Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise -- Walter Chalmers Smith

 

He felt that an ancient apostle had said something that was crucial, and so Walter Chalmers Smith repeated what Paul had written centuries ago and described the Divine One in even more detail to underline the amazing depth of His nature. He is indeed “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”, such that when He was crucified, the sun’s rays were eclipsed for a time to mark the profound meaning of that moment (Matthew 27:45). (See the photo here that depicts, via the 1961 film Barabbas, the crucifixion darkness that the movie’s filmmakers tried to recapture by using the totality of the solar eclipse on February 15, 1961.) He is light (1 John 1:5), so how would we really appreciate that He is the source of this inestimable thing we take for granted, if it had remained unchanged while its Creator gave up His life? There are so many other characteristics of this God that Walter identified, that we cannot begin to fathom Him, though we could spend a lifetime trying to do so. Perhaps that is what Paul was up to when he wrote to a young protégé and concluded his opening address with this salutation to Him who is the focal point of all life. Don’t forget who is to remain in your sights at all times, Paul seems to say.

 

Walter Chalmers Smith was a pastor in the Church of Scotland for some 40 years, and was in mid-life (perhaps 43 years of age) in 1867 when these poetic lines of his were published. What exactly prompted Walter to write these lines is not known, though the first line of his lyrics strongly suggests that he was indeed reading what Paul had written to Timothy in the first century about life in ministry, and was himself on a difficult mission. Biblical scholars believe he was teaching Timothy that error was propagating in Ephesus, and that principles had to be accepted by the culture there, or it would descend into falsehoods that were anathema to the truth to which he and the other apostles had been devoted since Jesus commissioned them. Several times in the opening chapter of this personal letter to his ‘son’, he makes references to those who were riven with errors (1 Tim. 1:3-4; 6-11; 18-20), and that he (Timothy) needed to remember who God really is – immortal, invisible, the only God (1 Tim. 1:17). Walter got the message too, and said so many more things about this incredible God. Were six verses of poetry really enough? Walter may have answered ‘no’ emphatically, but nevertheless he said many mouthfuls in what he did include in the lines he penned. Every line in Walter’s creation contains something about the inscrutable One we too-often describe blithely as our friend. Yes indeed, that is what He is, certainly. But Walter, even at this point in his life, must have seen or heard people take Him too much for granted, in prayer and in life generally. Remember what Paul had been through by the time he wrote to Timothy in that first century (perhaps around 63-64 A.D.), and he still thought of himself humbly in comparison to God (1:13, 15-16) just before lauding Him with this song’s title words. This God is one we need to treat reverently in our approach to Him, before we do anything else. Above all else, Walter suggested with his lyrics that we should begin by seeing God in all His greatness.

 

No less than 11 times did Walter say something about trying to see God or the light that hides Him. So, it’s a bit of a vain exercise, is it not, to try to really see Him?  It seems like a fair question, one that perhaps Walter’s hearers must have asked him at least once. What’s the use, if I cannot get even a glimpse of Him? How do I worship someone I cannot see? Entering into the picture is Jesus, right on queue. He sure showed off His power, glory, might, compassion, wisdom, courage, and so many other qualities when He walked among the people for 33 years. And even if you and I weren’t there, we can still read history about Him and marvel at the church He created and the changed lives He’s inspired. And, then there’s that crucifixion thing, too, followed by the resurrection unlike any other event ever recorded in world history. Moses and others wanted to see Him, too, but were prevented from doing so. And then, even he and Elijah got a look at Jesus, along with Peter, James, and John (Matthew 17:2-8; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36), and then they really got goosebumps. Wow!, they must have thought. If you want to see this God in all His fullness, consider that episode on a high mountain. He once described Himself as lowly (Matthew 11:29), and yet that’s part of the package of this awesome God-Man, too. All that is wrapped up inside this God, this amazing God that Walter wanted us to see.               

 

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; and Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1990.

 

See here for all of the song’s original verses: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/i/g/o/iigowise.htm

 

See information on the photograph here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Barabba_Eclisse_1961.jpg ...This work is in the public domain in the United States because it meets three requirements: it was first published outside the United States (and not published in the U.S. within 30 days), it was first published before 1 March 1989 without copyright notice or before 1964 without copyright renewal or before the source country established copyright relations with the United States, and it was in the public domain in its home country on the URAA date (January 1, 1996 for most countries). It may be found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_in_fiction

Love Like You -- Randy Gill

 

Who doesn’t feel even just a twinge of appreciation, or perhaps something stronger like affection, when you learn that you are the object of someone’s love? Perhaps when you were in school, you got the little chalky, heart-shaped candies (like those shown here) on Valentine’s Day, or someone sent you an anonymous flower to declare that friendship or love was in someone’s heart for little old you! That’s a faint reflection of what God thinks of you and me, if you read very far in a bible. If you have seen the guy at the televised sporting event, you might even recall that John 3:16 is what his sign said -- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Perhaps you can even quote this phrase from memory that Jesus spoke as He attempted to teach a curious and puzzled man named Nicodemus. As Randy Gill has reminded us, “Love Like You” is not just an emotion-filled moment, or even a years-long commitment. It’s a lifetime-shaping challenge to show Him to others.      

 

Randy has not said what this 2010 song’s inspiration was, although it has been included among the music collection that he and others have entitled ‘Fearless for You’. Perhaps what Randy was getting at is suggested in the scripture associated with the song’s few details at one online site (see it below) -- John 17:23. Jesus was praying just before he was going to be arrested, tried illegally, beaten savagely, and then shamefully crucified. He needed reassurance, particularly that his mission to train 12 specially chosen men would not fail, and that others would cling to the message about Him that they would receive from them, and that they would stick together. That’s how Jesus defined love  – …complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. So, Jesus -- that’s the hardest part of love, sticking together, through thick and thin? Need we be fearful, if we have a love like You wanted us to inherit? That little four-letter word is often confused with gentleness, maybe even fragility. But not with Jesus. It’s a word He used often; indeed, it appears in the bible some 686 times (in the NIV translation, according to the Bible Gateway search engine), including in 60 of the bible’s 66 books (it’s missing only in the NT’s book of Acts; and in the OT’s books of 2 Kings, and four of the minor prophets [Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Haggai]). Maybe it was used, especially by Jesus, because it is such a tough thing to do. That’s what Randy’s simple but incisive lyrics also communicate. Do this as He did it. In love, and in giving, so that’s a mouthful when you and I make such an attempt. Being more like Him takes a pretty long time, and it’s not a surprise when the exercise feels like two steps forward followed by one step backwards. That’s you and me. Randy and the rest of us are in the same category, aren’t we? Why else would he have used ‘us’ in his lyrics? It’s a group effort, as much for us as it was for those fellas in the 1^st Century.

 

Fortunately, we have a way of fortifying our spirit of love, as Randy’s other words remind us. It’s another habit we gather from watching Him – Prayer. Jesus did this as often perhaps as He did when He was loving people, and we could guess that that must have been a synergistic experience for Him. Connecting with the One who is love (1 John 4:8, 16) makes that connection unbreakable, as the beloved apostle told us. That’s not a frail, kinda delicate thing. God isn’t brittle, just because He was killed. He let it happen, so that His utter power – with love as its engine -- could be displayed to its fullest extent. That’s what you and I tap into when we have His love in us. Maybe He might have added ‘handle with care’, when He told the disciples to love, huh? Make sure you tell others it’s His love, flowing through yourself, so that they will know where they can go to plug in also.  

 

See some scant details about the song here: https://wordtoworship.com/song/116470

 

See information on the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Necco-Candy-SweetHearts.jpg (English: An array of Necco Sweethearts (conversation hearts). Little, chalky pieces of candy with phrases written on them; available around Valentine's Day.) This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. …found inside this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

Psalm 23 (I Am Not Alone) -- Joshua Sherman, Laurel Taylor, Steven Musso, The Emerging Sound

 

It most likely happened at a summer camp. The year was 2018, and Joshua Sherman and two other musical collaborators, Laurel Taylor and Steven Musso, reached back for a song that was very old, in order to drawn something that remained potent from its object of worship. “Psalm 23 (I Am Not Alone)”, which drew upon what one shepherd once wrote about another greater shepherd, spoke to these three 21^st Century songwriters. David’s version, and so many other renderings since his day 3,000 years ago, engender peace and contentment; Joshua, Laurel, and Steven, while in the camp atmosphere of The Emerging Sound, took David’s thoughts to a place of elation and pure excitement as they considered what the Great Shepherd provides. He gives the people of His pasture so much right now, and if what’s to come because of His provision could possibly be fathomed, that would really blow the top off of all we can imagine. That’s what Joshua, Laurel, and Steven seem to want us to drink in.  

 

Joshua, Laurel, and Steven come from different places in the eastern part of the United States, so one can guess that they came together somehow to mull over, share, and create something that their ancient songwriting brother would have recognized. These three heard and read what David said, and just to rearrange his lyrics some would have been profitable, and yet they evidently had some other objective in mind when they thought about Psalm 23. Joshua ministered in Boynton Beach in southern Florida, Laurel was Nashville in Middle Tennessee, and Steven was in Albany in east-central New York, so did the three talk by phones or via some other remote devices to craft the song? Part of it may have emerged from such an interaction, but since they cite The Emerging Sound as a part of their collective composing team, we can be pretty certain that they were together at one of the summer camps that this organization hosts to foster songwriting and ultimately the spread of the Good News. They thought David’s words about the Great Shepherd and what He provides were worth repeating – protection, anointing, guidance through valleys, refreshment and restoration, the mercy and grace He offers, and the comfort and confidence that makes our souls overflow. That’s a lot. Wrap up all of that in a single package, and how does one feel? That is what is expressed in this Psalm 23 version, and you and I are invited to feel as Joshua, Laurel, and Steven unmistakably felt as they sat with each other at a campsite. They used words that David must have also felt, but left unspoken. Hallelujah and Victory (vocalized six and fifteen times, respectively, throughout the song) raise the lyrics to a new height, testifying to a thrilling awareness for what He’s laid up for us to have in His presence, in His home. We can anticipate and be confident that He will, and is already providing for us, as these three remind us that ‘my Comfort, always holds me close’, an antidote to this life of frequent challenge that He alone bestows. David surely knew all about this too, and that ‘Your Spirit lives within me’, though he did not explicitly pen these phrases. Joshua, Laurel, and Steven thought David’s heartstrings beat pretty strong in these unspoken phrases through what he did write, so why not include them three millennia later? Good idea!   

 

Not much more needs to be said to expose what three contemporary Christian songwriters discovered eight years ago. Others probably have felt similarly as they have read and thought about David’s ode to the Great Shepherd. Too often, though, it is consigned to rather sad occasions, at funerals. Its comforting tone is appropriate for soothing the wounded hearts at those times, certainly. But our great Redeemer and Protector is more than a soother, as this new version of the 23^rd Psalm communicates so powerfully. Sing the hallelujahs and victories now that we implicitly know David had in his own soul, and which Joshua, Laurel, and Steven have seen fit to shout aloud. Say them again, and again, and again. Keep doing it. Live like it, and see who else will join in. (Click on one of the links below to get yourself in the correct frame of mind!)    

 

Hear a very stirring rendition of the song here from one of the artists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpTXb_-sir8

 

Read some about the primary composer here: https://www.jasministries.com/

 

Read about another of the co-writers here: https://www.themussos.com/about

 

Read about another of the co-writers here: https://www.thechristianbeat.org/artists/laurel-taylor/

 

Read about the songwriting group that helped spawn the song here: https://www.theemergingsound.com/

 

See information about the image here: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bernhard_Plockhorst_-_Good_Shephard.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….the image may be found in this document -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep