I had to come to church late this morning, arriving in time for communion and the final hymn. Then I planned to attend the next service to hear the sermon, thus completing the circle. So I sang this hymn at the first service, not knowing yet that our priest had announced at the close of the sermon that he, the church staff, and the entire vestry have all resigned, effective October 1. It looks like our parish is headed for some major changes, to say the least.
I'm excited about what the future will bring. I'm thankful that our church leadership is saying that they don't want to be associated with the Episcopal church anymore.
May God be glorified!
"Lead On, O King Eternal"
Lead on, O King eternal,
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong;
And now, O King eternal,
We lift our battle song.
Lead on, O King eternal,
Till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace.
For not with swords’ loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
The heavenly kingdom comes.
Lead on, O King eternal,
We follow, not with fears,
For gladness breaks like morning
Where’er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted over us,
We journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest;
lead on, O God of might!
Note: The author of this morning's recessional hymn, Ernest Shurtleff (1862-1917), (pictured above) wrote it when he was only 26. It was sung at his graduation ceremony from theological seminary in 1888. Quite an accomplishment, I must say.
3 comments:
It was your quotation of the hymn, "Lead On, O King Eternal," that caught my eye this morning. (Today is the 148th anniversary of Ernest Shurtleff's birth.) But the content of your blog startled me.
The crisis you describe in your local church happened about 2 1/2 years ago. I'm hoping that some things have been resolved since. These dramatic changes of direction can be painful at the time, but the end result may well be worth it. (I speak as a retired pastor with some experience in these things.) Whatever has happened in the intervening years, I trust you continue to experience the Lord's blessing on your life.
P.S. Just checked your Profile and decided to add one more comment. You mention your love of hymns. I invite you to check out my daily blog on the subject, Wordwise Hymns. I think you'd find it a blessing.
Robert,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, I love hymns. Sadly, I feel like a dinosaur in this. Contemporary music is everywhere. I think it's a detriment to worship, but I am in the minority. At the risk of stepping on toes, I have found that many churches who have good hymns, have a theology that is not orthodox. And many churches who have good sermons/theology, have those dreadful praise songs.
Our church (mentioned in my post) did split. The Episcopal church kept the building. Over half of the parishoners (including our family) left to form a new Anglican church. Unfortunately, the rector very quickly changed the "feel" of the new church greatly. He decided to appeal to a younger demographic. As a result, the liturgy was dumbed down, we went from solely hymns to all contemporary music. Many people, including us, left the new church.
We are currently at a different Anglican church. The preaching is wonderful, the liturgy is rich, the people are great, and we have weekly communion. But...the music is contemporary. Four out of five seems to be the best I can do. The thing that pains me so is that I absolutely love hymns. I love singing in parts. I love reading music. But it's the richness and depth of the texts that I really miss. Well, that, and an organ. I love a booming organ that rattles your insides from time to time.
When I get an extra minute, I'll have to add your blog to my blogroll. I'm sure it's something I'd like to visit often!
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