Hymn: “Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me” – Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676); translated by John Wesley
Common Tunes: ST. CATHERINE, RYBURN
What a prayer! It seems like it needs no further explanation
or discussion. But then, this hymn-line would be much too short an entry! On
the other hand, I know that if this could happen in my life, I would indeed be
a different follower of Christ.
I’ve never been very formulaic in my public prayers. Whether
off the cuff or written out, I usually simply speak my mind/heart. I’m known to
be blunt with my honesty sometimes, even to the point of someone saying
afterwards, “I can’t believe you actually said that in a prayer.”
I take my praying seriously, and that means I talk to God as
openly as possible, reining myself in as needed depending on my human audience;
however, I’m carrying on a conversation with the Almighty while my fellow mere
mortals listen in!
If, on the other hand, I prayed using a formula, I think I
should add "All coldness from my heart remove" to all my prayers – public and private.
The great formulaic prayer – the one we call “The Lord’s
Prayer” or the “Our Father” – includes the phrase “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Our coldness of heart against individuals and/or groups usually stems from
having been (in our opinion) wronged. There are those who have left the
organized church and are cold toward her because they were at some point disenfranchised
over a life choice or a lifestyle – or their honesty. Others of us have placed
our heart in the deep freeze over disagreements with family members and former
friends.
Speaking of honesty, most of us know the
chill-down-the-spine feeling we get when we have to pass certain people in the
hallway between Sunday School and worship. The coldness of heart surges into
our system, and we try desperately to avert our eyes for fear that our mouth
might say what our mind is thinking. Too honest? Am I alone in this? I think
not!
Worst of all is the child of God whose very outlook on life
has cooled to the point of freezing – the one whose heart is frozen hard as a
rock due to countless, endless experiences which have lowered their spiritual
temperature to depths they could never have anticipated – and likely would
never admit.
We were not redeemed for such an attitude as this. We were ‘set
on fire’ at our salvation-time, and for many of us, the heating scale has been
on the decline ever since.
Once upon a time, some angry, disappointed people were
traveling on a road from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Along the way, a stranger joined
them and allowed them to vent their confusion, their crisis-of-faith. At their
destination, they invited the stranger to remain for dinner saying, “Stay with
us.” At table, they recognized him as the Christ. We know the story; it is one
of those we see unfold almost as a staged drama. As the scene concludes, after
the main character has left the stage, the actors say to one another, “Were not our hearts warmed within us as he
talked with us…?” Indeed, when he walks with us and talks with us and tells
us we are his own, our hearts begin to thaw.
Lord Jesus, stay with
us. Continue the warming of hearts until they are again afire with love and not
near-hate for our fellow believers and others outside the faith family. Lord
Jesus, stay with us, that we may walk so near yourself that we can do no less
than reenact your lifestyle. Lord Jesus, stay with us. All coldness from our
heart our hearts remove; may every act, word, thought be love. Amen.
Though not the tune with which most of us associate the text,
this is a really 'sweet' video
St. Olaf Choir Sings Egil Hovland's "Stay with Us" -
One of my all-time favorite choral pieces
St. Olaf Choir Sings Egil Hovland's "Stay with Us" -
One of my all-time favorite choral pieces
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