Our Coptic Brethren

Today I'm listening to a Coptic hymn called "Hos Erouf."  I'm not really sure what it means, the closest I can find is the translation "Praise Him and exalt Him forever." I think that is a good thing to sing.  The Coptic church is an old denomination.  I believe they trace their roots to the church in Alexandria, one of the five patriarchs of the early Church (Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria.)  Traditionally, it's held that Mark brought the Gospel to Egypt in 42 A.D. Like the Pope tracing his lineage to Peter in the Vatican See, Pope  Theodoros II is the 118th Pope of Aleandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark (If you're trying to do the math, that's about 17 years per Pope).  Early on, the Coptic church faced severe persecution.  The worst was from Diocletian who ordered churches to be destroyed and scripture to be burned.  He also imprisoned, tortured, and killed the laity.  (Fun Fact: Coptic Church calendar doesn't count to the birth of Christ but the beginning of Diocletian's reign [284], so this year is 1731 Anno Martyrum).  Right now, about 10% of Egyptians are Coptic Orthodox.  They are minorities in a predominantly Islamic society.

Famous saints within the Coptic Church: Clement of Alexandria, who wrote the three major works Protrepticus (Exhortation), Paedagogus (Tutor), and Stromata (Miscellanies). Origen, who was very influencial in his writings (some now frowned upon). St. Athanasius, who had a big hand in Council of Nicea (325 AD). And St. Cyril, the great theologian who opposed Nestorius. (Nestorious argued for the separation of Christ's humanity from his divinity, which is bad.  Christ's sacrifice on the cross and subsequent resurrection is only redeeming if He is both fully human and fully God.)  The Coptic believers are also the group that gave the Christian world monasticism.  Views on monasticism vary greatly, but no one can deny that Christian monks have been very important in upholding the faith through dire times.

I remember one day, while I was living in State College, PA, I was having a very bad day.  Duke lost a basketball game, Alabama lost in the Iron Bowl, and App State was eliminated from the playoffs (You can imagine the rarity in which something like this happens).  I was complaining about my horrendous day to a friend, who politely reminded me that she was a cancer survivor (She's a strong woman).  Egg on my face (In truth, I was too stubborn to feel bad then, but I certainly felt guilty afterward. I'm a terrible sinner). I feel similar comparing the struggles of the Church in America with our brothers across the sea.  They have gone through some very trying times and it has only made their faith in Christ stronger.  Now I'm not saying that the American Church struggles are trivial, but we need to keep perspective.  We know scoffing and scorn; they are familiar with persecution.  So while we face our own struggles, we should also give thanks that we live in a place where we can worship freely.   We should also remember the Coptic Christians in our prayers as they stand on the Gospel against people who are actively trying to end their beliefs.

The Wondrous Cross

1) When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

2) Forbid it, Lord that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most - 
I sacrifice them to His blood.

3) See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

{Fun Fact: This next verse is often omitted in print, a tradition that started with George Whitfield. It is pretty graphic.}

4) His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o'er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

5) Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

So it took me 17 days to get to a hymn by Isaac Watts.  My fault.  "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" carries the reputation of the greatest hymn in the English language.  Watts, the "Father of English Hymnody" wrote this hymn to go with a communion service.  Part of Watts' pastoral ministry is that he would simply write hymns for worship to go along with his sermons or whatever the church was doing.  This was radical at the time.  Most worship up in reformed churches consisted of just singing the Psalms (At some point, I'm sure I will talk about the Regulative Principle of Worship, just not today).  Still, can you imagine your pastor saying, "To go with the sermon I wrote this week, we are going to sing these hymns I also wrote this week." Charles Wesley reportedly stated that he would have given up all his other hymns to have written this one.  It's such a beautiful hymn that nails the essence of Christianity.  Rich in imagery, rich in love, rich in worship.  I really don't have anything to add or commentary to make. I just want to listen and sing.

Here are a few links to listen to:
Here is the Hour of Power Nordic Choir
Here is a solo performance by Kathryn Scott
Here is an acapella version by a Lutheran Quartet

My God is Right

1) Whate'er my God ordains is right,
Holy His will abideth.
I will be still whate'er He does
And follow where He guideth.
He is my God, 
Though dark my road.
He holds me that I shall not fall
Wherefore to Him I leave it all.

This is a hymn by Samuel Rodigast (1669-1708).  He was vice-principal and a director of a school in Berlin and never changed his job even though more prestigious positions were offered.  I think it makes sense that a guy who wrote a hymn titled, "Was Gott tut, das ist wolhgetan" (What God does, is well done) would be content with where the Lord placed him.  We are an ambitious nation, seeking things that are bigger and better.  Bigger and better doesn't always come, nor do we always need bigger and better.  Here is a link to enjoy this tune.

2)  Whate'er my God ordains is right,
He will never deceive me
He leads me by the proper path,
I know He will not leave me
I take, content,
What He hath sent
His hand can turn my griefs away
And patiently I wait His day.

I remember watching an interview between four comedians. Jerry Seinfeld, Louis C.K., Chris Rock, and Ricky Gervais were all talking about their thoughts and philosophy on comedy.  Listening to four masters of anything is insightful and a learning experience.  One thing that really stood out was Chris Rock explaining why he hammers the premise of his jokes. Without the premise, the bit fails.  In "Whate'er My God Ordains is Right," Rodigast hammers the premise.  Each verse begins with that line. Verse 1, Whatever my God ordains is right, therefore He leads me. Verse 2, Whatever my God ordains is right, therefore I trust in Him. Verse 3, Whatever my God ordains is right, therefore I am comforted by Him.  Verse 4, Whatever my God ordains is right, therefore no matter what happens, I surrender to Christ.

3) Whate'er my God ordains is right,
Though now this cup in drinking
May bitter seem to my faint heart,
I take it all unshrinking
My God is true,
Each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart
And pain and sorrow shall depart.

The third stanza contains my favorite line.  "Though now this cup in drinking / may bitter seem to my faint heart, / I take it all unshrinking"  The world knocks us back.  Sometimes we recover quickly, rolling with the punches.  Other times it takes time to recover.  It's painful.  Rodigast knows this, but because God is true, his faith does not quiver.  Our hearts are restored by His grace, and even though we may not always see our Savior, He is always there.

4) Whate'er my God ordains is right, 
Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine,
Yet I am not forsaken
My Fathers care
Is round me there
He holds me that I shall not fall
And so to Him I leave it all.

In this last verse, Rodigast surrenders everything to the Lord. Why? Because everything God ordains is right. The hymnist acknowledges that it doesn't make life easy.  What it does do is provide people with rest and salvation.  If God is ever wrong, then Jesus does not live a perfect life.  If Jesus does not live a perfect life, His death on the cross doesn't pay for our sins.  However, God is always right, and we have refuge in Him.  How wonderful is that?

Glorious Things

Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God:
He whose word cannot be broken
Formed thee for His own abode:
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's wall surrounded,
Thou may'st smile at all thy foes.

See, the streams of living waters, 
Springing from eternal love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove.
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace which, like the Lord, the Giver,
Never fails from age to age!

Round each habitation hovering,
See the cloud and fire appear

For a glory and a covering,
Showing that the Lord is near!
Thus deriving form their banner
Light by night and shade by day,
Safe they feed upon the manna
Which He gives them when they pray.

This hymn by John Newton happened to be Stonewall Jackson's favorite.  One morning in Shenandoah Valley, Jackson woke his tired soldiers by singing this hymn.  Unfortunately, as great a general Jackson was, he was that poor a singer.  So, the day after a 52 mile march, soldiers had to awake to this hymn, only off-key with a voice that could not fine a tune.  Of course, Austrians know this Franz Haydn tune for years, using it as their national anthem before WWII.

Again, I'm looking at a hymn that finds refuge in the Lord.  I absolutely love the last stanza.  "Thus deriving from their banner/ Light by night and shade by day, / Safe they feed upon the manna / Which He gives them when they pray."  The Lord gives us the things we need.  It may not be the things we want, but we are never out from under God's banner.  In the depths of our sin, the Lord lights the way to Him.  The Lord sustains His people.  Usually, it is when I try to sustain myself that I get into trouble.  But, despite of that, the Lord is amazingly good to me.  So, I love this hymn.  It fulfills the promise of the title, by speaking glorious things of the Lord.  

How Great

So today I'm listening to one of the most popular hymns around.  "How Great Thou Art" started as a Swedish poem by Carl Boberg called "O Store Gud."  A couple of years later, Boberg was somewhat surprised to find the poem put to an old Swedish folk tune.  I can only imagine that reaction.  Go to a church to worship, start singing, then realize, "Hey wait a minute. I wrote this."  The version of the hymn that we have come to know and love was composed by Stuart Hine in the 1920's.  After hearing a Russian version in Poland, where Hine was ministering, the missionary decided to compose an English version to fit the Swedish melody.  So now, the first three stanzas are actually written by Hine while he was being inspired by the Carpathian mountains.  I'll link two performances.  The first is pretty low key straight forward recording.  The second is a performance by Vince Gill and Carrie Underwood.  It's a well known performance.  The cynic in me wants to dislike the combination of a hymn with a CBS special meant to draw in money.  But then I realize that hundreds of thousands of people saw and heard a beautiful song that glorifies the Lord.  I'm certain the stand up applause is more for Underwood's performance than it is for the song selection, but it says loads about Underwood that she would do this.  In song, she presented the Gospel to over a million people.  Talk about using your gifts to glorify God!  Absolutely amazing.  Here are the lyrics to sing along.

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,

Chorus:  Then sings my soul, My Savior, God, to Thee:
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, My Savior, God, to Thee;
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,

Chorus

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin,

Chorus

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God how great Thou art!

Chorus

Paul writes in Romans, "For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world" (Rom. 1:20).  Creation moves us. It is inspirational.   Creation can be so overwhelming that we are tempted to worship it.  That's what paganism is.  It is a worship of the creation rather than the Creator.  It is an easy sin to which I can fall prey, yet what should not be forgotten is that nature speaks to God's divinity.  Hine saw beautiful mountains and looked heavenward. When we hear the rolls of the waves or walk in a field of flowers, we are among God's luscious hand-crafted work.  So, with this hymn in mind, next time I stop and smell the roses, not only will I enjoy the fragrance, I will praise God for making a beauty that smells so sweet.

Be Bold

1) Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God's command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
All hail to Daniel's Band!

Chorus: Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!

2) Many mighty men are lost,
Darling not to stand,
Who for God had been a host, 
By joining Daniel's Band!

Chorus

3) Many giants, great and tall, 
Stalking thro' the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel's Band!

Chorus

4) Hold the gospel banner high!
On to vict'ry grand!
Satan and his host defy,
And shout for Daniel's Band!

In The Complete Book of Hymns, Bill Peterson tells the story of two British missionaries in China seeing how much missionary work had been done there.  In one city, they find a boy singing this Philip Paul Bliss' hymn.  They see this boy sing the hymn at the top of his lungs when the kid stops next to a peanut vendor and says, "Did you know there is only one God and one Lord Jesus Christ?" "No" replied the vendor.  "It's true," returned the boy.  Then the child just kept walking down the street singing this song.

When I started with RUF, the RUF committee (I'm Presbyterian, everything has a committee, sometimes two) charged me to be bolder with the Gospel.  It was something I needed to hear.  One of my (many) problems is my confidence comes and goes.  There are days in which I'm down right cocky.  I think I'm right and no one else could possibly come close.  If Everest was next to me, I would go climb it ... I would boast about how I would climb it.  There are other days in which I'm very self conscious and am keenly aware of my failings.  If ministry and evangelism were based solely on self-confidence, I'm sure it would be a terribly inconsistent endeavor. Fortunately, Christians are asked to have faith, confidence in the Gospel, not themselves.  It is the Rock that allows preachers give sermons that shake their congregation.  The Gospel let's me tell people that they need Jesus because the Gospel showed me how much I need Jesus.  To know that I have the same Savior that allowed Daniel to stand in fire emboldens and encourages my soul so that I can proclaim the one true Savior.  No matter what happens to me, the Lord will never let me or any of His children go.  How can we not boldly proclaim such love?  It is as Jesus told His disciples, "And when they bring you before synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say" (Luke 12:11-12).  So, today I pray that Holy Spirit continues to teach me boldness and the right things to say.

Praise Him!

So I was planning on using a children's hymn today, but in lieu of the sermon this morning, I'm listening to Fanny Crosby's "Praise Him! Praise Him!"  Born Frances Jane Van Alstyne, Fanny Crosby went blind not long after birth.  That didn't prevent her from writing a lot of hymns.  Accroding, Armin Haessler, she wrote 8,440 of them.  That's enough hymns to earn her the name "Queen of Gospel Song Writers" and "Mother of Modern Congregational Singing in America."  That second one isn't very pithy.  Here's a link to the hymn to listen to while reading the lyrics.

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! hail, Him!  highest archangels in glory;
Strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd Jesus will guard His children,
In His arms He carries them all day long:

Chorus: Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness; 
Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins He suffered, and bled and died;
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows;
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep and strong: 

Chorus

Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heav'nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
Crown Him! crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
Pow'r and glory unto the Lord belong:

Chorus

William Peterson notes in The Complete Book of Hymns, "It's hard to find a hymn richer in praise and joy.  Jesus is hailed as Rock, Redeemer, Prophet, Priest, and King.  But just when we begin to think He's so excellent that He's out of reach, we see him as a Shepherd, carrying his little ones in his arms."  Frankly, these are all reason to praise the Lord.  Rev. Mizelle preached this morning on Psalm 150 which very much says "Praise Him!"  I imagine it was a tough sermon to preach as it was very convicting and had a strong message concerning worship.  One point that has lingered with me throughout the day is that if one is to really praise God in church, they cannot be concerned with what others think.  Raising the hands, clapping, and even dancing are fine.  God's glory should stir a reaction out of us.  If not, then there is something wrong.  However, especially in church or in a worship service, the direction of thought needs toward the Gospel and should not concern what other folks are thinking of us.  Our focus, my focus, needs to be on the Rock, Redeemer, Prophet, Priest, King, and Shepherd.