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| The Mayberry Church Community ~ Sunday Morning |
Here's a scene from a early 1960's television series, The Andy Griffith Show. It is Sunday morning in the Mayberry Community Church. Sheriff Andy Taylor is in the front row with Deputy Barney Fife and son, Opie. Aunt Bea is behind them with a neighbor-lady. No wimpy singing in this little church.
But Andy Griffith was a God-loving man, and he believed in the power of hymn-singing in real life. He said:
"You know when you're young you think you will always be. As you become more fragile, you reflect and you realize how much comfort can come from the past. Hymns can carry you into the future."
When he spoke of becoming "more fragile" he had in mind our aging minds and bodies. I'm aware of that in my own life, but I'm thinking even more of how life itself is fragile at every stage: the fragile life of every baby, the fragile life of Christians in many places, the fragile life of the poorest people, the fragile life of the planet itself - so greedily, ruthlessly plundered and wasted.
What do you hold onto in this fragile life? A woman wrote not too long ago, so worried about the future of our country - how bitter and ugly we've appeared recently. She said that she was going to hunker down and focus on her family, promoting its life, health and goodness with new energies. I understand.
And I would add to that: Let's each find a really great hymn, memorize all the verses and sing it often. There are many stories in the long history of the Church where burdened Christians walked while singing hymns.
Blessed Assurance is my favorite hymn, composed in 1873 by Fanny Crosby, who was blind.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love
This is my story, this is my song,...
Perfect submission, all is at rest!
I in my Savior am happy and blessed,
Watching and waiting looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
And here are some personal first-thoughts about each line of the hymn.
Jesus is mine: In a world of so much loss, I have Christ.
A foretaste: Heaven shows itself even now in Christ.
Heir of Salvation: Not just about going to heaven - but NOW.
Purchase of God: Who has gone to a lot of trouble not to lose me.
My story; my song: "For me, to live is Christ," says St. Paul.
All the day long: No Sunday-morning-call-it-a-day religion.
Submission: Jesus, teach me; lead and guide me.
Visions of Rapture: "Earth is crammed with heaven..."
Angels descending: Bring reverberations of God's kindness,
and the heady intimacy of God's love for us in Christ.
All at rest: "Let nothing make you afraid," writes St. Teresa of Avila.
Happy and Blessed. Love is redundant.
Happy and Blessed. Love is redundant.
Watching and Waiting: "In joyful hope" we pray at Mass.
Lost in his love: The Christian life isn't a rule book but an encounter with a living, loving Jesus.
Spring Harvest, sings Blessed Assurance here with a brisk joy. I could sing this wonderful hymn all day.
