans depths its flow
May richer, fuller be."  - George Matheson

It is rare to find someone who is willing to love us through the depths and darkness of our shadow selves. Thankfully God is one of these people and He will never let us go. We can never plumb the depths of his love and grace.

Ephesians 3:17-19 - "...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Living in grace

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O God, our help in ages past

The words of this beautiful song remind us of God's faithfulness in the past and his promise to help us in the future. Jesus is our hope for an uncertain tomorrow. I am convinced that Isaac Watts would have only penned these words if he had experienced this truth in his own life.

O God, our help in ages past,
  Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
  And our eternal home.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.

May these words offer you hope and help today.

Living in Grace

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Immense and free

"He left His Father’s throne above— 

So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For, O my God, it found out me!" - Charles Wesley (And can it be?)

These words from this well known hymn are packed with pictures of God incredible love and grace. The more you read the words the more they overwhelm you with gratitude. Jesus emptied himself of everything so that we would be the recipients of God's treasures. 

God is constantly seeking us out. God wants to find us - and not so that he can reprimand us, but to cover us with his immense mercy.

Exodus 33:19 - The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.

Living in Grace

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True Friendship

                                             

As we sang this beautiful hymn last week at a memorial service, I was reminded of the friendship that Jesus offers each one of us. And as we contemplate all that Christ brings to this friendship it still baffles me why people choose to say 'no thanks' to this gift. As you read through these familiar words may the Spirit of Jesus fill you with grace and peace.

Living in Grace

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What a friend we have in Jesus,

1. All our sins and griefs to bear!
   What a privilege to carry
   Everything to God in prayer!
   Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
   Oh, what needless pain we bear,
   All because we do not carry
   Everything to God in prayer!
   
2. Have we trials and temptations?
   Is there trouble anywhere?
   We should never be discouraged—
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
   Can we find a friend so faithful,
   Who will all our sorrows share?
   Jesus knows our every weakness;
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
   
3. Are we weak and heavy-laden,
   Cumbered with a load of care?
   Precious Savior, still our refuge—
   Take it to the Lord in prayer.
   Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
   Take it to the Lord in prayer!
   In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
   Thou wilt find a solace there.
4. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised
   Thou wilt all our burdens bear;
   May we ever, Lord, be bringing
   All to Thee in earnest prayer.
   Soon in glory bright, unclouded,
   There will be no need for prayer—
   Rapture, praise, and endless worship
   Will be our sweet portion there. (Joseph Scriven)
   

It is well with my soul

As we sang this song yesterday I was struck by the great profession of faith that lies behind the deep brokenness in Horatio Spafford's life. It is one thing to proclaim that "it is well with my soul" when things are going great, but to say these words when we are facing great difficulties is the true test of faith.

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

It is well (it is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul

May we sing God's praises even when we are facing tough times.

Living in Grace

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