Hymn: “Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above” – Johann J. Schutz (1640-1690);
translated by Frances E. Cox (1812-1897)
Typical Tune: MIT FREUDEN ZART
Faithless murmurs.
Would that be complaints? Methinks so.
Murmuring usually begins as a private indulgence, one in
which I mumble some discontent to myself. I lower my chin and speak into my
breastbone as if communicating only to myself. There’s a bit of a snarl in my
voice. [If you watch the television show THE MIDDLE, you can picture Brick Heck
doing this!]
Somehow after I have murmured to myself long enough, I
mumble my complaint to others, who in turn whisper into their chest and keep
the displeasure rolling. It becomes gossip and can transform into a cause. It
reminds me of that starter bread everyone was trying a few years ago;
eventually it seemed to get out of control in your refrigerator, so you had to
share it with someone else so their life would be overtaken by it!
It can easily become like kudzu with trees, hillsides, even buildings
consumed by the untamable green monster-plant!
The concern here is that these murmurs are faithless – not based in our
trust of the living, faithful God. These are opposite of our faith, even
untrue. They are contrary to our professed trust.
I’m pretty sure that faithless murmurs from within have
destroyed more congregations that just about anything.
So how do we avoid that kind of murmuring-to-the-point-of-obsession?
In this hymn-line, it is the salving of the soul – it’s the Vick’s VapoRub of
the spirit. I have to agree with Schutz here: my complaints are quieted – even silenced
– by the infilling of the prescription handed to me by Paul, a follower of the
Great Physician: “Be filled with the
Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) Ingest
constantly throughout the day until the symptoms subside. Consult Physician
regularly. Unlimited refills approved.
I haven’t used VapoRub in years, but I have a vivid memory
of the scent. I know that it warmed my chest as it worked its seeming
miracle-healing. The combination of the smell and the warming reminded me that
it was at work; I could have done without the aroma, but the warming was nice.
Kudzu cannot overtake the landscape without being planted or
allowed to grow. The same is true with our faithless
murmurs. Don’t even start! Instead, inhale once again the warming balm of
the Spirit of Christ in order to avoid that vicious cycle of murmur, turning to
gossip, finally into cause! The very living church of Christ is at stake.
PS – Johann Schutz eventually left the church, perhaps
because his discontent became unbearable. You’ll notice he lived to be only
fifty years old. Many times we hymn/song-writers put into our texts those weights which
so easily beset us in the race set before us; this may have been one of those
examples.
Listen to This Hymn from Coral Gables Presbyterian Church (2 stanzas only)
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