Hymn Story: Gentle Mary Laid Her Child

Luke 2:7

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 

"Gentle Mary Laid Her Child," a gentle hymn of Christmas, reminds us of each element in the Christmas story through its lovely verse. It is sometimes listed in the hymnals as a children's hymn.

Mary, the manger, angels, shepherds, wise men-each is briefly mentioned in tribute to the glorious incarnation. And yet, in its short verses, the hymn speaks not only of the baby born that Christmas day, but also of the King of Glory. Because of Jesus' miraculous birth, the King is no longer a stranger to the world; Instead, the world now praises his holy name.

Listen to it here: Gentle Mary Laid Her Child

Coram Deo (September 2013)

"God knows all that is done in the most secret caverns of the heart. No place is deprived of his presence." —Stephen Charnock

Church leaders are tasked with maintaining the purity of the church in this new covenant age (1 Cor.5). This is accomplished by the careful practice of church discipline, which must lead finally to excommunication for those who remain impenitent. The ancient Israelites and Judahites did not maintain discipline and cast idolaters out of their midst, so God judged them. Our Creator will likewise hold churches accountable that fail to discipline their members appropriately.

"God's Word is permanent, unlike humanity. We are like grass, like the flower of the field. Though we try to persuade ourselves that our lives are permanent, we know that they are not. That's why we must rest our hopes and our hearts on the permanent realities found in God's Word." —Sean Michael Lucas from his weekend devotional "God's Comforting Voice" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

"A Christian's assurance of salvation is guaranteed not by a profession of faith or some momentary zeal for Jesus. . . our hope is not in who we are or what we did. Jesus is the guarantee of our salvation (Phil. 1:6)." —Chris Larson from his weekend Bible study "Federally Backed Security" in Tabletalk magazine

Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman in John 4 has inspired Christians’ willingness to meet wherever we can find space. Our Saviour's statement that His followers will not worship exclusively in Samaria or Jerusalem but “in spirit and truth” indicate that God’s presence is not limited to any place or time (vv. 21–24). That is not to say that sacred space has no place in the new covenant. Our sanctuaries’ design and architecture always influence our worship for good or for ill. However, the Lord is not limited to one place, nor does He require a specific kind of church building for us to worship Him rightly.

"I may not 'feel' the presence of God when I grieve, but because I know that He is sovereign, that He cares for me, and that He is close to the brokenhearted, I can endure whatever situation He has ordained for me." —Janet Mefferd from "The Anchor of Theology" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

Sometimes we become discouraged that so many wolves are working among the sheep. False teachers have always been a problem for God’s people, however, so we should expect to see theological error raise its ugly head time and again. The focus of our discouragement should be upon those church leaders who refuse to purge false teachers from our midst, and we should channel it in a positive direction by calling church leaders to maintain the gospel’s purity in our local congregations.

"If your Lord calls you to suffering, do not be dismayed, for he will provide you a deeper portion of Christ in your suffering. The softest pillow will be placed under your head though you must set your bare feet among thorns." —Samuel Rutherford

Dr. R.C. Sproul has said that the biblical doctrine of salvation can be summed up effectively in three words: regeneration precedes faith. Without regeneration, we cannot trust Christ and be united to Him, and if we are not united to Christ, we cannot be justified, sanctified, and glorified. We cannot deserve regeneration, which is why we must finally attribute our salvation to God alone. Let us be grateful that the Lord has not left us to ourselves but has transformed us to believe in Him.

"A genuinely integrated Christian view regarding life and work must be cognizant of both perspectives regarding the world. It must somehow correlate spiritual concerns with temporal concerns. It must coalesce heavenly hope and landed life. It must coordinate heartfelt faith and down-to-earth practice." —George Grant

Matthew Henry comments, "Those who are not fruitful to the glory of God's grace will be fuel to the fire of his wrath." We are not counted as righteous before the Lord because of our service to Him. Nevertheless, if we are not fruitful in serving Him, then we do not abide in His choice vine—the Lord Jesus Christ—whose work alone can save us. By the Spirit, we must continue to abide in Christ and bear fruit unto the Lord's glory in the form of love for God and neighbour.

"Self-centeredness, like all sin, is ultimately a matter of the heart. And the only remedy that gets to the heart of the fall and all its bitter fruit is the Saviour, Jesus Christ." —Richard Phillips from "Self-Centeredness in the Family" in the March 2012 issue of Tabletalk magazine

For those of us who know Christ, meditating on what the Lord has done for us is a good way to strengthen our love for the Father and His Son. We, too, were like an exposed infant left to die in our blood, but the Lord had pity on us and took us for His own. Thus, the entire Christian life should be motivated by gratitude. Even when we experience the greatest periods of want, we have more than enough to be thankful for. God in His grace has saved us, a wholly undeserving people.

"The trouble with too many of us today is that we have lots of acquaintances but very few real friends. There is for us no 'band of brothers.'" —David Robertson

"It is said of Atlas that 'he held up the world on his shoulders.' That may have been a famous saying in Greek mythology, but in the real world it is love that carries the world on its shoulders." —Conrad Mbewe from his weekend devotional "Love Is Worth a Thousand Words" in this month's issue of Tabletalk magazine

Many people think that God’s answer to sin is to keep people from committing it. On the contrary, His answer is often to give people over to it. When Israel wanted to commit spiritual adultery with other gods, God gave them over to those gods. His purpose, however, was restorative. He handed them over to their sin that they might learn the error of their ways. The Lord may do the same for us, but would it not be better to avoid such pain by obeying Him?

"Even if we don’t worry about what we will eat, or what we will wear, as those to whom Jesus spoke did, we do worry about what people will think, or worse—that they won’t think of us at all." —R.C. Sproul, Jr. from "When Pigs Fly" in this month's Tabletalk magazine

God does not visit the sins of our parents upon us if we repent and turn from them. That is, we only bear the wages of our parents’ sins if we make these sins our own. The Lord is pleased to show mercy to His people when they forsake their wickedness and turn to Him, so we must never think that something we or our parents have done in the past can prevent our Father from forgiving us today—if we seek Him with all of our hearts.

"When God redeems His people, He also begins to bring us back into harmony with how He originally designed us to live. The creator God is also the Re-creator." —Kelly Kapic from "The Egocentric Predicament" in the March 2012 issue of Tabletalk magazine

God in Christ met not only Jews in the wilderness but also Gentiles (Mark 5:1–20), and as the Last Adam, He identified with Gentiles as well, bearing the Father’s wrath for Gentiles who believe. Whether we are Jews or Gentiles by birth, we can take part in the blessing of the final exodus by faith in Christ alone. The new exodus has come; now we are only waiting for God to lead us into the Promised Land—the new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells. He will be faithful to that promise.

"Christ remains the measure of men, and His life of perfect integrity, as He lived before God for men and before men for God, remains our pattern and example." —Iain Campbell from "Hypocrisy in High Places" in the October 2009 issue of Tabletalk magazine

Of the titles that are used for Jesus in the New Testament, Son of Man is our Lord’s favourite designation for Himself. It appears on His lips more often than any other title, including Lord and Christ. Biblical scholars have long considered the significance of this in light of the Old Testament. The main reason Jesus used this title was to identify Himself as the one to whom the Father would deliver an everlasting kingdom, namely, the cosmic ruler revealed in Daniel 7:13–14.

"O, how much time is spent in other studies and worldly employments; but how little in the search and study of Jesus Christ? O then, separate, devote, and wholly give yourself, your time, and your strength to this most sweet, transcendent study." —John Flavel

"In a world where nothing seems to be solid or secure, when everything is constantly on the move, or dissolving, or breaking down, or morphing into something else, or even changing into its opposite, the very notion of stability ceases to have meaning or significance, and, one might add, the very concept of meaning itself ceases to have meaning." —Carl Trueman from his article in the April 2010 issue of Tabletalk magazine "A Brave New World"

Bible critics read Scripture superficially and find “errors” that do not reflect a fair reading of all the evidence. History confirms biblical prophecy, and good apologetic resources demonstrate this. Therefore, it is a good idea for us all to own solid apologetic helps so that we may be prepared when others ask about the faith.

"The greatest pleasures human beings can experience are found in knowing and obeying God. That’s the message of Psalm 16: 'You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore' (v. 11). In God’s presence, there is fullness of joy; eternal pleasures—pleasures that will never go flat or stale—that are found in God." —Tedd Tripp from his weekend devotional "Pleasures Forevermore" in this month's issue of Tabletalk magazine

The glory that surrounds God is seen as beautiful colors, a wash of amazing sounds, a perfume of wonderful smells. That God adorns Himself with beauty is a sign to us. Do not settle for paltry architecture, advertising-jingle music, or weak pop culture in your life. Christians should be at the forefront of artistic development.

Ligonier Academy (September 2013)

"Everything may look dark, and threatening, and hopeless; needs may press, and difficulties may interpose, and impossibilities may present themselves in your case; nevertheless, cling in prayer, and faith, and hope, to the "God of hope,'' and your hope in Him, through Christ, however slender and dim, shall not make you ashamed. Hope on, like Abraham, "who against hope believed in hope," and who "staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God," and you shall be brought, like him, safely and triumphantly through all your trials, difficulties, and needs." - Octavius Winslow

"So, when Christ delays to help his saints now, you think this is a great mystery — you cannot explain it; but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. Be still, and know that Christ is God." - Robert Murray M'Cheyne

"If we instil the characteristics of work, courage, and perseverance in our children but do not instil in them the grace of humility, they will be marked by the spirit of the Pharisee: virtuous in many ways but too proud to see their need of God. King Uzziah had perseverance and loyalty, but his empire and influence crumbled because of a lack of humility. "After Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall" (2 Chronicles 26:16)." - Alistair Begg

"[Charles] Hodge became known as a professor who took every opportunity to encourage his students to approach God in a spirit of awe and wonder, not a spirit of metaphysical mastery and rationalist dissection. Reminiscent of his alpine awe, Hodge believed that the immensity of God's mercy should wash over the believer, not be approached so rationally as to diminish its infinite, all-encompassing grandeur." - Paul Gutjahr

"It is terrible to find how little progress ones philosophy and charity have made when they are brought to the test of domestic life." - C.S. Lewis  

Hymn Story: Silent Night

Luke 2:16

 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

 

It was December 24, 1818, and in Oberndorf, Austria, the assistant priest went to the home of his friend, the organist of the small church. He brought the words of a poem that he had written two years earlier and asked him to write a tune to it, to use at the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass. The organist, Franz Xaver Gruber, reminded Fr. Joseph Mohr that the organ wasn’t working and so they would not be able to have music for the service. Fr. Mohr went in the other room and got a guitar. Gruber strummed a few chords, then started humming. He exclaimed, "The song, it sings itself." A few hours later, he had composed the tune, and the two men presented the carol for the first time that Christmas Eve.

 

When the organ repairman, Carl Mauracher, later heard the carol, he took a copy of it with him. He presented it to two groups of traveling singers, who then performed it in their Christmas repertoire, and thus it began its journey around the world. The Strasser and Rainer families travelled and performed all over Europe, and they sang "the Tyrolian folk carol". The Rainer family brought the carol to the United States, first performing it in German in New York City in 1839.

A publisher heard the carol sung near Innsbruck, Austria around 1832. He liked it and published it for the first time, claiming the source to be a "Tyrolian folk song." The songwriters were not known at that time, and the tune had been changed somewhat from the original. That printed version is the melody that is still widely sung. However, in 1995 a copy of "Silent Night" was found, written in Fr. Joseph Mohr’s own hand, which gives the origin of this carol, along with proof of its creators.
"Silent Night was translated into English in 1863. Who translated it is not clear, John Young is reported by some to have translated stanzas 1 and 3. Jane Campbell also could have translated it. It was first published in an American hymnal, Charles Hutchins’ Sunday School Hymnal.

"Silent Night" has been translated into nearly every language on earth. We, in the U.S. hear it early and often in the Christmas season, but the people of Austria consider it a national treasure, with an organization formed to protect it from commercialization, and to convince people to learn the original melody. A visitor to Austria can visit museums and memorials in Oberndorf and other places significant to this carol.

There are many stories of the origin of this carol, that the organ didn’t work due to mice nibbling at the bellows, or that, due to frequent flooding in the church, the organ had rust and mildew in the workings. It was even suggested that Gruber himself had something to do with the organ not working, due to strife between Fr. Mohr and a traditionalist priest recently assigned to the church. Mohr, with the previous priest, had arranged mixed German-Latin masses, which the people appreciated, as they could finally understand what was being said in church. The new priest, sent by a disapproving archiepiscopal consistory, rejected the use of German in the church and brought back the traditional mass. However, with the organ out of commission, the priest was forced to accept the alternative service with the guitar rather than not have music on Christmas Eve.

Whatever the circumstance, the world is grateful to the two friends who gave us this simple, yet beautiful picture of the night that Christ was born.

Listen to it here: Silent Night

Hymn Story: Onward, Christian Soldiers

Matthew 16:18

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

 

Sabine Baring-Gould wrote: "Whit-Monday [the day after Pentecost] is a great day for school festivals in Yorktown. One Whit-Monday, thirty years ago, it was arranged that our school should join forces with that of a neighbouring village. I wanted the children to sing when marching from one village to another, but couldn’t think of anything quite suitable; so I sat up at night, resolved that I would write something myself. ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ was the result." At that time, he called it "A Hymn for Procession with Cross and Banners," as the children marched with a cross held high and carried various Christian banners.

 

Baring-Gould reportedly wrote this hymn in about 15 minutes. He later apologized, "It was written in great haste, and I am afraid that some of the lines are faulty." It was due to this fact that he allowed hymn-book compilers to alter the lyrics. The Fellowship Hymn Book, with his permission, changed the phrase ‘one in hope and doctrine’ to ‘one in hope and purpose." For the 1909 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern, he changed the fifth line of the same verse from ‘We are not divided’ to ‘Though divisions harass." However, Baring-Gould’s original words are used in most modern hymnals.

Baring-Gould originally set these words to a tune from the slow movement of Hadyn’s Symphony in D, No. 15. It was first printed the same year it was written, in an English church periodical, the Church Times, and later in several books containing new hymns. It did not receive wide acceptance, however, until Arthur S. Sullivan wrote a new tune for it. This tune, St Gertrude, is the tune that appears in Sullivan’s book, The Hymnal. Paired with the new tune, ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ literally circled the globe within ten years.

Listen to it here: Onward, Christian Soldiers

Hymn Story: O Come All Ye Faithful

Romans 12:1-2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

The original four verses of "O Come All Ye Faithful" were discovered in an eighteenth century Jacobean manuscript with John Francis Wade's signature. At one time historians believed that Wade had simply discovered an ancient hymn by an unknown author, possibly St. Bonaventura, a thirteenth century Italian scholar. Further examination, however, has led many to believe that Wade wrote both the words and music of this hymn himself.

Wade, a Catholic who sympathized with the Jacobite cause in England, created several masses that promoted the return of exiled Catholics to the country of England. Interestingly, the "Jacobite manuscript" including an original copy of "O Come All Ye Faithful," was one such mass. Printed in the margins of the song, Wade had called on faithful Jacobites to come together and rally against the English throne.

Though most songbooks include only four verses to this hymn, four other verses exist, three of them possibly written by Abbe' Etienne Jean Francois Borderies in 1794. One other verse has been discovered, but its origins are unknown.

As exiled Catholics returned to England, they took Wade's hymn with them. And in 1841, the words were translated into English. A copy of Wade's hymn was also sent to the Portuguese chapel in London, where the Duke of Leeds heard it and introduced it to a group of concert singers he conducted. From there it circled the globe, becoming one of our most well loved Christmas hymns.

Listen to it here: O Come All Ye Faithful