A Hymn for Good Friday

He who clothes himself with light as with a garment

Stood naked at the judgement.

On his cheek he received blows

From the hands which he had formed.

The lawless multitude nailed to the Cross

The Lord of glory.

 

Today is hanged upon the tree

He who hanged the earth in the midst of the waters.

A crown of thorns crowns him

Who is the king of the angels.

He is wrapped about with the purple of mockery

Who wraps the heaven in clouds.

—Orthodox hymn for Good Friday, tr. by George Papadeas, in Greek Orthodox Holy Week and Easter Services (Daytona Beach: Patmos, 2007), 322; quoted in Michael Reeves, Rejoicing in Christ (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2015), 59.

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Isaac Watts on the Privilege of Being Welcomed to the Lord’s Feast

How sweet and awful[1] is the Place

With Christ within the Doors,

While everlasting Love displays

The choicest of her Stores!

 

While all our Hearts and all our Songs

Join to admire the Feast,

Each of us cry with thankful Tongues,

“Lord, why was I a Guest?

 

“Why was I made to hear thy Voice,

“And enter while there’s Room;

“When Thousands make a wretched Choice

“And rather starve than come!”

 

‘Twas the same Love that Spread the Fest,

That sweetly forc’d us in[2]

Else we had still refused to taste,

And perish’d in our Sin.

 

Pity the Nations, O our God!

Constraint the Earth to come;

Send thy victorious Word abroad,

And bring the Strangers home.

 

We long to see thy Churches full,

That all the chosen Race

May with one Voice, and Heart, and Soul,

Sing thy Redeeming Grace.

 

—Isaac Watts’ hymn, “How Sweet and Awful Is the Place;” quoted in The Lord’s Supper: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ Until He Comes, ed. Thomas Schreiner and Matthew Crawford (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010), p. 362-363.

 

[1] In the sense of filling us with awe and astonishment. [MDY]

[2] In the sense of compelled, as in “Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23, NKJV). [MDY]

 

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“Some Things Never Change”: A Standing Place in the Whirlwind

This year has been one of big changes for the Yates family.  In February we welcomed our third daughter, Elizabeth, into the world and entered the adventure of parenting while outnumbered.  In May I said farewell to the teachers, parents, and students of ABC-Stewart, where I taught history for the last twelve years—my first full-time job.  In July we moved to West Virginia, saying goodbye to the family farm where I had lived for the last twenty-six years, the church where we have served and been served for twelve years, and the county which has been home my entire life.  And in August our oldest daughter started kindergarten.  We’ve been delighted at the way Christ has worked in each of these changes, and we could never have imagined all the ways He has cared for us by bringing these changes into our lives, but it’s been something of a whirlwind.

But in the midst of change, it’s been a comfort to know that the most fundamental reality—that Jesus is Lord, and that He has made up His mind to rescue sinful rebels and make them sons and daughters of God at the cost of His own body and blood—has not changed at all.  He is Lord in Indiana, in West Virginia, and in every atom of the universe.  He is wise and strong, faithful and good in every circumstance, in every trial, and in every opportunity.

I have long appreciated the bluegrass gospel group Born Again.  These talented, faithful men (and fellow Hoosiers) bring us a much-needed reminder in this song:

 

“Some Things Never Change” by Cole Barnett[1]

Now lately I’ve been noticing that

Just about everything is changin’ right before my eyes.

There’s no time to think about what’s gone,

We’re always movin’ on to something that’s supposed to change our lives.

But the one thing that we need is standing still,

And it’s the offering that was made at Calvary’s hill.

 

‘Cause when everything around you starts leaving you behind,

The comfort of the Lord will still remain.

And even if the oceans and the rivers all run dry,

God’s love don’t depend upon the rain.

It’s good to know some things never change.

 

So let the world around me move,

I’ve got Jesus, so can you,

Who loves me, and He’ll always feel the same.

‘Cause if there’s one thing in this life I know,

People come, and people go,

But call on Him and He’ll be there to stay.

In a world that’s changin’ faster than the wind,

I don’t have to wonder if I’ve got a Friend.

 

‘Cause when everything around you starts leaving you behind,

The comfort of the Lord will still remain.

And even if the oceans and the rivers all run dry,

God’s love don’t depend upon the rain.

It’s good to know some things never change.

 

Not only is this song good news, but it’s good bluegrass.  The CD is available for sale here.  (Disclaimer: I have no experience with this company, so use discretion.  I list this link simply because it was the only place I could currently find the recording.  Any leads would be appreciated.)

Grace and peace, Mike Yates

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[1] From the CD Some Things Never Change (Crossroads Music, 2004).

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