"I need thee ev'ry hour. Stay thou nearby."

Hymn: “I Need Thee Every Hour” – Annie S. Hawks (1834-1918)

Tune: NEED

This coming weekend, we will have an hour transfused into our lives by the great timekeeper of the earth. I have to admit that I am not a fan of the semi-annual resetting of the clocks. If a presidential candidate would make the abolishing of spring-forward, fall back his/her major platform issue, I would cast my vote on their behalf whatever party they might represent. Well, maybe not!

Down deep, I think it must be an economical ploy to give me one extra hour of daylight from March through October to spend money!

Every year at this time, we are told that we have an extra hour to sleep, probably because officially this this donation of sixty minutes comes to us at 2:00 am. Most of us are probably awakened by our body-clock at the same time anyway, so we ended up with an extra waking hour instead. And because it always falls on a Saturday night into Sunday, our additional time is part of the holiest day of our week. So theoretically, we have an extra hour to invest in the worship of God, the sharing of our faith or service on his behalf to our fellow human beings – those activities and attitudes to which we are drawn on Sundays.

God is not thrown off by this human-induced attempt to make the sun stand still. Since the Most Holy One never naps, doses or sleeps, he is just as available during our gift-of-hour each autumn. His watchcare is active no matter how many time increments our days may be expanded. I’m glad about that: imagine if for one hour each November, God’s presence in our lives were suspended. As absurd as that may sound, it should give you pause.

How ever many hours I have in this day or any other day - with this century-old hymnline, I daily ask for God to stay nearby… so near that I will sense his presence in such a way that his nearness will affect my thinking, my decision-making and my actions.

“O ever-present One, I need you every hour. Stay close at hand because I know that the temptations I face today will be less powerful when you are near. Amen.”

An Amazing A cappella Setting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3wSbLa2uGg

“He breaks the pow’r of canceled sin. He sets the prisoner free.”

Hymn: “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing” – Charles Wesley (1792-1788)
Main Tune: AZMON

Why is it that those sins which were long-ago forgiven… canceled by the eraser of God… why do they continue to have power over us and haunt us? They lurk in the back of our subconscious memory and surface now and then to almost take us hostage? For some reason, we have not fully grasped the reality of forgiveness… even those of us who have known about it our entire lives, have heard multiple sermons and studies on the subject, and – best of all – have experienced it over and over for ourselves.

There’s a weird little verse in Isaiah’s woe-listing that says, “Woe unto them who draw iniquity with cords of vanity and sin as it were with a cart rope.” (5:18) I often quote it when called upon to say a particularly meaningful scripture passage; it gets great puzzled looks from everyone in the study circle! These are they who cannot let go of their sin; in their vanity, they drag it behind them as if attached to them by a rope. It’s a great picture of those of us who will not accept the gift of God’s forgiveness; it is too often a picture of ME!

Imprisoned by guilt? It’s time for a break-out.

Better yet, it is time to accept the Governor’s “pardon”! The One who governs the universe is concerned with your freedom. God wants to set you free… and his truth can do that! The truth is: you are forgiven of all you have submitted for absolution. Get over it. Let it go, let it go! Cut the tugging-rope you have too long dragged behind you. Walk away a freed man/woman.

Grab my hand. We’ll try to do this together.


This hymn text set to a delightful English tune

"Tell me thy secret, help me bear the strain of toil, the fret of care."

Hymn: “O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee” – Washington Gladden (1836-1918)
Tune: MARYTON

Have you ever turned to someone you admire for having come through a difficult time or whose life is just one trial after another and said to them “What’s your secret?” You don’t mean it is a secret as such; you mean “How do you do it?”

This hymn draws a picture of walking along a road… or through a meadow… or up a mountain trail with Jesus – just the two of us. As we walk, I have the wherewithal to turn to him and ask, “What’s your secret?” or “How do you do it?” Knowing that his humanity brought with it bearing up under the strain of difficult days and might have included fretting over the cares of this world… ultimately dying a cruel death at the hands of enemies. What IS his secret?

We figure that if we understood how HE did it, we could do better ourselves as we face rough spots, trying times.

Some of you will remember a song from the early 1950’s called “It Is No Secret.”  That song is all about how there is no secret to WHAT God can do in Christ; this hymnline asks HOW did the Son of God hold up under the human struggle that was his to bear.

This is somewhat of a mystery, but as we delve deeper into the life of Christ and look at how he reacted and what he said, we have a better understanding of the secret of his success. When we study his teachings and try to get at the crux of the matter, we are more likely to find a pattern for facing our own struggles in a Christ-like manner.

It may be that Christ will lean over and whisper hope to us. If and when he does, we welcome that voice that makes our heart in its sorrow rejoice.

Hear an A Cappella Singing of This Hymn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=WXwXQnsaL3A

"I'd rather have Jesus."

Hymn: “I’d Rather Have Jesus” – Rhea F. Miller (1894-1966)
Tune: I’D RATHER HAVE JESUS

I’m using a hymnline that is also the hymn-title and the hymn-tune name!

Many of us grew up hearing George Beverly Shea (the tune’s composer) croon this song on the televised Billy Graham Crusades. No one has – or ever will – sing it quite like he did!

The upshot of this hymn is simple: I’d rather have Jesus than you name it.

There is not much else to be said about the hymnline – there is much to be said about our application of its truth to our actual hierarchy of priorities and how we in reality live those out in our daily lives. In other words, as I sing this hymn, am I being truthful? Or am I simply verbalizing someone else’s testimony? Worst of all, am I singing a lie?

This is often true of hymns we sing corporately: preferring Jesus over anything is a noble goal, perhaps not yet achieved in my own life.

It’s a question we all have to deal with on our own while not being judgmental of anyone else down the pew. It would be great if we could all sing the final line with all sincerity and commitment: “I’d rather have Jesus than anything this world affords (offers me) today.”

Hear George Beverly Shea Sing His Hymn

"I sing, for I cannot be silent."

Hymn: “Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It” – Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

Tunes: REDEEMED, ADA

I’ve never been much of a singer. For someone who loves to sing as much as I do, you’d think
I would have been afforded the gift of beautiful vocalization. Fortunately, I had other musical gifts that were applicable to my forty-plus years of music ministry; unfortunately, many congregations expect their music leader to be a top-notch soloist.

As I was growing up, I don’t think we sang this hymn; at least, it never registered with me or attached itself to my memory like most of the old songs did. When A. L. (Pete) Butler’s setting of this text was published as an anthem in 1967, it became one of my favorites… and years later, he became one of my mentors. His tune has been included in many hymnals since, making it available to congregations to join the singing of this sturdy, well-married tune for the Fanny Crosby text.

For me, I am always drawn to this hymnline: “I sing, for I cannot be silent.” I have no choice but to sing… I can’t just stand there while the love of Christ is the theme of everybody else's song. My lusty, not-so-wonderful raspy baritone voice may draw questioning looks from people down the pew, but that will NOT mute me. I can NOT be silent. I have to sing when the Spirit says “Sing!”

Paul McCartney has a song “Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance.” It’s not exactly a church song, but it does apply to my discussion. I join him in polishing up my tonsils because I’ve gotta sing!

While I am all for the sounds of silence in worship; for me as a contemplative, they are imperative to my finding God. Remember, I’m an Elijah-type. I’m sure God enjoys those lengths of absolute breathless silence, but when we rear back and sing – breaking the silence – I imagine a wide smile crosses his face.

That’s why I love this hymn. That’s why I sing no matter what anyone around me thinks about my intoning talent. “I sing, for I cannot be silent! His love is the theme of my song.”

Hear the ADA tune sung

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiKyl1YyVjc