“Undisturbed in spirit by another’s misery”

“Undisturbed in spirit by another’s misery”

Hymn: “God, Whose Purpose Is to Kindle”

Text: Elton Trueblood (1900-1994)

Various Tunes: EBENEZER, HOLY MANNA

I presented a Hymn Line from this great text in my book of devotionals. I have this one and three others in my list to deal with because Elton Trueblood’s theology and his deep sense of social justice (he was a Quaker) speak similarly to my own thoughts on God, the church, and culture.

To put this in context, here is the full statement from the text:

            “Save us now from satisfaction when we privately are free,

            Yet are undisturbed in spirit by another’s misery.”

In our personal freedom, we are often satisfied – even complacent. Our being oblivious to the plight of others who are not so satisfied with their status is appalling. If our spirit is not disturbed by all the inequities and inequalities of Les Miserables (the miserable ones) around us, something needs to be adjusted. Trueblood asks God to save us from ourselves when we drift into smugness.

We have allowed these divisions to get out of control. Pretending that things are “okay” does not make them so. In fact, that kind of pretention is at the root of the church’s lack-of-stance against the imbalances that exist in the society in which we move… and demonstrate… and vote.

Racial partisanship is probably the most obvious, but the walls are many… the glass ceilings, the caged children, the alienated throngs. We have pulled our health-conscious face-masks up to cover our eyes… to protect us from realities we’d rather not confront.

The term “complicit” is troubling to me. Is it troubling to you? I do not want to “have a part (role) in a crime” against anyone… anyone! But any time I am accused of complicity, I have to stop and ask myself “Am I?” With the apostle-band, I question “Is it I, Lord?” Before I can mark myself absent from that position, I must do a quick (or lengthy) self-examination. If in that sincere assessment we find ourselves undisturbed by another’s misery, we are to be pitied.

I’ll give you a minute to think on that – then you can join me in this prayer:

“O God, save us from ourselves. Since Your purpose is to kindle a fire within your people, burn now within us with a passion yet unseen in the modern-day church. Amen.”

"Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme, and speak some boundless thing."

"Goober" - Elizabeth Ann Lanham

"Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme, and speak some boundless thing."

Hymn: “Begin, My Tongue, Some Heavenly Theme” – Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Common Tune: MANOAH

I’m most often trying to get my tongue to stop! I sometimes think the letter from James was assigned to me; in that short book, there are six references to keeping the tongue under control.

Here, Isaac Watts calls upon the tongue to express praise and to tell of God’s faithfulness and power, pointing out the flip-side of the negative uses of the tongue.

Most hymns are addressed to God, to believers, to non-believers. Occasionally we come across one addressed to a Rock of Ages or to ourselves (Be Still, My Soul). This one is more unique because it is addressed to a body part! We are actually singing this hymn to our tongue!

There are many heavenly themes: kindness, grace, hope, encouragement, healing, assistance, etc. So beyond calling our speech patterns to the on-going praise of God, we are also reminding ourselves to start speaking words of kindness, grace, hope --- all of the above!

At some point in my ministry – probably too late – I made a blatant commitment to never intentionally say anything hurtful to anyone. The important key in that mantra is not to hurt someone “on purpose”, because as hard as we try, we are going to occasionally hurt someone with what we say. But if I set out to damage you with my speech, I am counter to the nature of Christ.

All of us who write would love to capture just once “some boundless thing” – a turn of phrase that encapsulates some profundity in a way that expresses it best. We all want to have an “All we have to fear is fear itself,”  “Ask not what your country can do for you,” or “I have a dream” phrase that sticks in the mind of all who read/hear it... forming our speech (tongue) into a group of words whose theme might be boundless - eternally remembered.

For most of us though, I guess we need to put the brakes on our not-so-positive tongue and release our tongue of blessing to glorify God, exhort our fellow pilgrims, and make stronger attempts at saying something worth remembering.

Ready? Set? Begin.

This Hymn (MANOAH tune)

“Change and decay in all around I see. O thou who changest not, abide with me.”

“Change and decay in all around I see.
O thou who changest not, abide with me.”

Hymn: "Abide with Me" - Henry Lyte (1793-1847)

Tune: EVENTIDE

[I admit that with all that is coming undone in our society right now, there is plenty of “change and decay in all around I see.” However, for this entry, I chose to approach the Hymn Line from a different angle. Either way, it is God’s abiding presence we covet.]

You know you've become an Old Fogy when the word "change" sends shivers down your spine. Well, I seem to be there now; I'm thinking of changing my name to O. F. Huff! -- Oops, that would be yet another change!

It's easy to see the change around us in the world -- the decay of the moral compass, etc. Some of the changes are wonderful, of course: like cell phones and computers. My college dictionary definition of the word computer was "one who computes"! We live in an ever-changing and (for the most part) ever-improving time in history.

In recent years, a great church I served in Denver has "gone out of business," and the building has been bull-dozed -- that great pipe organ sold for a small percentage of its worth. The conference center in Glorieta, New Mexico associated with many fond memories of worship and fellowship has been sold, and that total experience can never be replicated. Beautiful church sanctuaries are being replaced with modern, icon-free worship centers. And one of the most difficult changes for me is the trend toward non-use of the hymnal in worship; I call it "off the wall" singing!

I could wallow in this if I allowed myself to, and I have to be honest by saying that I occasionally go to that pig pen and slather myself with gloom and despair -- because I see so much change in the church-world as being decay: so many of the things I value are dying away. I've got to get over it; I know that. But it's my blog, and I'll cry if I want to, cry if I want to. You would cry, too, if it happened to you.

And I bet it has happened to you: some paradigm-shift has invaded your spiritual pilgrimage and seems to impede your progress. John Bunyan has nothing on us! Like the Pilgrim's progress, unloading our baggage at the cross may be our best tactic.

Wouldn't it be better if we focused on the changes that are happening for the good - in the world and in the church? Wouldn't a positive attitude send us less frequently to the pig pen?

O thou who changest not, work on me so this O.F. can adjust to change -- and maybe involve himself in bringing some decaying situations back to life!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu7MffwBwfY

Cynthia Clawson on Gaither Homecoming