On Saturday we had our review and then exam for the last hermeneutics class. I took a little video so that you could see for yourself (see below). 🙂
Handing out certificates
If we can’t learn how to read, understand, and apply God’s Word to our lives, then we’ve failed at life. It was tremendously encouraging to see people thinking, studying, and being enthusiastic about this important skill! And what an encouragement to see people committed to a 40 hour course – it was a sacrifice they were willing to make.
And thanks to John and Frank, and the many others who were involved in teaching and translating, and for Still Water Community Church for their support of this class. And many of you have added your prayers to support this work – thank you!
Again, four local churches had representatives, and our class had about 50 people attending.
The next class (actually a 60 hour class!) begins in February. It’s an Old Testament survey course. So stay tuned!
Today we’re going to look at Charles Wesley’s beautiful conclusion to Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, a stanza that is virtually unknown today. But first, a quick story about the tune.
As we talked about back at the beginning, this carol originally had four line stanzas, sung to the tune of “Christ the Lord is Risen Today†(SALISBURY). So how did it end up with the well-known Christmassy tune that we know today?
It was actually long after Wesley died that the new melody was written. In fact, it was about a century after the our carol was written that the melody was composed, by German composer Felix Mendelssohn. Mendelssohn wrote a cantata honouring Johannes Gutenberg and his printing of the Bible, and this melody was a part of that.
But it was an English organist who brought the melody and the words together. William Cummings adapted the tune to Hark! the Herald Angels Sing for his congregation at Waltham Abbey Church. Cummings was an accomplished and influential musician, and the pairing was published in the 1850s and 60s, and the rest is history.
But now, on to the last stanza…
Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface, Stamp Thine image in its place: Second Adam from above, Reinstate us in Thy love. Let us Thee, though lost, regain, Thee, the Life, the inner man: O, to all Thyself impart, Formed in each believing heart.
We actually talked about the two Adams last time. “Adam’s likeness” is the sinful nature we inherit from the first man. But it is the image of the “second Adam”, Christ, that we desire. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29)
But this is more than a simple transformation, like some kind of mathematical chemical change. It is a matter of love – restoring a loving relationship between us and the Father, as it was meant to be.
And what is love? It is the giving of oneself. And the greatest giving of all is God giving Himself to us!
“Let us Thee, though lost, regain” – we want to regain God Himself! The Life, Himself! As the psalmist wrote, God Himself is our “portion”, our inheritance (Psalm 119:57).
And so this magnificent song ends with a prayer – not for Christmas cheer or peace on earth, but something that brings the greatest joy and peace of all. A request for the greatest gift. “To all Thyself impart” – give us — You, Lord! Through the Spirit, may the Lord be formed in every believing heart.
We might take some different meanings from that last line. Christ, through His Spirit, lives in us. But He also transforms our heart – giving us a new heart – one that has eternal life, one that desires the things of God. With God’s giving of Himself, a relationship of eternal love is formed in us.
How could we better end this song? The amazing story of His birth becomes the incredible reality of His purpose and leads to the intense prayer for a personal experience of His love. There’s a lot to be said for ending the song where Wesley intended it to end.
We’ll take one more look at the big picture next time!
One side of the tank – the other side cracked too.
In the summer, the tank of the toilet on our bottom floor gave up the ghost. That is, it cracked. And water began to pour out.
So, our friend Pastor Ismael installed a new toilet for us.
This past Thursday, I started hearing the sound of water. Running water. Pouring water? Falling water??
Yes, the toilet tank on the second floor this time, decided it was time to explode. Water was rushing down the stairs, toward our furniture, equipment from the church, and other things that were in its way.
I rushed outside and turned off the water main, and started mopping.
The bathroom store.
Today, Ismael was so kind as to come over again – although I think at first he didn’t quite believe that this had happened to us yet again – something that he had never heard of happening to anyone.
But, we’re special.
Ismael installing the new toilet.
And we have two new toilets. The cheapest ones the store could sell us, but they’re new. And they work just fine.
But let’s just say that we’re thankful to the Lord that we were home, and awake, when this happened. We’ll be gone a lot this weekend. And it could have been an hour or two or more before enough water was pouring out of the house for the neighbours to have noticed!
But do pray that God will provide for these many unexpected expenses that we’re dealing with.
So the women of our church hosted a special breakfast this past week, and invited a bunch of women who aren’t from our church. And it looks like they had a great time!
Here’s breakfast – chilaquiles (a typical breakfast dish – tortilla chips with salsa and shredded chicken) . . .
Shari also brought her yummy baked oatmeal (a recipe which, I was just reminded, she adapted from a recipe from our friend Jo Ann Smith!).
There were about 22 women who came to the breakfast, which was at our friend Perla’s home.
Mayra shared the gospel, and they made a very cool Christmas craft – check it out . . .
Those are typical Christmas tree ornament shapes made from strips of foamie (is that what you call it? Sheets of thin foamy “paper” used for crafts.).
Anyway, we were very thankful for how well it went. May God bring growth to the seeds that were planted!
Ten years ago today we were doing a Christmas program at the community centre in the community of Jesús MarÃa. It included a pastorela (a Christmas play) (see the actors on the right), some sing-a-long music, presentations to students, and a devotional from Rod. And, of course, some hot ponche for all at the end!
We were actually brand new in Jesús MarÃa at the time. There was no church in the community (that would start in March). So the participants were made up of people from our church planting team, people from the church in Santa Bárbara, and people that we had met through the community centre.
We invited family and friends of our students to attend, and had a great time.
Baking classes and English classes were big, and so the music was intentionally bilingual. Shari and I did some special music, singing “Good News” by our friend Mark Sorell, with one chorus translated into Spanish (one line quoted at the beginning of this post, of course!). So – here we are – ten years ago tonight!
One of the changes that Hark the Herald Angels Sing has undergone is that it now has a chorus, and the stanzas have been combined into pairs. Originally, four lines were sung, and that was one stanza, or verse. Now we sing eight lines, and then we sing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Glory to the Newborn King” as a chorus.
We’re now getting into verses, or combinations of verses, that are virtually unknown. Here’s the next part of our song:
Come, Desire of nations, come, Fix in us Thy humble home; Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed, Bruise in us the serpent’s head. Now display Thy saving power, Ruined nature now restore; Now in mystic union join Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
These triumphant words are deep with meaning. “Desire of Nations” is a phrase also used in another one of my personal favourites, O Come O Come Emmanuel:
O come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of Peace.
The phrase is from the AV (KJV) translation of Haggai 2:7 (see AV here). Interestingly, this is a disputed translation. Some people believe the verse speaks of the Messiah, others do not. But the idea is certainly valid – that Jesus is the Messiah that nations have long looked for. Come at last, Lord! And yet, this part of the song does not speak of the first or second coming of Christ. It speaks of our desire that Christ should come and save us personally.
“The woman’s conquering seed” is Jesus, a descendant of Eve and born of a virgin, Jesus comes to finally destroy the power of the devil. For more detail on this prophecy from Genesis 3:15, see this edition of Promises of a Messiah. Don’t just bruise the serpent’s head in general – we want this to be a reality in us, says this song. “Now, display thy saving power!”
The last part of this stanza continues the idea of the deepest need of humans throughout history. We were created as something “very good”, a perfect creation of God (Genesis 1:26-31). But when the first man and woman decided to rebel against God, that perfect human nature was ruined.
A look at the world confirms it – we are in an unstoppable drift toward selfishness, a hatred of God, confusion and destruction. We look for new laws, or social pressure, psychology, public shaming, even violence – to try to stop people from doing things that we feel are wrong or destructive. But although sometimes these things can restrain evil for a time, or at least cause people to move away from less socially acceptable evil, the problem remains. A ruined nature.
So what is the answer that Charles Wesley suggests in this carol? “Now in mystic union join Thine to ours, and ours to Thine”. That is, to join human nature with God’s nature.
This can be confusing and misunderstood. The idea is not that a sinful nature can be mixed with God’s perfect nature. That would be impossible. No, it’s not the sinful nature, but it’s a person who is transformed by their union to Christ.
It is the Person who was born in Bethlehem who finally reversed the curse by living a perfect life. And then He took away His people’s sin by taking their punishment on the cross.
Paul explains it more clearly. All descendants of Adam are “in Adam”. They share in Adam’s sinful nature. Everyone in Adam is a sinner, by nature and by choice.
But now there is a “new Adam”, a new “First Man”. This time, He did not yield to Satan’s temptation. He lived a perfect life, and died a substitutionary death.
But there’s a problem – we’re all still “in Adam” – under a curse. The only hope is that we join with Christ. And so, by his grace, and through faith, Christians become members of a new race – those “in Christ”. In Christ we are descendants of the Perfect Man. We are forgiven of sin, and credited Christ’s perfect obedience. Simply stated:
For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
This amazing theme will be further explained next week, in one more verse that evolved through time. But let’s finish with part of another early hymn from the Wesleys:
The Promise stands forever sure And we shall in Thine Image shine (Romans 8:29) Partakers of a nature pure (2 Peter 1:3-4) Holy and Perfect and Divine In Spirit join’d to Thee the Son As Thou art with Thy Father One (John 17:20-23)
Hymns and Sacred Poems (John and Charles Wesley) (Scripture verses added)
