Moment by Moment
7th Sunday after Trinity
" The process of 'letting go' takes time. It is the hardest thing to do, but it should be our main effort: to place our well- being into the hands of another. WHAT IS HAPPENING IS THAT WE ARE BECOMING ROOTED IN FAITH. The secret to letting this happen is fidelity----faithfulness to prayer. This occurs through the slow, gradual , peaceful rhythm of the (spirtual ) exercises. It leads us to a purification in our manner of praying and interior listening , helping us in our quest to remain calm in the hands of God and to face openly what kills life in us." To Walk with Christ, Lawrence L. Gooley
Today's Epistle we hear about faith. In a very positive sense we see faith is the "gift of God" and is "eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6 The word gift is "charisma" in the greek nt. " a gift involving grace (charis) on the part of God as the Donor" Vine's Expository Dictionary of the NT
Faith is both a once for all event, justification and a process as well. Sometimes as protestant people we do not see the process. We are good at seeing the once for all justifiying of God by grace. We sing Amazing Grace but somehow we leave it there and do not see the wonder of the continual gift of grace. Is that possible?
Our Roman Catholic brethren as the quote I started with are better at this part than we are, at least for my experience. What we need to see is that faith as we started with is yes a gift of grace, but it is more than that for us through this life. It as we said from the quote above a "slow, gradual , peaceful (thing)" too where we pray too in our lives on a daily hourly basis for God's peace to be in our hearts but also in the struggles we have now in this life of disappointments, moments of despair, hurt and rejection.
What today's epistle tells us that is that faith is a gift. It is that God is saying He gives us His love, grace, power and moment by moment assurance that we are never going to have to worry about losing His love. I remember that wonderful hymn that I will never forget that was sung at a former Bishop's wife's funeral in Pennsylvania--- Bishop Howard Higgins who was the former presiding Bishop of the REC when I was in seminary: "
Words: Daniel W. Whittle, 1893; first published in 1896.
Music: May W. Moody (MIDI, score).
May Moody composed the music on this pump organ, now at the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois. Her picture is on the wall above the organ.
While I was attending the World’s Fair in Chicago [Illinois], Henry Varley, a lay preacher from London, said to Major Whittle: “I do not like the hymn ‘I need Thee every hour’ very well, because I need Him every moment of the day. Soon after Major Whittle wrote this sweet hymn…[He] brought the hymn to me in manuscript a little later, saying that he would give me the copyright of both the words and music if I would print for him five hundred copies on fine paper, for distributing among his friends. His daughter, May Whittle, who later became the wife of Will R. Moody, composed the music. I did as Mr. Whittle wished; and I sent the hymn to England, where it was copyrighted on the same day as at Washington.
In England the hymn became very popular. Falling into the hands of the well-known Rev. Andrew Murray, of South Africa, then visiting London, he adopted it as his favorite hymn. A year later Mr. Murray visited Northfield [Massachusetts], and while holding a meeting for men in the church he remarked, “If Sankey only knew a hymn which I found in London, and would sing it, he would find that it embraces my entire creed.”
I was very anxious to know what hymn it was, and when he had recited it I said to him: “Doctor, that hymn was written within five hundred yards of where we are standing.”
For years Dr. Murray had his wife sing this hymn in nearly all his meetings. It also became a great favorite in South Africa during the war.
Sankey, pp. 190-1
Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.
Refrain
Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.
Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care.
Refrain
Never a heartache, and never a groan,
Never a teardrop and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne,
Moment by moment He thinks of His own.
Refrain
Never a weakness that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus my Savior, abides with me still. "
What about us? We do need him more than every hour, do we not? We need Him "moment by moment." Unfortunately we do not do this very well as we do not see His grace in our moments. Our moments need His grace and the gifts of His grace, do they not?
So today as we think about the gift of eternal life can we also think about that this grace is new every moment in the moments of our trials, burdens, sorrows, heartaches, teardrops and dangers? I would encourage you to learn this hymn. Its tune is quite familiar. Sing it when we you feel like throwing in the towel or just don't think God's gifts and love are very real in your life.
I know I will!
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
" The process of 'letting go' takes time. It is the hardest thing to do, but it should be our main effort: to place our well- being into the hands of another. WHAT IS HAPPENING IS THAT WE ARE BECOMING ROOTED IN FAITH. The secret to letting this happen is fidelity----faithfulness to prayer. This occurs through the slow, gradual , peaceful rhythm of the (spirtual ) exercises. It leads us to a purification in our manner of praying and interior listening , helping us in our quest to remain calm in the hands of God and to face openly what kills life in us." To Walk with Christ, Lawrence L. Gooley
Today's Epistle we hear about faith. In a very positive sense we see faith is the "gift of God" and is "eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6 The word gift is "charisma" in the greek nt. " a gift involving grace (charis) on the part of God as the Donor" Vine's Expository Dictionary of the NT
Faith is both a once for all event, justification and a process as well. Sometimes as protestant people we do not see the process. We are good at seeing the once for all justifiying of God by grace. We sing Amazing Grace but somehow we leave it there and do not see the wonder of the continual gift of grace. Is that possible?
Our Roman Catholic brethren as the quote I started with are better at this part than we are, at least for my experience. What we need to see is that faith as we started with is yes a gift of grace, but it is more than that for us through this life. It as we said from the quote above a "slow, gradual , peaceful (thing)" too where we pray too in our lives on a daily hourly basis for God's peace to be in our hearts but also in the struggles we have now in this life of disappointments, moments of despair, hurt and rejection.
What today's epistle tells us that is that faith is a gift. It is that God is saying He gives us His love, grace, power and moment by moment assurance that we are never going to have to worry about losing His love. I remember that wonderful hymn that I will never forget that was sung at a former Bishop's wife's funeral in Pennsylvania--- Bishop Howard Higgins who was the former presiding Bishop of the REC when I was in seminary: "
Words: Daniel W. Whittle, 1893; first published in 1896.
Music: May W. Moody (MIDI, score).
May Moody composed the music on this pump organ, now at the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois. Her picture is on the wall above the organ.
While I was attending the World’s Fair in Chicago [Illinois], Henry Varley, a lay preacher from London, said to Major Whittle: “I do not like the hymn ‘I need Thee every hour’ very well, because I need Him every moment of the day. Soon after Major Whittle wrote this sweet hymn…[He] brought the hymn to me in manuscript a little later, saying that he would give me the copyright of both the words and music if I would print for him five hundred copies on fine paper, for distributing among his friends. His daughter, May Whittle, who later became the wife of Will R. Moody, composed the music. I did as Mr. Whittle wished; and I sent the hymn to England, where it was copyrighted on the same day as at Washington.
In England the hymn became very popular. Falling into the hands of the well-known Rev. Andrew Murray, of South Africa, then visiting London, he adopted it as his favorite hymn. A year later Mr. Murray visited Northfield [Massachusetts], and while holding a meeting for men in the church he remarked, “If Sankey only knew a hymn which I found in London, and would sing it, he would find that it embraces my entire creed.”
I was very anxious to know what hymn it was, and when he had recited it I said to him: “Doctor, that hymn was written within five hundred yards of where we are standing.”
For years Dr. Murray had his wife sing this hymn in nearly all his meetings. It also became a great favorite in South Africa during the war.
Sankey, pp. 190-1
Dying with Jesus, by death reckoned mine;
Living with Jesus, a new life divine;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.
Refrain
Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.
Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear,
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I’m under His care.
Refrain
Never a heartache, and never a groan,
Never a teardrop and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne,
Moment by moment He thinks of His own.
Refrain
Never a weakness that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus my Savior, abides with me still. "
What about us? We do need him more than every hour, do we not? We need Him "moment by moment." Unfortunately we do not do this very well as we do not see His grace in our moments. Our moments need His grace and the gifts of His grace, do they not?
So today as we think about the gift of eternal life can we also think about that this grace is new every moment in the moments of our trials, burdens, sorrows, heartaches, teardrops and dangers? I would encourage you to learn this hymn. Its tune is quite familiar. Sing it when we you feel like throwing in the towel or just don't think God's gifts and love are very real in your life.
I know I will!
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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