Lately I have been totally drawn to the lyrical content of hymns. Specifically hymns written by Charles Wesley. After hearing "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" this month and actually listening to the lyrics, I have to say that is probably one of my favorite Christmas songs.
Anyways, I was reading through a few of his hymns this morning, and there was one that stuck out quite powerfully this morning. Here is the Hymn: (I've boldened the parts I'm focusing on):
Lamb of God Whose Bleeding Heart - by Charles Wesley
1 LAMB of God, whose bleeding love We now recall to mind, Send the answer from above, And let us mercy find; Think on us, who think on thee; And every struggling soul release; O remember Calvary, And bid us go in peace!
2 By thine agonizing pain And bloody sweat, we pray, By thy dying love to man, Take all our sins away: Burst our bonds, and set us free; From all iniquity release; O remember Calvary, And bid us go in peace!
3 Let thy blood, by faith applied, The sinner's pardon seal; Speak us freely justified, And all our sickness heal; By thy passion on the tree, Let all our griefs and troubles cease; O remember Calvary, And bid us go in peace!
4 Never will we hence depart, Till thou our wants relieve, Write forgiveness on our heart, And all thine image give! Still our souls shall cry to thee, Till perfected in holiness; O remember Calvary, And bid us go in peace!
There is a famous Christmas song "O Christmas tree". Here is one of it's verses:
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Your beauty green will teach me
That hope and love will ever be
The way to joy and peace for me.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Your beauty green will teach me
I don't know about you but one of my favorite things about Christmas is all the decorations and especially the "piece de resistance" - the Christmas tree. I love the lights, the sparkles, the ornaments, the memories, the legacies and stories as many ornaments carry special meaning or are inherited. We often gather around to look at it, to admire it, to fill it with good things. I want to ask you to take time to remember another tree. It really does give me joy to look at the trees all decorated and at night when all the lights are off and only the lights on the tree burst through the dark, it really brings a serenity to my evening.
As I read this hymn, my thoughts turned to another tree. A red stained tree, a tree set up in a place for all people to stare at, to look at, to be focused on. A tree that wreaked of my sins. A tree that cried out with the world that their Creator was dying. A tree that held up the Lamb of God - who takes away the sins of the world. A tree that is so hard to look at because it cuts me deep. It humbles me. And yet if I take time to look at that tree - my Jesus - "By your passion on the tree - let all our griefs and troubles cease. O remember Calvary and bid us go in peace!". The Christmas Carol is kind of right. If I focus on a tree, the tree, my Saviors tree - it "teaches" me that "hope and love will ever be, the way to joy and peace for me."
So as I see the beautiful trees this season, my mind will now shift to another bright shining, gift giving, beautifully decorated tree. We may celebrate Jesus' birth the 25th but his birth represents far more than a babies cry. It represents my Lord's plan: "For God did not send His son into the world to condemn it, but to Save the world through Him."
I wrote this this morning and pray it blesses you as it blesses me. Let us take a moment as we look at those beautiful tree to think of another more Glorious tree.
Glorious red stained tree
The vision of you summons me
To look deep within my heart
To unbusy my life and instead impart
The truth of what my Savior planned
To unstain the world from the sins of man
All God's passions laid on that tree
To deliver thee, to deliver me
Born to die, my Jesus came
Lamb of God, born and slain
Now justified we can stand
Before our Savior at God's right hand
Shouldering my wretched sin
So God, in me, will only see Him
Pardoned, Redeemed, Saved am I
That's what I see when I take the time
To study that Glorious red stained tree
The vision of you summons me
and fills me with God's holy peace
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Your beauty green will teach me
That hope and love will ever be
The way to joy and peace for me.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
Your beauty green will teach me
I don't know about you but one of my favorite things about Christmas is all the decorations and especially the "piece de resistance" - the Christmas tree. I love the lights, the sparkles, the ornaments, the memories, the legacies and stories as many ornaments carry special meaning or are inherited. We often gather around to look at it, to admire it, to fill it with good things. I want to ask you to take time to remember another tree. It really does give me joy to look at the trees all decorated and at night when all the lights are off and only the lights on the tree burst through the dark, it really brings a serenity to my evening.
As I read this hymn, my thoughts turned to another tree. A red stained tree, a tree set up in a place for all people to stare at, to look at, to be focused on. A tree that wreaked of my sins. A tree that cried out with the world that their Creator was dying. A tree that held up the Lamb of God - who takes away the sins of the world. A tree that is so hard to look at because it cuts me deep. It humbles me. And yet if I take time to look at that tree - my Jesus - "By your passion on the tree - let all our griefs and troubles cease. O remember Calvary and bid us go in peace!". The Christmas Carol is kind of right. If I focus on a tree, the tree, my Saviors tree - it "teaches" me that "hope and love will ever be, the way to joy and peace for me."
So as I see the beautiful trees this season, my mind will now shift to another bright shining, gift giving, beautifully decorated tree. We may celebrate Jesus' birth the 25th but his birth represents far more than a babies cry. It represents my Lord's plan: "For God did not send His son into the world to condemn it, but to Save the world through Him."
I wrote this this morning and pray it blesses you as it blesses me. Let us take a moment as we look at those beautiful tree to think of another more Glorious tree.
Glorious red stained tree
The vision of you summons me
To look deep within my heart
To unbusy my life and instead impart
The truth of what my Savior planned
To unstain the world from the sins of man
All God's passions laid on that tree
To deliver thee, to deliver me
Born to die, my Jesus came
Lamb of God, born and slain
Now justified we can stand
Before our Savior at God's right hand
Shouldering my wretched sin
So God, in me, will only see Him
Pardoned, Redeemed, Saved am I
That's what I see when I take the time
To study that Glorious red stained tree
The vision of you summons me
and fills me with God's holy peace
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