Lenexa UMC Devotion

LUMC Devotion O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise, The glories of my God and King The triumphs of His praise! This wonderful Charles Wesley hymn was my Grandmother’s favorite. She knew all 17 verse of this hymn by heart and in her later years would sit by the window of her apartment and sing all 17 verses. She tried to get my sisters and I to learn them also, but in our youthfulness other things were more important than memorizing hymns. She grew up in the small community of Gore, MO. The church was the community gathering place. It was a German community and the church service were all done in German. When she learned this hymn, it would have been learned in German and sung in the church in German. Even in her later years, she could still sing the hymn in German. It meant so much to her because of the words written by Charles Wesley. She truly believed that God had richly blessed she and my grandfather with blessings and the glories of God should be sung by a “thousand tongues”. While they were not rich in money, they were rich in community, in dear friends, and two sons. Their farm, while not large, was prosperous and kept the family supplied with the wealth of the harvest and the bounty of the food produced in the garden. It was a reason to sing “My great Redeemer’s praise.” In a later verse in the hymn, one that is not usually included in the seven in the hymnal, Charles Wesley says this: “Look unto Him, ye nations, own your God, ye fallen race! Look and be saved through faith alone, and justified by grace.” Wouldn’t be a wonderful thing if all people were saved through faith alone and justified by grace. The Spectrum Class has been studying Adam Hamilton’s book, Revival, Faith As Wesley Lived It. One of the things that Wesley preached was being saved by grace that was available to all. After struggling with his own faith journey, and after the Aldersgate Experience, Wesley defined the stages of grace with the last being sanctifying grace, allowing the Holy Spirit to work through each person in the doing good works for others and “loving our neighbor as ourself.” Wouldn’t that be refreshing in today’s troubled world? My grandmother was a smart woman in choosing this hymn as her favorite. I feel that she lived the Wesley Spirit of good works and loving her neighbor as herself. I wish now I had memorized all 17 verses to this song (really I don’t) but I know enough to see my Grandmother in Charles Wesley’s word. Let’s all commit ourselves to live the Wesley Spirit. Let us all be aware of the needs of our community and commit ourselves to be the change that Wesley dreamed of. Let us all sing with my Grandmother: “O for a thousand tongues to sing my Great Redeemer’s praise. The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of His grace!” Prayer: O God, Creator of all things, let us live in you presence and in you spirit as we react to the challenges of today’s society. Give us the strength and wisdom to love each other as we love ourself. Let us tool to the problems of the world and say how can we be God’s change agent in the world. Walk with us in this journey on a daily basis and let us sing your glories to a needy world. In Your Holy Name. Amen. Wayne Dothage Subscribe to LUMC Devotions Lenexa United Methodist Church | 9138 Caenen Lake Road, [email protected], Lenexa, KS 66215 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!