Tune: HE LIFTED ME
Remember those claw-machines in game arcades? You insert coins and manipulate a metal grabbing device to hopefully scoop up some high-quality trinket from the mass of plastic toys and stuffed animals. Once you had snagged an item, you carefully steered the claw toward a chute, released the grip, and you had accomplished the task. My grandsons still enjoy wasting money on these machines – which now require four quarters instead of a dime, by the way!
For some reason, that’s the image that came to mind when I started to write today’s hymnline. Not that I picture a silver claw grabbing me up; but the image of my being lifted out of one situation into another applies. The hymn actually says, "With tender hand, he lifted me.” That’s a much better picture of how this process works!
Christ lifts us from at least fifty shades of grey to endless hues of white.
Coming from the darkness to the light is a common theme in scripture and in song. In this case, the tender hand of Christ hovers above our darkened existence – perhaps at the bottom of the stack - and carefully scoops us up; and for the first time, we are exposed to light… the bright side of life. Once redeemed from the pile, we have no desire to return to a greying location.
Fallen back into the pile? Need a lift? Christ is still in the lifting business. Grab hold for dear life.
A simple singing of this hymn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcEZvzsNpEg
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