More about Thomas

Photo by Christian Begeman

This past weekend the Lectionary (as it does each year) led us to the story of the "Doubting Thomas" in the Gospel selection.  Since I tend to preach the most from the Gospel offering, that led me to the story of Thomas. Was there any new insight... and new message to be gleaned from these verses?  Well, I think there is and I hope you'll listen to the sermon and see what you might take away from the message.

One of the points that I struck up harder in my message on Monday to the folks at Shady Oaks was about the Disciples possibly being afraid of confronting Jesus due to their deserting Him in the garden.  The message here was that we all (if we're honest about it) a little bit apprehensive about coming face to face with Christ one day... we all have sin and we all have turned our backs in some fashion to God.  But, the stunning thing is that when Jesus suddenly appears among the Disciples in the locked room, that he doesn't start scolding, nor correcting, nor tormenting as commonly depicted in renderings of Hell and damnation... rather He says "Peace be with you".  That little snippet tells us a great deal about God and how He wishes to interact with us...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ,
Roy

John 20:19-31 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin[a]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah,[c] the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Footnotes:
a) John 20:24 Gk Didymus
b) John 20:31 Other ancient authorities read may continue to believe
c) John 20:31 Or the Christ

so... which crowd are you in?

This past Sunday was of course "Palm Sunday" the day when we recall and celebrate Christ's entry into Jerusalem at the time of Passover.  He came riding in upon a donkey, an animal commonly used in that culture by royalty when coming into an area peacefully.  When coming into an area as conquerors, they would come riding upon a horse in a display of warlike intentions.  Clearly, Jesus was sending a message as well as fulfilling scripture.

Zechariah 9:9 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Coming Ruler of God’s People
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
    triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

In their wonderful book "The Last Week", Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan (The Last Week) talk about the two crowds in the story of Jesus last week on Earth.  The first crowd the crowd that we read about in the Lectionary for this week's service, and the crowd that appears before Pilate and ask for Barabba's release over Jesus. Borg and Crossan maintain that it is not made up of the same demographic in the Jewish population.  After reading their book, I was inclined to agree with them, but lately, I've started to question this perhaps too 'easy' conclusion.  The problem is that it releases the crowd of culpability in the death of Christ.  The crowd isn't fickle, it's a different crowd... But, like I said it's perhaps just a bit too convenient and maybe even too clever by half.  

The problem was that Jesus wasn't who they wanted, they wanted a conquering King, somebody who would come in and kick the Romans to the curb so to say.  Here comes Jesus, looking so very promising in the incident at the Temple and then he just lets himself be arrested without so much as putting up a struggle. As a conqueror, this guy is a sad disappointment, to say the least.  In the courtyard of Pilate, the crowd wants the man of 'strength' the warlike Barabbas.  Barabbas had to be an insurrectionist; the Romans basically only crucified two classes of people insurrectionists and run-away slaves.  Barabbas likely was the leader of a group and the other two men crucified with Jesus were probably his followers.

The crowd wants the man of violence, they turn from the man of peace to the man who had apparently killed in the insurrection. One could even speculate that Barabbas was another Messianic figure (there were several in Jesus' time). Barabbas would literally mean "the son of the father", so the crowd opted for the "son of the father" that was a man of violence rather than the "son of the Father" that was a man of peace. One can also wonder how long Barabbas lived after being released, I would speculate not long, the Romans weren't big on allowing insurrectionists to just walk around.  That was what caused Rome to want to kill Jesus, a man of peace or not, he was a trouble-maker and Rome wanted nothing to do with him.

All too often in life, we behave like the crowd(s).  We're all excited when asking God for something, but when things don't seem to us to work out the way we'd planned, we turn on God and we too cry 'Crucify Him'...  So, which crowd are you in?

Be a blessing to someone today!

In Christ's Love & Joy,
Roy

Photo by Christian Begema

John 12:12-16 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
12 The next day the great crowd that had come to the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—
    the King of Israel!”

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it; as it is written:

15 “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion.
Look, your king is coming,
    sitting on a donkey’s colt!”


16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him.


Mark 11:1-11 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
11 When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting,

“Hosanna!
    Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
10     Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”


11 Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.


Matthew 27:15-26  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Barabbas or Jesus?
15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus[a] Barabbas. 17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus[b] Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”[c] 18 For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”[d] All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

24 So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;[e] see to it yourselves.” 25 Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

Footnotes:
a) Matthew 27:16 Other ancient authorities lack Jesus
b) Matthew 27:17 Other ancient authorities lack Jesus
c) Matthew 27:17 Or the Christ
d) Matthew 27:22 Or the Christ

e) Matthew 27:24 Other ancient authorities read this righteous blood, or this righteous man’s blood

Psalm 118:25 King James Version (KJV)

25 Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.


Zechariah 9:9  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
The Coming Ruler of God’s People
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
    Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
    triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,

    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

John 12:27-35 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Jesus Speaks about His Death
27 “Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people[a] to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. 34 The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah[b] remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going.

Footnotes:
a) John 12:32 Other ancient authorities read all things
b) John 12:34 Or the Christ

Second Sunday of Advent, December 10th 2017 - Sermon on Peace

The sermon that I gave on December 10th for the 2nd Sunday of Advent covered the "Peace Candle".  The crutch of the sermon (which I had to edit greatly on the fly due to the service running long early on) was that we need to find peace in ourselves in order to take that peace the "Peace of God" out to the world.  We need to steel our minds such that we are instruments of God's Peace to all we encounter.

The sermon hit on some "life application" practices to allow us to be that advocate of peace.

I apologize for being so late in getting this sermon video up and on the blog.  It's been a bit of a hectic season as it is for all of us.  Let each of us not allow this hectic time to interfer with our calling to be God's ministers of peace to a wanting world.

God's Peace with you all,
Roy

(I've posted the scripture that I used in the sermon below, along with the scripture that I intended to also use that I had to trim out in order to keep the worship service from running way over.)

Romans 8:14-16 NRSV
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba!  Father!” 16 it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  

Ephesians 4:29 

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” 

Philippians 4:4-9
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.


Mark 4:36-40
36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 


John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.


1 John 3New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
3 1 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.




Psalm 139:13-16  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
13  For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.

15  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16  Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.


Romans 12:3  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.


Hebrews 10:24:25  NCV24 Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds. 25 You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming. 

The 1st Sunday of Advent - Lighting the Candle of Hope

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of the 2017 Advent Season and within our tradition, this was the Sunday that we light the 'Hope' candle.  The thing we have to remember is that for us this 'Hope' is in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and that it isn't 'Hope' at all but rather 'Faith'.  And likewise, we must remember that our 'Faith' in our Lord and Savior to deliver us (when we are struggling through all that life can throw at us) may well be the 'Hope' that when witnessed by others brings them to 'Faith'. This alone is a mighty service to our all-loving God and may be the single most important act we can do for His creation.

Please take a few moments and watch or listen to the sermon and as always...

Be a blessing to someone today!

In His all-surpassing Grace,
Roy

Psalm 71:1-6 (NRSV)

1 In you, O Lord, I take refuge;

    let me never be put to shame.

2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

    incline your ear to me and save me.

3 Be to me a rock of refuge,

    a strong fortress, to save me,

    for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.

5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,

    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth;

    it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.

My praise is continually of you.

Romans 5:2-5 (NRSV)

2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

The Old Rugged Cross, Sermon from 11/26/17

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!


Let us pray...

Pastor's December Newsletter Article

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!

Pastor Roy

As I've mentioned before many of the photos I use were taken by Christian Begeman.  Check him out at:
Christian Begeman "Prairie Sanctuaries" Facebook Page

To God be the Glory - Sermon given November 19, 2017

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.


Praise God, Let us pray...