Once in Royal David's City

 

Cecil Frances Humphreys was born in 1818 and married Reverend William Alexander in 1850. Two years earlier, at the age of 30, she published a book of poems called Hymns for Little Children. A year later, one of those poems, "Once in Royal David's City," was set to music by Henry John Gauntlett and became his most well-known melody.

Once in royal David's city stood a lowly cattle shed
Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed
Mary was that Mother mild
Jesus Christ her little Child

He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all
And his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall
With the poor and mean and lowly
Lived on earth our Saviour holy

And through all His wondrous childhood he would honor and obey
Love and watch the lowly maiden in whose gentle arms he lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He

For he is our childhood's pattern; day by day like us he grew
He was little, weak, and helpless; tears and smiles like us he knew
And he feeleth for our sadness
And he shareth in our gladness

And our eyes at last shall see him through his own redeeming love
For that Child so dear and gentle is our Lord in heaven above
And he leads his children on
To the place where he is gone

Not in that poor lowly stable with the oxen standing by
We shall see him: but in heaven, set at God's right hand on high
Where like stars his children crowned
All in white shall wait around

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Truth is...Oddly enough, though it has been published in over 400 hymnals, I have never sung this...and I think I'm a lesser person because of that. Its simple telling of not only Christ's birth but his life and our eternal destiny is a fitting meditation for the modern heart.

Christmas On!

 

I need to thank Carolyn Arends for bringing the following John Blase poem to my attention.

In the face of seasoned waves of evil

that we would sing that old noel,

that we would hang lights on branches,

that we would give gifts to others

even if that gift is only ourselves --

this, this is a defiance seemingly impotent

against the principalities and powers who

daily conspire to convince us that

we are alone and love is a lie.

But do not be deceived for the demons themselves

tremble at such quaintness.

Sisters and brothers,

Christmas on.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

This is the reason I still get a lump in my throat at the end of the silly song by the Royal Guardsmen about Snoopy and the Red Baron. The Red Baron forces Snoopy's "World War I flying ace" to land, then pops open a bottle and makes a toast, "Merry Christmas, my friend!"

https://youtu.be/0-hWZGIWe_U?si=T6p-ot5xLcOrJbBl

Truth is...We are not alone. Love is not a lie. Yahweh did not send his son into the world to condemn us, but to save us. Yes, no matter how jaded and divided our culture becomes, I will Christmas on like nobody's business.

Following Jesus When Heaven Speaks and Earth Scoffs

 

According to Jesus' biographers, not everybody thought he was anything special. Even with huge crowds following him around to hear him speak and receive healing, Jesus definitely had his detractors.

Mark 2:3-7 (CSB)
They came to him bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

But some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts: “Why does he speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

Matthew 12:22-24 (CSB)
Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see. All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

Dear Jesus,

You were falsely accused. Your parentage was questioned. Your clear claims of divinity and demonstrations of power were called unholy and attributed to Lucifer.

And you took it all with a sense of peace and calm born from your inner conviction and absolute confidence of who you were.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...I need to forget about wanting man's approval or applause and live my life in step with the Spirit  -  doing what he urges; shouting from rooftops what he whispers in my ear. (Matthew 10:27)

A Thankful Stream of Consciousness

 

Getting into a sun-warmed vehicle on a crisp autumn day

My car starting immediately and running smoothly

Having an app on my phone that verbally directs me on the fastest route

Arriving 15 minutes earlier than needed

Sharing a meal with a friend

Having friends who like eating and laughing with me

Having friends who actually pray for me when I ask

Having a Lord who listens to prayers

Jesus providing answers that are even better than my requests

Being loved and forgiven

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...I am thankful.

The Ins and Outs of It

 

John Fischer was a pioneer of what is now called Contemporary Christian Music, having written a lot of songs that a lot of teenage Christians sang around a lot of campfires.

He not only wrote songs, but for many years wrote a "last page of the magazine" monthly article for CCM. Several of those articles found their way into book form in 1988's Real Christians Don't Dance!.

One of the most memorable pieces in the book is a poem titled "The Ins and Outs of It":

"In it, not of it," the statement was made
As Christian One faced the world, much afraid
"In it, not of it," the call was made clear,
But Christian One got something stuck in his ear.
"Not in it, or of it" was the thing that he heard.
And knowing the world was painfully absurd,
He welcomed the safety of pious retreat,
And went to the potluck for something to eat.

Now Christian Two, he knew what to do,
He'd show those fundies a thing or two!
How will the world ever give Christ a try
If we don't get in there and identify?
So "In it, and of it," he said in his car,
As he pulled in and stopped at a popular bar.
"I'll tell them the truth as soon as I'm able
To get myself out from under this table."

Now along comes Christian Three jogging for Jesus
In witnessing sweats made of four matching pieces.
His earphones are playing a hot Christian tune
About how the Lord is coming back soon.
"Not in it, but of it," he turns down the hill
And stops for a bite at the Agape Grill.
Like the gold on the chain of his "God Loves You" bracelet,
He can have the world without having to face it.

While way up in heaven they lament these conditions
That come from changing a few prepositions.
"Not in it, or of it," Christian One thought.
But who in the world will know that he's not?
"In it, and of it," thought Christian Two.
But who in the world will know that he knew?
"Not in it, but of it," thought Christian Three.
But who in the world watches Christian TV?

And Jesus turns to Gabriel, shaking His head.
"'In it, not of it,' wasn't that what I said?"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...This is all based on John 17, when Jesus was praying about his disciples and said, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it."

For us to be the answer to the prayer of Jesus, we need to be present as a contributing part of our earthly reality, engaged and engaging, but not fall in love with the foul and shallow trappings of a fallen worldview.

Like John said in First John 2: "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world  —  the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life  —  comes not from the Father but from the world."

True Religion

 

According to their website, "True Religion is a global lifestyle, apparel, and accessories brand that focuses on producing high-quality denim and sportswear for Men, Women, and Kids.  Born from the belief that denim is a universal fabric, our mission is to transcend boundaries of faith, class, ethnicity, and orientation. True Religion is worn by athletes, musicians, and artists globally to express their individual style."

According to the NIV translation of James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Or, as stated in the NLT, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."

So you see, both the Scripture and the denim company are correct. True religion transcends boundaries and goes far beyond what anyone wears on their body.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...If what I believe doesn't square with how I behave, how can my religion be considered True?

What a Soviet Spy Teaches Us About Worry

 

In the 2015 film Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks plays an American lawyer recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court. He takes his job seriously and is concerned about his client's apparent lack of concern.

LAWYER

I have a mandate to help you. Nobody else does. Quite frankly, they have a vested interest in sending you to the electric chair....You don't seem alarmed.

SPY

Would it help?

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Truth is...Even without me bringing up any spiritual concepts of trusting in God, this short conversation lays out a bit of street wisdom that deserves attention. It also agrees completely with Jesus when he says in Matthew 6:27, "Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"