See, what a morning, gloriously bright,
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem;
Folded the grave-clothes, tomb filled with light,
As the angels announce, “Christ is risen!”
See God’s salvation plan,
Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice,
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!
See Mary weeping, “Where is He laid?”
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb;
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name;
It’s the Master, the Lord raised to life again!
The voice that spans the years,
Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us,
Will sound till He appears,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!
One with the Father, Ancient of Days,
Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty.
Honor and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned with pow’r and authority!
And we are raised with Him,
Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered;
And we shall reign with Him,
For He lives: Christ is risen from the dead!
~Keith and Kristyn Getty
(Graphic courtesy of Made 2 B Creative.)
I’ve been enjoying a new arrangement of this on the Soundforth CD God of Mercy.(It’s listed there as “My Savior.”
I am not skilled to understand
What God hath willed, what God hath planned;
I only know that at His right hand
Is One Who is my Savior!
I take Him at His word indeed;
“Christ died for sinners”—this I read;
For in my heart I find a need
Of Him to be my Savior!
That He should leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die,
You count it strange? So once did I,
Before I knew my Savior!
And oh, that He fulfilled may see
The travail of His soul in me,
And with His work contented be,
As I with my dear Savior!
Yea, living, dying, let me bring
My strength, my solace from this Spring;
That He Who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Savior!
– Dorothy Greenwell, 1873
I’ve loved this song since I first heard it sung in church a few years ago:
Lord of life, sing through me.
Give my heart a melody
So sweet and pure, good and true
That I may offer a song to You.
Come to me and still my fear
Until my song is Yours alone.
Sing through me, Lord of Life;
Make my voice Your own!
Lord of life, pray through me.
Fill my mind with quiet peace
So sweet and pure, good and true,
That I may have only thoughts of You.
Come to me and still my doubt
Until my dreams are Yours alone.
Pray through me, Lord of Life;
Make my mind Your own!
Lord of life, live through me.
Keep my soul in harmony
So sweet and pure, good and true,
That through my living I’ll honor You.
Come to me and still my will
Until my deeds are Yours alone.
Live through me, Lord of life;
Make my heart Your own!
~ Words and music by Deborah Dresie.
The line about having “only thoughts of You” didn’t sit quite right with me at first, because we do have to think of what to get at the grocery store, family needs, etc., and I thought maybe it would be better if it said something like having our thoughts those that would be pleasing to Him. But then I reread the song and saw that that stanza is talking about prayer. Then we do have a great need to focus only on Him and put away distractions.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find a performance of it online, but you can hear clips of it from the Soundforth CD Beyond All Praising or Mary Lynn Van Gelderen’s To the Praise of His Glory.
Almighty Father, You alone are holy.
You are my refuge, I will trust in You.
You are a tower, a mighty fortress,
You are my strength and shield.
You are God.
Almighty Father, You alone are holy.
You guide my footsteps that I may not fall.
In joy or sorrow, I will exalt You.
You are my righteousness,
You are God.
Almighty Father, You alone are holy.
You are Creator, You are all in all!
Yours is the power, Yours is the glory.
Yours is the majesty.
You are God.
~ Words: J. Paul Williams; Music: Benjamin Harlan
“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Philippians 3:9
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
’Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
Bold shall I stand in Thy great day;
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,
Who from the Father’s bosom came,
Who died for me, e’en me to atone,
Now for my Lord and God I own.
Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,
Which, at the mercy seat of God,
Forever doth for sinners plead,
For me, e’en for my soul, was shed.
Lord, I believe were sinners more
Than sands upon the ocean shore,
Thou hast for all a ransom paid,
For all a full atonement made.
When from the dust of death I rise
To claim my mansion in the skies,
Ev’n then this shall be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.
~ Nikolaus L. von Zinzendorf
A few more stanzas are here. You can hear a clip of a newer tune here.
This is a beautiful rendition of this familiar hymn.
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.
Refrain
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone.
Yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God to Thee.
Refrain
There let the way appear, steps unto Heav’n;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.
Refrain
Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.
Refrain
Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I’ll fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.
Refrain
There in my Father’s home, safe and at rest,
There in my Savior’s love, perfectly blest;
Age after age to be, nearer my God to Thee.
Refrain
~ Verses 1-5, Sarah E. Adams; Verse 6, Edward H. Bickersteth, Jr.
My song is love unknown,
My Savior’s love to me;
Love to the loveless shown,
That they might lovely be.
O who am I, that for my sake
My Lord should take, frail flesh and die?
He came from His blest throne
Salvation to bestow;
But men made strange, and none
The longed for Christ would know:
But O! my Friend, my Friend indeed,
Who at my need His life did spend.
Sometimes they strew His way,
And His sweet praises sing;
Resounding all the day
Hosannas to their King:
Then “Crucify!” is all their breath,
And for His death they thirst and cry.
Why, what hath my Lord done?
What makes this rage and spite?
He made the lame to run,
He gave the blind their sight,
Sweet injuries! Yet they at these
Themselves displease, and ’gainst Him rise.
Here might I stay and sing,
No story so divine;
Never was love, dear King!
Never was grief like Thine.
This is my Friend, in Whose sweet praise
I all my days could gladly spend.
~ Samuel Crossman, 1664
(Full version is here.)
Our assistant pastor introduced this song to us several months ago, and I was struck by the richness, depth, and Spiritual base of the words as well as the hauntingly beautiful music.
Still, My Soul, Be Still
Still my soul be still
And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow
God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone
Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows
Still my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise
As stars appear when day is dimming
~ Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend
No matter what happens in our lives, if we know God, we can “trust and not be shaken” and rest in Him alone.
If you don’t know God in that way, please read this.
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3).
And may those of us who do know Him not “forsake the truth we learned in the beginning” and rest in Him continually.
This is my favorite Christmas hymn. I think I post it almost every year.
Infant holy, Infant lowly, for His bed a cattle stall;
Oxen lowing, little knowing, Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Swift are winging angels singing, noels ringing, tidings bringing:
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Christ the Babe is Lord of all.
Flocks were sleeping, shepherds keeping vigil till the morning new
Saw the glory, heard the story, tidings of a Gospel true.
Thus rejoicing, free from sorrow, praises voicing, greet the morrow:
Christ the Babe was born for you.
Christ the Babe was born for you.
Traditional carol, translated from Polish to English by Edith M. Reed, 1921.
Stray Thoughts 