From our old friend, Bishop Vilar of Galicia: (J. Ogles)

 

 

Hymns of the Church – The Rock that is Higher than I – 24 January 2017, Anno Domino

 Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages. (Pasche)

"Upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matt. 16,18.

The Lord Jesus says that He will build His Church, that is,

*all His believers, on such a solid rock that even hell shall not prevail against it, though it should open all its gates and send all its hosts against the Christians. What is this rock? The disciples had been asked by the Lord: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They answered: “Some say that Thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias or one of the prophets.” He then asked them: “But who say ye that I am?” Then Simon Peter answered and said: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered and said to him: “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter [a rock- man], and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Now, which is the rock that we asked for? The Lord calls Simon Peter blessed because he confessed Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Yes, He calls him Peter, that is, a rock- man, because he believed in Him, Jesus, the Son of the living God. And then He said that on this Bock, on Himself, on whom the rock-man Peter built his faith, He would build His Church. Which, therefore, is this Rock? Undoubtedly He, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, or, we might also say, the confession of faith in Jesus Christ, which is based on the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And this is in harmony with the word of Paul 1 Cor. 3,11: “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” And the same apostle says that the Christians are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner-stone.” Eph. 2, 20. Christ, then, is the Bock; and whoever is built on Him, on His Gospel, whoever firmly adheres to Him and clings to Him, is a rock-man like Peter, a member of Christ’s Church, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail.

Prayer.

O dearest Jesus, I heartily rejoice in Thee and know for certain that I am a partaker of Thy grace; for Thou canst not hate Thine own flesh and blood and therefore canst not be wroth with me. Though I am sinful and unholy, I take comfort in Thy holiness and innocence. Though I have offended God with my sins, I know that Thou art the Mediator between God and me, that Thou appeasest His wrath by pointing to Thy meritorious suffering for me, and that Thou wilt save me from all ills that threaten me. Although I have deserved death and damnation, Thou wilt give me life and salvation. Where my Brother, my flesh and blood, reigneth, I, too, hope to be and remain in all eternity. Amen.

SUPPLEMENTAL STUDY ON THE HYMN OF SAME NAME:

Hymns of the Church – The Rock that is Higher than I – 24 January 2017, Anno Domino

If you prefer there is an easy to read and print READER version RIGHT HERE!

1 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.   (Psalm 61:1-4)

Here is a Gospel song which closely resembles a prayer of praise to our God. The lyrics are by William O. Cushing in 1876, and the music by the renowned Ira D. Sankey (1877). It should serve to remind us of the Solid Rock which is Christ – the Foundation and Fountainhead of all of our faith. As regards the circumstances of its composition, I share the comments of the Cyberhymnal Website:

‘Hiding in Thee’ was writ­ten in Mo­ra­via, New York, in 1876,” writes Mr. Cush­ing. “It must be said of this hymn that it was the out­growth of ma­ny tears, ma­ny heart-con­flicts and soul-yearn­ings, of which the world can know no­thing. The his­to­ry of ma­ny bat­tles is be­hind it. But the oc­ca­sion which gave it be­ing was the call of Mr. Sank­ey. He said, ‘Send me some­thing new to help me in my Gos­pel work.’ A call from such a source, and for such a pur­pose, seemed a call from God. I so re­gard­ed it, and prayed: ‘Lord, give me some­thing that may glor­i­fy Thee.’ It was while thus wait­ing that ‘Hid­ing in Thee’ pressed to make it­self known. Mr. Sank­ey called forth the tune, and by his gen­i­us gave the hymn wings, mak­ing it use­ful in the Mas­ter’s work. Sankey, p. 149

The Rock that is Higher than I

O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,

My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;

So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;

Thou blest “", I’m hiding in Thee.

Refrain

Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,

Thou blest “Rock of Ages, ”

I’m hiding in Thee.

In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,

In times when temptation casts o’er me its power;

In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,

Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.

Refrain

How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,

I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;

How often, when trials like sea billows roll,

Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.

Refrain

            O safe to the Rock that is higher than I, My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly; So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be; Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee. There is abundant  protection and security in the presence of a great Rock. The Rock of Gibraltar broods in majesty above the straits of the same name. My father used to tell me stories of the old west that were factual and unusual. One such story was of the Great White Rock of Acoma (pronounced Ah-ko ma). The Acoma Pueblo is located about 80 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, atop a 360 ft. mesa. The Acoma tribe of Indians is made up of about 5,000 souls as of the 2010 U.S. census. The only access to the high city pueblo atop Acoma Rock was by means of near vertical steps cut into the stone face of the Rock. It was a safe haven for centuries to the Acoma Indians – perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States (since the 13^th century and most likely long before).

            The Acoma Indians were protected for those many centuries by their safe refuge atop the mesa. But with the coming of Spanish missionaries, they were also blessed with another Great Rock – that of Jesus Christ! The first Spanish friar gave them a large portrait of Saint Joseph during the 16^th century – a portrait which they revered as a thing that brought them good fortune.  In simple terms, this portrait became an idol. The Mesa of Acoma always produced a bountiful supply of food and vegetables – the rains always came on time. The Acoma Indians carried this portrait to stand guard over them while they worked the fields of the mesa. They believed it gave them ‘good luck.’ Finally, the great portrait was stolen by a nearby tribe of Indians from the Laguna Pueblo. This tribe had experienced draught and want while the Acomas enjoyed plenty. They wanted the portrait to bless them as it had the Acomas.

            Suddenly, the Laguna Pueblo began to flourish under the watchful eyes of the portrait of Saint Joseph and the Acomas, on the contrary, lost hope and suffered failures in their crops. Brought to the brink of war between the two pueblos, an old Spanish friar interceded. He told the people that it was not the portrait of Saint Joseph which caused the prosperity of the pueblos in its presence, but the faith in the One who was greater than Saint Joseph. It was God who gave them hope and inspiration to work more heartily and energetically that resulted in the greater harvests. They broke the arrow and peace was restored.  This is the provision of the Rock that is higher than us. Faith in Him blesses all who place their trust in His name – and not some Roman superstition.

             

In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour, In times when temptation casts o’er me its power; In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea, Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee. There is no cooler place in all of the desert wilderness than the refuge of a great stone. The desert traveler can rest safely under that great stone until the evening shadows lengthen and travel is again possible. So, in our lives, troubles and the heat of life grow intense, and we seek the shelter of the Great Rock of Christ in the shadow of the noon-day sun. Loneliness is not always a detriment – it is often a blessed time to stop our worldly pursuits and attune our hearts to the Voice of God. To the wandering ship, aimlessly drifting on the stormy seas, a great rock will break her apart and all aboard perish; but the ship, well mastered and navigated, seeks the shelter of the great rocky coast to hide from such stormy blasts. The greatest Rock we can know is that of Christ. He offers blessings of rain, sun, and shelter. And He offers a sure Foundation upon which to build our lives.

            How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe, I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe; How often, when trials like sea billows roll, Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul. During the Battle of Fredericksburg during the War Between the States, the Confederate Army found shelter behind a great stone wall at the base of Marye’s Heights and were thereby enabled to hold off the relentless waves of a far greater force of the Union army. The stone wall was their advantage and protection, and so is Christ a far greater protection from our enemies in the battles of life. There is relief in finding solid and sound protection in the Lord. The billows of the sea have beaten for centuries against the craggy stones of the New England coastline, yet the stones remain as evidence that the mighty sea is no match for the stones. Christ is the Rock of the Christian’s soul, and when our anchors are fastened on that Rock at the Sea bottom, we shall not drift – our souls are anchored on that Rock! . . . . we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil. (Heb 6:18-19)

Refrain

Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,

Thou blest “Rock of Ages,”

I’m hiding in Thee.

            This very proper refrain summarizes, as all refrains should, the context of the entire hymn. If we are hiding in the Rock of Ages which is Christ, we are invisible to the things of the world. Our works are those of Christ and not our own. We are small to the world, but large in the eyes of the Lord. In fact, we are the “Apple of His Eye.”

 Daily Readings in Life of Christ - J.R. Miller (1890)

December 31. Follow Me

"And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me!" John 21:19

We have come now to the last day of the year. For a whole year in these daily readings, we have been walking with Christ. Is there any better word with which to close this book and close the year than this last invitation of Jesus, "Follow me!" This is the true outcome of all learning of Christ. Mere knowledge, though it be of spiritual things, avails nothing — except as it leads us to follow Christ.

We have seen Jesus in all the different phases of His life. We have heard many of His words. Now it remains only for us to follow Him. The outcome of seeing and knowing — should be holy living and doing. The last day of the year suggests also the same duty. 

Who is satisfied with his life as it appears in retrospect from these evening shadows? The past, however blotted, must go as it is; we cannot change it, and we need not waste time in regretting. But the new year is before us, and if we would make that better than the stained past, it must be by following Christ more closely.

To follow Christ is to go where He leads — without questioning or demurring. It may be to a life of trial, suffering, or sacrifice — but it does not matter; we have nothing whatever to do with the kind of life to which our Lord calls us. Our only simple duty is to obey and follow. We know that Jesus will lead us only in right paths, and that the way

He takes slopes upward and ends at the feet of God!

The new year on which we are about to enter is unopened, and we know not what shall befall us; but if we follow Christ we need have no fear. So let us leave the old year with gratitude to God for its mercies, with penitence for its failures and sins, and let us enter the new with earnest resolve in Christ's name to make it the best and most beautiful year we have ever lived.

 

 Christ Speaks for a Whole World.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God." John 1:1

Do not permit these proud days to deceive you. The

time's not far away when you will feel that it is not in

the power of rhetoric or passion to add anything to the

words of Jesus Christ. The metaphysician may secretly

regret that the Nazarene did not discourse like a Plato

or a Locke; the poet may wish that the Son of Man had

said more about land, sea and sky, about opening spring-

time or the falling leaf; the Calvinist, Arminian and Trinitarian

may wish they could find in the Lord’s discourse a system

that should more fully shadow forth their own; and dev-

otees of science may feel at times that the ‘‘ Cosmos” of

Humboldt surpasses the simple story of the Gospels.

But these longings and complaints are only the result of

narrow specializations. Christ spoke for a whole world,

for the times of its greatest need; and the wish of the

specialist is engulfed in the wide, infinite wish of man-

kind. Our wishes are the style of time; Christ’s manner

the style of eternity. 

                                         -Pearls from Many Seas