Only a Holy God -- Michael Farren, Jonny Robinson, Dustin Smith, Rich Thompson

They took their cues from what the seraphim had to say (see the image of two of them around the divine throne in this 14^th Century artwork, God Surrounded by Seraphim). The seraphim sang about a holy God (Isaiah 6), and Michael Farren, Jonny Robinson, Dustin Smith, and Rich Thompson thought about scoping that out some more. ‘In what ways is He holy?’, is the question they really wanted to answer. And so, they pursued their response with a set of still more questions, and the result of their interrogation was the title words of this song – “Only a Holy God”. What other beings do what He’s done, appear as He has, exert themselves the way He’s shown, or choose willingly to sacrifice the way He did? Why would such a unique being relate to us in all of these ways? He could be confounding to you if you really gotta have tangible, earthbound answers. This God doesn’t answer all my whys?, as Job discovered (Job 38-41). His only answer really is Himself, something that Jesus tried to tell a group of followers once (John 14:9).

 

These four musicians – Michael, Jonny, Dustin, and Rich (hereafter referred to as MJDR) – come from the City Alight music ministry in an Anglican church in Sydney, Australia, where they were engaged in 2016 in an ongoing project to develop songs that communicate bible truths via simple and yet meaningful lyrics and music. Each of the four verses of ‘Only a Holy God’ focuses on a different aspect of God’s character through three penetrating questions in each verse, answering each time with the song’s title words. True to their mission-vision, MJDR went straight to the bible as they began their quest; Isaiah’s vision gave them the spark they needed to launch their own exploration and portrayal of Him. They first centered on His authority over all creation, those in heaven and the earthbound ones, too – ‘hosts of heaven’, ‘king(s)’, and even the ‘darkness’. In verse two, they marveled at His ‘glory’, ‘beauty’, and ‘majesty’, and how he nevertheless rules with divine ‘justice’. His omnipotence, in verse three, might be terrifying to some because He can ‘consume like fire’, and yet He ‘can raise the dead’, underscoring that His omnipotence is infused not with a thirst for punishment, but rather invigoration of His image-bearers. Finally, His personal action to ‘rescue’ me (verse four) and draw me to Himself through ‘His only Son’ is so magnetic – who wouldn’t want to call such a One ‘Father’? Only a Holy God answers all 12 of MJDR’s questions. Are there others that could be asked? Certainly. And, we could then try looking at all the various rhetoric that God throws at Job’s feet, and answer Him with the same degree of humility. He’s already answered in the way that is most meaningful to me personally. He is the answer.

 

Does knowing He’s the answer make things simpler for me? Or, does it make my journey less rough? Honestly, Job still had to navigate through all the potholes and questions, and was still afflicted without really finding much solace. He just had to endure. Maybe that’s the point, in God’s plan. I don’t really discover Him without some pain; otherwise, He’s just a vending machine for my pleasure, which can be fickle. And, He’s not just sitting on a throne watching and waiting for my devotion. MJDR includes the most important part of knowing who He is. And that’s realizing that He decided to become like me, a human. And yet, He, though God, astounded His companions and enemies to become so very much more human and remain Divine simultaneously, in order to accomplish His purpose. He chose human pain and disappointment, invited rejection and suffering, and died in a way that was considered the worst a human could endure in the 1^st Century. Was he merely curious and passionate about going to the nth degree of human-ness? Why’d you do this, God? It’s a question that takes a lifetime – His and mine, joined together – to pursue. Musing about Him and myself is the point of life. That seems like what MJDR was doing for all of us.  

 

Read the story behind/comments about the song here: https://cornerstonerbc.com/worship/only-a-holy-god

 

Read about the CityAlight ministry in Australia here: About | CityAlight

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seraphim_-_Petites_Heures_de_Jean_de_Berry.jpg... This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. .. {{PD-1996}} – public domain in its source country on January 1, 1996 and in the United States… found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraph

 

There's a Great Day Coming -- Will L. Thompson

 

It would not have been unusual for him to have written the first words of this song on a stray scrap of paper. William Lamertine Thompson admitted that’s how many of his compositions began, so perhaps that was also true of “There’s a Great Day Coming”, which this 39-year-old entrepreneur fashioned in the mid-1880s. Was Will at his East Liverpool, Ohio home (see map), or does his poetry suggest he was sitting in a church in this small community when he was moved by a particular moment? This fellow had done much to carve out his own success, and had the respect and admiration of his community and family, in both secular and spiritual realms, but he didn’t lean on just his earthly accomplishments and relationships. One could readily say that Will wanted to be ready for another time, and wanted to challenge others with that same question he must have asked himself.

 

Will Thompson might have been in any number of places with special circumstances that sparked his thoughts, as so often happened with his poetic compositions. He could have been at home in East Liverpool, or maybe traveling abroad as he sometimes did with his family, on the premises of his publishing company, or in a church building during a worship service. These and many others would have been normal venues for Thompson, as he pursued writing and publishing church music, in addition to writing some secular music. Will evidently loved his community in eastern Ohio, and did much in a philanthropic way to preserve its history and set aside land for residents’ enjoyment. And yet, he must have also wanted everyone to know that time there was short, and not to be so cherished that no one planned for an eternal home. With the words of ‘There’s a Great Day…’, it would be easy to imagine that Will was sitting in a worship service, perhaps listening to an especially resonant sermon or taking note of the moment someone responded to the preacher’s message. Was he also thinking about and yearning for someone who was still acting skeptical about the hereafter? The results of that moment or moments could have been scrawled on a piece of paper now long-discarded by Will, but at least he preserved what may still be that episode’s most consequential effect – this song. With the words ‘Are you ready?’ that he asks repeatedly, Will wanted others to be in that moment also. Was Will being merely rhetorical? If he were here, we could guess that he would answer with a loud ‘NO!’ He saw it as a ‘great’ (v.1) and ‘bright’ (v.2) day for the believer, but was not shy about warning people he must have felt were not committed to God. To say it would be a ‘sad’ (v.3) day for the unsaved was not enough; Will told them it would mean their ‘doom’ (v.3), and that the ‘bright day…only come(s)’ (v.3) for the saved. ‘Depart’ (v.3) would be the direction those unfortunate would hear.

 

Will seems to be asking the hearer to decide for him/herself: is this ‘Great Day’ a magnificent one, or instead an awful one? And, does piling on more adjectives to amplify one’s description of that day help you and me understand it better? Will Thompson really didn’t try to underscore he message with more descriptive phrases. Instead, he just repeats the question each hearer must use to probe the conscience. Can you be honest with yourself, even for just a moment? God doesn’t ask for your perfection. He provided that part. What Will apparently apprehended, and what you and I need to see is this: The day is coming; it will be inescapable. Do you want the God of the universe to transport you in that moment?      

 

See short biography on author here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/t/h/o/m/p/thompson_wl.htm

 

See a longer biography here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Lamartine_Thompson

 

See all of the song’s verses here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/t/g/r/e/tgreatda.htm

Sanctuary -- J.W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs

If their words did not spell out their thoughts more clearly, these two authors’ vision of something metaphorical might have been misunderstood to be something physical. After all, who thinks of the human body as a “Sanctuary” in the way that John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs wrote in 1982? Most of us think of a very exclusive place in a worship space, perhaps not unlike what we can read in our bibles and imagine (like this picture). It’s a very hallowed meeting place, reserved for the very few who meet some strict standards. It might even have been described as a dangerous place – this holy of holies. So dangerous, in fact, that Jewish tradition and some scripture indicates that the priest who entered that area wore bells, so that when others outside heard them, they were reassured that the priest was still alive and that the offering had been accepted. If the opposite were true, a rope tied around the unfortunate priest’s ankle allowed those outside to retrieve his body without entering the area. Hmmm…still wanna be a sanctuary?

We know but a few details about John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs in the year 1982, the year associated with the publication of the song ‘Sanctuary’. John’s co-authorship of the song was close to the time when he wrote another song – El Shaddai (with Michael Card) – that has gone on to various accolades. John was 32 years old, when he wrote about a human being accepting the notion of being a holy dwelling place for God. Randy was 29 years old at the time, and had already been busy in the music-making business for over 15 years, pretty exceptional for someone who hadn’t yet reached the three-decade mark. His first recording was as age 13, so he apparently wasn’t intimidated by songwriting. Yet, did Randy and John ponder long the gravity of what they were saying in ‘Sanctuary’? We know no details of the circumstances of the song’s emergence, including where they were; we have only the words they penned. Preparing to be a holy receptacle for God’s presence – His Spirit – is something every believer accepts, although none of us totally understand that at the beginning. You get the sense from the words John and Randy wrote that they appreciated the difficulties involved in this proposition. Verses two and three contain suggestions that the human might fall short in this endeavor – ‘…weakness’, and ‘temptation’ inhabit some of their words. They ask the Holy One to intervene to purify this fallible vessel, with words like ‘Who gives me strength’ (v.2), and ‘Take away all my sin’ (v.3). In fact, ‘prepar(ing)’ to be a sanctuary is not a one-time event, as John and Randy might have been implying they understood in the poetry that they wrote. ‘Prepare me to be a sanctuary’ is the song’s refrain (and therefore, sung repeatedly), so they perceived that this reshaping of the person is an ongoing process. It’s never over, is it?          

God must know us well by now, after trying to inhabit all of us all these centuries. On the other hand, do His people know Him as well? Those who stood outside the temple, and on occasion drug out the priest with the rope, might have feared Him more than others, wouldn’t you say? Those people thought the sanctuary was pretty imposing. A good measure of gravitas is probably a good thing when considering Him dwelling inside. Yet, He’s there also to comfort and guide, not just to convict. ‘Wonderful Counselor’, I’m told is His name. I should think about that more, as I encounter those who don’t yet know Him, and convey that characteristic more readily. He’s here to counsel me, but He can take on many more in His court of justice. Is he wonderful to you today?    

Read one author’s biography here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Scruggs

Website for J.W. Thompson’s singing group: http://thereminders.net/about-us/

See also these two links for some scant information on Thompson, and a bit more on Scruggs: https://hymnary.org/person/Thompson_J

https://hymnary.org/person/Scruggs_R