Faith Fulfilled By Works

A youthful owner of swine had a wealthy uncle. His uncle cribbed corn for the market. One day he told his nephew that he could have all the corn that he could carry in a blanket from the cribs, where the men were shelling, across the alley to the barn where the swine were kept. To his uncle’s surprise and delight, the boy took him at his word, and carried corn all day. The boy did this because he had faith in his uncle’s word. The nephew’s faith pleased him when he sow how much corn he had. It the boy had professed belief in his uncle’s promise without acting upon it, there would have been intellectual assent but no real faith.

This is a type of our relation to God. Faith takes God at his word. “His divine power hath given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness through the knowledge of Him who hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.” Every gift of God that we accept and use for Him is a new proof of our faith.

More Links To Faithfulness:

• Great Is Thy Faithfulness
• Faithfulness a Sermon
• Faithfulness Sermon Illustrations
• The God You Can Trust

God Surrounding The Soul

      Constant communion will surround us with an atmosphere through which none of the many influences which threaten our Christian life and our Christian work can penetrate. As the diver in his bell sits dry at the bottom of the sea, and draws a pure air from the free heavens far above him, and is parted from that murderous waste of green death that clings so closely round the translucent crystal walls which keep him sage, so we, enclosed in God, shall repel from ourselves all that would overflow to destroy us and our work, and may by His grace lay deeper than the waters some courses in the great building that shall one day rise, stately and many-mansioned, from out of the conquered waves. –Alexander McLaren.

Related articles

• Am I ~ A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional + Evangelical + Post/Protestant + Liberal/Conservative + Mystical/Poetic + Biblical + Charismatic/Contemplative + Fundamentalist/Calvinist + Anabaptist/Anglican + Methodist + Catholic + Green + Incarnation (footsoldiers4christ.wordpress.com)
• Wednesday, April 11, 2012 @ Psalms 42-44 (phyllisbenigas.wordpress.com)

Crown Him With Many Crowns

The eastern end of the chapel of Balliol College in Oxford. Seen from the top of the Sheldonian Theatre (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Godfrey Thring (25 March 1823 – 13 September 1903), was an Anglican clergyman and hymn writer.

Godfrey Thring was born at Alford, Somerset, the son of the rector, Rev. John Gale Dalton Thring and Sarah née Jenkyns. He was brother of Theodore Thring (1816–91), Henry, Lord Thring (1818–1907) (a noted jurist and Parliamentary Counsel to the Treasury), Edward Thring (headmaster of Uppingham School) and John Charles Thring (a master at Uppingham School and deviser of the Uppingham Rules), and two sisters. The family is commemorated in Alford Church by carved choir seats in the chancel and two memorial windows.

He was educated at Shrewsbury School and graduated in 1845 from Balliol College, Oxford with a BA. He was ordained in the Anglican Church. In 1858 his father united the benefices of Alford and Hornblotton by an Act of Parliament styled the “Thrings Estate Bill” and Godfrey became his father’s curate. He built Hornblotton Rectory for Godfrey in 1867.

Godfrey commissioned the architect Thomas Graham Jackson to build new churches at Hornblotton and Lottisham, and became, in Jackson’s words, “one of my best and most valued friends”. Jackson created for him a remarkable little church, rich in the Arts and Crafts style and strikingly decorated in sgraffito work.

Thring died in 1903 and was buried in Shamley Green, Surrey, England.

Thring’s poetry books include Hymns Congregational and Others, 1866; Hymns and Verses, 1866; Hymns and Sacred Lyrics, 1874, A Church of England Hymn-book Adapted to the Daily Services of the Church throughout the Year, 1880; and a revised Church of England Hymn Book in 1882.

He wrote many hymns including “The radiant morn has passed away” and “Fierce raged the tempest o’er the deep”. Although Matthew Bridges (1800–94) wrote the original verses to “Crown Him with Many Crowns”, Thring added more verses. It is possible they met but there is no record of them having done so. Both men are usually listed as the writers.

Crown Him with Many Crowns — Bridges (1851):

Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne;
Hark! how the heavenly anthems drowns
All music but its own:
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity.

Crown Him the Virgin’s Son!
The God Incarnate born,—
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
Which now His brow adorn!
Fruit of the mystic Rose
As of that Rose the Stem:
The Root, whence mercy ever flows,—
The Babe of Bethlehem!

Crown Him the Lord of peace!
Whose power a scepter sways,
From pole to pole,—that wars may cease,
Absorbed in prayer and praise:
His reign shall know no end,
And round His pierced feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown Him the Lord of love!
Behold His hands and side,—
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified:
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright!

Crown Him the Lord of years!
The Potentate of time,—
Creator of the rolling spheres,
Ineffably sublime!
Glassed in a sea of light,
Where everlasting waves
Reflect His throne,—the Infinite!
Who lives,—and loves—and saves.

Crown Him the Lord of heaven!
One with the Father known,—
And the blest Spirit, through Him given
From yonder triune throne!
All hail! Redeemer,—Hail!
For Thou hast died for me;
Thy praise shall never, never fail
Throughout eternity!

Crown Him with Many Crowns — Thring (1874):

Crown Him with crowns of gold,
All nations great and small,
Crown Him, ye martyred saints of old,
The Lamb once slain for all;
The Lamb once slain for them
Who bring their praises now,
As jewels for the diadem
That girds His sacred brow.

Crown Him the Son of God
Before the worlds began,
And ye, who tread where He hath trod,
Crown Him the Son of man;
Who every grief hath known
That wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own,
That all in Him may rest.

Crown Him the Lord of light,
Who o’er a darkened world
In robes of glory infinite
His fiery flag unfurled.
And bore it raised on high,
In heaven-in earth-beneath,
To all the sign of victory
O’er Satan, sin, and death.

Crown Him the Lord of life
Who triumphed o’er the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save;
His glories now we sing
Who died, and rose on high.
Who died, eternal life to bring
And lives that death may die.

Crown Him of lords the Lord,
Who over all doth reign
Who once on earth, the incarnate Word,
For ransomed sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light,
Where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night,
Their God, Redeemer, King.

Crown Him the Lord of heaven,
Enthroned in worlds above;
Crown Him the King, to whom is given
The wondrous name of Love,
Crown Him with many crowns,
As thrones before Him fall.
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns,
For He is King of all.

More links to “Crown Him With Many Crowns”

• “Crown Him With Many Crowns,” vocalists unidentified
• Micheal W. Smith sings “Crown Him With Many Crowns”
• “Crown Him With Many Crowns” Tenore
• Westminster Abbey, “Crown Him With Many Crowns”

More About Bridges:

• Story behind the song – “Crown Him with Many Crowns”

Related articles

• Crowned With Righteousness! (psalmsofpraisewomensministries.wordpress.com)
• For the Lord’s Day – Higher Ground (fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com)
• Crown Him! (str.typepad.com)
• The Church Universal on Easter (str.typepad.com)
• It Is Finished (pilgrimpassing.com)
• Worship the Risen Christ by John Piper (rodiagnusdei.wordpress.com)

“The Old Rugged Cross”

George Bennard (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“The Old Rugged Cross” is a popular Christian song written in 1912 by evangelist and song-leader George Bennard (1873-1958).

George Bennard, was a native of Youngstown, Ohio but was reared in Iowa. After his conversion in a Salvation Army meeting, he and his wife became brigade leaders before leaving the organization for the Methodist Church. As a Methodist evangelist, Bennard wrote the first verse of the gospel song, “The Old Rugged Cross” in Albion, Michigan, in the fall of 1912. Charles H. Gabriel, a well-known gospel-song composer helped Bennard with the harmonies. The completed version was first performed on June 7th, 1913, by a choir of five in Pokagon Michigan. Published in 1915, the song was popularized during Billy Sunday evangelistic campaigns by two members of his campaign staff, Homer Rodeheaver (who bought rights to the song for $500) and Virginia Asher, who were perhaps also the first to record it in 1921. The Old Rugged Cross uses a sentimental popular song form with a verse/chorus pattern in 3/4 time, and it speaks of the writer’s Christian experience rather than his adoration of God. Bennard retired to Reed City, Michigan, and the town maintains a museum dedicated to his life and ministry.

“The Old Rugged Cross” remains enormously popular and has been performed by some of the twentieth century’s most important recording artists, including: Al Green, Anne Murray, Brad Paisley, Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley, Floyd Cramer, George Jones, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Kevin Max, Mahalia Jackson, Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Ray Price, Ricky Van Shelton, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Statler Brothers, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, and George Beverly Shea. The song was also sung on “Gridlock,” an episode of the long-running sci-fi drama series Doctor Who.

Lyrics

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

More links about George Bennard:

• George Bennard 1873-1958
• Classical Hymns by George Bennard

Youtube video of “The Old Rugged Cross:”

• “The Old Rugged Cross” by Alan Jackson
• John Berry sings “The Old Rugged Cross”
• Brad Paisley sings “The Old Rugged Cross”
• “The Old Rugged Cross,” by Johnny Cash
• Lewis George performs “The Old Rugged Cross”

Related articles

• Miracles and Wonders Never Cease (churchpianoplayer.com)
• holding a nail… (trishborgdorff.wordpress.com)
• Sound Doctrine is a Must! (writethesongs101.wordpress.com)

Introduction to The 7 Days of Creation

Title: Introduction to The 7 Days of Creation

Subject: God created the world

Brief Description: Stories from the Bible that are adapted for specific age groups. (This is a common practice for children who do not read or who do not understand advanced vocabulary.)

Grade Level: preschool -2^nd grade

Goals/Objectives:

• Students will listen and respond to the story of creation derivative from the first chapter of Genesis. 
• Students will cut and paste images under specific categories discussed during the lesson.

Resources:

• A printed copy of this lesson plan by Charlotte M. Yonge
• A Bible

Supplies Per Student:

• Magazines and pictures for students to cut from that represent animals, people, places and things that were created by God
• Washable white glue or paste stick
• Age appropriate scissors (rounded edges, easy grip handles)
• Five 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of copy paper folded in half and stapled together to make a ten-page book per each student.

The Main Activity: Listening to a Bible Story

Biblical Reference: Genesis 1:1-31

First Reading:

In the Bible we are told how God made this earth we live on. Sunday is the earth’s birthday, for on the first day of the week the Creation began.

The world was all one mass dark, empty, and shapeless till God made the light by His Word, and said that the light was good. Without light we could not live: even the very trees and flowers would die. When we have been in the dark, how glad we are to see light come back, even if it be only one grey line beginning in the sky! This shows how blessed is this gift. It was good, too, that we should have quiet dark night for rest and stillness.

The second great change enclosed the earth in an outer ball of air, which we call the sky or firmament. That is the deep blue into which we look up and up. The water rises up from the earth and makes the clouds that take such strange shapes, sometimes dark and full of rain to water the earth, sometimes shining white, or pink and golden with morning or evening light.

The third great change was, that water filled the deep hollows of the earth, while the hills rose up dry above them, with rivers and streams running down their slopes into the deep seas below. God did not leave the land bare and stony: He clothed it with green fresh plants and herbs, with leaves and flowers, and trees to give us their fruit or their wood, and filled even the sea with plants formed to live under water.

Questions:

1. Who made the world?
2. What was the first thing that God made?
3. What is the book from the Bible that tells us about how the earth was made?

Quick Assessment: Observe and listen for understanding and general happiness among student participants. Encourage students to listen to the story as it progresses so that they will know the answers to your questions when you ask. This is an important technique used in classrooms everywhere that promotes comprehension in children. Take your time with the technique and make sure all of your students learn “how” to listen carefully. Smile as you go.

Second Reading:

Next, God allowed the rays of the sun to gladden the earth, and let it see the moon lighted up by the sun, as well as the stars far beyond our firmament.  We count the months by the changes in the moon; and our earth s journey round the sun marks our years and seasons. We all rejoice in a bright sunny day, though the sun is too bright and glorious for us to bear to gaze at him; and how lovely the moon looks, either as a young crescent, or a beautiful full moon!

The waters began to be full of live things, that swam, or crept, or flew; fishes, and birds, and insects. By that time this world was nearly as we see it, and a beautiful home for us to live in. Then God made the four-footed beasts sheep and cows, horses, dogs, cats, elephants, lions all that we use or admire; and, last of all, when He had made this earth a happy, healthy place, He planted the Garden of Eden, and put in it the first man and woman, the best of all that He had made; for though their bodies were of dust, like those of the beasts, yet their souls came from the Breath of God. They could think, speak, pray, and heed what is unseen as well as what is seen.

Questions:

1. What is there in the sky that God made?
2. What is there on the earth?
3. What do you see round you that He made?
4. Can we make birds, or beasts, or flowers?
5. Or could we make them live?
6. Who makes them and us live?
7. Where does all our food come from?
8. Who gave us corn?
9. What must we ask God to do for us?
10. What must we thank Him for?
11. Do you not think it would be pleasant to whisper to yourself, when you see a pretty flower, or a beautiful sky, or when the sun shines bright and warm, “Thank you God for being so good to me”?

Quick Assessment: Observe and listen for understanding and general happiness among student participants. Encourage students to listen to the story as it progresses so that they will know the answers to your questions when you ask. This is an important technique used in classrooms everywhere that promotes comprehension in children. Take your time with the technique and make sure all of your students learn “how” to listen carefully. Smile as you go.

Supporting Activity: Students will cut and paste pictures that represent all that God created in the first chapter of Genesis. Teachers should cut and paste or write by hand the Bible memory verse for this lesson on the front cover of each student’s booklet. Teacher’s may choose to number the order of the pages to correspond to the days of creation.

Step-by-step:

1. Welcome the students into your room with warm smiles and enthusiasm.
2. Seat students on a large area rug along with Sunday school volunteers.
3. Sit on a low stool or chair and hold a Bible opened to the book of Genesis. Tell the children that the story your going to share comes from the Bible.
4. Give the first reading. Make eye contact frequently with every child and smile. Ask the first set of questions and wait patiently for young students to respond.
5. Give the second reading by the same method.
6. Gather children around a low table to cut and paste the pictures representing the days of creation from the story after passing out the blank books one per child.
7. If the students are very young you may not choose to remind them of the specific days or order of creation. Students in older grade levels should be able to remember more specific information.  It is up to the Sunday school teacher to assess the aptitude of her students during the readings in order to determine how much of the story students have retained.
8. Remind the children that their memory verse is included with their book so that their parents may “listen” to their own accounts of the lesson while looking at their new book.
9. Close the lesson with the prayer included below.

Closing Activity: Prayer Time

There are many, many lessons to be learnt from this wonderful story. Let us try to take home one of them:

 “Father let the ground below, the light above, the sky and sea, the sun and moon, the trees and flowers, the birds and beasts, and Your holy day of rest,  remind us that they come from You. Help us to be very thankful for all the wonderful parts of creation that You have blessed us with. Amen”

Memory Work:

” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

More Introductory Lessons to The Creation Story:

• Book of Genesis: Chapter 1
• Creation Resource from akidsheart