Faith

From my hymnal Lift Up Your hearts, (affiliate link) comes my hymn of the week My Jesus, I love thee.  I’ve known this hymn for a long time.  I was surprised to learn that it didn’t start out as a popular hymn.  Keep reading and you’ll learn what caused the change.  

Lyrics to My Jesus, I love Thee

My Jesus, I love Thee, I know Thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

I’ll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

In mansions of glory and endless delight,
I’ll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
I’ll sing with the glittering crown on my brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.

Author and History

 Will­iam R. Fea­ther­ston was only 16 years old when he penned this hymn.  Sometimes his name is spelled Featherstone.  Born in Montreal, Quebec he travelled to Toronto when he was 16 where he became a believer.  It is believed this Canadian wrote this hymn shortly thereafter. 

He sent the poem to his aunt who had it published as a hymn.  It wasn’t highly popular until evangelist Adoniram. J Gordon discovered the hymn.  He changed the tune of it, and ever since then, it’s been a favourite for many believers. 

Mr. Featherston lived 1846-1875, he died shortly before his 27th birthday.  He was married and had a son John.   We do not know much more about him.  This is the only hymn he wrote. 

Hymntime has an interesting story concerning this hymn. 

Scriptural Reference

I John 4:7-21

⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

……. ¹⁶ So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  ¹⁷ By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us……. ²¹ And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Thinking Deeper

What a call in this song isn’t there?  The call to have a love that is devoted to Christ.  A love so rich that nothing will stop it. 

I love the assurance that Featherston has eh?  The knowledge he has that he loves God because God first loved him.  This is such a grounding needed in our faith.  It feeds our ability to love God throughout our entire life and to praise him in all things. 

Do you know this Jesus?  Do you love him whole-heartedly and forever like Featherston did?   Ask questions if you want to know more. 

I Serve a Risen Saviour, is also known by the title He Lives.   It’s a wonderful song to sing at Easter, but it was next in my hymnal so I figured it’s good to be reminded of our risen saviour any day of the year.  

Lyrics

Author and History

Presbyterian minister, Alfred  Henry Ackley, was born in 1887 in Pennsylvania. His father taught him music before he headed off to the Royal Academy Music in London.   Later he studied for the ministry at Westminster Theological Seminary in Maryland.  

As an ordained Presbyterian pastor he served churches in Pennsylvania and California.   Over the course of his life, he wrote some 1500 songs, some religious, others not. Part of his ministry involved working with evangelists Billy Sunday and Homer Rodeheaver. 

He wrote this song in response to a sermon entitled He Lives. I pulled this quote from hymn stories. 

“Mr. Ackley’s forthright, emphatic answer, together with his subsequent triumphant effort to win the man for Christ, flowered forth into song and crystallized into a convincing sermon on ‘He Lives!’ His keenly alert mind was sensitive to suggestions for sermons, and sermons in song. In his re-reading of the resurrection stories of the Gospels, the words ‘He is risen’ struck him with new meaning. From the thrill within his own soul came the convincing song–‘He Lives!’ The scriptural evidence, his own heart, and the testimony of history matched the glorious experience of an innumerable cloud of witnesses that ‘He Lives,’ so he sat down at the piano and voiced that conclusion in song. He says, ‘The thought of His ever-living presence brought the music promptly and easily.'”

Thinking Deeper

Rev. Ackley wrote this song when inspired by a sermon.  Have you ever been so inspired?   Not maybe to write a sermon, but to really act on what you have heard.  I know of people who hear a sermon and then KNOW they need to go the mission field.  Sermons have inspired me to write letters.  But I wonder… should we leave services inspired to do, and to be MORE?   We’re hearing God’s word explained, we’re with his people, shouldn’t we always be inspired when we leave a church service?  To do good, to be better, to act for God in more ways, and to change wrong ways within? 

Oh boy, I played Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart before heading into London the day I wrote this and the tune was running through my head all afternoon. It’s not a bad thing at all, except I don’t know all the words so I found myself either repeating the same verse over and over again, or making up my own words.    Drives my hubby nuts when I do that, but you know what?  As long as you are praising the Lord does it matter if you using the words of the song or not?

Lyrics to Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart

Rejoice ye pure in heart;
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing;
Your glorious banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your king.

Refrain

Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice,
Give thanks and sing.

Bright youth and snow crowned age,
Strong men and maidens meek,
Raise high your free, exultant song,
God’s wondrous praises speak.

Refrain

Yes onward, onward still
With hymn, and chant and song,
Through gate, and porch and columned aisle,
The hallowed pathways throng.

Refrain

With all the angel choirs,
With all the saints of earth,
Pour out the strains of joy and bliss,
True rapture, noblest mirth.

Refrain

Your clear hosannas raise;
And alleluias loud;
Whilst answering echoes upward float,
Like wreaths of incense cloud.

Refrain

With voice as full and strong
As ocean’s surging praise,
Send forth the hymns our fathers loved,
The psalms of ancient days.

Refrain

Yes, on through life’s long path,
Still chanting as ye go;
From youth to age, by night and day,
In gladness and in woe.

Refrain

Still lift your standard high,
Still march in firm array,
As warriors through the darkness toil,
Till dawns the golden day.

Refrain

At last the march shall end;
The wearied ones shall rest;
The pilgrims find their heavenly home,
Jerusalem the blessed.

Refrain

Then on, ye pure in heart!
Rejoice, give thanks and sing!
Your glorious banner wave on high,
The cross of Christ your king.

Refrain

Praise Him who reigns on high,
The Lord whom we adore,
The Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
One God forevermore.

Author and History

Edward H Plumtre is the author of Rejoice ye pure in heart which was written in 1865.  The Peterborough Cathedral was hosting the  Pe­ter­bo­rough Cho­ral Fes­ti­val for which this hymn was written. 

Born in London in 1821, he became known as an excellent classical and biblical scholar.  He was well known within the church and the academic community.  Ordained within the Church of England he preached at Oxford and was a professor of pastoral theology at his alma mater King’s College. 

Rev. Plumtre was part of the committee that produced the Revised Version of the bible.  He was also a poet, hymnist, translator (from Greek and Latin classics) and author.   He passed away in 1891. 

Thinking about it

I was very surprised to see how many verses were actually written for Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart.   I grew up with the verses in purple, the hymnal I’m using only recognizes four verses. 

As I read through the verses I can really see the progression you know?  From youth to old, the pure in heart rejoicing in God.  It’s a good thing no?   Oh God is one to be praised!  Whether in good times or bad, he is worthy of all praise and glory.