Welcome! Next Sunday is Palm Sunday, and the following Sunday is Easter, so today on Notes of Glory we will be singing music related to Lenten themes of contemplation, confession, repentance, and mercy.
May the music, stories, scripture verses and images shared here encourage you in your faith and equip you to magnify the name of Jesus Christ at the start of a new week.
If you are a first-time visitor, click here to find out the story of "Notes of Glory." (You will also find some tips for listening to music using the SoundCloud windows). Turn up the volume on your device, feel free to click on the sheet music images to enlarge them, warm up your voice, and prepare to sing with joy!
PRELUDE
Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
Words by Joseph Hart, "Restoration" hymn tune from Walker's Southern Harmony. Piano solo arrangement by Ralph Long
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
John 6:35-39
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
_________________________________
This poignant hymn of invitation was written by British minister and author Joseph Hart (c. 1711-1768) who also was a scholar and teacher of classical languages. Hart had been raised in the Christian faith but had fallen away, doubting his salvation. He was fully converted to a renewed biblical faith in 1757 under the ministry of British evangelist George Whitefield (1774-1770), and subsequently served as a minister at the Jewin Street Chapel in London. After his 1757 conversion, Hart composed many hymns and published a collection of them titled Hymns composed on Various Subjects, with the Author's Experience in 1759. (This collection became known colloquially as "Hart's Hymns"). "Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy" was included in this collection with the original wording "Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched." It was originally a seven-stanza hymn, with six lines per stanza, and appeared under the heading ""Come, and Welcome to Jesus Christ." In subsequent hymnals, the wording at the end of the first line was changed from "wretched" to "needy" and, sometimes, to "heavy laden."
The tune used in this arrangement for "Come Ye Sinners" is an anonymous American folk melody titled "Restoration" which was first published in William Walker's collection Southern Harmony in 1835, and originally paired with John Newton's "Mercy, O Thou Son of David." This melody was later titled "Arise" in many hymnals after it was frequently matched with Hart's hymn "Come Ye Sinners." This plaintive piano arrangement of "Come, Ye Sinners" by Ralph Long has a contemplative and gentle quality.
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love, and power.
Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
true belief and true repentance,
ev'ry grace that brings you nigh.
Let not conscience make you linger,
nor of fitness fondly dream;
all the fitness he requireth
is to feel your need of him.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
lost and ruined by the fall;
if you tarry till you're better,
you will never come at all.
I will rise and go to Jesus!
He will save me from my sin.
By the riches of his merit,
there is joy and life in him.
Words by Samuel Trevor Francis. "Ebenezer" hymn tune by Thomas John Williams
weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity, love, and power.
Come, ye thirsty, come and welcome,
God's free bounty glorify;
true belief and true repentance,
ev'ry grace that brings you nigh.
Let not conscience make you linger,
nor of fitness fondly dream;
all the fitness he requireth
is to feel your need of him.
Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
lost and ruined by the fall;
if you tarry till you're better,
you will never come at all.
I will rise and go to Jesus!
He will save me from my sin.
By the riches of his merit,
there is joy and life in him.
HYMNS TO SING ANYWHERE
(transposed to easily singable keys!)
Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
Words by Samuel Trevor Francis. "Ebenezer" hymn tune by Thomas John Williams
Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Romans 5:6-8
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Ephesians 3:14-19
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
___________________________________
We recently sang several hymns that used a metaphor from nature to help convey the enormity of God's love. On February 14, we learned the "Love Song of the Welsh Revival," with a title and first line of "Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean." That same week we also sang "The Love of God" which similarly uses oceanic imagery in a poetic way:
and were the skies of parchment made;
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,
and ev’ryone a scribe by trade;
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
though stretched from sky to sky.
Today we'll add another hymn to this collection of those including oceanic metaphors by singing "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus." The first verse begins with the title phrase and then declares this love is "vast, unmeasured, boundless, free. Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me." In the third verse we sing that the love of Jesus "tis an ocean vast of blessing, 'tis a haven sweet of rest." (We've also sung several hymns featuring the phrase "haven of rest" here on Notes of Glory!).
British merchant and lay preacher Samuel Trevor Francis (1834-1925) wrote this hymn around 1875. Francis sang as a boy in the Hull Parish church and even began to write hymns (poems) during this period. However, Francis faced a crisis of faith as a young man, later recalling a pivotal moment.
On my way home from work I had to cross Hungerford Bridge to the south of the Thames. It was a winter’s night of wind and rain, and in the loneliness of that walk I cried to God to have mercy upon me. Staying for a moment to look at the dark waters flowing under the bridge, the temptation was whispered to me, ‘Make an end of all this misery.’ I drew back from the evil thought, and suddenly a message was borne into my very soul, ‘You do believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?’ I at once answered, ‘I do believe, and I put my whole trust in Him as my Saviour.’ Instantly there came this reply. ‘Then you are saved,’ and with a thrill of joy I ran across the bridge, burst through the turnstile and pursued my way home, repeating the words again and again, ‘Then I am saved; then I am saved."
Although a merchant by trade, Francis often served as a lay preacher and also assisted Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey in their evangelistic campaign in England in 1873-1874. In addition, he crossed the Atlantic a number of times on ministry-related voyages so would have been very familiar with the ocean, which is reflected in the lyrics of "O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus." This hymn was first published in an 1898 collection titled Whence-Whither and Other Poems, for which he provided the following preface:
Many of these poems have appeared in various religious and semi-religious papers and magazines. The author has collected them together and with others which have never before seen the light, launches them forth on their message. If he has touched upon the sorrows and the dark side of human life, he has endeavoured to show how light, hope, and joy may be found. He trusts that those poems that are hymn-like will not be altered to suit the whims or theology of hymn-book compilers. This book is not written in the interests of any sect, denomination, or party, but for all who “love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth.”
Although Francis wrote other hymns, the popularity and impact of this hymn in particular (for which he is best known) can be measured by the fact that after his death at the age of 92, a collection of his works was published in 1926 titled O, The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus and other Poems. The powerful minor key tune commonly sung with this hymn is called "Ebenezer" and was composed by Thomas John Williams (1869-1944) of Wales, whose "day job" was as an insurance agent, but also was an organist, choirmaster, and composer. According to Chris Fenner at Hymnology Archive, "EBENEZER was named after Ebenezer Chapel in Rhos, Pontardawe, Wales, a church Williams had attended as a boy. The original structure still stands behind a newer chapel built in 1904."
We tend to shy away from minor key songs/hymns in our modern worship, but there is a profundity and depth reflected in these tunes that is often a fitting complement for deeply meaningful lyrics. If you're not familiar with this hymn, here are recordings from Selah, the Hereford Cathedral Choir, and the Marantha Promise Band that you can listen to: then come back here and sing with the piano accompaniment below.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free,
rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward,
to thy glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Spread his praise from shore to shore;
how he loveth, ever loveth,
changeth never, nevermore;
how he watches o'er his loved ones,
died to call them all his own;
how for them he intercedeth,
watcheth o'er them from the throne.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Love of ev'ry love the best:
'tis an ocean vast of blessing,
'tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
'Tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
and it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to thee.
Words by Charles Wesley, Music by Carl Maria von Weber
John 20:24-29
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, as not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.
Depth of mercy! Can there be
mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear?
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
I have long withstood His grace:
long provoked Him to His face;
would not hearken to His calls;
grieved Him by a thousand falls.
Jesus, answer from above,
Is not all Thy nature love?
Wilt Thou not the wrong forget,
Permit me to kiss Thy feet?
Now incline me to repent!
Let me now my fall lament!
Now my foul revolt deplore!
Weep, believe, and sin no more.
Words by Claudia Frances Hernaman, "St. Flavian" hymn tune
Luke 4:1-8
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’”
Romans 6:6-11
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
If in thought we go back to our own childhood, we shall acknowledge how many of the words and phrases commonly used in hymns are unintelligible to a child’s mind, though the subjects of the hymns are precisely those which may fitly be “revealed to babes.” Our aim should be to accustom our little ones to look upon the Incarnate life of our dear Lord as the great model of their own lives, and to see each event of it a fact in which they have themselves to take a part, rather than a beautiful story of a long past time in which they have no personal interest.
Lord, who throughout these forty days
For us did fast and pray,
Teach us to overcome our sins,
And close by You to stay.
As You with Satan did contend
And did the vict'ry win,
O give us strength in You to fight,
In You to conquer sin.
As You did hunger and did thirst,
So teach us, gracious Lord,
To die to self, and only live
By Your most holy word.
And through these days of penitence,
And through Your Passion-tide,
For evermore, in life and death,
O Lord, with us abide.
Abide with us that, when this life
Of suffering is past,
An Easter of unending joy
We may attain at last!
POSTLUDE
(to send you forth with joy)
Words by John Newton, Music by Andreas Peter Breggreen. Piano solo arrangement by Robert Wetzler
One there is, above all others,
well deserves the name of Friend;
his is love beyond a brother's,
costly, free, and knows no end.
They who once his kindness prove
find it everlasting love.
Which of all our friends, to save us,
could or would have shed his blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
reconciled in him to God.
This was boundless love indeed;
Jesus is a Friend in need.
When he lived on earth abased,
"Friend of sinners" was his name.
Now above all glory raised,
he rejoices in the same;
still he calls them brethren, friends,
and to all their wants attends.
Could we bear from one another
what he daily bears from us?
Yet this glorious Friend and Brother
loves us, though we treat him thus:
though for good we render ill,
he accounts us brethren still.
O for grace our hearts to soften!
Teach us, Lord, at length to love;
we, alas! forget too often
what a Friend we have above:
but when home our souls are brought,
we will love you as we ought.
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free,
rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me.
Underneath me, all around me,
is the current of thy love;
leading onward, leading homeward,
to thy glorious rest above.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Spread his praise from shore to shore;
how he loveth, ever loveth,
changeth never, nevermore;
how he watches o'er his loved ones,
died to call them all his own;
how for them he intercedeth,
watcheth o'er them from the throne.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
Love of ev'ry love the best:
'tis an ocean vast of blessing,
'tis a haven sweet of rest.
O the deep, deep love of Jesus!
'Tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me;
and it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to thee.
Depth of Mercy! Can there Be
Words by Charles Wesley, Music by Carl Maria von Weber
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, as not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Ephesians 2:1-10
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
1 Timothy 1:15-16
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life._________________________________
British hymn writer Charles Wesley (1707-1788), whose many contributions to hymnody have been featured frequently here over the past year, included "Depth of Mercy, Can There Be" in the 1741 edition of Hymns and Sacred Poems, co-edited with his brother John Wesley. When first published, this hymn consisted of 13 stanzas and was listed under the heading "After Relapse of Sin." It is a dramatic confessional hymn, full of repentance but also replete with assurances of mercy and pardon. This hymn is wonderful to read in its original form (modern hymnals typically reduce "Depth of Mercy" to four or five verses, which is what we'll be singing today).
Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.
I my master have denied,
I afresh have crucified,
And profaned His hallowed name,
Put Him to an open shame.
I have spilt His precious blood,
Trampled on the Son of God,
Filled with pangs unspeakable,
I, who yet am not in hell!
I afresh have crucified,
And profaned His hallowed name,
Put Him to an open shame.
I have spilt His precious blood,
Trampled on the Son of God,
Filled with pangs unspeakable,
I, who yet am not in hell!
Lo! I still walk on the ground:
Lo! an advocate is found:
Hasten not to cut him down,
Let this barren soul alone.
Jesus speaks, and pleads His blood!
He disarms the wrath of God;
Now my Father’s mercies move,
Justice lingers into love.
Kindled His relentings are,
Me He now delights to spare,
Cries, How shall I give thee up?
Lets the lifted thunder drop.
Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my advocate above!
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.
There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.
Lo! an advocate is found:
Hasten not to cut him down,
Let this barren soul alone.
Jesus speaks, and pleads His blood!
He disarms the wrath of God;
Now my Father’s mercies move,
Justice lingers into love.
Kindled His relentings are,
Me He now delights to spare,
Cries, How shall I give thee up?
Lets the lifted thunder drop.
Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my advocate above!
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.
There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.
Jesus, answer from above,
Is not all Thy nature love?
Wilt Thou not the wrong forget,
Permit me to kiss Thy feet?
If I rightly read Thy heart,
If Thou all compassion art,
Bow Thine ear, in mercy bow,
Pardon and accept me now.
Pity from Thine eye let fall,
By a look my soul recall;
Now the stone to flesh convert,
Cast a look, and break my heart.
Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.
Is not all Thy nature love?
Wilt Thou not the wrong forget,
Permit me to kiss Thy feet?
If I rightly read Thy heart,
If Thou all compassion art,
Bow Thine ear, in mercy bow,
Pardon and accept me now.
Pity from Thine eye let fall,
By a look my soul recall;
Now the stone to flesh convert,
Cast a look, and break my heart.
Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.
So much of this is such incredible hymnody . . . but, oh, that ninth verse! I wish we could sing that every week!
"Seymour," the tune used here with Wesley's lyrics, was written by Carl Maria Von Weber (1786-1826), a famous German composer of the early Romantic era, and was derived from his 1826 opera Oberon. Here is a recording of this hymn by the London Fox Singers that you can listen to if the melody is new to you, so that you can be ready to sing this lovely hymn, appropriate for Lent or any time of the year.
mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear?
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?
I have long withstood His grace:
long provoked Him to His face;
would not hearken to His calls;
grieved Him by a thousand falls.
Jesus, answer from above,
Is not all Thy nature love?
Wilt Thou not the wrong forget,
Permit me to kiss Thy feet?
Now incline me to repent!
Let me now my fall lament!
Now my foul revolt deplore!
Weep, believe, and sin no more.
Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days
Words by Claudia Frances Hernaman, "St. Flavian" hymn tune
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve.’”
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
___________________________
The liturgical season of Lent has historically been closely related to Jesus's forty-day fast in the wilderness. British hymn writer Claudia Hernaman (1838-1898) chose to focus on this biblical narrative as the inspiration for her hymn "Lord, Who Thoughout These Forty Days" which appeared in her published collection The Child's Book of Praise; A Manual of Devotion in Simple Verse (1873). Hernaman wrote over 150 hymns, and also was an accomplished Latin scholar. She had a special hymn writing ministry to children, and wrote about the importance of children's hymnody in her preface to The Child's Book of Praise.
Here Hernaman's lyrics are set to "St. Flavian," a hymn tune by an anonymous composer which first appeared in the John's Day Psalter (1562) which was also known as the Whole Booke of Psalmes. "St. Flavian" was originally intended to accompany a paraphrase of Psalm 132, "Remember David's Troubles, Lord." Here's a lovely recording that will help you to learn the melody of this beautiful Lenten hymn, presented here for you to sing (with the piano accompaniment below) with Hernaman's original five verses.
For us did fast and pray,
Teach us to overcome our sins,
And close by You to stay.
As You with Satan did contend
And did the vict'ry win,
O give us strength in You to fight,
In You to conquer sin.
As You did hunger and did thirst,
So teach us, gracious Lord,
To die to self, and only live
By Your most holy word.
And through these days of penitence,
And through Your Passion-tide,
For evermore, in life and death,
O Lord, with us abide.
Abide with us that, when this life
Of suffering is past,
An Easter of unending joy
We may attain at last!
POSTLUDE
(to send you forth with joy)
One There Is, Above All Others
Words by John Newton, Music by Andreas Peter Breggreen. Piano solo arrangement by Robert Wetzler
John 15:12-15
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.____________________________________
In the past year we've sung "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" as well as "Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners" and "Jesus is All the World to Me" with its theme of friendship, not of the "buddy-buddy" sort, but rather an abiding relationship with a holy and merciful Savior. Today's postlude is based on a similarly themed hymn by British pastor and hymn writer John Newton (1725-1807), author of "Amazing Grace" and "How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds" featured previously here on Notes of Glory. It was included in the first book of Olney Hymns (1759), the influential collection written by Newton and British poet William Cowper (1731-1800) especially for those living near the rural Olney Parish that Newton served. It was inspired by Psalm 18:24, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Newton saw Christ as the epitome of this kind of faithful friend, as do the verses from John, chapter 15, shown above. The second verse especially reflects a Lenten theme:
Which of all our friends, to save us,
could or would have shed his blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
reconciled in him to God.
This was boundless love indeed;
Jesus is a Friend in need.
could or would have shed his blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
reconciled in him to God.
This was boundless love indeed;
Jesus is a Friend in need.
And the first verse echoes the idea in the hymns "O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus" and "Here is Love, Vast as the Ocean" as well as "The Love of God" that Jesus's love is vast: here Newton reminds us that it is "costly, free, and knows no end" . . . it is "everlasting love," "boundless love indeed."
The tune matched here with Newton's hymn, "Amen, Sjunge Hvarje Tunga," is a Swedish melody adapted by Danish composer, organist, and music teacher Andreas Peter Berggreen (1801-1880). The arrangement by Robert Wetzler for solo piano provides a warmly inviting instrumental setting for this contemplative hymn.
well deserves the name of Friend;
his is love beyond a brother's,
costly, free, and knows no end.
They who once his kindness prove
find it everlasting love.
Which of all our friends, to save us,
could or would have shed his blood?
But our Jesus died to have us
reconciled in him to God.
This was boundless love indeed;
Jesus is a Friend in need.
When he lived on earth abased,
"Friend of sinners" was his name.
Now above all glory raised,
he rejoices in the same;
still he calls them brethren, friends,
and to all their wants attends.
Could we bear from one another
what he daily bears from us?
Yet this glorious Friend and Brother
loves us, though we treat him thus:
though for good we render ill,
he accounts us brethren still.
O for grace our hearts to soften!
Teach us, Lord, at length to love;
we, alas! forget too often
what a Friend we have above:
but when home our souls are brought,
we will love you as we ought.
Here's a playlist with all the music featured in today's post
No comments:
Post a Comment