 Prelude: Cheneniah PROCESSIONAL: “Thy Word” Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path. When I feel afraid, And think I've lost my way. Still, you're there right beside me. Nothing will I fear As long as you are near; Please be near me to the end. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet And a light unto my path. CALL TO WORSHIP: (Joe) One: Let us be in harmony with you, Oh Lord, and let us sing your praise. All: Let us be in harmony with you, Oh Lord, and let us sing your praise. One: Let us be in harmony with our neighbor, Lord, and may we sing together in prayer. All: Let us be in harmony with our neighbor, Lord, and may we sing together in prayer. One: Let us be in harmony with our whole world, Oh Lord, that we may all be one in praise, in prayer, in love, and in peace. All: Let us be in harmony with our whole world, Oh Lord, that we may all be one in praise, in prayer, in love, and in peace. Amen. HYMN: Abide With Me Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847) and his wife Ann were faithful pastors of a little fishing town in Devonshire England, for 23 years. Although Henry's health was compromised, he worked tirelessly ministering to his parish, taking care of his family, and writing poems and hymns. In 1844, Henry was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. Over the next three years his physical condition deteriorated until finally on September 4, 1847, at the age of 54, he stood in the pulpit for the last time to deliver his farewell message. That same afternoon, after taking a walk on the beach, Henry retired to his room. He emerged about an hour later with a written copy of Abide With Me. He left soon after for a trip to Italy, to get away from the cold, damp coastal weather. While en route to his destination, he mailed a revised copy of Abide With Me to his wife. A few days later while resting in a hotel on the French Riviera, Henry went home to be with Jesus. A fellow clergyman who was with Henry during his final hours reported that Henry's last words were Peace! Joy! Abide With Me was put to music by William H. Monk (1823-1889), and made its debut at Henry's memorial service. The hymn has since been popular within many Christian denominations. It was reported to have been a favorite of King George V, and of Mahatma Gandhi. It was sung at the weddings of King George VI and of Queen Elizabeth II. As He often does, God took the sad ending of a life and made something lasting and beautiful.
OPENING PRAYER & LORD’S PRAYER Father, thank you that you have brought each of us safely to this place. We gladly surrender our lives to you in worship and praise and song. As we gather we remember those who have gone before us - For those who are sick we ask for healing - For those in troubled lands, we invite your Holy Spirit to move freely amongst them and bring them comfort - Come dwell in each of our hearts. We ask this in the name of Jesus who taught us how to pray with the words… Our Father, who art in heaven…… HYMN: Just As I Am Just As I Am has been around since 1835. It was made especially popular in the 20th century as the 'official' altar call song of the Billy Graham Crusades. When poet Charlotte Elliott (1789-1871) was 46 years old, an elderly man approached her at a dinner party and asked if she was a Christian. She considered him rude and unkind, and that his question was inappropriate. After the man walked away, Charlotte could not get his question out of her mind so she went to find the man, and to ask how to become a Christian. That night she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Soon thereafter she wrote Just As I Am as a testimony to her newfound faith, and as a tribute to the man who had told her that she could come to Christ, 'just as she was'. Over the remainder of her life Charlotte wrote 150 hymns… 1. Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me, and that thou bidst me come to thee, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 2. Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot, to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 3. Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 4. Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind; sight, riches, healing of the mind, yea, all I need in thee to find, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 5. Just as I am, thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. 6. Just as I am, thy love unknown hath broken every barrier down; now, to be thine, yea thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come, I come. SCRIPTURE READINGS: (Joe) Nehemiah 12:46 For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, there were leaders of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God. 1 Chronicles 15:16 Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise sounds of joy. Psalm 144.9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Acts 16:25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; HYMN: Blessed Assurance Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) is heralded as one of the world's most prolific and talented hymn composers. Blind from shortly after birth, Fanny nonetheless wrote 8,000 hymns. One day Fanny overheard her friend and fellow musician Phoebe Knapp playing a new composition on the organ. Phoebe told Fanny the tune was called Assurance. Fanny replied: 'Blessed Assurance! Jesus is mine!' And so began the collaboration that was to become one of Christendom's most beloved hymns. Blessed Assurance was published in 1873.
MESSAGE: “Sing a New Song” Yesterday, Sue and I attended the funeral of her Uncle Huntley in Shawville. I didn’t know him very well, only met him 5 or 6 times in all. But to my shame I never saw anything remarkable about him. I came to realize after listening to people who spoke of him kindly, and a niece who wrote of her wonderful childhood with him, that this simple, hard-working, honest man was indeed special. And so was the minister who conducted the service. He spoke of Huntley as a man who stood straight and tall, all 5’9” of him. He was a crane operator with a deft and sensitive touch when dealing with heavy equipment. He visited farm neighbors regularly, often sloughing through rainy and muddy fields to get there, but always making it a mission to visit. He had two daughters and one son, Huntley Jr., who died tragically at 37 in a truck accident. He had a wife of 30 years who died untimely of cancer. But Huntley kept soldiering on until finally his mind and body let go and at age 81 he met his Maker who must have greeted him with open arms. As part of his funeral tribute, his family put together 4 hymns that resonated with portions of Huntley’s life: The Church In the Wildwood…”No spot is so dear to my childhood as the little brown church in the vale.” Be Still My Soul…”Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side; Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.” How Great Thou Art…”When through the woods and forest glades I wander and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.” And, of course, the great finale…Amazing Grace…”How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.” These hymns, these songs, these poems, are based on all our life experiences. Celebration, love, loss, hardship, they are all described so wonderfully when our poets merge with our musicians to create a lasting legacy that can only be described as gifts of God. And in singing them, we return those gifts to Him. Yet sometimes, we grow tired of them, chalking them up to the same old, same old. Sometimes we just go through the motions, not bothering to dwell on their meaning, or who or what circumstances gave them birth. Sometimes, we get titillated – I like that word? – by new sounds and want to hear new voices, new versions of the old, or even brand new creations. And I think that’s understandable. This is why I provided a very brief introduction to each of the hymns we have chosen to sing today. That we can gain new insight and new appreciation for even older songs. And I encourage you to do the same with all the hymns your praise leaders will offer you on future occasions. Take a few minutes before every service to read the poetry in the hymns. I know, I know, you want to catch up on current events with your neighbours. And fellowship is a fine thing. But 2-3 minutes is all it takes to read those words that others have crafted and set to music. Like Psalm 23…The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. Ahhh. He restoreth my soul. What can be more powerful, more beautiful? By the way, the ancient Hebrews sang the psalms. They were the hymns of the Old Testament. This was their Book of Praise. Music is such a powerful gift. It’s like dipping your toes in the waters of the spirit world. Once you are entranced by a song, you may end up as I do singing it over and over again until it drives those around you to prayer…that you please, Lord, make him stop. What strength it has! Sometime, I think God invented the shower stall for men like me who like to sing. Even those who claim to be non-musical can attest to its power. My now oldest friend, as in longest lasting, is a very bright gentleman by the name of Sean Harrington. I met Sean in grade 3 in a school I first attended in the middle of the school year. We had two-person bench desks and one spot was empty beside Sean. Mrs. Bushel, our teacher, looked me straight in the eye and said, “Now, Joseph, I’m going to seat you beside the smartest boy in the class. Hopefully, this will not be a big mistake.” Well, Sean and I became good friends, and we still communicate today, despite the fact we live in different provinces. But every once in a while back in grade school, I would out-do Sean on a monthly report card. When that happened he made sure it didn’t occur two months in a row. And it never did. But one time it was close. If Sean had any kind of Achilles heel it was music. You, see, he sang like a bird. Unfortunately, the bird he sang like was not a canary,or a nightingale. No, Sean sang more like a crow. And this particular month, the final subject for the report card was…yes…it was singing. And I had beat him out last month. And threatened to do it again. The only thing that could save him was a perfect 100% in singing. I figured it was in the bag. So, what did Sean do? He got up in front of the class and proceeded to sing The Ballad of Davy Crockett, all 20 verses, all perfectly memorized, all sung like a crow. The teacher couldn’t stop him. Our groaning couldn’t stop him. Sean got his 100%, and he beat me out. The power of music. Today, Sean is a federal judge, so all that school performance certainly paid off. In another example of the power of music, consider John Lennon’s song, “Imagine.” Imagine all the people living life in peace You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope some day you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people sharing all the world You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope some day you'll join us And the world will be as one Yes, music is sublime, it’s powerful, it’s a gift from God, and every time we sing, we sing to the Lord. And we can make it a new song every time we sing to the Lord. We can take the old songs and sing them with fresh voices and see the lyrics with new-found sight. Songs can persuade us, sway us, woo us, convince us. My good friend, Karol Baranowski called me one day and said, “I have a song for you, for one of your sermons.” I reminded him I don’t do sermons since I’m not a minister, I merely do messages. “OK, so do one of your messages and include this song.” I said OK, I’ll find it on YouTube. And I did. The song is by George Strait, a country/western singer, and is called “Three Nails and a Cross (Equal Forgiveness.)” It obviously made a deep impression on Karol. Listening to it once is not enough. Listening to it twice is better. Listen to it three times, and I think you’ll appreciate how it moved Karol. Randy Barrington, the Nazarene minister, explains it this way. I’ll paraphrase what he said because I don’t recall his exact words. “I decided to dedicate my life to Christ when it came crashing in on me that he gave his life for me. And by that glorious act, He forgave me my sins. He pardoned the way I lived my life till now. And he did it by dying like a common criminal.” It’s told in George Strait’s new song. It’s also told in an older song which can be made new the next time you sing it: And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, Sent him to die I scarce can take it in That on the cross my burden gladly bearing He bled and died to take away my sin Then sings my soul my savior God to Thee How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Some time ago, when I sang those words, I choked a bit. I scarce could take it in. I saw and sang it like a new song and I believe I always will. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. “3 Nails + A Cross” – George Strait CD PRAYER… Lord, we thank you for the gift of music. In this troubled world of ours, your gift gives us the insight into your world that helps us to salve our sorrows and rejoice with ever new song in praise of your love for us. HYMN: Sing A New Song Unto the Lord Dan Schutte was a Jesuit priest who along with a fellow seminarian, began to write music for worship in a changing Catholic world. Historically it was a time when many people were asking for more contemporary musical expressions of their faith. In 1970 Dan began attending St. Louis University.It was there that he first met and worked with four other Jesuits who played and sang for university liturgies and were drawn to write music that connected with people’s lives of faith. They turned to Scripture for much of the inspiration. It was here that they came to know and treasure the images of God’s relationship with human beings. It was almost like a second Reformation, but set in music. Amongst the 100’s of songs written by these inspired men are Sing A New Song and Is It I Lord. Dan Schutte left the Jesuit order in 1986, but he did not leave his faith nor his love of music composition. I believe he is currently composer in residence at the University of Minnesota. REFRAIN:) SING A NEW SONG UNTO THE LORD LET THE SONG BE SUNG FROM MOUNTAIN HIGH SING A NEW SONG UNTO THE LORD SINGING ALLELUIA YAHWEH'S PEOPLE DANCE FOR JOY O COME BEFORE THE LORD AND PLAY FOR HIM ON GLAD TAMBORINES AND LET YOUR TRUMPET SOUND RISE, O CHILDREN, FROM YOUR SLEEP YOUR SAVIOUR NOW HAS COME HE HAS TURNED YOUR SORROW TO JOY AND FILLED YOUR SOUL WITH SONG GLAD MY SOUL FOR I HAVE SEEN THE GLORY OF THE LORD THE TRUMPET SOUNDS THE DEAD SHALL BE RAISED I KNOW MY SAVIOR LIVES “Sing, Sing, Sing” – Norm Rennie A song by Hank Williams.   BENEDICTION –
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. And may God give you His peace in your going out and in your coming in, in your lying down and in your rising up, in your labor and in your leisure, in your laughter and in your tears... Until you come to stand before Jesus in that day in which there is no sunset and no dawning. Amen. THREE FOLD AMEN
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