HYMN FOR PENTECOST 21 Jesus, I my cross have taken

Text:  Henry F. Lyte (1793-1847)                                       Tune: Rowland H. Prichard (1811-1887)   1 Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee. Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou, from hence, my all shalt be. Perish ev'ry fond ambition, All I've sought, and hoped, and known; Yet how rich is my condition! God and heav'n are still my own.   2 Let the world despise and leave me; They have left my Savior, too. Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like them, untrue. And while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might, Foes may hate and friends may shun me-- Show Thy face, and all is bright.   3 Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn, and pain! In Thy service pain is pleasure; With Thy favor loss is gain. I have called Thee Abba, Father; I have stayed my heart on Thee. Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, All must work for good to me.   4 Man may trouble and distress me, 'Twill but drive me to Thy breast; Life with trials hard may press me, Heav'n will bring me sweeter rest. Oh, 'tis not in grief to harm me While Thy love is left to me, Oh, 'twere not in joy to charm me Were that joy unmixed with Thee.   5 Take, my soul, thy full salvation, Rise o'er sin, and fear, and care; Joy to find in ev'ry station, Something still to do or bear. Think what Spirit dwells within thee, What a Father's smile is thine, What a Savior died to win thee; Child of heav'n, shouldst thou repine?   6 Haste, then, on from grace to glory, Armed by faith and winged by prayer; Heav'n's eternal day's before thee, God's own hand shall guide thee there. Soon shall close the earthly mission, Swift shall pass thy pilgrim days, Hope soon change to glad fruition, Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.   REFLECTIONS This wonderful hymn is by the author of Abide with me, one of the greatest of all hymns in the English language. It dwells on the issue Jesus has posed to the Rich Young Ruler in the text for next Sunday, how may I get eternal life. The Savior has already told his followers that they must take up their crosses and follow him, that the first will be last and the last first, that they should become as little children in their faith. When the rich young man approaches Jesus, we remember those teachings. It is not clear he has heard them. He seems to think that eternal life can be purchased with his great wealth like a commodity he can add to his rich store of things. Jesus cuts to the chase: even if he has followed the law, which Jesus recommends, he has actually not followed the first commandment that we have only one God. The young man's god is his wealth. When he hears that he must sell all that he has and give to the poor, he goes away with a broken heart. Although his god has failed him in this question, he cannot give it up.   The hymn, however, is the song of one who has given up his or her wealth to follow Jesus and taken up his cross. "Go, then, earthly fame and treasure!/Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!/In Thy service pain is pleasure;/With Thy favor loss is gain./I have called Thee Abba, Father…”   Scripture is filled with stories, from Eve, to Abraham, to Moses, to Jesus, of those who are given the choice of their own gods or the one true god. Our God is, by his own words, a jealous God and wants our devotion above all else. Jesus teaches that over and over again, even suggesting that if we love our families more than God, we cannot follow him. He even says we must hate our families in order to love him. That sounds appalling to many, but it puts into stark language what it means to worship God. And it is for our own good. To worship the one true God is to have things right. The fall came from Eve’s wish to be like God. Every trouble since has come from the temptation to worship gods of our own making. Such worship creates havoc. As our creator well knows. His jeaousy is for our good!   So this hymn teaches us what we must do to follow Jesus and the benefits that accrue from the true worship of God.   HYMN INFO Henry F. Lyte, born in Ireland, studied at Trinity College in Dublin, where he distinguished himself as a poet. He originally thought of becoming a medical doctor, but instead studied theology. He became rector in English parishes where he continued writing hymns. In 1818, on the death of his brother, he had a spiritual experience which utterly transformed his life and work. From then on, he said, he began thinking and preaching entirely differently. This text has several tunes associated with it. The links below feature Ellesbie, from The Christan Lyre , a tune attributed to Mozart. The other most popular is Hyfrodol, the popular Welsh tune by Rowland Prichard.   LINKS Congregation singing with Martijn de Groot https://youtu.be/qn-_bGNALU8?si=auTRjYBo9_Xv_bNR   Scott Bacher Indelible Grace https://youtu.be/NhIo2o3WLnA?si=QpRAwu8VIT9JeyQv   Biblical {Pursuit Southern Harmony sound https://youtu.be/kyb8FjUuZNs?si=64e7dKEkrz5h7f7R   Reformed Praise https://youtu.be/LOM4unf2xK8?si=ge1Jt4YSmmUnsmFB   Enfield Hymn Session https://youtu.be/N3x4TisgzTQ?si=gGWoUBQYjM-ccCEp