Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus -- Charles Wesley

Thirty-seven-year-old Charles Wesley read his bible, as the remembrance of Deity’s arrival in-the-flesh approached one year in 18^th Century England (see its flag here). Lots of prophets had given clues for centuries about this singular event, and so Charles leaned on those to craft his poetry, while also quite possibly borrowing the thoughts of a century-old philosopher’s inspirational words about how God uniquely works in the human heart. The circumstances of many of the orphaned children in the surrounding English community were apparently also on his mind, so Charles borrowed the words of a prayer that he felt expressed his sense of how one special child’s life could raise the lives of others who were not so fortunate. Whether Charles or some other anonymous person first uttered this prayer, it speaks for all of us.

 

Charles Wesley authored at least 18 Christmas songs that were collected into one publication (Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord and New Year’s Day, 1745), including ‘Come…Jesus’, a prayer-poem that Charles used to celebrate not just the arrival of the Jesus-babe, but also to create expectation for His return someday. Especially what Haggai (2:7) had to say about the ‘desire of nations’ helped spur Charles’ poetry. But, he was likely reading lots of Isaiah’s, and Micah’s, and Matthew’s, and Luke’s writings, also, among others. Was Ecclesiastes (3:11) in there too, as he mentions humanity finding ‘rest in thee’? It’s thought that Wesley might have read something from the philosopher Blaine Pascal, who said a century earlier that ‘There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every person that cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator’…was Pascal thus also aware of what the preacher said in Ecclesiastes? Verse two of Charles’ poem is a prayer, uttered by either himself or someone in his time, and is worth repeating here: ‘Born Your people to deliver, born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now Your gracious kingdom bring. By Your own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone; by Your all sufficient merit, raise us to Your glorious throne. Amen.’ Finally, Wesley was said to be dismayed by the state of orphans in his community, and also by the rift between classes of people of his time, and that this prayer resonated with him as he thought about a time and place where all peoples would be lifted above earth’s trials. Nothing hurts in a human life more than to experience want or conflict on a holiday that is supposed to embody joy. Seems like Charles understood that, huh?

 

Jesus arrived, some might say unexpectedly. He was anticipated by prophets, and yet He took most people by surprise because of the venue He chose. And, that He is supposed to be returning creates even more hope, at least for those who want Him to recreate everything again. What will it be like, this New Heaven and New Earth (Isaiah 65-66; 2 Peter 3; Revelation 21)?  It’s almost beyond imagination’s power, and certainly cannot be adequately described, even with scores of adjectives. It will have to be seen and experienced. Jesus said the time is known by only His Father (Mark 13:32), so there will be something about it that takes everyone by surprise. You and I need not fret about that time and its uncertainty, for the good that He created in the beginning will be His to remake in ‘imperishable’ and ‘immortal’ fashion (1 Cor. 15:53-54), in a flash (v.52). In one sense He will be expected, but I long to be thrilled, flabbergasted, swallowed up, and speechless at seeing His amazing return. Are you ready to be astonished?   

   

   

   

See more information on the song story in these sources: The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990.

 

The Church's One Foundation -- Samuel Stone

 

Could there have been any more majestic structure than the one where he sat and considered the importance of the church? Samuel John Stone was a 27-year-old serving in England’s Anglican Church at the Windsor Castle (St. George’s Chapel [at the left] and the Round Tower [center-right] at the castle are shown here in this 1848 painting by Joseph Nash) in London when he put pen to paper to express his strong opinion about “The Church’s One Foundation”. He heard and read some opposing viewpoints that challenged what had been accepted for many generations, even centuries. Samuel wanted there to be no mistaking how he felt, probably explaining why he wrote seven verses to passionately articulate his view and defend the institution in which he had chosen to serve. The issue at the heart of a brewing debate was deeply affecting to Samuel, so it should come as no surprise that the song he wrote was just one of many that occupied his thoughts at the time.

 

Samuel Stone, like those of his generation and many before him, had grown up and studied to become a servant of the church by relying on the tenets of the Apostles’ Creed. Twelve basic truths occupied this creed, including the ninth that Samuel wanted to address in his hymn ‘The Church’s One Foundation’. Why? Simply put, Samuel had become aware of writings that were skeptical of the historic accuracy of the bible’s Old Testament. He and others believed this modern, liberal viewpoint was damaging the unity of the body – the church – that Stone loved so much. So, he returned to the creed, which at that point in the mid-19^th Century had served as a set of guiding principles for Christian believers for well over 1,000 years. The creed’s focus is on who God is and what He has accomplished, including the ninth point that highlights the church that He started. Samuel echoes the creed’s point regarding the universality of that body in his poem’s second verse – ‘…from every nation, yet one o’er all the earth...’. Stone extols the church’s resilience through most of the verses, after setting the foundation in verse 1 – Jesus Christ. All the attributes of the church flow from this seminal relationship to Christ -- its permanence (v.3); its role as a haven for believers during strife (vv.4-5); its spiritual connectivity between the living and those who have gone on before us (v.6); and its place in the lives of believers who have a hope and certainty of an eternal reward (v.7). Pretty important things, aren’t they?

 

Would anyone seriously disagree with Samuel that God’s church is bigger - much bigger - than one local congregation, or group of congregations in one country? If you’ve taken part in church life, would you take exception to Samuel’s opinion that church folks can help when you have a life-challenging struggle? How do you feel about church, as you long to see loved ones again who’ve preceded you in death? Can you imagine what life would be like without a church to help actuate your days? Whose inspiration is at the root of the church you think of as God’s body? If you’re at a loss to answer the preceding, just look at Samuel Stone’s poem. He had the answers. You can, too.         

 

   

See more information on the song story in these sources: The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs by William J. Petersen and Ardythe Petersen, Tyndale House Publishers, 2006; Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990; 101 Hymn Stories, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1982. 

 

See brief biography of the author here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/s/t/o/n/stone_sj.htm

 

See all seven of the hymn’s original verses here: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/c/h/o/f/chofound.htm

 

See the basic tenets of the beliefs that the hymn’s author and other conservatives of his time shared:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed  

In His Time -- Diane Ball

If she was wearing a watch, that might have been a routine accessory she reconsidered after the experience she and her family had one summer day in 1975. Diane Ball and the other five members of the family probably are reminded, every time they hear or sing “In His Time”, what three small words really meant the day they popped into her anxious spirit on a California road.  What does a person do when two conflicting events have him or her between a vise, and the tick-tock counts down, or alternately has a swinging pendulum to underscore the march of time? Would it surprise me or you if another person said both events could be accommodated? ‘It’ll work out’, or ‘If He intends for you to accomplish both objectives, just sit back and see how He does it’. See if you think Diane might have those words on her lips now, after what she experienced as a 34-year old.

  

It was vacation day number one in the Ball family, and Diane had everyone on a tight schedule. The launch of the Ball spouses, Jay and Diane, and their four children in their vehicle for a vacation was upon them. But, not everything nor everyone is always controllable, as Diane was reminded that day. Jay had a maintenance emergency at the conference center where he and his wife both worked, delaying their departure by over an hour. Normally, that might have been a minor irritant, except that Diane had a speaking engagement over 90 minutes away, and just half of that time to get there – an impossible circumstance. Or, so she thought. As the trip finally began, a fuming Diane asked God for serenity, as she knew no other solution to resolve what her insides were telling her. Exceptionally, this day, another inside inhabitant within Diane gave her some words – the very words of “In His Time”. Little did Diane suspect that these words would be used that very afternoon, and to a group whose plans had luckily – or providentially? – been delayed, coincident with the delay in the Balls’ departure. Diane didn’t know her words would ring so true the very day she penned them. She shared them with the crowd to whom she spoke, a spontaneous decision she must have felt by that time was also in His control. One wonders how the rest of the Ball vacation proceeded that summer!    

As holiday season is upon us here, is it a time crunch for you to accomplish everything in your planner? Plan that trip, pack that luggage, shop for those gifts, and try to work in a little relaxation! Can one really plan for a tranquil moment? Diane must have been asking herself that plenty, especially with a busy husband and four kids. She may have thought her whole life was too densely packed, if you examine her words closely. She says she wanted to see His way ‘every day’, not just during a holiday, or a vacation. She ached for Him to show her the beauty of His time year-round. Or, even life-round. Think He’s got your time planned out for you?   

The sources for this song story are the books “Our God Reigns: The Stories behind Your Favorite Praise and Worship Songs”, by Phil Christensen and Shari MacDonald, Kregel Publications, 2000, and “The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, 2006, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc..