Jesus Shall Reign!
May 22, 2009
Another Hymn post for Friday.
Words by Isaac Watts Music by John Hatton
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
Behold the islands with their kings,
And Europe her best tribute brings;
From north to south the princes meet,
To pay their homage at His feet.
There Persia, glorious to behold,
There India shines in eastern gold;
And barb’rous nations at His word
Submit, and bow, and own their Lord.
To Him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown His head;
His Name like sweet perfume shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.
People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His Name.
Blessings abound wherever He reigns;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blessed.
Where He displays His healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.
Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!
Great God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son,
Extend His power, exalt His throne.
The scepter well becomes His hands;
All Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor,
And pride and rage prevail no more.
With power He vindicates the just,
And treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last
Till hours, and years, and time be past.
As rain on meadows newly mown,
So shall He send his influence down:
His grace on fainting souls distills,
Like heav’nly dew on thirsty hills.
The heathen lands, that lie beneath
The shades of overspreading death,
Revive at His first dawning light;
And deserts blossom at the sight.
The saints shall flourish in His days,
Dressed in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace, like a river, from His throne
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.
All Creatures of Our God and King
May 22, 2009
Friday is a good day to praise the Lord!
When we worship the Lord just imagine, if you will for a moment, that all creation joins us in ceaseless praise of the Lord Jesus Christ! Imagine as the Hymn writer does that we are inviting creation to join us in worshiping the King!
Why do we have so many scenes of the creation during worship? My friends its because God designed the creation to worship Him! We are pleased to sing to God in the backdrop of creation because that’s the Lord’s intent. That we join with creation in ceaseless praise!
When we join the creation in worshiping the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit our hearts become tender. As we worship the Lord in spirit and truth we cannot but help to forgive others their sins. It is in the worship and praise of His Highest where we cast off our cares and place our reliance in the one who made us from the dust.For who are we before God but his most blessed and loved children. We should carry our faith is though it were pure gold, made of the sweetest substance and honey. We should carry our faith not as a burden but as our glory.
The end of the hymn calls us to worship the Lord with creation in humbleness. May we humble our selves before Christ this day and join the resounding chorus that never ceases in worshiping the King.
All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!
Refrain
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!
Refrain
Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light.
Refrain
And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!
Refrain
And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.
Refrain
Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
Refrain
As we learn to love and value the Kingdom of God we learn to love and value the King and to love and value what the King has instituted and made for his purposes.
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pour out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens and its circuit to the end of them and there is nothing hidden from its heat” Psalm 19-1-6 (ESV).
J.I. Packer on Creation: God is the Creator
May 11, 2009
The following is an excerpt from Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs by J.I. Packer
Knowing that God created the world around us, and ourselves as part of it, is basic to true religion. God is to be praised as Creator, by reason of the marvelous order, variety, and beauty of his works. Psalms such as Psalm 104 model this praise. God is to be trusted as the sovereign LORD, with an eternal plan covering all events and destinies without exception, and with power to redeem, re-create and renew; such trust becomes rational when we remember that it is the almighty Creator that we are trusting. Realizing our moment-by-moment dependence on God the Creator for our very existence makes it appropriate to live lives of devotion, commitment, gratitude, and loyalty toward him, and scandalous not to. Godliness starts here, with God the sovereign Creator as the first focus of our thoughts. Knowing that God created the world around us, and ourselves as part of it, is basic to true religion. God is to be praised as Creator, by reason of the marvelous order, variety, and beauty of his works. Psalms such as Psalm 104 model this praise. God is to be trusted as the sovereign LORD, with an eternal plan covering all events and destinies without exception, and with power to redeem, re-create and renew; such trust becomes rational when we remember that it is the almighty Creator that we are trusting. Realizing our moment-by-moment dependence on God the Creator for our very existence makes it appropriate to live lives of devotion, commitment, gratitude, and loyalty toward him, and scandalous not to. Godliness starts here, with God the sovereign Creator as the first focus of our thoughts.
All Creatures Here Below
May 8, 2009
I am continually struck by the rich tradition of Creation Care affirming lyrics in the hymns of the past—and often in the praise songs of the present. Rarely a week goes by at my conservative evangelical (and hardly “green”) church without God’s creation being invoked either as a reason for or means of praise. Take, for example, what may be the most widely sung four lines in English speaking Protestant Christendom—The Doxology.
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow
Praise Him, all creatures here below
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
While the Creation Care message may not be as apparent as, say, in St. Francis’s “All Creatures of Our God and King,” it is there.
Though many unconsciously view this as a song from “us” (i.e. humans on earth) to the Trinity, the song’s message is that we are part of, but not the center of, a much larger chorus of praise.
“All creatures here below” means a lot more than just “people.” St. Francis draws this out further and includes “inanimate” objects like the Sun, Moon, fire, water, and all the Earth in this canticle of delight. (Perhaps we should read Jesus’s exclamation that even “the rocks would cry out” more literally than we usually do.)
But while all creation has a part in praising the Triune Creator God, mankind has a special role in making sure the rest of “the world” that “God so loved” is healthy enough to sing joyfully.
We also tend to forget the “heavenly host” of angels and those awaiting the Resurrection in Paradise. In so doing, we forget both our limited stature as “creatures” and our connection to history. Those who have gone before have an interest in the preservation and rejuvenation of this Earth, as do generations yet to be born.
So, rather than just going through the motions as the offering plates make their way to the front, let us “Praise Him, all creatures here below” both in the sanctuary and in the world that has been entrusted to our stewardship. The trees long to clap their hands in praise, but we must first leave them standing.
(See Isaiah 55:12) (See this too.)
John Murdock is a natural resources attorney in Washington D.C. You can read his blog at http://republicantreehugger.blogspot.com
National Day of Prayer, May 7, 2009 (Prayer for Creation)
May 7, 2009
On this National Day of Prayer, I offer this prayer for creation.
Father, we come before you as your children. We come to repent for our stewardship of creation. Lord we know that in our materialistic age that we abuse all that you have made, particularly your creation. Though you have given us Christ, in this present age we poorly reflect your intent when it comes to creation care.
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have neglected your truth, we have turned from your ways, and we have abused your creation. We are truly sorry and humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight and your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name.
Father help us to have discernment to understand the times that we live in. Give us and indeed all peoples who call upon the name of your son Jesus Christ wisdom to care for what they have been entrusted with. Help us to steward creation in such a way that all might come to know you and glorify your Son.
Lord we ask that you would empower this generation with your spirit to boldly be who you are calling us to be. Help us to lead with your heart for creation. Help your servants, especially our present leadership, to more truly reflect your will in the church.
Father your word says that the Creation eagerly waits with anticipation for the children of God to be revealed. Your word says that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God’s children. Father your word speaks of the hope, reconciliation, and peace of Jesus Christ for the whole of creation. Lord we long for your scripture to be fulfilled! We long for our own freedom from sin, corruption, and decay. We long to live in such a way that we might walk with you in humility and truth. We long to be instruments of your reconciliation to all creation.
Father may our prayers be added to the groans of creation as we call upon your son Jesus Christ to be our wisdom and shield of protection. Help our work in creation care to bring us and all peoples closer to you.
Amen.
Prayer Guide for Global Warming
http://christiansandclimate.org/pray
Creation Care: Providing Hope and Healing in a Dire World
May 4, 2009
By Emma Sleeth
Summer has begun here in southern India, which means that most days are in the high 90s or low 100s. It’s bad enough for my friend Val and the staff here at the Dean Foundation—all healthy and living in homes that have fans—but I can’t begin to imagine what it is like for our terminally ill patients. Our bedridden neighbors lie in their homes, day after day, developing puss-filled sores where their hot, damp skin makes contact with the dirt floors and ragged beds they are lying on. We visit them in their homes and dress their bedsores, cutting away tracts of dead skin and sluff the size—and depth—of a pack or two of playing cards and covering the wounds with anti-bacterial solutions, but many sores never improve because of the heat and slow pace at which old bodies heal.
The hardest things that I’ve had to deal with since coming here are an infected hangnail on my big toe and the effects of mild dehydration—light-headedness, shaking hands, and not always being able to keep my breakfast down. It’s annoying, but not exactly life-threatening. And yet these little things—ailments on an infinitesimally smaller level of magnitude than bedsores or the side-effects of cancer and chemotherapy—are good reminders of the fragility of the human body.
It’s like when I was a toddler and one of my favorite pastimes was chasing my brother around the house and biting him. Clark was amazingly tolerant and never once hit me back, despite—or perhaps because of—the fact that he was twice my size and could have actually hurt me. I finally stopped biting him the day my dad put my hand in my own mouth and pushed up on my jaw, causing me to bite my own fingers.
My dad saw that I was startled: being bit hurt. It hurt a lot.
I had never understood exactly what I was doing to my brother; once I knew, I stopped. My dad still feels terrible about intentionally causing me pain that day, but it was necessary for me to hurt a little in order to stop me from biting my brother on a regular basis.
I truly believe that the reason people do not care about the environment is because they don’t fully realize the impact that their actions have. In America, we see the beginning of an environmental hangnail or two—a few more kids with asthma, a few endangered species, and higher gas prices for a few months. In India, though, the effect of irresponsible use of resources is harder to ignore. Rivers that run through the city covered by floating trash, dramatic increases in environmentally-related cancer rates, and children picking through rubbish heaps by the side of the road are graphic illustrations of our excessive exploitation of the natural world and the impact it has on other people. India doesn’t have the resources to hide the results of global consumerism the way that our country does. In the U.S., the decrease in fish population might mean seafood being slightly more expensive. In India, it means that every fisherman has less chance of feeding his children or sending them to school.
Yesterday, Val and I lay on our bed sweating because the power had gone out, as it does most days, and the fan was off. As I stared up at the ceiling, overwhelmed by the heat, I thought about all the people I knew whose bedsores were getting worse every minute that the electricity stayed off. And then I thought about all my friends at home, surfing the web or playing video games. And I realized that I wasn’t mad at them. Because they are like I was when I was two years old. They simply don’t know any better. They don’t fully understand that there is a limited amount of fuel on this planet and that it is their responsibility to steward it.
I truly believe that every single person I go to church with would turn off their computer if they knew it meant that a bedridden man in India with sweat irritating his abscesses could turn on his fan. I truly believe that every one of my friends would use fabric bags if they saw all the plastic ones cluttering the rivers that thousands of people depend on for their drinking water here in Chennai. Maybe I’m naïve, but I truly believe that people would change if they knew their actions were harming others.
God takes no more pleasure in making us experience the effects of our actions than my dad took from making me experience the effects of what I was doing to my brother. But it’s necessary. We’re not going to make ourselves sacrifice a little convenience or give anything up until we realize that by doing so we can make other people more comfortable. We’re not going to stop wasting resources on frivolous things until we realize that the same resources could be used to make another person’s life concretely better. We’re not going to save the planet until we realize that by doing so we are serving God and the people He made in his image.
My hope is that we will realize that the earth is worn out. My hope is that we realize that we cannot expect it to keep on healing itself if we continue to plunder it at the current pace. My hope is that those of us who have resources will choose to conserve them.
My hope is that this Earth Day will be an opportunity for people to realize exactly what they are doing to the environment. My hope is that we grow up and stop hurting our brothers and sisters around the world. My hope is that we all will bite our own hands today.
Reprinted with permission from thewip.net.
Emma Sleeth, 18, is a junior at Asbury College and author of It’s Easy Being Green. This semester, Emma has been serving at the Dean Foundation in Chennai, India, providing hospice and palliative care for the poor.
