This blog began as documentation of my journey into formal ministry. Now that I have received a call it will continue to function as a place for me to address concerns, celebrations and anything else that might catch my fancy. Please remember to "Be A Blessing To Someone Today"! God Bless, Roy
Below please find both the video of last Sunday's sermon and the manuscript. The sermon last Sunday covered the hymn that nearly all love dearly, "The Old Rugged Cross". Though so many of us hold a great fondness to this hymn, it is not without its own theological difficulties. Please take a moment to read or to listen to the sermon. May it in some small way be a blessing to you. And may you in kind "be a blessing to someone today". In Christ, Roy
The Old Rugged Cross – Sermon 11/26/17 Today will be our last Sunday of looking at hymns before we start into the Advent Season next Sunday. The hymn for today is probably the most widely known of all Christian Hymns and has consistently ranked as one of Americans all-time favorite hymns... and of course, as you've all just heard, today we will elaborate upon the history and meaning of “The Old Rugged Cross”. This wonderful old hymn has been a favorite of recording artists through the years, sung by artists such as Johnny & June Cash, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Alan Jackson, Ernest Tubb, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, The Statler Brothers and many, many more. It was also a favorite hymn of the famous Iowan Evangelist Billy Sunday and his worship team. It was always a portion of George Beverly Shea’s repertoire during the Billy Graham evangelistic campaigns, and it was reportedly one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's favorite hymns. “The Old Rugged Cross” has been utilized in multiple motion pictures, including Pennies from Heaven (1978) and Gridlock (2007). And it even appears in an episode of the popular and long-running sci-fi series Doctor Who.
The hymn was written by Reverend George Bennard (Benn-ARD) who though not born in Iowa, did grow up in Iowa. His was a financially poor upbringing but one that spawned a timeless influence on nearly all American Christians. Bennard was born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was the son of George and Margaret Bennard, and he was of Scottish descent. The couple had five other children, and after George's birth, they moved their family to Albia, Iowa, where George Senior ran a tavern. When the Albia tavern burned, George Senior turned to mining coal and the family moved to Lucas, IA, There George Senior was killed in 1889 in a mining accident at the all too early age of 49 which left young George at just 16 to support his mother and siblings. He did so by following in his father's footprints and going to work in the mines. In 1890 George moved his family to Illinois, and it was there that he met his first wife Ariminda. In 1895, George attended a meeting of the Salvation Army in Canton, IA. According to an Iowa newspaper’s 2010 account, “Bennard had heard about Salvation Army meetings and decided to walk the five miles into town to see what those meetings were all about.” During the services, Bennard responded to the speaker’s invitation and committed his life to Jesus Christ right then and there. George entered into Christian ministry with the Salvation Army, becoming a minister at the tender age of 24. He and his wife, Ariminda, became officers in 1898 and he served as such for nearly a decade. Also in the year 1898, he was conducting revival meetings throughout the Midwest, later transferring to New York, where he resigned from the Salvation Army in 1910 to go out on his own as an evangelist ordained within the Methodist Episcopal denomination. It was around this time that he began composing hymns. George and Ariminda settled in Albion, Michigan, and there he opened his own hymn publishing company. The story of how this old favorite hymn came to be written goes as such: In late 1912 or early 1913, George had been conducting revival services traveling throughout the Midwest, but he had returned to Michigan and was living with his wife in an apartment in the home of a professor across from Albion College. While at a revival meeting in Michigan, he was heckled incessantly by several youths. George was deeply troubled by the youths blatant disregard for the gospel. Caught in introspection and contemplating this disrespectful and irreverent behavior, Bennard turned to Scripture to reflect on the work of Christ on the cross. He became convinced that the cross was the centerpiece of the gospel and not just a religious symbol. He later recalled, "I seemed to have a vision ... I saw the Christ and the cross inseparable. I began to write ‘The Old Rugged Cross.’ I composed the melody first. The words that I first wrote were imperfect. The words of the finished hymn were put into my heart in answer to my own need.” The melody had come to George easily, and the first verse was completed by Bennard during a series of meetings in Albion, Michigan. But, it was several months later, before the remaining three verses were completed while George was in Pokagon, Michigan, where he was leading meetings at the local Methodist Episcopal Church. After completing the hymn, he performed the song in its entirety for the sponsoring pastor, the Reverend Leroy Bostwick and the Reverend's wife Ruby, in the living room of the Parsonage. The Bostwicks were moved to tears and George incorporated the song into the revival services on June 7, 1913. At first, Bennard sang his hymn with a simple guitar accompaniment, but then a five-voice choir performed the hymn with an organ and violin accompaniment. The first occasion where it was heard outside of the Methodist Episcopal church at Pokagon was at the Chicago Evangelistic Institute. There it was introduced before a large convention and soon it became extremely popular throughout the country. Noted evangelist Billy Sunday, an Iowa native, popularized the hymn with his nationally broadcast radio show. By 1939, more than 15 million copies of the hymn had been sold and numerous recordings made. Billy Sunday's song leader Homer Rodeheaver had a publishing company and Bennard sold his song to him for $500. Later the copyright was renewed for an additional $5,000. Bennard eventually composed about 350 hymns, such as "Speak, My Lord," "Oh, Make Me Clean" and "Have Thy Way, Lord" but none was nearly as successful as "The Old Rugged Cross." Bennard, who played guitar but not the piano, was known as a persuasive speaker and sharp dresser, yet humble and sincere. He was a short man at only about five foot tall. He didn't drive a car and during the 40's and 50's he had the same personal driver for many years. His driver drove him on all his travels which included trips as far as Canada, California, and Florida. George was a modest man with a sense of humor, the following quote is attributed to him; “I’ve been introduced as the author of ‘The Old Gray Mare,’ ‘The Old Oaken Bucket’, and even the ‘Rock of Ages’, and once introduced as George Bernard Shaw, the English philosopher.” Bennard and his first wife, Araminda, later moved their home from Michigan to California, it is believed they did so for health reasons. Ariminda passed away in California in 1941 and was buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery. After Araminta's death, George returned to Michigan and in July 1944 he married his second wife, Hannah Dahlstrom, who was his accompanist. The couple eventually retired to Ashton, Michigan. Bennard died of asthma in Reed City, Michigan, on October 10th, 1958, at the age of 85. His services there were attended by over 400 people, including 25 area ministers. As could be expected, the rites included an organ rendition of "The Old Rugged Cross." George's body was then transported to Inglewood, California, where he was buried beside his first wife Ariminda in the Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Michigan’s “Old Rugged Cross” roots are memorialized today in several locations: * While Bennard was still living, a twelve-foot-high wooden cross was erected in Rambardt Park in Reed City, Michigan, bearing the words of the “Old Rugged Cross” and stating that Reed City was the home of the hymn's author Reverend George Bennard. After his death, the cross was replaced with another one from a local museum. * Also in Reed City, the Old Rugged Cross Historical Museum was opened in 1990. Outside the building is the large cross that I just mentioned, which was dedicated before Bennard’s death. The museum contains memorabilia, music, and relics from George's life and music. * In Albion, across from Albion College, there is a decades-old 'Michigan Historic Marker' that marks the site where the first verse and chorus of the hymn were written. The house in which he did the work later became a fraternity house and was unfortunately demolished sometime in the 1960s. * In 2000, another marker was erected in Pokagon. On one side it summarizes the story of the hymn’s writing. On the other, the story of the old Methodist Episcopal Church building is told. In 1998, the Old Rugged Cross Foundation Inc. was formed to restore the original church building in Pokagon. It had been in use as a barn for many years and had fallen into disrepair. Bennard's hymn was immediately popular and remains a perennial favorite. Though the hymn is so widely loved, it has not been immune from criticism. There have been many criticisms of it from a musical standpoint, however, this is an area I will eschew, for far be it for me to critique anyone's musical abilities. Some contemporary Christians view it as culturally irrelevant for today's world. Others see its apparent emphasis on the cross as misguided and incorrect theology. The composer Frank C. Huston, wrote the lesser-known hymn “The Christ of the Cross”. Huston’s third verse contains an apparent critique of Bennard's far more popular hymn: Let others who will praise the cross of the Christ, The Christ of the cross is my theme; For though we must cherish the old rugged cross, ‘Tis only the Christ can redeem. Returning to the initial comment that many love this gospel song, and many love to hate it, this may be the result of the hymn’s emblematic nature. British hymnologist Erik Routley offered his opinion of this hymn in a text published in 1967. In the style he was well known for, he was both candid and cutting. He expressed that it is a hymn of “unspeakable vulgarity,” though allowing that he appreciated its attraction as a “compelling witness for the gospel.... despite its perceived theological and musical shortcomings”. Undoubtedly, this hymn has had a significant and positive impact throughout its long history. The one dark side to the hymn is that it is apparently a favorite of the Ku Klux Klan, and has been sung during cross burnings. Now, let's look at the hymn for ourselves and delineate verse by verse:
The Old Rugged Cross by George Bennard Verse 1: On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. Bennard has in this first verse clearly proclaimed the cross as an emblem. A symbol that we use to focus upon to draw ourselves closer to God. It also proclaims Christ's sacrifice on the cross for all of us here in this world. The danger of an emblem or symbol in worship is when the symbol stops being a representation in our worship and becomes the thing that we are worshiping. This was and is an element of the criticism of Bennard's hymn. Verse 2: Oh, that old rugged Cross so despised by the world has a wondrous attraction for me for the dear Lamb of God, left His Glory above to bear it to dark Calvary. The symbol of the cross is in fact despised by the world, that is absolutely true. At this juncture in the hymn, Bennard has not yet elevated the Cross to the point of being worshiped. His focus in the last two lines is upon the Lamb of God and the fact that He came into this world to bear our sins. I will point out that it's not only the issue of the cross being despised but the cross being misinterpreted as a fashion item. Today we see people wearing crosses in all manner of unspeakable situations. Sadly, for many the cross is just a shiny piece of jewelry... an adornment, the symbolism... the Sacrifice... the Suffering Savior is entirely forgotten or even worse... never known. Verse 3: In the old rugged Cross, stain'd with blood so divine a wondrous beauty I see for the dear Lamb of God, left His Glory above to pardon and sanctify me. Here Bennard is still relating the cross to Christ. Though throughout the hymn he never says Christ, or Jesus, or Savior, he does repeat the title of 'Lamb of God' and thus indicates that he is indeed revering Christ. He also again focuses upon Christ coming into this world as our Savior “to pardon and sanctify me”. Verse 4: To the old rugged Cross, I will ever be true its shame and reproach gladly bear then He'll call me some day to my home far away where His glory forever I'll share. Here we can start to raise an issue with Bennard, it's not to the cross that we are to forever be true... it is to God. Another criticism could be the lack of any mention in the hymn of God the Father or the Holy Spirit. Bennard like many evangelicals is very Christ focused and in this hymn at least has ignored the Trinity entirely. His reference to “He'll call me some day” is in this context somewhat ambiguous, is it the Cross that will call him or is it, Christ. Of course where we can clearly raise an issue with Bennard's theology is in the line “where His glory forever I'll share”. Share isn't the best word to understand our relationship with God in eternity. Clearly, we are not on God's level and thus we are not sharing. A better word would be revere, or observe, or witness, or worship, none of which unfortunately have the right ring to them for the poetry of the verse. I understand as one who has written poetry why Bennard used “share”, but theologically it's not good word usage. We will be called to worship and revere our God for all eternity, we will share the streets of Heaven with Him but we are not partners in His Glory. The glory is our triune God's alone. Refrain: So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown. It's in the refrain that Bennard seems to venerate the cross as a devotional object that one may eventually trade in... “exchange it some day for a crown.” It clearly shows that in Bennard's theological beliefs he felt we would be honored and glorified along with God, even bearing crowns in Heaven. It's honestly not the usage of the Cross as an emblem that I have an issue with in Bennard's hymn, it's the elevation of ourselves to a level equivalent with God the Father. The line about laying down trophies could also be interpreted to think one's life works has some basis upon one's salvation... which we would question as being in some small way works-oriented as opposed to faith-oriented. All it all though, the song is as Erik Routley stated, a compelling witness for the gospel. Undoubtedly, this hymn has brought countless individuals to the feet of the cross and to the grace of God. It's up to us to then educate those that come to God through this theologically imperfect hymn that the item of reverence is not the cross but the dear Lamb of God that it bore... that the focus of our reverence is upon our all loving and all grace-filled Triune God. As we learned in the sermon over Horatio Spafford's hymn “It Is Well with My Soul” God can and will use imperfect people, imperfect hymns, imperfect witness, and imperfect sermons... to lead His people back to Him. Praise be to God!
Here is my December Newsletter Article. The one big event that I failed to mention was the resurrection of our Choir. Starting this weekend we will have one hymn each week sung by our newly reorganized choir. Laura Kuhlers and Kathryn Myers are responsible for taking the bull by the horns and making this happen. It's been a goal that the Christian Council has been talking about for many months and now it's happening! Praise God! Thank you, Laura and Kathryn. And with that here's my article.... In Christ, Roy
December Newsletter Article: Pastor's Ponderings
Our December Newsletter is coming out a bit early, with the way that the holidays and Sundays are falling this year, we simply either have to get it out early or late this month. So, we've opted to go with early.
Mark your calendars because Advent starts on December 3rd. Advent gets off to a bit of a late start this year due to Christmas falling on a Monday, and so this year our final Sunday of Advent is on Christmas Eve. Advent is such a wonderful time of year and a time when we really need to pull ourselves together and think about just why we do what we do here. It's a time to re-invite friends and family to come with us to Church events and Church services, and it's a time to focus on the 'Reason for the Season'... JESUS!
Last Sunday, we had 18 children in Sunday School. Just think how wonderful it would be if all of those children's families chose to come be with us in worship after Sunday School, and to be involved and active in the other Church functions and events as well. Please extend invitations to these families, you all know them better than I and it always means more coming from friends and family. Let's work together to keep the attendance at Sunday School growing and to keep growing the numbers for worship.
I've been very pleased that worship service attendance has slowly been moving up and if we all work together we can continue this great trend into 2018! Don't wait until January, invite a friend or family member to Church sometime this month, however, don't just invite them to the Christmas Eve Program (though by all means, PLEASE DO INVITE them to that too) but, try your best to get them to come to an actual worship service.
If you haven't heard yet, the “God's Portion Sale” was a raging success!!! We raised over $ 12,000 for the Church's operating expenses and ministries. It was a great turn out and we extend a tremendous “THANK YOU” to all those who so generously contributed to the auction either by purchasing items, donating items, working at the sale, or by doing all of the above! Leon Hendricks, Bill Hungate, Clyde Westcott, Jess Gorden, and I were the committee that worked on getting the corporate and business sponsors donations. There's a list of these donors included in the newsletter and please make sure you thank any and all of these generous individuals and businesses.
The “Thanksgiving Dinner” this past Sunday was wonderful and a big thank you to Brenda and Barb and their entire “crew” for all of their hard work in cooking and serving the delicious meal! Thank you all! After the meal, a group of us went up and decorated the Sanctuary in our annual “Hanging of the Greens”. It's all Christmas in there now! Thank you to all those that helped with the decorating, it's always a great time.
Bill Hungate and Clyde Westcott are getting closer and closer to having the Chapel all set up and ready to be used again. Bill especially has spent many hours up here cutting, sanding, puttying, and staining the old pews. They're going to look great! Clyde has the speaker box mounted in the wall and should have the trim completed about the time you all get this newsletter. Let both of them know how much you appreciate their hard work on this project! Thanks, guys! Also, thank you to Stephanie and William (Laura & Jared Kuhlers two oldest) for helping Bill out with the pews.
We've been working through a short sermon series on some of our favorite Hymns. I'll be stopping this series for Advent but if you'd like for me to return to this concept in the future, please let me know. It's been interesting learning about some of the hymns and it does bring a new level of appreciation and awareness to these lovely songs.
Our Sunday Night Bible Group will start a study over the birth stories in Luke and Matthew, this study begins on December 3rd. The Sunday Night Group meets each Sunday evening at 6 pm. There is a communal meal, a time of prayer, some singing, and then a study of some form or another. If you'd like to learn more about the comparison of the two birth stories, plan to start attending the gathering. Thank you and I look forward to seeing you all then!
I hope this Newsletter finds everyone having had a wonderful and enjoyable (and safe) Thanksgiving. May you all be blessed! Be a blessing to someone today!
I've included the manuscript and the video of last Sunday's sermon below. This last sermon covered the history of the hymn "To God be the Glory" by Fanny Crosby. It was a great hymn to use for the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving and to the service directly before our Congregational Thanksgiving Dinner. Fanny Crosby was of "Mayflower" heritage and actually would be a 'VERY' distant cousin of mine. Both of us trace our roots back to the Lay Minister for the Pilgrims, William Brewster. William Brewster actually shows up twice in my own family tree thanks to the marriage of some cousins back in the 1700's. It's a wonderful hymn and I hope you enjoy the commentary concerning it... may your day be filled with the 'Glory of God'. Be a blessing to someone today! In His Love, Grace, and Glory! Roy
Sermon - To God be the Glory November 19, 2017 Today we continue our journey through a few of our best-known and most well-loved hymns. Today, as you just heard, we are looking at the Hymn “To God be the Glory” by Frances J. Crosby. It's interesting to note that Fanny as she preferred to be called, was alive and working during the same time period as our hymn writers from last weeks sermon, Horatio Spafford, and Philip Bliss. In fact, Fanny was also well acquainted with D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey, just like both Spafford and Bliss. Fanny's hymns were actually being used by Moody and Sankey on their evangelical mission trip to Europe that we talked about last week. You'll remember that this was the trip that Horatio Spafford's wife Anna and four daughters were going off to join and participate in when their ship sank and the four girls were killed. One can't help but wonder if Fanny was acquainted with either Spafford or Bliss or even perhaps both men. It would be wonderful to know the relationship between these writers, but, sadly, I found no evidence concerning this. And with that note, let's now take a look at our hymn writer for today: Frances J Crosby; (born March 24, 1820 – deceased February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was one of the most prolific composers of hymns in history, writing more than 8,500 hymns and gospel songs... yes I did say 8 thousand 5 hundred... a nearly impossible number, with more than 100 million copies being printed, all of this despite being blind from infancy. She is also known for her teaching and her rescue mission work. By the end of the 19th century, she was, in fact, a household name.
Frances Jane Crosby was born on March 24, 1820, in the village of Brewster, New York, which is approximately 50 miles north of New York City. She was the only child of John Crosby and his second wife Mercy Crosby, both of whom were relatives of Revolutionary War spy Enoch Crosby. John was a widower he did have another daughter from his first marriage. It is believed that John and Mercy were first cousins, however, "by the time Fanny Crosby came to write her memoirs in 1906, the fact that her mother and father were related... had become such a source of embarrassment to her, and she maintained that she did not know anything about her father's genealogy. At the age of six weeks, Fanny contracted a cold and developed inflammation of the eyes. Mustard poultices were applied to treat the discharges. According to Crosby, this procedure damaged her optic nerves and led to her loss of sight, but modern physicians believe that her blindness was much more likely congenital and, given her very young age, was simply not noticed by her parents prior to this time.
John Crosby, Fanny's Father, died in November 1820 when Fanny was only six months old, so young Fanny was raised by her mother and her maternal grandmother Eunice Paddock Crosby. These women grounded her in Christian principles, helping her memorize long passages from the Bible, and she became an active member of the John Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Manhattan. When Crosby was three, the family moved to North Salem, New York, where Fanny's grandmother Eunice had been raised. In April of 1825, her eyes were examined by Valentine Mott, who concluded that her condition was inoperable and that her blindness was permanent. At age eight, Crosby wrote her first poem which described her condition. She later remarked: "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me." She also once said, "when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior". Crosby enrolled at the New York Institution for the Blind in 1835, just prior to her 15th birthday. She remained a student there for eight years and work as a graduate pupil for two additional years. During her years there she learned to play the piano, organ, harp, and guitar, and she also became a talented soprano singer.
Crosby was known as the "Queen of Gospel Song Writers" and as the "Mother of modern congregational singing in America", with nearly every American hymnal containing her work. Her gospel songs were the model by which all revival music was to be judged, and Ira Sankey attributed the success of the Moody and Sankey evangelical campaigns largely to Crosby's hymns. Some of Crosby's best-known songs include “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour”, “Blessed Assurance”, "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home", "Praise Him, Praise Him", "Rescue the Perishing", and of course “To God Be the Glory” the hymn that we are discussing today. Fanny was so prolific that when some publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one individual in their hymnals, she began to create under aliases. Crosby ultimately used nearly 200 different pen-names during her career. Crosby also wrote more than 1,000 secular poems and four books of her own poetry were published, along with two best-selling autobiographies. Additionally, she co-wrote popular secular songs, as well as political and patriotic songs and at least five cantatas on biblical and patriotic themes, including The Flower Queen, the first secular cantata by an American composer. She was committed to Christian rescue missions and was known for her public speaking. Crosby was proud of her Puritan heritage. She traced her ancestry from Anna Brigham and Simon Crosby who arrived in Boston in 1635 and were among the founders of Harvard College. Their descendants married into Mayflower families making Crosby a descendant of Elder William Brewster, Edward Winslow, and Thomas Prence. Fanny was a proud member of the 'Daughters of the Mayflower' as well as a member of the 'Daughters of the American Revolution. Fanny was also related to the well-known ministers Howard Crosby and Ernest Howard Crosby, as well as related to the very well-known singers Bob Crosby and Bing Crosby. Becoming friends with several US Presidents, Crosby was one of the most important advocates for the cause of the blind in the United States, even addressing a session of Congress on the topic. Her lyrics were set to the compositions of some of the most prominent gospel composers of the day including William Bradbury, William Doane, Robert Lowry and Ira Sankey. She married blind musician Alexander Van Alstyne, and British hymnals have long insisted on using her married name, Frances Van Alstyne. How hymns travel throughout space and time is fascinating. “To God be the glory” was included in William Doane’s 'Songs of Devotion' in 1870, indicating that it was written at least five years earlier than the 1875 date that is usually cited for its creation.
Ira Sankey probably saw the hymn in Doane’s collection and incorporated it into the first edition of his 'Sacred Songs and Solos' published in 1875. Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey helped to establish the hymn’s popularity during their revivals in Great Britain in the late 19th century. It also appeared in several British hymnals including the 'Methodist Hymn Book' in 1933. The song became largely forgotten in the United States, however, and it was not until the 1954 Billy Graham Crusade in Nashville that Cliff Barrows re-introduced this song to congregations in the United States. Mr. Graham and Mr. Barrows had learned about the song during the 1952 revivals they had conducted in Great Britain. Hymnologist William J. Reynolds, writing in his hymnal companion 'Hymns of Faith' published in 1964, documented the return of this hymn to the USA: “It is most extraordinary that this long-forgotten American gospel song should have been imported back from England to become immensely popular once again in the United States. The hymn is a proclamation by Crosby of all that she lived through. Throughout it all, she gave the glory to God. In spite of being sightless, she accomplished and created more hymns than any other hymn writer.
Let's take a look at this hymn now a bit at a time: To God be the glory, great things He hath done, So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in. “So Loved He the world that He gave us His Son,” This line immediately brings to mind John 3:16; John 3:16 (NRSV) 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. and echoes so very many other verses in scripture proclaiming God's love for each of us. “Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,” This line accentuates the depth of God's love for each of us. 1 John 2:2 (NRSV) 2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. “And opened the life gate that all may go in.” Scripture proclaims that all are desired by Christ Jesus our Lord; 1 Timothy 2:3-6 (NRSV) 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all —this was attested at the right time. Philippians 2:10-11 (NKJV) 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Romans 14:11 (NRSV) 11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
The second stanza, though referring to “the promise of God,” centers on Christ, the “perfect redemption, the purchase of blood.” It echoes the third line of the first stanza but obviously more graphically. The next three lines address that no matter how sinful our lives might have been, that once we proclaim our belief in Christ all is forgiven. 1 Peter 3:18 (NRSV) 18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, Ephesians 1:7 (NRSV) 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. Truly, the gospel of Christ as taught to His Disciples and passed down to us must be the greatest of all teachings. The teaching proclaimed in “Great things He hath taught us” is God's teaching, and does not include only the teachings of Christ but rather all of Scripture. Of course, the focus shifts directly upon Christ in the second, third and fourth lines, especially with the ending of the fourth line with “our wonder, our transport,” and the one that we long to see in glory. All of us look longingly forward to that day when we see Christ Himself. Remember Fanny's own reflection "when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior" Fanny throughout her life certainly longed for that day, as should we all. And the Refrain: Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice! Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He hath done. What a great and uplifting 'refrain' this hymn proclaims. First we lift up praise, then we listen for God's voice, and finally, we rejoice in what God has given us. "Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son," God sent His Son into this world to bring us to God, we give God in the fullness of His glory all our praise... what an incredible thing our God has done for us all.
Last evening we held the annual Thanksgiving Community Worship Service. This year the service was hosted by St. Mary's Catholic Church here in Lake City. I was asked to deliver the message and I have included the manuscript of the message below. Be a blessing to someone today! In His Grace & Care, Roy
Community Thanksgiving Sermon – 11/16/17 Matthew 6:25-33 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Before I start, I want to let you all know... to pay no attention to the sermon title in the bulletin. I'll be honest, I hate sermon titles, they're usually kind of cheesy in my opinion... plus I hate that since you have to come up with them days ahead of your sermon, in order for the bulletins to be printed, that the title tends to rein me in on where my sermon might go. Often I find that as I go about preparing a sermon that my focus or message will change or evolve if you will and by Sunday my sermon title might have little or no bearing upon the actual sermon... such is the case today, so disregard that title and just follow along with me for a few minutes. With that out of the way... A week from today, we each will sit down with family, friends, and loved ones to celebrate that all-American Holiday “Thanksgiving”. And what better way to celebrate a Holiday than by sitting down and eating copious amounts of food... you just have to love America! So, in preparation for that day... tonight, we gather here as a community of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, members of various Christian denominations, gathered together as one... to lift up words of praise, worship, petition, and thanksgiving to our mutual Savior. Praise God that we are so blessed to live here where the local churches work so very well together. Sadly, that's not the case in all communities, thankfully... here... we all understand that we are all on the same team and that we are all working towards the same common goal... Thanksgiving is quite honestly, one of my all-time favorite holidays... in no small part because every so many years Thanksgiving just happens to fall on my birthday... and back in the old days when I was a child, that was when I'd really make out... with the whole family coming together to celebrate not only Thanksgiving... but my birthday... and thus... I would get extra gifts. Additionally, it was a time when my mother every year would bake two of my all-time favorite foods... pecan pie, and plum pudding... and of course I always had a serving of each... no matter how stuffed I was by the time dessert was served. It's just really difficult to not be thankful with all those things being considered... great food is always a blessing, but getting gifts on top of it just makes it all the better. So... I might have a bit of a selfish reason for having long favored Thanksgiving... but, none-the-less it truly is a great time of year filled with lots and lots of great memories. Truth be told, I really do have a great fondness towards Thanksgiving, it follows harvest and as an old farm boy, I still love this time of year. All the smells of fall, all the colors of nature, the cooler temperatures, it's a time to look back at the summer that you've just gone through and to look forward to another year that lies ahead, a time of preparation for Christmas, and a time for families to come together. It's the time for giving thanks, thanks to our all-gracious God who loves us so much that He gave us this world to live in, to love, to enjoy, and to care for. Praise God. Of course, there is a great deal of National history surrounding this all-American holiday. We all know the story behind the first Thanksgiving celebrated by the Pilgrims way back in 1621 when they had survived their first winter and then the first spring, summer, and harvest here in the New World. Personally, I can also be thankful that my ancestors who were there that fateful day had survived that first dread-filled winter... or else I actually wouldn't be here at all!
Those earlier settlers had so much to be thankful for, they had learned a great deal and had endured even more. They could have been fearful and worried about the future, but, instead, they gathered together... all of those who had survived that first winter, and then had pulled together to plant and harvest their first crops as a community, that day they gave thanks to their God. They gave thanks to their Lord for delivering them... and also for the eternal lives and salvation of their friends and family members who didn't survive that first winter. It's really the story of that first winter that I want to focus on today and to the Pilgrims reaction and response to that winter. Hopefully, we all learned the story of that first winter during our days in school, but let me remind you all about it so we can understand together the magnitude of the story.
The Pilgrims' First Winter In America Adapted from the writings of Stan Griffin When the "Mayflower" and its passengers anchored at the tip of Cape Cod in November 1620, the Pilgrims "fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had ... delivered them from ...perils and miseries …" Soon afterward came the writing and signing of the "Mayflower Compact," in which Pilgrims and Strangers alike agreed to: (1) make laws for the good of the colony; and (2) to obey those laws. This was done before anyone had yet been ashore. After several scouting expeditions and even a move by the "Mayflower" to a new harbor, a suitable place was chosen for the colony. After the decision was made, they found their new home on a map drawn by Captain John Smith six years earlier. He had named it "Plymouth." The designated site was located on high ground beside a river. There was land that had been planted in corn by the Native Americans, and it was near a "sweet brook" which ran under a hillside and contained "much good fish." On December 25 the first working party left the ship to begin construction of "New Plymouth," as they decided to call it. Construction began initially on a "Common House," to be located behind the beach. The structure was planned to be 20 feet square. There was an adequate supply of timber available. Building crews had to cope with alternate days of rain, snow, and sleet. In spite of the weather, all four sides were up in a period of three weeks. This "Common House" was intended to be a storage area for supplies from the "Mayflower," but events caused it to be used as a family shelter and later as a temporary hospital. This first structure was soon surrounded by small huts made of branches and sod built to house the workers. The other settlers spent their nights on the "Mayflower" until they had somewhere to live on land. Next, a short street was laid out, running from the beach to a hill. On this hill, a wooden platform was constructed. Very shortly after its completion, the cannon which had been brought from England was mounted upon it as a defense against attack. Along the street, lots were laid out. Each one was 8 feet wide and 50 feet deep. The entire company of settlers were divided into 19 households. Those individuals without families joined a family which they themselves chose, these groups were called households. Then the households were assigned lots (the number of lots assigned depended on how many people were part of each household). Permanent title to the land was not assigned. Family cottages or shacks built on these lots were made of wattle which consisted of poles twisted or braided together with twigs, reeds or branches, and daub also known as mud, and completed with a thatched roof comprised of plant stalks, reeds, or leaves. Despite all the obstacles encountered, several buildings were erected in the first few weeks. But illness delayed the home-building. It was March 21 before everyone had moved from the "Mayflower" to shelter on land. By that time, the number of settlers had dropped considerably. Over one half of them had died during the winter of 1620-1621. The causes given were starvation, cold, and disease. On the list of deadly diseases were scurvy and one that was referred to only as "the sickness." The terrible statistics of this first winter are as follows: In the month of December, six people died. In January there were eight deaths. In February there were seventeen fatalities. And in March, thirteen more died. Frequently two or three died on the same day. Four entire families were taken, and there was only one family that didn't lose at least one member. Of eighteen married women, thirteen died. Only eight of the thirty-one children perished. This seems to indicate that mothers were probably giving their share of food to the children. Pilgrim leaders feared the Native Americans, even though none had been seen (at least up close) since the early days of their arrival. They did all they could to hide the magnitude of their human losses. Burial services were conducted after dark. Graves were leveled and planted with corn to conceal them. The winter was, by local standards, a fairly mild one. The Plymouth settlers were simply not used to living on an awful diet and being exposed to the elements. Had it been a really severe winter, it's likely that all of them would have been wiped out. During this horrendous winter, there were, of course, some dissatisfied complainers. They were overcome by "wisdom, patience, and a governor who was just and fair." When the "Mayflower" was prepared to return to England in April. 1621, its captain offered to take any survivors with him at no charge. It is a testament to the faith and determination of the survivors that none took him up on his offer. This telling of the story by Stan Griffin is interesting in its statistics. Did you notice where he relayed that eight of the thirty-one children were lost and that thirteen of the eighteen married women perished, also twenty-eight men died that winter. Though more men died than women, the women fared far worse statistically. Mr. Griffin speculates that the women were giving their share of the rations to their children and this is the reason that so many of the women perished. Indeed, it seems that 72% of the women died, but so did 53% of the men, and whereas all of the women were married and likely nearly all had children only a third of the men were married. The remarkable statistic that only 26% of the children died seems to indicate that not only were the women caring for the children but so were the men, and likely not only the men that were parents. Now the primary causes of death were starvation and disease, there's not much one can do to stop disease in the close quarters of the lower decks of a sailing vessel, where almost all of the pilgrims were forced to overwinter, and one would speculate that the children would be more susceptible to dying from disease than the adults. This logically leaves the large discrepancy between the deaths of the adults and the children to be death from starvation. This means just as Mr. Griffin speculates, that the adults were indeed giving their food to the children, and again, it couldn't have just been the parents making this self-sacrifice. By giving up a portion of their own rations, these adults were literally being those children's provision. They were by giving of themselves, giving that very thing that they needed to survive... they were literally God's provision, the provision that those children needed to survive. Within this terrible story of death and loss, there is a wonderful tale of human kindness. There is an incredible and moving story of sharing, self-sacrifice, and provision. I will ask you to consider this while I read for you again the words found in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 6:25-33 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28 And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. When we read these verses we want to look at them as being a message about not worrying... I know I did... that's what I entitled this sermon back when Lorinda wanted a sermon title. But, I'll be honest... I'm not so sure these verses really are about not worrying or at least not entirely, or even primarily. They speak to provision, to providing... God will provide... so, therefore... do not worry. What you say, the Pilgrims could have used a bit more provision... half of them perished! Yes, indeed half of them did perish... but, after researching and preparing for this sermon... I now suspect that many if not most of those who perished did so while being God's provision to those who survived. You and I, every one of us that claims Christ as our Savior... are called to be our Lord's hands and feet to this wanting world. We are called to be God's provision. As the Gospel writer says “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Life is much more than that... among other things, it's serving others. You are called to feed, to nourish God's children. You are called to clothe His sheep. You are called to teach and to lead those lost sheep that He calls His own... you and I are called to be His provision to His flock. His children need not worry because we are here. Look to your right... and look to your left... you need not worry... because God's hands and feet are all around you. He is as near to you as that person sitting next to you. That person is here tonight... you are here tonight... because your Lord loves you, and He has called you to feed His sheep... and that is why they need not worry... that is why you need not worry... Now that is something that we can be eternally thankful for... Praise God! Let us pray.
This past Sunday, I continued our recent sermon series of looking at some of our most loved Hymns. This week we looked at the well known and very well loved hymn "It Is Well with My Soul". I've included below both the video of the sermon and the manuscript of the sermon. It's a very touching and sorrow-filled story and one that has a good number of twists and turns in its history. Take a look or a listen but, I warn you it's not a happy tale though it has no shortage of messages and reassurances to begat to us. Please have a blessed and happy week and as always... Be a blessing to someone today! In Christ, Roy
"It Is Well with My Soul" - Sermon, Nov 12, 2017 Today we continue our journey through the stories and messages within some of our best-loved hymns. Our hymn of reckoning today is the well-known song that we all just heard... “It Is Well, With My Soul”. The lyrics are by Horatio Spafford and the melody by Philip Bliss. This hymn is very possibly surrounded by more tragedy and misfortune both before and after it's writing... and by both men involved in its creation... than perhaps any other hymn ever created. First, let's look at Horatio Spafford, the man behind the lyrics to this timeless, moving, and beautiful hymn. As you hear his and his wife's story, I suspect you'll sense strong parallels to the story of 'Job', well at least in the first half of the tale... In the 1860s, Horatio Spafford was a very successful and wealthy lawyer in Chicago, Illinois. He was heavily invested in real estate in the Chicago area and he was prosperous. He had a wife and five children, one son and four daughters. All looked well, very well, for the Spafford family and life had blessed them richly. The Spafford's were good friends and patrons of Dwight L. Moody a famous evangelist of the time, and they were very active and supportive members of the local Presbyterian Church. They were considered leaders and well-known among the congregants. The beginning of the unraveling of their fate was the death of their young son due to illness. Next, in 1871, the great Chicago fire destroyed nearly all of Horatio's real estate investment properties, while still reeling from these massive losses the stock market turned against him and he suffered even further financial loss.
In 1873, he and his family planned a vacation to Europe, both to unwind and recover from all the stress that they had endured, and also to accompany their friends Dwight L. Moody and Ira Sankey on an evangelism tour of Europe beginning in England. At the last moment, Horatio was detained by pressing business concerns and so he and his wife Anna decided that Anna along with the four girls, Tanetta age 2, Elizabeth age 5, Margaret Lee age 9 and Annie age 11, would go on ahead while he dealt with business in Chicago. And so the women of the family departed on their fate-filled journey. Anna and the girls boarded the French steamship the S. S. Ville du Havre in November of 1873, to cross the Atlantic Ocean. A nanny and several friends were also reportedly traveling with the women. On November 22, 1873, the S.S. Ville Du Havre was struck by the powerful and iron-hulled Scottish ship, the Loch Earn. The Ville Du Havre sunk within twelve minutes. Anna Spafford gathered her daughters on the deck and prayed over them as the ship went down... Anna was sucked down violently into the water as the ship sank. As she went down Tanetta was torn from her arms and despite her frantic efforts, the child disappeared into the depths. She then clung to a piece of wreckage losing consciousness and coming to in the bottom of a rowboat. She had been rescued by sailors searching for survivors. Bruised and sick, her long hair was matted with salt and her nightgown shredded by debris. But the pain in her body was nothing compared to the pain in her heart and soul as she realized that her four daughters had been lost in the disaster. A young male passenger, afloat on a piece of wood, came upon the two oldest Spafford children. At his direction, each girl grasped one of his side pockets as he tried to find something still floating that was large enough to support all three of them. After about 30 or 40 minutes in the water, he found a piece of wreckage and struggled to help the two young girls grasp the board. But, as he watched, their weary arms weakened, and he saw their eyes close. Their lifeless forms floated away from his own fatigue-paralyzed arms. Sadly, all four girls would perish in the murky waters on that terrible night and Mrs. Spafford herself was one of only 81 survivors out of 307 passengers and crew. Eventually, the survivors ended up in Cardiff, Wales. From there Anna wired her husband a message which stated, “Saved alone, what shall I do?” Later when she was back in Chicago, Anna had the telegram framed and placed in her husband's office.
As soon as Horatio received the news of his daughter's deaths, he set sail to Wales to meet his wife. One story reports that as the ship that was carrying Horatio passed over the place that the Ville Du Havre went down... that the ship's Captain summoned Horatio to let him know that they were sailing over the spot were the fate-filled ship rested below. It is said that it was then that Spafford wrote the words to “It Is Well with My Soul”. Penning these emotional and faithful lyrics while passing over the very spot of the ocean where his four daughters perished. While this telling makes for a wonderful and moving story, another report which seems to be more reliable claims that Spafford wrote it nearly two years after the event when both Moody and Sankey were visiting him at his home. But the tragedy surrounding the hymn doesn’t end here. Horatio and Anna returned to Chicago and gave birth to Horatio II who would die of scarlet fever in 1876. Two years later, the couple gave birth to Bertha, who would later write in her memoirs that her parents not only suffered the pain of losing their fortune and five children, but it was compounded by a crisis of faith. Were the children’s deaths a punishment from God? Did He no longer love them? In 1881, Anna gave birth to a sixth daughter, appropriately named “Grace.” Shortly after Grace's birth, the family of four moved to Jerusalem, with Horatio explaining, “Jerusalem is where my Lord lived, suffered, and conquered, and I wish to learn how to live, suffer, and especially to conquer.” We'll come back to the Spafford family's lives in Jerusalem in just a few minutes, but it was there that Horatio himself would die reportedly suffering delusions at the end due to malaria. His fevers apparently leading him to believe that he himself was the Messiah.
But the tragedies surrounding this hymn don’t only involve the Spafford family. The melody was written by Philip P. Bliss, which he entitled “Ville du Havre,” the name of the stricken ship that took the lives of Spafford’s four daughters. The hymn was first sung by Bliss himself before a large gathering of ministers hosted by D.L. Moody on November 24, 1876. Philip Paul Bliss was an American composer, conductor, writer of hymns and a bass-baritone Gospel singer. He wrote many well-known hymns, including Almost Persuaded; Hallelujah, What a Saviour!; Let the Lower Lights Be Burning; Wonderful Words of Life; and of course the hymn that is of our concern today in this message, the melody for Horatio Spafford's “It Is Well with My Soul”. In 1869, Bliss formed an association with Dwight L. Moody, and thus became associated with Horatio Spafford. Moody and others urged him to give up his job as a music teacher, and become a full-time missionary singer. In 1874, Bliss decided he was indeed called to the task of “winning souls”. He then became a full-time evangelist. Bliss was receiving significant amounts of money from royalties and these he gave to charity and to support his evangelical endeavors. Just one month, after introducing and performing “It Is Well with My Soul” to the world, on December 29, 1876, Bliss and his wife, were traveling to Chicago by train. As the train passed over a trestle near Ashtabula, Ohio, the bridge collapsed and the passenger coaches plunged 75 feet into the icy river. Philip was able to escape through a window, but his wife was pinned in the wreckage. As he went back inside to free his wife, a fire broke out in the wooden car. Unable to free his wife, Bliss refused to leave her... and together arm in arm they perished in the fire, their bodies burnt beyond recognition.
So many tragic deaths surround this hymn, and yet those affected by them could say, “It is well with my soul.” It is simply stunning... it's a fact that has empowered this hymn and it's wonderful words to reassure and comfort so very, very many hurting and mournful souls. This beautiful and uplifting hymn has been a blessing to so, so many wounded hearts... And it is at this point that many, in fact, most... would end the telling of the story surrounding “It Is Well with My Soul”. But there is more to be told and to be considered. You see for some Horatio Spafford is held up as an icon of devoted acceptance and faith in God's provision and love; for others... generally those in the most conservative Christian movements, Spafford is a name not worthy to be spoken, a fallen believer, and a deceiver. After all of these terrible losses both physical and financial, again eerily reminiscent of the Book of Job, the Spafford's... struggling to deal with these horrible losses and tragedies adopted some more and some less conventional beliefs and practices. Their own church family, to pile tragedy upon tragedy, regarded the loss of their second son as “divine punishment.” One can scarcely imagine the great spiritual, and emotional damage that this judgmental and unchristian reaction by their fellow believers had upon poor Horatio and Anna. Horatio's new acceptance of Arminianism theology soon meant that they were no longer welcomed within the ranks of the Calvinist following Presbyterian Church. And the reaction against these new beliefs was even more brutal in those days than modern Calvinist are towards Arminianism today. Horatio soon formed his own group, what honestly could be best called a cult. Spafford's group was called the “Spafforites” or “Overcomers.” not unlike most cults, they believed that the rest of organized religion was missing some crucial detail and they alone had the truth. And there was no shortage of strange behaviors among their following, also like most cults there was an element of control over the follower's activities and relationships. Some of their beliefs were extremely admirable, there was a very concerted effort towards furthering peace among all people, and to helping the poor and marginalized. Overall, theirs was an apocalyptic group, with many failed attempts to predict the 'End Times' and even failed attempts at resurrecting the dead. With all of this going on, the Spafford's, as I mentioned earlier... in 1881 immigrated to Jerusalem, but what I didn't mention is that their followers the Overcomers went along with them and together they established an American Colony in Jerusalem. There in the Holy Land, they would await the Second Coming of the Savior. While dutifully waiting they built a hospital and a school and thus they rallied in supporting the lost and the poor, they provided food, health care, and an education to any who came their way whether they be Jewish, Muslim or Christian.
During World War I, Anna, the two daughters and the rest of the Spaffordites provided much needed medical care to those affected. The women worked on without Horatio, who as I mentioned passed away in 1888 long before the 1st World War. Anna continued to lead their followers in his absence, sadly, their cult-like behavior also continued and even grew more pronounced under Anna's sole guidance. As misguided as Anna might have been, her ultimate goal was admirable, she believed in no uncertain terms in Jesus' directive to care for the poor, and this was a mainstay of the Overcomers. One witness summed up Anna's life as such: “Anna Spafford dreamed there would be peace between peoples, frequently declaring to her fellowship that 'Love could conquer disunity', and in many ways this is the American dream, rich with the conviction that there should be no distinctions between races, gender, ethnicities, or classes, with freedom and democracy available to all.” In some ways, it seems... Anna was ahead of her time. It would seem that both Horatio and Anna lost their way by more than just a bit after the death of five of their seven children, the loss of their personal fortune, and for Anna the witnessing of the deaths of her children. This coupled with the knowledge of the horrifying and fiery death of Horatio's friend and collaborator Philip Bliss and Philip's wife... and, all of this then being compounded with their being turned upon by their own Church family... of being accused of somehow being responsible for the death of their children due to some sin or sins of their own making. It would be hard for us here today to understand the depth of this pain, and more pain, piled upon the pain of the loss of their children. Rather than showering the Spafford's with love and understanding... rejection and judgment were all that seems to have been mustered. It is no small wonder that they began to question and to even lose touch with reality. But, even through all of this, they maintained their unwavering belief in their all-loving God. I suspect that some of the charges leveled against the Spafford's and the Overcomers in those days by their Presbyterian church-fellows, and today by the conservative Reformers and other fundamentalist groups, are either elaborations of true events and that even some are complete fabrications. No doubt, however, some of the accusations are true..... though I suspect the most damning in the eyes of both those in the past and those judging today, was Horatio's abandonment of Calvinism and his embracing of Arminianism. There are in fact those today who protest the use of this hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul” due to the nature of Horatio's falling out with the Presbyterian Church. The accusations of cultist behavior and heresy they say preclude this hymn from being utilized in genuine Christian worship. So, what are we left to do with poor old Horatio's hymn? This hymn that quite honestly, has touched millions and millions of souls and begat comfort to so, so very many. Perhaps we should ask ourselves “Can God use those that are less than perfect to feed and nurture His flock?” It would seem that God has a long history of using fallen souls, sinners, those who are far less than perfect, and even false believers to do His work.
I have said in the past and I will undoubtedly say it many more times before I pass... “that if God can use me, he can use anybody”... he can and he does... In my own life I've seen God use unbelievers to do His work, and we see it in Scripture too... in the 45th Chapter of Isaiah, God calls Cyrus 'His Anointed', now certainly, Cyrus is not a Hebrew... he's Persian, he's the Ruler of what we now know as Iran. Yet, God acknowledges him, uses him... Cyrus a worshiper of 'False Gods' to free the Hebrew people from the Exile, and then calls him his anointed one. Throughout scripture we see God using imperfect people for the sake of His mission. God doesn't generally call the popular, rich or successful to further his ministry, but rather, the poor, the broken, the sinners, and in the case of the Disciples often the foolish, and weak. No wonder the religious leaders of the time wondered and doubted about this new movement... Jesus certainly wasn't drafting the “A” team. God almost seems to have a passion to call the most flawed, a quick look through Scripture and we see; Abraham who was a liar, Elijah who was suicidal, Moses and King David were murderers, Gideon was afraid, Noah was a drunk, Jacob was a pathological cheat, Samson was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, a Canaanite, a liar and... an ancestor of Jesus by the way, the Samaritan Woman was well a Samaritan Woman and she'd been married five times as well, Jonah ran away and refused to do God's bidding until a little persuasion was applied, both Zacchaeus and Matthew were tax collectors, Paul persecuted the early followers and watched while Stephen was stoned, Peter... Peter might be the worst of all... he denied Christ not once, not twice, but three times. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. If you ever feel like you aren’t worthy enough, remember that Jesus has used an endless number of flawed people to share Hope to a flawed world. In HIM we find renewal and mending. No matter what you’ve been through in life, remember that the same power that conquered the grave lives within you. If God can move the heart and use the words of a man like Horatio Spafford to feed, comfort, and nurture His children... well, he sure as shooting can use you and he can use me. Praise God!
