The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

Amazing Grace by John Newton verse 6

The first two lines of Newton’s sixth verse refer to his reading in 2 Peter 3:10 about end times.  It talks about the world ending.

^“10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.^”

A pastor today said that the scientific “doomsday clock” famous in the scientific world, not necessarily the Christian world, predicts we are 90 seconds from nuclear doom.  One idiot pressing a button can kill billions.  In fact each generation has thought they were living in end times.  Could life be worse than WWII?  Luther thought the hordes at the gates of Europe meant evangelism was not important.

         Living each day as if it were our last is important.  Our mother taught us idioms like, “A stitch in times saves nine.”  “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”  “Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath.”  The gift of being able to live each day to its fullest is indeed a gift.

         Putting off till tomorrow the good we can do today is a bad habit.  Our paths may never cross again with the other to ask forgiveness or to bless with an act of love.  Is there something you have been putting off that you need to do?  Is there someone you would like to bless today with a smile, a hug, or a quick note?  Let us try to live today as if it were our last and see how many people we can bless!!!

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. (Proverbs 27:1)

17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:17)

11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  (Hebrews 12:11)

This week we looked at John Newton’s fifth verse to Amazing Grace.  Newton talks about his confidence that as he dies and his flesh and heart fail and he walks through the veil that separates life from eternity, he is confident he will find joy and peace.  In 1861 the Scottish Anglican pastor Henry Francis Lyte wrote “Abide With Me” as he was facing death from TB.  It is possible the hymn was inspired by an earlier bedside visit with a dying friend but as his own death approach his daughter says he handed the poem to her and insisted on preaching his last sermon.  The text is based on Luke 24:29 when the two on the road to Emmaus asked Jesus to abide with them as evening was coming.  Please enjoy this melodic tune and may we pray that Jesus abides with us in whatever challenges we face today.

“Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Come not in terror, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings;
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea.
Come, Friend of sinners, thus abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.”

“Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.”

Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 5

         John Newton is sharing with us his confidence that when he dies and passes through the “veil” of death that prevents us from seeing eternity, he will find on the other side joy and peace.  As I walk with my husband in what seems like nearing the end of his journey, I have thought a lot about his death.  The Bible does not say much about what heaven will be like.  Our limited humanity cannot comprehend eternal reality.  Words can only convey so much.

         King David says in Psalm 23,

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;

for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.”

         Jesus tells the parable of an owner going away on a trip and entrusting his servants with different amounts of responsibility.  When he returns he tells the faithful servants, who have handled his trust well,

^‘21 His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21)”

The point that stands out to me is not that we are so rejoicing to be in heaven and getting our rewards for our life but that as we walk through the veil, we are welcomed, we enter into God’s joy.  He walks with us through death and protects us with his rod and staff, has a meal prepared, and the God of the universe is delighted, overflowing with joy, to welcome us.  We enter the “joy of your master.”  We cannot imagine what that will be like. But perhaps we can relate to the followers of Jesus meeting the risen Christ or us meeting a person who is so delighted to see us again.  Those happy moments are but a glimmer.  Who would you love to be joyfully met by today.   Let’s bow our heads in prayers of thanksgiving for those people.

“Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.”

Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 5

         In this verse of Amazing Grace that is seldom sung, Newton talks about possessing peace “within the veil.”  That is an interesting idiom of the word “veil” that we do not use now.  A veil conceals identity as when women sometimes wear a veil coming in to the wedding ceremony or often we associate it with women who follow Islam and the veil conceals their identity and speaks of humility.  The face that is veiled in the hymn is the face of death.  Not only does Newton believe he will not see the face of death, he also adds that he will possess peace.

         As Jesus left the Upper Room and Last Supper and headed to the Garden of Gethsemane, he talked with his followers.  Jesus knew what was ahead with the horror of the crucifixion and all that would entail, not to mention the persecution that would eventually characterize the lives of early Christians.  Many would face death in the arena and other tortuous ways.  Jesus promises them peace in the “veil of death.”

^“27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:7)”

In the more modern Message it reads like this,

^“25-27 “I’m telling you these things while I’m still living with you. The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s my parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught.”

         As our family accompanies my husband with Parkinson’s disease we often comfort each other by commenting that he does not seem to be suffering.  His faith is supporting him through this journey.  Jesus is alive and risen and walking with him through the veil when flesh and heart shall fail.  He is not alone even though we do not see God’s presence, we feel it.

         Faith speaks to the belief in the presence of God when all else fails and that is comforting.  I believe our presence as friends when another is struggling, brings peace.  Let’s thank God today for his presence and for the privilege of being present for others.  We can be bringers of peace.

Thank you Lord.

Mark 2:1-12

         One of my favorite New Testament stories comes from Mark 2.  Jesus has returned to his hometown and people overflow the house to hear him teach.  Four men bring their paralyzed friend to be healed.  They have to resort to lowering their friend through a hole they dig in the ceiling.  While on the mission field I tried to tell the story with my very primitive language skills.  The next week I asked if anyone remembered the story.  The women were all excited about a sick man who came to Jesus with four camels.  What!!!  In their language the word for “friend” and the word for “camel” were the same only the tones were different.

         Jesus is impressed with the faith of the friends and tells the man his sins are forgiven.  The religious skeptics are shocked.  The man’s flesh had failed him and the scholars’ hearts failed them.  Both had a kind of paralysis.  Jesus responds to both,

         “^8-12 Jesus knew right away what they were thinking, and said, “Why are you so skeptical? Which is simpler: to say to the paraplegic, ‘I forgive your sins,’ or say, ‘Get up, take your stretcher, and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both .  ” (he looked now at the paraplegic), “Get up. Pick up your stretcher and go home.” 

         Last Friday my husband, who is fighting Parkinson’s disease, had to be put on total bed care as he was so weak and disoriented and his wounds had gone necrotic.  It looked really terminal.  We immediately sent out the news to all our friends.  We did not ask for a miracle but that he would be held in their prayers.  I fed him all weekend.  Monday I arrived to find him sitting up and feeding himself.  Today I arrived to find him in the wheel chair and able to eat at the table with others.  As our friends took my husband to Jesus, things changed.  Was it the prayers, antibiotics, a blip in the progression of the disease?  I don’t know but I would like to factor in God.

         The resurrection means that Jesus, true man and true God, is alive and active in our world today.  We don’t get all our prayers answered that dramatically but sometimes we see his hand acting.

“Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.”

Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 5

God bless as you walk through faith challenges and walk with friends!

“Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.”

Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 5

         Most of us have not been sea captains involved in slave trade.  It is easy to think of the “other guy” as the real sinner cause I am trying to lead a decent life.  But in fact we are all mortal and will face death.  When I think of an example of someone whose flesh and heart failed, I think of Job in the Bible.  He’s an Old Testament character who experienced devastating loss of his children, his property and finally his health.  His friends even turned on him and tried to convince him that he must have done something wrong.  Job denies guilt of the major sins.  He has not been unfair to the poor, lusted, or traded unfairly and has tried so hard to live the good life.          John Newton knew he had lived a bad life.  Job believed he had led a good life.  Both men will die, their mortal life will cease.  Job is famous for his confession to his accusing friends.  He said,

Job 19:25-27

“I know that my redeemer lives,

and that in the end he will stand on the earth.

And after my skin has been destroyed,

Yet in my flesh I will see God;

I myself will see him

With my own eyes  — I, and not another,

How my heart yearns within me!

         One day we will all face the risen Lord with our “sins of commission” (the bad we actively did) and with our “sins of omission” (the good we did not do), with all our failures when we did not live our better selves.  How comforting it is that we face a Lord who understands our lives and who has walked through death for us.  Marinating in the Easter season is important.

         Perhaps today we might think of one of those times when we did not live out our better selves.  Let us spend time thanking God for forgiveness.  Perhaps there is someone we need to forgive and stop carry that grudge of accusation.  “My redeemer lives.”

“Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.”

Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 5

         My friend and I chatted yesterday as we sat with my husband who is now bedridden with Parkinson’s, dementia and feet wounds that refuse to heal.  We thought about this fifth verse of John Newton’s famous hymn, Amazing Grace.  My friend shared that an anchor is the sailor’s symbol for hope.  A boat that is anchored is securely connected even as a storm tosses around it.  Newton expressed this sense of a storm by saying when my flesh fails — when we are sick and our bodies flounder — and when our heart fails — when we become weak — if we are anchored in faith, we can weather a storm.  He did not deny storms and trials but having our lives anchored in the risen Christ who walked through the worst storm that brought death, gives us hope because we know he is alive and risen.

         The apostle Paul says it this way, “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, (Hebrews 6:19)”.  The Living Bible translates it this way and captures the image of a boat anchored in a storm, “And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.”

         Let us use that image of a boat anchored safely as a picture we can pray about for our concerns and our world.  Blessing.

“The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.”

Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 4

         Yesterday I visited my husband who has been declining with Parkinson’s Disease and vascular dementia.   Last year at this time he was walking with a walker but with that halted gait typical of the disease and had experienced seisures.  By September he was in a nursing home and transitioned to a wheel chair.  Yesterday I arrived to visit and he was transitioned to bed.  We are nearing the end of the journey.  John Newton in his famous hymn Amazing Grace talks of Jesus as being his shield and portion as long as life endures. 

         I thought of the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.  I focused on it recently but reviewed the story of the author, Joseph Scriven.  He was born in Ireland but on the eve of his wedding, his fiancee drowned.  He immigrated to Canada and dedicated himself to helping the poor.  Hearing that his mother was dying, he sent her a poem that became the words of this hymn.  Please enjoy it as we pray for people who are traveling through rough seas today.

         My husband will enjoy this English/Swahili version that I will share with him when I visit.  I pray it blesses you too as you face the challenges of your day.  “The Lord is risen” and present, even today!

“The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.”

Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 4

Fair-weather friends are defined as people who are friendly to you when life is going well, when it is to their advantage, or when it profits them.  The title may come from a phrase that came about in the 1700s for sailors who could only sail when the weather was good.  John Newton sees Jesus as a “fair weather friend” but as a real friend who will stay by us when times are tough and when we are not so loyal to him.  Jesus was there with Newton in the midst of the horrible storm at sea that drove Newton to cry out for help.

         Newton saw Jesus as a “shield,” his “portion” as long as life endures.  He adds no qualifying clause.  He did not say “if” we obey then we are blessed.  “As long as life endures” means eternally.  That is a true friend!

         So how are we doing as friends?  Think of a few people who have been real friends to you.  What qualities do you appreciate in them?  Name their kindnesses and then thank God for them and pray for them painting a prayer picture of their craft sailing the seas of life.

Maybe you could rephrase this traditional Irish blessing that comes from an ancient Celtic prayer, “May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon the waves and the skies be clear for charting your course until we meet again.  May God hold you in the palm of His hand.”  May the risen Lord stand with you at the helm of your ship.

Romans 5:8, “⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”

“He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.”

Amazing Grace by John Newton, Verse 4, Line 3,4

         When I was a young, my mother would cook a chicken for dinner and we each had our assigned portion, our assigned piece.  Mine was the thigh.  The men got the meatier pieces.  I always left the table hungry.  In verse 4 of John Newton’s famous hymn, he shares that grace has been like a shield protecting him from evil and being a barrier between him and evil but also grace has been his “portion.”  I hear that as grace having satisfied him and made him content at the table of life.

         My portion, my fair share, does not mean that I get everything there is to be got with no problems but it does imply fairness and satisfaction.  I do not have the nicest nor biggest house but I do live in a situation that brings me joy.  It is mine.  As I walk the journey of my husband’s terminal disease, I reflect back over our marriage and remember the highs and the lows, lots of good times and lots of struggle as our relationship matured.  I see that the path of my life that I believe God led me down was “my portion” and was marked with God’s grace.  It is also true that some of the defeats and failures in my life that closed doors and became turning points for me were moments of grace, releasing me from immature decisions.  To follow our analogy, I was stopped from over indulging and walking away sick from the table of life.  Grace has helped me control my portions as I learn to walk with God.

         Today might be a good time to do a quick life review, pondering your contentment with your “portion” in life. Release the failures and offenses as learning experiences and thank God for the grace of the blessings.  How would you rate your contentment level with your “portion” today on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being high?  Let’s try to place the hungers and wants in his hands and let God be our portion!