TO THE HILLS I WILL LIFT MINE EYES, a Hymn Devotion for 1 April 2025 Anno Domini, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

 

^“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, From whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, Which made heaven and earth.”      Psalms 121:1-2

 

            This is a paraphrase hymn of the 121^st Psalm much in the traditions of the early Reformation Psaltery. The wording is that of Marcus Morris Wells (1815-1895) as well as the tune, GUIDE, itself. Wells is most known for his hymn, Holy Spirit, Faithful Guide, for which he also composed both lyrics and tune. This latter is a favorite of mine as it was sung at my father’s funeral.

 

TO THE HILLS I WILL LIFT MINE EYES

 

To the hills I lift mine eyes;
Whence shall help for me arise?
From the Lord shall come mine aid,
Who the Heav�n and earth has made.
He will guide through dangers all,
Will not suffer thee to fall;
He Who safe His people keeps
Slumbers not and never sleeps.

 

Thy Protector is the Lord,
Shade for thee He will afford;
Neither sun nor moon shall smite,
God shall guard by day and night.
He will ever keep thy soul,
What would harm He will control;
In the home and by the way
He will keep thee day by day.

 

To the hills I lift mine eyes; Whence shall help for me arise? From the Lord shall come mine aid, Who the Heaven and earth has made. He will guide through dangers all, Will not suffer thee to fall; He Who safe His people keepsSlumbers not and never sleeps. With Passion Sunday coming up, these words are a foreshadow of a great hill outside the gates of Jerusalem called Calvary where our Lord is destined to surrender His life for us. We look to that hill as the Hill of our Salvation that rises above the mundane plains of worldly vanity. Our help comes not from that Hill, but from the Lord of that Hill. There is none other who can save us but the man on that solitary cross on the Hill. He made the Hill, and all else that was ever created. He is our Guiding Light through a dark and restless land. He knows the Way, and, in fact, is the Way – the ONLY Way.  He not only knows the Way, but He knows the dangers and pitfalls of that Broad Way against which He counsels us not to tread. Though we, of our own frailty, may stumble along the Way, He will not allow us to finally fall from His sure and certain grasp. Then men sleep in the hours of darkness, there is no darkness with the Lord, and He is watchful of His own at every moment.

Thy Protector is the Lord, Shade for thee He will afford; Neither sun nor moon shall smite, God shall guard by day and night. He will ever keep thy soul, What would harm He will control; In the home and by the way

He will keep thee day by day. We have no other Protector than the Lord, and there is none other who is able to defend against every plague and wicked design. Our great Sentinel is on guard duty day and night so that we may sleep in peace. In the heat of the sun, He will shield and cool our tempers; and in the dark night He will be our candle. He has never lost a single soul that His Father has placed in His hands. You may ask, What of the traitor, Judas? True, Judas was lost, but he was never a chosen child of the Father. Judas was likened to many professing Christian who profess with their mouths, but deny Christ by their thoughts and actions. Though the billows of the sea threaten, He will not allow them to swamp our bark. It is by the power of His powerful, outstretched Arm that He saves us and secures our passage on the sea of life. 

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 SERMON SUMMARY FOR 4^TH SUNDAY IN LENT, 30 March 2025 Anno Domini, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? ²² For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. ²³ But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Galatians 4:21-23

 

            We constantly hear that the Old Testament was the Book of the Covenant of the Law. In a certain sense, that is true; however, the Old Testament Law simply points to the covenant of Grace begun in the promise of a Savior made to Abraham and consummated in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the pure Gospel of Grace. Having proven that we were unable to abide by the Law of God in perfection, we needed a Savior upon whom our burdens of sin could be borne on the cross and His righteousness imputed to those who are drawn to His Throne of Grace and Mercy.

            God ha promised Abraham to be the father of many nations by Sarah his wife. But in old age, being barren, Sarah decided the Lord needed a little help. She therefore offered her servant, Hagar, to Abrahm for the purpose of conceiving a son for Abraham. This was a failure of faith on the part of both Abraham and Sarah that would lead to a great misfortune for the whole human race. Hagar did, indeed, conceive a son – Ishmael, but Ishmael was not the son of the [promise made to Abraham AND Sarah. Later, Sarah did conceive a son, Isaac, in the advance age of ninety years of age. This was the son of promise that came by the way of God’s promise – not that of Sarah’s presumption in Hagar. 

            Ishmael was the first son of Abraham, but not by means of the legitimacy of the promise made through Sarah. Ishmael persecuted Sarah’s son, Isaac which resulted in the exile of Hagar and her son conceived in law, but not in accordance with the promise made to Abraham. But in the only promised son of Abraham we can see the shadow of that Covenant of Grace fulfilled in Christ. Hagar represents the Covenant of Law, and Isaac that of Grace.  So we find both covenants in the Old Testament. “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”

            I hope that the reader can see how , by faith in Him, the Son of Promise in Christ is the means by which we, too, are the true children of Abraham – not by way of the flesh, but by faith in that Promise fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

            We find evidence of that faith in today’s Gospel text: “JESUS went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him” Herein we find the seeds of faith, but misguided as it was. The people followed Christ “because of His miracles’ and not out of faith in His true nature.  It may be true that some realized a growing faith in the real Christ of the Feast, but most were seeking a king who would free Israel from the Roman yoke. Many are seeking signs and wonders, but signs and wonders do not save the sinners soul. They saw His former miracles and , now, this miracle of feeding the five thousand with just “five barley loaves, and two small fishes.” Signs and wonders may attract curiosity, but is by no means the end of faith in Christ. “¹⁵ When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone^.” It is His sinless life, His death and resurrection that are sufficient for saving faith – and that is a gift of God’s grace. 

            It is the sinner whom comes to himself as did the prodigal son of the pigsty, when the Holy Spirit awakens him to his misery and separation from His Father, and makes Him alive in Christ. Our misguided faith is just as bad as no faith art all; but true faith is Christ as Lord and Savior of those who are worthy of death but made alive in Him is the peak of faith.

 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 Devotion on Prayer of Collect for 4^th Sunday in LENT 30 March 2025 Anno Domini

The Collect

Fourth Sunday in Lent

GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one (Romans 3:10)

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

 

            We must have learned long ago in our childhood Bible school that there is not anything we must do to go to Hell. Hell is where we are headed the moment we are born into the world. If we simply do nothing, then we shall surely wind up in the fires of Hell. Similarly, there is nothing we can do to earn eternal life – it is a gift of God to those who believe. If you have believed upon the name of Jesus Christ, then you have responded to God’s call as His chosen and elect. Our good works will not keep us from Hell, nor earn for us an entrance into Heaven.  But faith, responding to the Grace of God, will, indeed, gain for us such an entrance to Heaven.

            All comfort and all grace is from God. It is never earned, but comes ‘paid on arrival.’ It is, as the Collect avers, a grant and not a wage. Thankfully, we are not paid wages for our wages would result in a loss of grace. “For the wages of sin is death;” (sin ALL have sinned, I prefer to forgo the wages to which I am entitled, don’t you?)….  “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) It is so clear and simple, isn’t it? We have all earned our suite in Hell, but God has made a free provision for us in His mansions on High. 

            This prayer of Collect comes from the Gregorian Sacramentary.

            GRANT, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved Please note the quality that triggers grace – it is MERCY. We have seen many clergy come and go in our church and in others that are within our purview. The single thing that distinguishes a true minister of God from all others, regardless of a parchment attesting by man’s hand that they are ministers, is the single quality of that Compassion and Mercy that was in Christ. It matters not how hard they labor, how long their hours, how accomplished their sermons, or how broad their experience; if they have not the Compassion of Christ for the little children, for the widows and orphans, for their fellow men and women in all walks of life, then they are not true ministers of God. If their concern is more for personal reward than for the additions to the family of God, they are without hope as ministers. Are we judgmental against others? Remember that same judgment will be levied against you. 

            Being in the midst of the Lenten Season, we may be feeling overwhelmed by the sense of our sinful unworthiness, but bear in mind that even our unworthiness cannot compare with the altogether worthiness of Christ to redeem us. Just as on the mountain two thousand years ago, He is still able to spread a table before us in the wilderness of our sins.

            How is it that the Grace of God is a comfort? When we know that it is the Grace of God that has saved us, and not any personal merit we may boast of, then we are comforted in not wondering always if we have done quite enough to earn our salvation. We are comforted as a little child in knowing that, though we have displeased our parents today, their love for us has not diminished. We are as love in our disobedience as we were loved in our times of favor. But the child, like the Christian, must learn through parental discipline, to improve on his incorrigible behaviors under the father’s counsel and discipline. If you are recipient of the grace and call of God, He will not turn you lose for childish misadventures.  Did He not tell us: “….I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Heb 13:5) As far as I know, Christ has never lost any that belonged to Him for as He prayed the night of His betrayal in the Upper Room: While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. (John 17:12) Of course, the son of perdition – Judas Iscariot – was never a follower of Christ for the Scriptures tell us that he was a devil. (see John 6:70)

            I hope that we will know with certainty at the conclusion here of this devotion that we deserve to die for our sins, but that it was Christ Himself who died in our stead.  Now we are blessed to have a Heavenly comforter to strengthen us through the feeding of the Bread of Heaven just as that ancient multitude was fed, nourished, and comforted on the mountain slope overlooking the Galilean Waters.  Have you enjoyed that comfort and strength today?

 

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.

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 KIND MAKER OF THE WORLD, a Lenten Hymn Devotion for 25 March 2025 Anno Domini, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide

 

      “For thy Maker is thine husband; The Lord of hosts is his name; And thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” Isaiah 54:5

 

This ancient hymn composed by St. Gregory the Great (540-604) is a hymn for Vespers during Lent to the French tune, Jesu Dulcis Memoria, despite its Latin title. It celebrates not only the Sovereignty of God over all Creation, but also over the heart of the believer. It reminds us of our need to repent in light of that magnanimous sacrifice made in redeeming us of our bondage to sin.

 

KIND MAKER OF THE WORLD

 

Kind maker of the world, O hear
The fervent prayers with many a tear
Poured forth by all the penitent
Who keep this holy fast of Lent!

Each heart is manifest to thee;
Thou knowest our infirmity;
Now we repent, and seek thy face;
Grant unto us thy pard’ning grace.

Spare us, O Lord, who now confess
Our sins and all our wickedness,
And, for the glory of thy Name,
Our weaken’d souls to health reclaim.

Give us the self-control that springs
From abstinence in outward things;
That from each stain and spot of sin,
Our souls may keep the fast within.
 

Grant, O thou blessèd Trinity;
Grant, O unchanging Unity;
That this our fast of forty days
May work our profit and thy praise! Amen.

 

Kind maker of the world, O hear The fervent prayers with many a tear Poured forth by all the penitent Who keep this holy fast of Lent! This hymn is actually a prayer that can be sung to music – one which every believer can sing in heartfelt faith and contrition in light of this season preceding the Passion of Christ. Certainly, the tears of the saints are treasured by God when they are shed in repentance and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as Christ fasted for us during the forty days and nights following His baptism, surely the blessed of the Lord could fast forty days and nights prior to the observance of the coming Friday of His Passion at Calvary.

Each heart is manifest to thee; Thou knowest our infirmity; Now we repent, and seek thy face; Grant unto us thy pard’ning grace. There is nothing hidden from the notice of God – even the thoughts of our hearts. “ I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Those sins committed in darkness are revealed in the brightness of the sun to the Father, as well. But God understands our frailty in the flesh and is willing to forgive all who are drawn in repentance to the Throne of Mercy and Grace. He has never turned away any who have been placed in His hand by the Father.

 

Spare us, O Lord, who now confess Our sins and all our wickedness, And, for the glory of thy Name, Our weaken’d souls to health reclaim. It is to the glory of God that our souls are saved, and nothing of worth that we have done. The Lord is the Great Physician who practices the approach of triage – treating the most serious malady first; therefore, He heals the soul of the deathly disease of sin, and then makes the body whole. When our souls are made whole, we are whole in every whit.

Give us the self-control that springs From abstinence in outward things; That from each stain and spot of sin, Our souls may keep the fast within. Remember, it is the inward spiritual grace that is reflected in the outward man – not the reverse. When we are drawn to Christ, sometimes screaming and resisting, we are first cleansed in the inward man, and then washed in the outward form. That is the meaning of Psalms 51:7 “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Hyssop is a purgative to cleanse the alimentary canal within, and then we are washed without to be whiter than snow (sinless with the imputed righteousness of Christ). Every snowflake contains an impurity at its center, else ice crystals could not coalesce to form the flake, but the saved of God are regarded as having no spot or blemish.

 

Grant, O thou blessèd Trinity; Grant, O unchanging Unity; That this our fast of forty days May work our profit and thy praise! Amen. The Triunity of the Godhead invites the believer to not only be a child of God, but also enjoy a oneness therewith. The blessed Trinity of God has offered all to us in our salvation. The Father offered His Only Begotten son; the son offered His very Life Blood; and the Holy Spirit guides and directs our feet in Light and Truth. We fast to demonstrate our deep sorrow for sin – even sin forgiven. But the greater fast is to fats from those sins more than of meats. A young Confederate soldier once asked General Robert E. Lee “How often must a man fast?” Lee responded, “If a man would fast from his sins, he may eat what he pleases.”

 

CHANCE MEETING ON A LONELY ROAD - VIDEO DEVOTION FOR 22 MARCH 2025.

Bishop Jerry Ogles (click on Ural below, or cut and paste into browser)

 https://youtu.be/gbTIWg9JTjE?si=yp05-_NXT7jL8pN3