Jesus, Refuge of the Weary

Today in church, our closing hymn was "Jesus, Refuge of the Weary". The words were penned by Girolamo Savonarola in the 1400's. Hmm......I read about him once in a book. He was a priest in Italy, perhaps around Florence, who was obsessed with getting rid of books and art which he considered offensive and immoral. The book I was reading was a novel about two college students who believed they had found coded information in an old, mysterious manuscript, giving clues to a stash of priceless artwork and books hidden away back in the days of Savonarola's purges. It was just fiction, of course, but the old manuscript really exists; I have forgotten the details of it, though, and long ago gave the book away.



Father Savonarola evidently attracted quite a following for awhile. People would flock to his Masses, and he spoke of having visions from God. Eventually, Mr. Savonarola must have crossed a line, for he ended up being executed on the order of a Pope. Imagine what Mr. Savonarola would think of today's art, movies, TV shows, books, etc.!

I can understand why this hymn would be chosen to sing on Oculi Sunday.......the words speak several times of "seeing".......Christ seeing the sinner's fall.......and the need for us to keep our eyes on Christ. Through inner spiritual sight, I would say, but some might think of a more literal meaning: viewing the bread and wine of Communion as the Body and Blood of Christ.

*************************************

Verse 1:

******

Jesus, refuge of the weary,

Blest redeemer, whom we love,

Fountain in life's desert dreary,

Savior from the world above:

Often have your eyes, offended,

Gazed upon the sinner's fall;

Yet upon the cross extended,

You have borne the pain of all.

******

Verse 2:

******

Do we pass that cross unheeding,

Breathing no repentant vow,

Though we see you wounded, bleeding,

See your thornencircled brow?

Yet your sinless death has brought us

Life eternal, peace and rest;

Only what your grace has taught us

Calms the sinner's deep distress.

******

Verse 3:

******

Jesus, may our hearts be burning

With more fervent love for you;

May our eyes be ever turning

To behold your cross, anew;

Till in glory, parted never

From the blessed Savior's side,

Graven in our hearts forever,

Dwell the cross, the Crucified.

AMEN

********************************************

Cyberhymnal link for this hymn

How Good, Lord, To Be Here

Here's a hymn from last Sunday, when the readings and the sermon focused on the Transfiguration of Our Lord: It is "How Good, Lord, To Be Here", with words by Joseph A. Robinson, 1858-1933. (Hmm......his name doesn't sound very German Lutheran.) The tune (which you can't hear here, because its not on Cyberhymnal) is by J. S. Bach.

*****************************

Verse 1:

*****

How good, Lord, to be here!

Your glory fill the night;

Your face and garments, like the sun,

Shine with unborrowed light.

******

Verse 2:

******

How good, Lord, to be here,

Your beauty to behold

Where Moses and Elijah stand,

Your messengers of old.

******
Verse 3:

******

Fulfiller of the past

And hope of things to be!

We hail your body glorified

And our redemption see.

******

Verse 4:

******

Before we taste of death,

We see your kingdom come;

We long to hold the vision bright

And make this hill our home.

******
Verse 5:

******

How good, Lord, to be here!

Yet we may not remain;

But since you bid us leave the mount,

Come with us to the plain.

AMEN

**********************************

The final verse of this hymn is what stays in my mind......."Come with us to the plain." That's where we abide, here on earth, in our daily lives, with troubles and toils abounding.

"How good, Lord, to be here!" Sounds a little too emotional for Lutherans, but we feel it anyway........in our time in church and in devotions and prayer.

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

This was one of our Communion hymns today, sung as the congregation proceeded to and from the altar.

The words are very old, from the Liturgy of St. James, from the 4th century. The tune is listed as a 17th century French folk song.

Notice the several words beginning with "v"........vesture, vanguard, veil, vanquish. Also, picture these in your mind's eye: "the six-winged seraph"......"cherubim with sleepless eye"......."rank on rank the host of heaven"......."Light of Light descending"......."realms of endless day". Quite the amazing images are conjured by this unhurried, majestic hymn!

Verse 1 urges us to "Ponder nothing earthly-minded". Is that possible, with our earthly minds?

**********************************************

Verse 1:

*********

Let all mortal flesh keep silence

And with fear and trembling stand;

Ponder nothing earthly-minded,

For with blessing in his hand

Christ our God to earth descending

Comes our homage to demand.

********************

Verse 2:

*********

King of kings yet born of Mary,

As of old on earth he stood,

Lord of lords in human vesture,

In the body and the blood,

He will give to all the faithful

His own self for heavenly food.

*************************

Verse 3:

*********

Rank on rank the host of heaven

Spreads its vanguard on the way

As the Light of Light, descending

From the realms of endless day,

Comes the powers of hell to vanquish

As the darkness clears away.

********************************

Verse 4:

*********

At his feet the six-winged seraph,

Cherubim with sleepless eye,

Veil their faces to the presence

As with ceasless voice they cry:

"Alleluia, alleluia,

Alleluia, Lord Most High!"

AMEN

******************************************************

Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/e/letallmf.htm

To Jordan's River Came Our Lord

Definitely, this blog has gone on hideout.

Sunday was The Baptism of Our Lord, for churches that follow the traditional Church Year calendar. Thus, in our Lutheran church, one of the hymns we sang was "To Jordan's River Came Our Lord", written by the main man himself, Martin Luther, in 1541.

******************************************************************

Verse 1:

********

To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord,

To do his Father's pleasure;

Baptized by John, the Father's Word

Was given us to treasure.

This heavenly washing now shall be

A cleansing from transgression

And by His blood and agony

Release from death's oppression.

A new life now awaits us.

***********************

Verse 2:

*********

Oh, hear and mark the message well,

For God himself has spoken.

Let faith, not doubt, among us dwell

And so receive this token.

Our Lord here with his Word endows

Pure water, freely flowing.

God's Holy Spirit here avows

Our kinship while bestowing

The baptism of His blessing.

******************************

Verse 3:

*********

These truths on Jordan's banks were shown

By mighty word and wonder.

The Father's voice from heaven came down,

Which we do well to ponder:

"This man is my beloved Son,

In whom my heart has pleasure.

Him you must hear, and Him alone,

And trust in fullest measure

The word that He has spoken."

**********************************

Verse 4:

*********

There stood the Son of God in love,

His grace to us extending;

The Holy Spirit like a dove

Upon the scene descending;

The triune God assuring us,

With promises compelling,

That in our baptism He will thus

Among us find a dwelling

To comfort and sustain us.

*******************************

Verse 5:

*********

To His disciples spoke the Lord,

"Go out to every nation,

And bring to them the living Word

And this my invitation:

Let everyone abandon sin

And come in true contrition

To be baptized and thereby win

Full pardon and remission

And heavenly bliss inherit."

*******************************

Verse 6:

*********

But woe to those who cast aside

This grace so freely given;

They shall in sin and shame abide

And to despair be driven,

For born in sin, their works must fail,

Their striving saves them never;

Their pious acts do not avail,

And they are lost forever,

Eternal death their portion.

*******************************

Verse 7:

*********

All that the mortal eye beholds

Is water as we pour it.

Before the eye of faith unfolds

The power of Jesus merit.

For here it sees the crimson flood

To all our ills bring healing;

The wonders of His precious blood

The love of God revealing,

Assuring His own pardon.

AMEN

***************************************

Quite a wordy hymn, and explains well the Lutheran belief that baptism saves. The infant being baptized is in a state of contrition by proxy.......the congregation speaks in place of the child, confessing his sinful state for him, so that he can be baptized and receive faith. Infant baptism has been difficult for me to swallow, although my children were baptized as babies.

***************************************

Verse 7 contains the words "the eye of faith"........something to ponder. Do you see with the "eye of faith"? Do I ?

*****************************************************************

Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/j/c/tjct/colo.htm