HYMN FOR PENTECOST 25 Take my Life and Let it be

Text: Francis Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)    Tune: William Henry Havergal (1793-1879)   1 Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in endless praise, let them flow in endless praise.   2 Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee, swift and beautiful for thee.   3 Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King. Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee, filled with messages from thee.   4 Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold. Take my intellect and use every power as thou shalt choose, every power as thou shalt choose.   5 Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne, it shall be thy royal throne.   6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee, ever, only, all for thee.   REFLECTION Jesus is nearing his death. He and his disciples are watching the activities in the temple. Richly garbed people are going by making a big deal out of their large gifts to the treasury. The coins clang as they fall into the box. Then suddenly a widow goes by and puts in all she has, two small copper coins, hardly worth a penny. Jesus praises her for giving more than all the rich who have passed by. She has given her all.   Jesus is about to give his all—his life—for the world. We can wonder why this poor woman felt the need to give all. We do not know, but she becomes for me an emblem of faith. By giving up everything she has that could sustain her in this life, she is trusting that she will be provided for by the God she worships.   I can’t remember when or where, but I remember clearly once when I was on a trip and suddenly I had nothing. Usually that would cause me terror. Being alone in a far country with nothing can be frightening. I remember, however, how free I felt. I had no car to park or worry about, no treasure to fear losing, nothing of my own to care about. Somehow for a brief moment, I realized my future was not in my own hands—as it never really is—but it rests in the providence of God. To be sure I quickly found the means to continue, but for a moment, I had learned something.   That is faith. We can’t bring anything to the deal that will contribute to our salvation. It will all have to come from God, as in fact all our sustenance does. That moment of feeling free was somehow a clear parable of what faith is about and all I could do was trust in the Lord who makes provisions for us in this world and, more important, in the next.   So take my life and all that I have. Not a mite would I withhold. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee,   HYMN INFO Frances Havergal was the daughter of an English clergyman who composed tunes for many of her texts. Her education included the languages of Europe and Greek and Hebrew. She knew Scripture well and wrote her many hymns in their light. Also a composer, she called this hymn her consecration hymn, describing its origin. She had visited Arely House where ten people were staying, not all of them confessing Christians. She knew all of them and wanted them to know her joy in the Lord, so she prayed the prayer, “Lord, give me all in the house.” It so happened, everyone in the house did give themselves to the Lord during an emotional evening. As she lay in bed, unable to sleep for joy, lines of the hymn came to her. She always sang the text to her father’s tune, Patmos, which Lutherans seem to know best. Others use the Mozart tune, but Hendon seems to be the one evangelicals prefer as you will see below. César Malan, born in Geneva, studied theology there and became a pastor. Somewhat Unitarian, he was changed by a movement known as the Réveil which ultimately, through the work of Malan, and others, revived the Swiss church. He suffered persecution from the powers that be and was fired from his pastorate in 1816. In 1820 he built a chapel in his garden which became a place for separatists to worship. In 1841 he published a hymnal, Chants de Sion . He was in effect the father of the French Reformed hymn. (Much more should be added here; it is a long and involved story.) LINKS Chris Tomlin   https://youtu.be/agROj9nTQP4 Brian Doerksen https://youtu.be/Ma-RUB28iYE CraftyGrim4 https://youtu.be/g5nPdad2EEY Dennie United Methodist Church. Dee Dietz singing https://youtu.be/M1sij_uaaGw Patmos, Francis' father's tune, Concordia Publishing House https://youtu.be/4FHU2h1000I THENBA/ The Mozart tune, the most popular in England   https://youtu.be/Gf11rReeWIs Jesus the Harmony  would make a nice Christmas present. It can be read devotionally over the entire year, one poem for every day.   "With these 366 sonnets, remarkable in artistry and number, Gracia Grindal has made literary history. The scriptural and theological knowledge that supports these poems is vast, but it is the imagination infused with the holy in poem after poem that reveals the poet's grace and skill and the astonishing work of the Spirit." -- Jill Baumgartner , Poetry Editor, Christian Century, and professor of English emerita, Wheaton College https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Harmony-Gospel-Sonnets-Days-ebook/dp/B08L9S4Z1T/ref=sr_1_3_nodl?dchild=1&keywords=Grindal&qid=16145