Monday, October 02, 2006
'God of Grace and God of Glory'
One of the things I've rediscovered in my renewed church life is an appreciation for the wisdom and grace and worship in the great hymns. We sang this Harry E. Fosdick hymn yesterday at church.
We can argue over the details, but I think all Christians of all stripes can agree that God's grace, no matter how we all slice it, is and has always been misunderstood, misapplied and misused -- and opposed.
But I think we can all join in the spirit of this hymn, in seeking God's especial help "for the facing of this hour" -- whether our tests be those extremists from without who would sweep Christianity from the face of the earth in the name of Allah, or the extremists within our own tent who would answer violence with violence, not in desperation with weeping and in repentence, but in misplaced pride, bravado and Jesus jingoism.
--ER
God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.
Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.
Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.
Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.
Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.
We can argue over the details, but I think all Christians of all stripes can agree that God's grace, no matter how we all slice it, is and has always been misunderstood, misapplied and misused -- and opposed.
But I think we can all join in the spirit of this hymn, in seeking God's especial help "for the facing of this hour" -- whether our tests be those extremists from without who would sweep Christianity from the face of the earth in the name of Allah, or the extremists within our own tent who would answer violence with violence, not in desperation with weeping and in repentence, but in misplaced pride, bravado and Jesus jingoism.
--ER
God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.
Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.
Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.
Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.
Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.
Comments:
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Harry Emerson Fosdick, it has been a while since I heard that name. The last time I heard it was in the late 1980's as the Southern Baptist Convention was disassembling.
Fosdick in his way was up to his neck in the Baptist Fundamentalism versus Liberal fight.
Here is an excerpt from his sermmon "Will the Fundamentalist Win?"
"Nevertheless, it is true that just now the Fundamentalists are giving us one of the worst exhibitions of bitter intolerance that the churches of this country have ever seen. As one watches them and listens to them he remembers the remark of General Armstrong of Hampton Institute, “Cantankerousness is worse than heterodoxy.” There are many opinions in the field of modern controversy concerning which I am not sure whether they are right or wrong, but there is one thing I am sure of: courtesy and kindliness and tolerance and humility and fairness are right. Opinions may be mistaken; love never is."
The sermon was from 1922. As they say down in Tillman County, "What goes around comes around." Or as Mark Twain said, "History does not repeat itself, but it does ryhme."
Fosdick in his way was up to his neck in the Baptist Fundamentalism versus Liberal fight.
Here is an excerpt from his sermmon "Will the Fundamentalist Win?"
"Nevertheless, it is true that just now the Fundamentalists are giving us one of the worst exhibitions of bitter intolerance that the churches of this country have ever seen. As one watches them and listens to them he remembers the remark of General Armstrong of Hampton Institute, “Cantankerousness is worse than heterodoxy.” There are many opinions in the field of modern controversy concerning which I am not sure whether they are right or wrong, but there is one thing I am sure of: courtesy and kindliness and tolerance and humility and fairness are right. Opinions may be mistaken; love never is."
The sermon was from 1922. As they say down in Tillman County, "What goes around comes around." Or as Mark Twain said, "History does not repeat itself, but it does ryhme."
# posted by 
: 7:48 PM
: 7:48 PM 
I always loved the song Gloria....it always makes me cry.
(christmas songs arent just for christmas sometimes)
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(christmas songs arent just for christmas sometimes)
# posted by : 9:55 PM
: 9:55 PM << Home
