Nothing but ...

1) What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain: Oh! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2) For my pardon this I see --
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing, this my plea --
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

3) Nothing can for sin atone --
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done --
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

4) This is all my hope and peace --
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness --
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain

This hymn was written by Robert Lowry (1826-1899). Lowry was a pastor in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. He also was a professor of literature. Wrote hymns, some alongside Fanny Crosby. He did many things. For this hymn, he wrote the words and the music. Apparently, he kept things simple (I'm not musically inclined enough to comment, but William Peterson is, and that's who I'm getting this from.) This hymn has a five note range, with two notes for the base singers. Guitar players work with just two chords. Perhaps he is indicating the simplicity of salvation. There can be no other outside the blood of Jesus.

Generally, I'm hesitant to embrace simplistic hymns. There are some more contemporary hymns that are nothing but a chorus. "Praise teams" just play it straight for ten minutes in a bid for an emotional reaction. It's kind of like how pop-songs just repeat the same thing over and over again so it will get stuck in your head and you can never, EVER get it out. Does it make a great song? No, it's just a money-making song that fills the empty space in the short car trip to the store. Some contemporary worship songs are kind of like that. Repeating "Hallelujah" for six minutes and forty three seconds can be great while waiting to get to the pastoral prayer, but why are you singing "hallelujah"? If you're singing just the chorus of a Christianized Jeff Buckley cover of a Leonard Cohen song, you have no idea. You'll feel great about it, but no idea why you are feeling great. That's just an emotional high, it isn't really worship.

This song, even though simple, actually progresses. The first stanza asks how we are saved. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. The second stanza asks where we turn to be saved. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. The third stanza, what do I contribute to my own salvation? Nothing! but the blood of Jesus. The fourth, by what is that salvation secured. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Simple? Yes. Vapid? No. This is a great teaching hymn. We are saved by Christ alone. It's one of the five "Solae." Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, Grace Alone, Glory to God Alone. This hymn is looking directly at what Christ did for His people and is returning thanks. All of salvation is gained by Christ alone in the gospel.

Lord of Heaven and Earth And Sea

Today's hymn was written by Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885). Christopher was the nephew of another famous Wordsworth, William. Both Wordsworth loved creation. They marveled at the beauty and the glory that is found in nature. It is an easy thing to do. Everyone has a favorite place to go when they want to get away for a while. I myself prefer the mountains, especially during the fall. Looking at the leaves as they are changing color has a very calming effect on me. There isn't a prettier place to take a drive. With the Wordsworths, they looked at nature and where inspired to write poetry. William loved nature for nature's sake. He worshiped the beauty of the mountain and the bubbling sound of the rivers. Christopher looked at the same things and saw the hand of the Creator at work. For him, nature pointed to something greater than itself. Thus, he wrote the hymn "O Lord of Heaven and Earth and Sea."

This hymn has excellent progression. The first stanza asks how we may worship. The second points to the praise that creation heaps upon the Creator. The third focuses on humanity and why it should give thanks. The fourth gives praise for the redeeming love of Jesus. And the last acknowledges that, apart from God, we have nothing. The Lord provides so that we all may live. There is nothing we have that has not been given to us by Him. This is beautiful hymn that gives thanks that we are in His hands.

1) O Lord o heaven and earth and sea,
To Thee all praise and glory be!
How shall we show our love to Thee,
Who givest all?

2) The golden sunshine, vernal air,
Sweet flowers, and fruit Thy love declare;
When harvests ripen, Thou art there,
Who givest all.

3) For peaceful homes and healthful days,
For all the blessings earth displays,
We owe Thee thankfulness and praise,
Who givest all.

4) For souls redeemed, for sins forgiven,
For means o grace and hopes of heaven:
What can to Thee, O Lord, be given,
Who givest all?

5)To Thee, from whom we all derive 
Our life, our gifts, our power to give:
O may we ever with Thee live,
Who givest all!

Unfortunately, I could not find a good recording of it. Here is a congregation singing just a couple of the stanzas.  If/when I find something better, I will post it.

Mystery of God

So, I'm Presbyterian, which is really more of a statement on church government than it is on theological beliefs.  It got it's start in Scotland where John Knox fueled a reformation. There are many things that Presbyterians do well. They're known for teaching, church discipline, and no one runs a committee system like Presbyterians do. There are some things that Presbyterians are less known for; for instance, talking about the Holy Spirit. Of course, all generalities have their exception. I've known some Presbyterians to speak very eloquently about the nature of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is often referred to by the church fathers as the Mystery of God. This is due mainly to the fact that the Holy Spirit shines the light on the other two persons of the Trinity. His purpose is to illuminate and reveal and apply grace to us. That's a brief summation, I don't think I could accomplish in a blog illuminating the role of the Holy Spirit. He is equally magnificent and powerful as the Father and the Son.

If you haven't guessed by now, I'm listening to a hymn which focuses on the third person of the Trinity. The hymn is called "Come, Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove," written by Simon Browne. Browne wrote because that helped him learn better than experiential methods. Possibly Browne's biggest trial is when he defended himself against a highwayman. In self-defense, Simon Browne killed his attacker. This weighed heavily on his soul as he was convinced he was guilty of murder. Yet he still wrote hymns and prayers to the Lord. Here are the lyrics to this one concerning the Holy Spirit.

1) Come, gracious Spirit, heav'nly Dove,
With light and comfort from above;
Be Thou our Guardian, Thou are Guide;
O'er ev'ry thought and step preside.

2) To us the light of truth display,
And make us know and choose Thy way;
Plant holy fear in ev'ry heart,
That we from God may ne'er depart.

3) Lead us to holiness, the road 
Which we must take to dwell with God;
Lead us to Christ, the living way;
Nor let us from His pastures stray.

4) Lead us to God, our final rest,
To be with Him forever blest;
Lead us to heav'n, its bliss to share,
Fullness of joy forever there.

A bit behind

Alright, so I went to North Carolina this weekend and visited my Aunt. I didn't do any hymns, so I need to catch up.  I'm okay with that because it means more music. To begin with, we have Charles Wesley.  I've gone to him before which is fine because he wrote a lot of hymns. Sixteen of which come from Leviticus.  Now, Leviticus is one of those books in the Bible. It's a book people try to avoid, or if they are planning to read through the whole Bible, they quit at Leviticus. Not a lot of stories in Leviticus and a whole bunch of rules that seem a little pointless at this point (they're not, they just seem that way at first glance). Wesley, while reading through Leviticus, was inspired by Matthew Henry's commentary.  Leviticus 8:35 states, "Keep the charge of the LORD, that ye die not," of which Matthew Henry writes, "We have every one of us a charge to keep, an eternal God to glorify, an immortal soul to provide for, a needful duty to be done, our generation to serve, and it must be our daily care to keep this charge, for it is the charge of the Lord our Master, who will shortly call us to an account about it, and it is our utmost peril if we neglect it." With that, Charles Wesley wrote, "A Charge To Keep I Have."

1) A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify,
A never-dying soul to save,
And fir it for the sky.

2) To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill;
O may it all my powers engage 
To do my Master's will!

3) Arm me with jealous care,
As in Thy sight to live,
And O, Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give!

4) Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely,
Assured if I my trust betray,
I shall forever die.

Here's a moving Gospel rendition of the hymn.

Or if you are into '80s rock praise music

If you are interested in Leviticus, I highly recommend listening to Jeff's Ferguson sermon series.  It gives wonderful insight into an often misunderstood book of the Bible. Here is the first of five parts he did at a conference. Check it out.