A Hymn for the May Maze

The month of May is a busy maze of fieldwork, gardening, graduations......at least around this farm and household. Here's a rather appropriate hymn penned by American poet John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892) in 1867:

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"Within the Maddening Maze of Things"

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Verse 1:

Within the maddening maze of things,

When tossed by storm and flood,

To one fixed trust my spirit clings;

I know that God is good.

Verse 2:

No offering of my own I have,

Nor works my faith to prove;

I can but give the gifts He gave,

And plead His love for love.

Verse 3:

I know not where His islands lift

Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift

Beyond His love and care.

Verse 4:

I know not what the future hath

Of marvel or surprise,

Assured alone that life and death

His mercy underlies.

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I like that.....the thought of faith as a "fixed trust". And verse 4 offers a simple prescription for living each day. Mr. Whittier was a Quaker, involved in politics and the antislavery movement of his day. He condemned what he considered the hypocrisy of a nation that was founded on ideals of freedom but allowed slavery.

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Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/i/withinmm.htm

We Plow the Fields

In honor of spring planting time here in Iowa, here is an appropriate hymn. The lyrics were penned by Matthias Claudius (1740-1815), who heard the words sung by local farmers in Germany.

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We Plow the Fields

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Verse 1:

We plow the fields and scatter

The good seed on the land,

But it is fed and watered

By God's almightly hand.

He sends the snow in winter,

The warmth to swell the grain,

The breezes and the sunshine,

And soft, refreshing rain.

Verse 2:

He only is the Maker

Of all things near and far;

He paints the wayside flower,

He lights the evening star.

The winds and waves obey Him,

By Him the birds are fed;

Much more, to us his children,

He gives our daily bread.

Verse 3:

We thank Thee then, O Father,

For all things bright and good;

The seedtime and the harvest,

Our life, our health, our food.

Accept the gifts we offer

For all Thy love imparts,

And, what Thou most desirest,

Our humble, thankful hearts.

Refrain:

All good gifts around us

Are sent from heaven above;

Then thank the Lord,

O thank the Lord

For all His love.

AMEN

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Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/e/weplowtf.htm

Low in the Grave He Lay

Sunrise has come to this Easter! Here is my favorite Easter hymn from childhood.......I especially liked the refrain; it actually has a rising melody!

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"Low In The Grave He Lay"

Words and music written by Robert Lowry(1826-1899) in 1874.

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Verse 1:

Low in the grave He lay,

Jesus my Saviour!

Waiting the coming day,

Jesus my Lord!

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Verse 2:

Vainly they watch His bed,

Jesus my Saviour!

Vainly they seal the dead,

Jesus my Lord!

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Verse 3:

Death cannot keep his prey,

Jesus my Saviour!

He tore the bars away,

Jesus my Lord!

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Refrain:

Up from the grave He arose!

With a mighty triumph o'er His foes!

He arose a victor from the dark domain,

And He lives forever

With His saints to reign!

He arose! He arose!

Hallelujah! Christ arose!

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Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/i/lintgrav.htm

Go To Dark Gethsemane

This painting of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane was often in my view when I was a kid. Whether it was in a Sunday School room at church, or at my grandma's house, I can't recall for sure. I only know that I stared at it often.

A quick internet search revealed that it was painted in 1890 by Heinrich Hofmann (1824-1911), of Germany. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., bought three of Hofmann's paintings of Christ, including this one, and hung them in Riverside Church in Manhattan, New York City, where they still are.

It would have been tonight, all those centuries ago, when Jesus, accompanied by Peter, James and John, went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray after the Last Supper. The disciples, of course, dozed off, and they are included in the background of the painting, I think.

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"Go To Dark Gethsemane"

Words by James Montgomery (1771-1854)

Tune by Richard Redhead (1820-1901)

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Verse 1:

Go to dark Gethsemane,

All who feel the tempter's power;

Your Redeemer's conflict see,

Watch with Him one bitter hour;

Turn not from His griefs away;

Learn from Jesus Christ to pray.

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Verse 2:

Follow to the judgment hall,

View the Lord of life arraigned;

Oh, the wormwood and the gall!

Oh, the pangs His soul sustained!

Shun not suffering, shame, or loss;

Learn from Him to bear the cross.

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Verse 3:

Calvary's mournful mountain climb;

There, adoring at His feet,

Mark that miracle of time,

God's own sacrifice complete.

"It is finished!" hear Him cry;

Learn from Jesus Christ to die.

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Verse 4:

Early hasten to the tomb

Where they laid His breathless clay;

All is solitude and gloom.

Who has taken Him away?

Christ is risen! He meets our eys.

Saviour, teach us so to rise.

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Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/o/gotodark.htm

The Ships Glide In

When I was young and would leaf through the hymnal pages when I should have been listening to the sermon, this hymn caught my eye. The words were intriguing and peaceful and didn't seem hymn-like to me. I would play it on the piano at home and sing it to myself. I don't remember ever singing it in church.

The author's name is Margaret E. Sangster and she wrote this in 1893. A search on the internet led to one of her poems, which I will post on my other blog, "Enlighten & Brighten".

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The Ships Glide In

Verse 1:

The ships glide in at the harbor's mouth,

And the ships sail out to sea,

And the wind that sweeps from the sunny south

Is sweet as sweet can be.

There's a world of toil and a world of pains,

And a world of trouble and care,

But oh in a world where our Father reigns,

There is gladness everywhere!

Verse 2:

The harvest waves in the breezy morn,

And the men go forth to reap;

The fullness comes to the tasselled corn,

Whether we wake or sleep.

And far on the hills by feet untrod

There are blossoms that scent the air,

For oh in this world of our Father, God,

There is beauty everywhere!

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Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/h/shipsgli.htm

Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire

This hymn beautifully attempts to define and describe the act of prayer. The words were penned by James Montgomery (1771-1854). My hymn devotional book by Kenneth W. Osbeck states "Though trained for the ministry, Montgomery spent his lifetime as a journalist and newspaper editor." On the side he wrote poetry and hymns.

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"Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire"

Verse 1:

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,

Uttered or unexpressed,

The motion of a hidden fire

That trembles in the breast.

Verse 2:

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,

The falling of a tear.

The upward glancing of an eye

When none but God is near.

Verse 3:

Prayer is the simplest form of speech

That infant lips can try;

Prayer, the sublimest strains

That reach the Majesty on high.

Verse 4:

The saints in prayer appear as one,

In word, in deed, and mind,

While with the Father and the Son

Sweet fellowship they find.

Verse 5:

No prayer is made by man alone,

The Holy Spirit pleads.

And Jesus, on the eternal throne,

For sinners intercedes.

Verse 6:

Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,

The Christian's native air;

His watchword at the gates of death;

He enters Heaven with prayer.

Verse 7:

O Thou by whom we come to God,

The Life, the Truth, the Way!

The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;

Lord, teach us how to pray!

AMEN

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This hymn brought to mind the words of Romans 8:26-27......"We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts know the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

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Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/r/prayeris/htm

My Faith Looks Up to Thee

Good news! Here is a hymn accepted for use in many denominations......"My Faith Looks Up to Thee". In our church service yesterday it was sung by the children's choir during the collection of the offering.

The words were penned in 1832 by Ray Palmer, a school-teacher who had recently graduated from Yale University, and had experienced a year of illness and loneliness. In his own words he relates, "The words for these stanzas were born out of my own soul with very little effort. I recall that I wrote the verses with tender emotion. There was not the slightest thought of writing for another eye, least of all writing a hymn for Christian worship. It is well-remembered that when writing the last line, 'Oh, bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!' the thought of the whole work of redemption and salvation was involved in those words, and suggested the theme of eternal praises, and this brought me to a degree of emotion that brought abundant tears."

The well-known tune to this hymn was written by Lowell Mason of Boston, Mass., whom the World Book Encyclopedia describes as "the first music teacher in American Public Schools". Lowell Mason was a friend of Ray Palmer and became famous as a composer and publisher of hymns.
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My Faith Looks Up to Thee

Verse 1:

My faith looks up to Thee,

Thou Lamb of Calvary,

Saviour divine!

Now hear me while I pray,

Take all my guilt away,

O let me from this day

Be wholly Thine!

Verse 2:

May Thy rich grace impart

Strength to my fainting heart,

My zeal inspire;

As Thou hast died for me,

O may my love to Thee

Pure, warm, and changeless be,

A living fire!

Verse 3:

While life's dark maze I tread,

And griefs around me spread,

Be Thou my Guide;

Bid darkness turn to day,

Wipe sorrow's tears away,

Nor let me ever stray

From Thee aside.

Verse 4:

When ends life's transient dream,

When death's cold sullen stream

Shall o'er me roll;

Blest Saviour, then in love,

Fear and distrust remove;

O bear me safe above,

A ransomed soul!

AMEN!

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Our Lutheran hymnal alters the title and first line to "My Faith Looks Trustingly", and uses "redeemed and free" in the last line in place of "a ransomed soul".

Link to Cyberhymnal: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/y/myfluptt.htm .

In Honor of St.Patrick's Day

Here's some Irish history put to verse, "Wearing of the Green" by Dion Boucicault. Found in an old paperback The New American Songbook, copyright 1933.

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Verse 1:

Oh! Paddy, dear, and did you hear

The news that's going round?

The shamrock is forbid by law

To grow on Irish ground.

Saint Patrick's day no more we'll keep;

His color can't be seen.

For there's a bloody law against

The Wearin' O' the Green!

I met with Napper Tandy

And he took me by the hand;

And he said "How's poor old Ireland,

And how does she stand?"

She's the most distressful country,

That ever you have seen.

They're hanging men and women there

For Wearing of the Green!

Verse 2:

Then since the color we must wear

Is England's cruel red;

Sure Ireland's sons will ne'er forget

The blood that they have shed.

You may take the shamrock from your hat

And cast it on the sod;

But 'twill take root and flourish still,

Though underfoot 'tis trod.

When law can stop the blades of grass

From growing as they grow;

And when the leaves in summertime

Their verdure dare not show;

Then I will change the color

I wear in my caubeen.

But 'til that day, I'll stick for aye

To Wearing of the Green!

Verse 3:

But if at last our color should

Be torn from Ireland's heart,

Her sons with shame and sorrow

From the dear old soil will part.

I've heard whisper of a country

That lies far beyond the sea,

Where rich and poor stand equal

In the light of freedom's day.

Oh, Erin, must we leave you,

Driven by the tyrant's hand?

Must we ask a mother's welcome

From a strange but happy land?

Where the cruel cross of England's thraldom

Never shall be seen.

And where, in peace, we'll live and die,

A Wearing of the Green!

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I couldn't find the definition of "caubeen" or "Napper". The word "thraldom" was unfamiliar to me; it means slavery, bondage, or servitude.

It's good to be reminded of one of the varied hardships which prompted so many to seek a new homeland in the United States of America.

Beautiful Garden of Prayer

This hymn is one my mom would often play on the piano, with all of us gathered around to sing along. I couldn't find it in any hymnals that I have here at home. A quick search on the internet led me to the "Cyberhymnal" website, which has lyrics and MIDI melodies to thousands of hymns, plus info on the writers and composers. It's a great site and I'm now including the link to it with each hymn on this blog.

"The Beautiful Garden of Prayer"

Words by Eleanor Allen Schroll

Verse 1:

There's a garden where Jesus is waiting,

There's a place that is wonderfully fair,

For it glows with the light of His presence.

'Tis the beautiful garden of prayer.

Chorus:

Oh, the beautiful garden, the garden of prayer!

Oh, the beautiful garden of prayer!

There my Savior awaits, and He open the gates

To the beautiful garden of prayer.

Verse 2:

There's a garden where Jesus is waiting,

And I go with my burden and care,

Just to learn from His lips words of comfort

In the beautiful garden of prayer.

Verse 3:

There's a garden where Jesus is waiting,

And He bids you to come, meet Him there;

Just to bow and receive a new blessing

In the beautiful garden of prayer.

Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/beautgar.htm .

Another hymn likening prayer to a garden is the following:

"In the Garden"

Words by C. Austin Miles

Verse 1:

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear,

Falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

Chorus:

And He walks with me,

And He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

Verse 2:

He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody

That He gave to me,

Within my heart is ringing.

Verse 3:

I'd stay in the garden with Him

Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go;

Through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling.

Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/g/itgarden.htm .

Because of singing these hymns as a small child, whenever I was out in our garden, I would imagine that Jesus was lingering nearby amongst the flowers. When I got older I realized that the garden was a metaphor for time spent in prayer. Tend your prayer garden today!

A Paul Gerhardt Hymn

I need to be fair about things and include a Lutheran hymn. A comment was made about the Lutheran hymnwriter Paul Gerhardt, who lived 1607-1676. Here is a comforting hymn written by him:

"Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadow"

Verse 1:

Now rest beneath night's shadow

The woodland, field, and meadow,

The world in slumber lies;

But thou, my heart, awake thee,

To prayer and song betake thee;

Let praise to thy Creator rise.

Verse 2:

The radiant sun hath vanished,

His golden rays are banished

By night, the foe of day;

But Christ, the Sun of gladness,

Dispelling all my sadness,

Within my heart holds constant sway.

Verse 3:

The rule of day is over

And shining jewels cover

The heaven's boundless blue.

Thus I shall shine in heaven,

Where crowns of gold are given

To all who faithful prove and true.

Verse 4:

To rest my body hasteth,

Aside its garments casteth,

Types of mortality;

These I put off and ponder

How Christ will give me yonder

A robe of glorious majesty.

Verse 5:

Lord Jesus, who dost love me

Oh, spread Thy wings above me

And shield me from alarm!

Though evil would assail me,

Thy mercy will not fail me:

I rest in Thy protecting arm.

Verse 6:

My loved ones, rest securely,

For God this night will surely

From peril guard you heads.

Sweet slumbers may He send you

And bid His hosts attend you

And through the night watch o'er your beds.

Go to www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/n/o/nowrestb.htm to hear the melody.

There is an article about Paul Gerhardt in this month's "Lutheran Witness" magazine. The history of the Reformation and doctrinal disagreements amongst the Reformers is so very interesting. According to the article, Lutheran and Calvinist pastors "attacked each other ferociously in their sermons" in the 1600's. I recently learned that the German Pietist group who settled the Amana Colonies in Iowa had emigrated from Germany to get away from being persecuted by "angry mobs of Lutherans". And later, groups of Lutherans came to America to avoid having to worship with the Reformed Church. In my opinion, neither side can absolutely prove from the Bible that their doctrine is completely correct on all points.