Hymn: “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy” – Frederick W. Faber (1814-1863)
Typical Tunes: IN BABILONE,
COVERDALE, WELLESLEY
I think I would have enjoyed getting to know Fredrick Faber.
First of all, he was British, so I’m sure he was fascinating… had probably
visited Downton Abbey. He was a deep-thinking theologian, and his
thoughtfulness is obvious in a couple of his other hymns: “Faith of Our Fathers”
and “My God, How Wonderful Thou Art” for instance. I would love to have had tea
with him and been able to discuss theology!
This hymn overflows with pithy one-liners; it is packed full
of thought-out truths, versified for singing. The first stanza is worth the
price of ticket:
“There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, like the
wideness of the sea.
There’s a kindness in his justice
which is more than liberty.”
Woah! As I often say, “I wish I had written that!”
But today’s hymnline is so on-target and speaks such a loud
message to the church today… a century and a half later. The limiting of God’s
love is of our own doing; the boundless love which Scripture teaches has been
pulled back and boxed in by humankind, and exclusion has replaced inclusion.
This troubles me a lot… a whole lot! Where in Holy Writ do we find a teaching
of Jesus that tells us to draw a line outside which the love of God is not
available? I don’t find it.
This hymnline is followed by an even more cautionary
thought: “And we magnify his strictness
with a zeal he will not own.” Read that again and ponder for a moment those
times when we as individuals and congregations and denominations have made way
too much of the vengeful, angry, strict… even bullying… God, and forgotten to
magnify his loving, forgiving, grace-filled nature. We’ve done it (according to
Faber) with a fervor that God himself will not allow.
I know I’ve “gone to preaching” here, but this is one of my
tallest soapboxes! And this grand old long-dead English poet-theologian
verbalizes it so very, very well. If I had the opportunity to sit down to tea
with him, I think his spirit would agree with my spirit, and I’d have to say, “You
go, Fred!” He’d laugh, I’d blush – then we’d talk more about the nature of God
in Christ Jesus.
“Father, forgive us for magnifying your strictness when we
KNOW you are a merciful, kind, open-armed Deity. Teach us a lesson from this
hymnline. Amen.”
Sung by Young Men’s
Choir from England
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