Faith

Showing Hospitality

August 16, 2019 By Annette1 6 Comments

Hospitality is the word of the week over at Miss Kate’s. Come join us won’t you?

I am always amazed at people who can anticipate needs before they are even known. That is how I see the gift that showing hospitality is.

I know that everyone is responsible for all the gifts. God grants them to some believers as gifts, abilities that naturally flow out of the abundance of goodness he gives us. But just because some are granted a gift doesn’t mean that the rest of us can ignore them. They are all fruits of the spirit. They are all part of us in one measure or other.

So here I am… able to welcome people into my home but having to stop and think my way through what I need to do.

offer coffee or a drink.
have a treat on hand.
clean the house (or at least make the effort)
a place to sit
and the list goes on.

Hospitality doesn’t flow naturally out of me.

I go and visit my sister and this gift seems to flow out of her seamlessly. She’s learned well this art of meeting the needs of those visiting. Conversation is a given on a variety of topics. I’ve visited with members of our church and observed Mrs. S do the same. Comfortable, feel at home, meet your needs and conversation as naturally as breathing.

I talk myself through everything and limit the people who come into my house by request. People who just stop in have to take me as I am. 🙂 Outside my home I have no problems. I think less about offering to help or meet a need or offer support. Yet here, maybe hospitality?

I find it odd.

This dichotomy. The having to think it think it so much when people are over, yet if I am out visiting, helping, listening, providing comes naturally.

What makes the difference?

Jesus Paid It All

August 11, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

We sang a version of this old hymn in church today, I thought, since I hadn’t shared it before that today was a good day to do so. 🙂 Jesus Paid it All, this hymn fit well with learning the Easter story in the middle of summer. Without the action of Christ, our faith would be in vain.

This lovely hymn was written by Mrs. Elvina M. Hall who lived in Maryland. Written in 1865 Mrs Hall wrote the tune while listening to the pastor preach in Baltimore. She handed it to him at the close of the service and he paired it with a new tune his organist had played that morning. (source) The organist John Grape, had called his tune “All to Christ I owe”. Elvina was 45 years old at the time, married to Richard Hall. She later married again to Methodist minister, Thomas Meyers. She lived 1820-1899.

Lyrics to Jesus Paid It All

I hear the Savior say,
Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.

Refrain

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Refrain

And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Refrain

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Refrain

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
Jesus died my soul to save,
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

Refrain

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.

Refrain

All Glory, Laud, and Honour

August 4, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

All glory, laud, and honour is an old hymn dating back to the time of Charlemagne. I really like this song. It reminds me praise the Lord God for who he is and what he has done.

Theodulph of Orleans, circa 820 (Gloria laus et honor) is the origin author of All Glory Laud and Honour. It was translated from Latin to English by John M. Neale. Theodulph of Orleans was a bishop of Orleans and a member of Charlemagne’s court. Britannica has good information about him.

Lyrics

Refrain

All glory, laud and honor,
To Thee, Redeemer, King,
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou art the king of Israel,
Thou David’s royal Son,
Who in the Lord’s name comest,
The King and Blessèd One.

Refrain

The company of angels
Are praising Thee on High,
And mortal men and all things
Created make reply.

Refrain

The people of the Hebrews
With palms before Thee went;
Our prayer and praise and anthems
Before Thee we present.

Refrain

To Thee, before Thy passion,
They sang their hymns of praise;
To Thee, now high exalted,
Our melody we raise.

Refrain

Thou didst accept their praises;
Accept the prayers we bring,
Who in all good delightest,
Thou good and gracious King.

Refrain

Thy sorrow and Thy triumph
Grant us, O Christ, to share,
That to the holy city
Together we may fare.

Refrain

For homage may we bring Thee
Our victory o’er the foe,
That in the Conqueror’s triumph
This strain may ever flow.

Refrain

I know where I’m Going

July 28, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

Today I have an Irish melody for you! I know where I am going is a song I song more than a time or two in my life, but always in a lower key. 🙂

As to who wrote it, it’s a traditional hymn that one of my hymnbooks lists as Scottish in origin, and another lists as Irish. I’ve seen it both ways on-line as well. So your guess is as good as mine. 🙂

The words I have in this hymnal are different than the words of the videos I chose. So these might be completely different songs. I dunno. The lyrics follow along so run with it folks! 🙂

Lyrics

I know where I'm going, 
And I know who's going with me;
I know why there's music
In the quiet summer morning.

I found a wealth of gold
And of silver I have plenty
I found a light to guide me
When my way gets dark and gloomy

Where Are you going?
Who will walk beside you?
When the night is gloomy
Where is the light to guide you?

And where's your gold
and your sliver brightly shining?
Who writes the music
In the quiet summer morning?

I'm going where he goes
and He'll be there bedies me
The love for which he dies
Is all I need to guide me

And he's my gold 
And silver brightly shining
He writes the music
in the quiet summer morning!

I know where I"m going
but where are you going?

Surely Goodness and Mercy

July 21, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

Surely goodness and mercy is based on Psalm 23. It’s a bouncy fun song to sing. Join in won’t you? 🙂

John W. Peterson and Alfred B. Smith were friends who worked on this lovely song together. To learn the history of how it came to be GO HERE.

Lyrics

A pilgrim was I, and a wandering,
In the cold night of sin I did roam,
When Jesus the kind Shepherd found me,
And now I am on my way home.

Chorus:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life;
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life.

Verse 2:
He restoreth my soul when I’m weary,
He giveth me strength day by day;
He leads me beside the still waters,
He guards me each step of the way.

Verse 3:
When I walk through the dark lonesome valley,
My savior will walk with me there;
And safely His great hand will lead me
To the mansions He’s gone to prepare.

Chorus:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life;
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life.

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,
And I shall feast at the table spread for me;
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life.

Worship in Ancient Israel

July 18, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

Worship in Ancient Israel is important to understand. Understanding how worship happened helps to broaden our knowledge of God in action in the entirety of the Bible.

How Worship is Conducted

Worship in Ancient Israel from the time of Moses on moved from separate family worship to corporate worship. We see God dwelling among his people. He lived right among them talking with them. When they broke covenant with him he lived outside the camp for a while (Exodus 33).

The Tent of Meeting

The Tent of Meeting is where God met with his people. It was called several different things depending on how it was used.

The Tent of Meeting: God meeting with Israel by appointment.
Dwelling Place: God abiding with his people.
Holy Place: Places an emphasis on God’s holiness
Tent of Testimony: How God is active as a guide in the lives of his people.

The Tent became the Tabernacle

During the time of Solomon God’s dwelling place in the tent which could travel and move with his people became a permanent structure. The temple was a foreshadowing of God’s continued presence with his people. God’s dwelling place would be in the hearts of his people.

Creation of the Priesthood

Moses served as priest intervening as mediator between the people and God. Aaron later was given this responsibility. They stood in the gap between God and his people. Teaching them, helping them offer sacrifices and enabling them to understand God’s laws. We know in the New Testament that Jesus fulfilled the role of High Priest forever. Without understanding this role in the Old, we can’t grasp the significance in the New.

System of Sacrifices

There were SO many sacrifices. Daily, weekly, and annually.

Burnt offering: forgiveness for sins, devotion to God
Peace offering: Thanksgiving, fellowship,
Grain offering: Voluntary offering of devotion to God
Sin offering: For unintentional sin
Guilt offering: Making reparation for sin.

But the highlight of this system is the Day of Atonement. Two goats, one which was sacrificed for the sins of the people. The second was released into the wilderness where symbolically it carried away the sins of the people.

All these sacrifices didn’t really do anything, they were just symbolic of God’s relationship with his people, and their needful response to him. God removed the sin of his people and accepted the animal as a substitute. This points to the way to Jesus being accepted as substitute.

Everything in the Old Testament points the way to Jesus Christ. The People and their relationship to God, the sacrifices, the roles of the priests… it all points to Christ.

Others in this Series

Am I A Soldier Of the Cross?

July 14, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

This song popped out at me as I was leafing through another older hymnal that I was looking at. (see what tidying does for a body!). Oh.. it’s been fun this afternoon browsing and listening to songs of worship. Isaac Watts asks a good question in this hymn though: Am I a soldier of the cross?

Isaac Watts, born in 1647, is the author of Am I A Soldier of the Cross. He was born in England, son of a nonconformist father and became a nonconformist pastor. Being a nonconformist meant he didn’t belong to the Church of England.

He not only wrote hymns (for which is best known today) but also educational books covering geography, astronomy, philosophy and grammar. A inspiring pastor he preached at Mark Lane Independent. Poor health led him to live with the Abney’s in Herdfordshire for the remainder of his life.

Lyrics

Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.

Thy saints in all this glorious war
Shall conquer, though they die;
They see the triumph from afar,
By faith’s discerning eye.

When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thy armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.

Other Isaac Watts Songs

Faith

Showing Hospitality