Bearing Precious Seed

Evangelist Vance Havner once quipped, “When I was a boy, preachers used to talk about ‘holding a revival.’ What we really need is somebody who will turn a revival loose.” Well, that’s what Philip Spener did in Germany, spurred on by his friend and attorney, Johann Jakob Schutz. The story of Spener and Schutz reminds us we should never give up on revival. If you don’t see a revival starting around you let it begin in your own heart, then let is overflow to others. The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org.

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” Thomas Ken has been called “England’s first hymnist.” In 1680, Thomas was appointed chaplain to England’s King Charles II. The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org

Our oldest hymnal is the Book of Psalms, and Christians throughout history have wanted to obey the biblical injunction to praise the Lord using “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16). “The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He leadeth me The quietly waters by. The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org

An old English preacher once said, “A grateful mind is a great mind,” and the Bible agrees. There are 138 passages of Scriptures on the subject of thanksgiving, and some of them are powerfully worded. Unfortunately, few hymns are devoted exclusively to thanking God. Among the small, rich handful we do have is “Now Thank We All Our God.” The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org

We think of Martin Luther as a great reformed, Bible translator, political leader, fiery preacher, and theologian. But he was also a musician, having been born in an area of Germany known for its music. Luther’s most famous hymn is “Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott,”—“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org

Possibly the most Jewish of all Christian hymns, “The God of Abraham Praise” has its roots all the way back to the Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), who wrote a confession of faith containing thirteen creeds. Modern congregations don’t have the patience to sing all thirteen stanzas, so here is one of the lesser-known verses for you to ponder: “The God Who reigns on high the great archangels sing, And “Holy, holy holy!” Cry, “Almighty King!” Who was, and is, the same, and evermore shall be: Jehovah, LORD, the great I AM, we worship Thee! The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org

Though written in 1225, an English version didn’t appear until 1919, when Rev. William H. Draper decided to use it for children’s worship festival in Leeds, England. But is it sound theology to exhort birds and billowing clouds to lift their voices in praise? Yes! “All Creatures of our God and King” simply restates an older hymn-Psalm 148.” The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org

When Bernard, (c. 1090-1153), a sickly youth in Dijon, France, was unable to fulfill military service, he became a monk. So successful was he that he eventually founded the famous monastery in nearby Clairvaux; in time almost 170 other monasteries sprang from Bernard’s leadership. He became the most powerful preacher of his era, and is remembered as a pious man, a deeply contemplative mystic, the “honey-tongued doctor.” Martin Luther called Bernard “the best monk that ever lived, whom I admire beyond all the rest put together.” He wasn’t a perfect man, as seen in his support for the Second Crusade to liberate the Holy Land from Muslim control. But for 800 years, his words have been read and sung, and his good work has continued. If you’ve never read Bernard, here are some excerpts from his writings and sermons: “How do we know that Christ has really overcome death? Precisely in that he, who did not deserve it, underwent it….But what kind of justice is this, you may say, that the innocent should die for the guilty? It is not justice, but mercy.” “I was made a sinner by deriving my being my Adam; I am made righteous by being washed in the blood of Christ.” “You will never have real mercy for the failings of another until you know and realize that you have the same failings in your soul.” “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your kindness in uniting us to the church so dearly love, not merely that we may be endowed with the gift of faith, but that, like brides, we may be one with you…, beholding with unveiled faces that glory which is yours in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.” “You wish me to tell you why and how God should be loved. My answer is that God Himself is the reason He is to be loved.” Several well-known hymns are attributed to St.Bernard: “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee,” “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” and a lesser-known hymn entitles “Open Wide are Thine Hands,” the second verse of which says: Lord, I am sad and poor, but boundless is Thy grace; Give me the soul transforming joy for which I seek Thy face.” The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org

The mighty Charlemagne (742-814), King of the Franks, united most of Western Europe under his crown. He was a visionary who advanced education and reformed the laws, economy, and culture of Europe. When Charlemagne died, his son Louis I, assumed the throne. At first, all went well. But in 817, he began diving the empire among his nephews and his four sons, causing no end of problems. Twice he was deposed by his sons, and, though he regained his throne both times, he was never again able to rest securely. Caught in the middle of this epic family conflict was Theodulph, Bishop of Orleans, a city south of Paris. Theodulph, born in Spain about 750, had gone to France as a church leader at Charlemagne’s request. He was a brilliant man who worked hard to reform the clergy. He established schools and advanced education. He advocated high morals, built churches, and composed hymns of praise to God. But during the political intrigues of Louis’ reign, Theodulph was accused (falsely, it seems) of conspiring with King Bernard of Italy; and on Easter Sunday, 818, he was imprisoned in the monastery of Angers, a city southwest of Paris. There, as he meditated on our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem prior to His Crucifixion and Resurrection, Theodulph wrote the great Palm Sunday hymn, “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.” According to a tradition that can be neither confirmed nor denied, when King Louis later visited Angers, he momentarily halted by the monastery where Theodulph was helped, and the bishop appeared at the window, singing “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.” The king was reportedly so moved that he order the bishop’s release. For whatever reason, we know Theodulph was released in 821, but he died on his way back to Orleans, or shortly after his return there. Originally there were 78 verses to this hymn! Theodulph had lots of time in his prison-monastery. The first several are the ones we commonly sing today. One stance that has called by the wayside is this verse: “By Thou, O Lord, the Rider; and we the little ass, That to God’s holy city together we may pass.” The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org

Only one missionary is honored with a global holiday, and only one is known by his own distinct color of green-St.Patrick, of course, missionary to Ireland. Patrick was born in A.D. 373, along the banks of the River Clyde in what is now called Scotland. His father was a deacon, and his grandfather a priest. When Patrick was about 16, raiders descended on his little town and torched his home. When one of the pirates spotted him in the bushes, he was seized, hauled aboard ship, and taken to Ireland as a slave. There he gave his life to the Lord Jesus. “The Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief,” he later wrote, “in order that I might remember by transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God.” Patrick eventually escaped and returned home. His overjoyed family begged him to never leave again. But one night, in a dream reminiscent of Paul’s vision of the Macedonian Man in Acts 16, Patrick saw an Irishman pleading with him to come evangelize Ireland. It wasn’t an easy decision, but Patrick, about 30, returned to his former captors with only one book, the Latin Bible, in his hand. As he evangelized the countryside, multitudes came to listen. The superstitious Druids opposed him and sought his death. But his preaching was powerful, and Patrick became one of the most fruitful evangelists of all time, planting about 200 churches and baptizing 100,000 converts. His work endured, and several centuries later, the Irish church was still producing hymns, prayers, sermons, and song of worship. In the eight century, an unknown poet wrote a prayer asking God to be his Vision, his Wisdom, and his Best Thought by day or night. In 1905, Mary Elizabeth Byrne, a scholar in Dublin, Ireland, translated this ancient Irish poem into English. Another scholar, Eleanor Hull of Manchester, England, took Byrne’s translation and crafted it into verses with rhyme and meter. Shortly thereafter it was set to a traditional Irish fold song, “Slane,” named for an area in Ireland where Patrick reportedly challenged local Druids with the gospel. It is one of our oldest and most beloved hymns even to this day. Be Thou My Vision! The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org