Life of the Beloved: Taken

 

Life of the Beloved: Being the Beloved & Taken

Memory Verse: John 15:16

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last — and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

 

It had been a troublesome year for Nathanael and Philip. The quest was a familiar one. Since age five, they had spent their childhood attending the local synagogue school, learning Hebrew and memorizing the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. By age 13, they knew God’s Word like the back of their hands. They recited the Neviim, the books of the Prophets. And the Kituvin, the poetic writings, all of which comprised the Hebrew Scriptures, the Tanauch. Their families celebrated their accomplishments with elaborate bar mitzvahs!

 

Nathanael and Philip showed great promise. They were all-stars, along with Peter and Andrew, in their hometown of Bethsaida. They continued studying the wisdom and authoritative interpretation of the Torah. And after a few more years, they were encouraged to extend their training with a rabbi in a multi-year yeshiva – a learning community experience – to become a talmid, or disciple. This is where they would begin to hone their abilities to interpret God’s Word as it relates to all the practical issues of daily life. This was different than being just a student. A student wants to know what the teacher knows in order to get an “A”, or at least to complete the class. But a talmid wants to be like the teacher, to become what the teacher is. That meant that students were passionately devoted to their rabbi and noted everything he did or said. The rabbi-talmid relationship was a very intense, personal system of education. The rabbi lived and taught his understanding of the Scripture. The talmid listened and watched and imitated, so as to become like the rabbi. Eventually the disciples would become teachers, passing on a lifestyle to their own disciples.

 

As you can probably imagine, this is where it got tricky… Philip and Nathanael had to choose which Rabbi they would submit their application for further education. Some rabbis were very conservative; other rabbis were progressive. And since a rabbi’s interpretation of God’s Word was forever binding on his disciples, great care had to be taken by the applicant. Once you accepted the “the yoke of the rabbi”, you had to make sure it was an interpretive approach that you could identify with and live out! You wouldn’t want to get the dust of a weird rabbi all over you! 

 

And the other side of it was this… A rabbi would only choose a very elect few. He carefully chose the highly promising men from all the wannabes who asked to be his disciples. The rabbi would only select those who he thought could fully measure up to his standard and eventually become just like him. He didn’t want to invest in anyone who did not have the potential. It was like junior high all over again! Would the rabbi pick me for the Torah Trivia Team?!

 

Philip and Nathanael spent hours and hours studying up on the rabbis, eventually applying. But, ultimately, they were rejected. No rabbi took them under his wing. No rabbi wanted to be yoked together with them. No rabbi uttered the cherished words of acceptance every potential disciple longed to hear: “Follow me.” It was embarrassing. It was dejecting. No one chose them. With their heads hung low, they went back home to their families.

 

And then one day, a Rabbi named Jesus came to town. He walked straight up to Philip, and looked him square in the eyes, as if He had known Him since childhood. Jesus said the two words that Philip had been waiting to hear his whole life, “Follow me.” Immediately, Philip ran to town and found his best friend, Nathanael. “The Messiah found ME. He chose ME! Come and see for yourself!” Again, Jesus found them. He looked Nathanael in the eyes, and said, “Ah, a genuine son of Israel – a man of complete integrity.” And He chose Nathanael to follow Him, too. 

 

Good morning, beloved ones! We are beginning a new sermon series today based on my all-time favorite book, Life of the Beloved, by Henri Nouwen. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last days trying to figure out what it is that draws me to this book year-after-year, day-after-day. And the only explanation I have is simply this: Life of the Beloved taps into my deepest longing to be loved. This is a truth I need to be reminded of, not just yearly, not just monthly, but daily. It’s answers the age-old question, “WHO AM I?!”

 

It wasn’t too long into the COVID where I felt like I was in the midst of an identity crisis. I had gone from being a single person to a married person, from living alone to living with a man and his incredible dog. Wait, I said that backwards. I went from living alone to living with an incredible man and his dog! I had gone from traveling 180 days the previous year to life coming to an absolute halt. Everything about my worldly identity had changed! But one thing had not changed. And it took picking up this trusty companion to be reminded that not only am I a child of God, but I am the beloved child of God. Yes, I am a pastor. Yes, I am a global missions director. Yes, I am a wife. Yes, I am a mom. Yes, I am a daughter. But there is more than that. The core of who I am is - I am the beloved.

 

Henri Nouwen writes this in his book: “From the moment we claim the truth of being the beloved, we are faced with the call to become who we are.” Becoming the beloved is the great spiritual journey we have to make. And for the next five weeks, we are going to take this spiritual journey together!

 

One of the biggest challenges of my life is to let this truth of being beloved become evident in everything I think, say, and do. It’s easy for my soul to falter back to a state of restlessness, as I struggle to discover the fullness of love, and yearn for complete truth. It’s easy to be overpowered by the outside world that tell us that we’re no good, that we’ll never overcome our mistakes or personal failures, or that we’ll never be good enough. 

But when our deepest truth becomes that we are the Beloved, and when our greatest joy and peace come from fully claiming this truth, light and love become visible and tangible in the everyday movements of our lives, in the ways we work and play, eat and drink, talk and love. 

 

Last week, Derek spoke to us about Sanctification. Throughout the spiritual journey of our lives, the Spirit molds us and makes into who He wants us to be, as we walk onward to perfection. Nouwen would say this is a journey of being taken, blessed, broken, and given. Coincidentally, Carl or I say those same words on Sunday mornings as we participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion. “On the night in which He gave Himself up for us, He tookthe bread, He gave thanks to God (blessed the bread), He broke the bread, He gave it to His disciples and said, ‘Take, eat. This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’” These words also summarize our lives as Christians, because as disciples of Christ, we are called to imitate Christ, to be just like the Rabbi. If He is the Bread of Life, we are called to become bread for the world: bread that is taken, blessed, broken, and given. 

 

During this sermon series, we’ll specifically explore these four words, and the first step in becoming the beloved is to acknowledge we are taken by God. Taken is a tough word for me. My mind wanders to Liam Neeson and the movies he filmed about rescuing his taken daughter! Thankfully, Henri Nouwen offers us an alternative word – chosen. 

 

While I’ve shared with you Nathanael & Philip’s story of being chosen by our Lord and Savior, I thought I would also share with you a personal story. I’ve gone back and forth about sharing, but ultimately, God said yes.  So, this is a story of how God reminded me that I am His beloved chosen one. 

 

It wasn’t too long into adulthood when I knew I could never have children of my own. I was sad. I was upset. I was hurt. I was angry. Like Philip & Nathanael, I wondered, wasn’t I good enough? Why didn’t God choose me to be a parent? 

 

By 2012, I had been working in Haiti for several years. And whenever I found myself in a community called Darivager, I would look down and see the same young boy following me, guiding me to the next site, and watching my every step. His smile was as bright as the sun, and whenever he was beside me, I felt a peaceful presence.  Little did I know, his mother had taken him, and his five younger siblings, to Darivager when she could no longer feed them or take care of them. After a year, she returned to pick up his five siblings, but left Mackenson at the children’s home. I cannot imagine the heartache he felt, seeing his mother choose his five siblings and not him. The feelings of rejection, of not feeling worthy, of being unlovable, were devastating for him. 

 

So, you can imagine, on the day he walked up to me, and said to me for the first time, “Hi Mom, I love you,” I melted into a thousand pieces. Mackenson chose me to be his mom. And I took him into my life to be my beloved son. It turns out, God did choose me to be a parent. Just not the way I thought it would be. 

 

God used this as a teaching moment for my life. There is something about the word chosenthat makes me feel incredibly special. As His chosen ones, we recognize God has noticed our uniqueness and has expressed a desire to know us, to come closer to us, to love us. His arms are opened wide, waiting to welcome us into His beloved embrace. 

 

He says to us, through the words of Isaiah 43 and the Gospel-writers: 

  

I have called you by name, from the very beginning. You are mine. And I am yours. You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests. I have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother’s womb. I have carved you in the palms of my hands and hidden you in the shadow of my embrace. I look at you with infinite tenderness and care for you with a care more intimate than any other relationship on earth. I have counted every hair on your head and guided you at every step. Wherever you go, I go with you. Wherever you rest, I keep watch. I will give you food that will satisfy all your hunger and drink that will quench your thirst. I will not hide from you. You know me as your own, as I know you as my own. You belong to me. Wherever you are, I will be. Nothing will separate us. We are one.

 

We’ve all experienced times in our lives when we were not chosen. Maybe it was for a job promotion. Perhaps a special award. Maybe we weren’t picked for the soccer team or voted student body president. Philip and Nathanael had been rejected by other rabbis. Someone else likely had a better application. But in the moment when Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me,” we can feel the joy and love exuding from Philip’s heart as he shares the news with his friend. Isn’t it the same when God calls US His beloved? Through the atoning and sacrificial act of Jesus’s death and resurrection, God, too, chooses US as His beloved children. We weren’t required to submit an application. We didn’t have to try; we already are His beloved.

 

Which leads me to a second realization: just because I am special and chosen doesn’t mean that others are rejected. Being chosen as the Beloved is something completely different. Instead of excluding others, it includes others. Instead of rejecting others as less valuable, it accepts others in their own uniqueness. We were each made in the image of God, and as such, we each have something to offer to the body of Christ.

 

But like Nathanael and Philip, after being rejected by the world’s standards, it is hard to wrap our minds around being chosen by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But believe it, friends, we are chosen by God to be His beloved, to be His disciples. And as we are chosen, so is every other human created and stamped with His image. We simply have to believe and claim it as our truth. 

God has invited ALL to His table of love and grace! ALL! EVERYONE: Sinners. Those who have been made to feel they are unworthy. Those who are different from the    self-ordained “righteous ones.” Those of all races, all cultures, all languages, all tax brackets…! We are ALL beloved. We are ALL chosen. NO ONE IS LEFT OUT!!!!!

 

Yes, this is what 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 9 reminds us, “…You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” The most royal priest of all died on a cross, His hands and side pierced by the misunderstanding and hatred of people just like us, and yet some of His last dying words were, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” And to a dying thief, He said, “Today you shall be with me in paradise." Isn't that the same as Him saying, “You are chosen to be the beloved?!” The more we claim our belovedness, the more we claim the light, AND the more radiant we will become. 

 

Friends, being chosen is the basis for being beloved. As I’ve shared with you today, it’s been a life long struggle for me to claim that chosenness, and maybe it has been for you, too… but I also believe it is a lifelong joy. He chose you, not based on something in you, but by His own sovereign will. My challenge to you this day is to celebrate that chosenness, constantly. Say “thank you” to God and express your gratitude to those around you, who remind you of your chosenness. As you reflect the Light of Christ, and become radiant with joy and gratitude, may you bring hope to the suffering, peace to the warring, bread to the hungry. And may you invite your friends and foes alike to sit with you in church next Sunday, and show them what it means to be chosen, taken, and beloved.  

 

Let us pray: 

Good and gracious God,

You have chosen us, picked us out, for special awareness of Your love. 

Not because we are better than other people; 

not because we are good or strong or clever; 

but because Your love is free, persistent, merciful. 

You have chosen us and set us apart to be signs of Your love, 

to proclaim it, to live in the strength of it, 

to make other people aware that they are chosen, too.

Lead us into more life and deeper wonder;

so that You can take who we are,

break us open,

and bless us

and give us to the world.

We pray this in the name of the Beloved Son, 

The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, 

Amen.

 

 

 

Foundations of Faith: Justifying Grace

Feeling Footloose and Frisky,

a Feather-brained Fellow Forced his Fond Father

to Fork over the Farthings

and Flew Far to Foreign Fields

where he Frittered his Fortune,

Feasting Fabulously with Faithless Friends.

Fleeced by his Fellows, and Facing Famine,

he Found himself a Feed Flinger in a Filthy Farmyard.

Fairly Famishing, he Fain would have Filled his Foolish Frame

with Foraged Food from Fodder Fragments.

“Phooey!

My Father’s Flunkies Fare Far Finer,”

the Frazzled Fugitive Forlornly Fumbled,

Frankly Facing Facts.

Frustrated by Failure and Filled with Foreboding,

he Fled Forthwith to his Family.

Falling at his Father’s Feet

he Forlornly Fumbled,

“Father, I’ve Flunked and Foolishly Forfeited Family Favor.”

The Farsighted Father,

Forestalling Further Flinching,

Flagged to the Flunkies

to Fetch a Fatling From the Flock

and Fix a Feast.

The Fugitive’s Fault-Finding Brother

Frowned on the Fickle Forgiveness of the Flunky,

but the Faithful Father Figured…

“Filial Fidelity is Fine,

but the Fugitive is Found!

What Forbids Fervent Festivity?

Let Flags be Unfurled, Let Fanfare Flare!”

Moral of the Story:

The Father’s Forgiveness Formed the Foundation

for the Former Fugitive’s Future Faith and Fortitude!

Good morning, Church! I hope you were able to follow along with that tongue-twister!

We’re in the midst of a series called, Foundations of Faith, specifically talking about John Wesley’s thoughts on grace - the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God we receive through the ever-present Holy Spirit. Grace is God’s unconditional, free gift to us. In fact, the root meaning of the word grace is “gift.” In your bulletin, along with your Sermon Quiz, you’ll find our Scripture memory verse from Ephesians, which explains grace beautifully: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” Grace is God's presence to create, heal, forgive, reconcile, and transform human hearts.

Last week, Erik shared with us the story of God’s Prevenient Grace. If you haven’t heard that message, I encourage you to sign on to our website, or download the podcast, because it was by far the best explanation I have ever heard on prevenient grace.

Erik told us that wherever God is present, there is grace! Grace brought creation into existence. Grace birthed human beings. From the moment of our conception, the Holy Spirit continually pursues us in order to lead us into a personal relationship with Him. Grace bestowed on us the divine image, and redeemed us in Jesus. Grace is ever-transforming the whole creation into the realm of God's reign of compassion and justice, generosity and peace.

Erik also taught us that John Wesley used a house as a metaphor to illustrate grace. Think of a huge antebellum style home with a wraparound porch, suitable for as many guests as you can possibly imagine. Wesley described prevenient grace as the porch on a house. It is where we prepare to enter the house. BUT, there is more to a house than the porch! We must cross the threshold and enter the house to fully experience life with Christ!

Which leads us to today -- prevenient grace prepares us for justifying grace. Justifying grace is walking through the doorway into new identity and new creation. Wesley said this: Justification is another word for pardon. It is the forgiveness of all our sins, and our acceptance with God. It is the assurance of forgiveness that comes from repentance, and turning toward God's gracious gift of new life.

Wesley considered justifying grace the doorway into the house of God's salvation. It’s our being reconciled and realigned with God through our acceptance of God's atoning act in Jesus Christ. As we cross over the threshold, He clothes us in our identity as beloved sons and daughters, and incorporates us into the body of Christ, the church.

Now, if you’re new to Wesleyan theology, like me, I need something to make this a bit simpler! By now, you know that I love telling stories. Perhaps it’s my way of connecting to Jesus, because He, too, loved storytelling. In fact, He loved storytelling so much that the Gospels are full of stories to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven, how to live our lives, how much the Father loves us, and how God’s grace transforms our hearts. We call these stories parables.

And quite possibly, my favorite parable Jesus told was the story of the tongue-twister! Rather, the parable of the Lost Son, the Prodigal Son. And while you may have heard this story throughout your life, I want you take a minute and breathe in the images Christ is placing before you as you hear these words anew from Luke chapter 15:

A certain man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the inheritance.” Then the father divided his estate between them. Soon afterward, the younger son gathered everything together and took a trip to a land far away. There, he wasted his wealth through extravagant living.

When he had used up his resources, a severe food shortage arose in that country, and he was hungry. He took a job on a local farm, feeding pigs. He was so hungry, but no one gave him anything. He started to eat from the pig trough. When he came to his senses, he said aloud, “How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, but I’m starving to death! I will get up and go to my father, and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Take me on as one of your hired hands.’” So, he got up and went to his father.

“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. His father ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then his son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! Fetch the fattened calf and slaughter it. We must celebrate with feasting because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

Henri Nouwen is, by far, my most favorite author. In fact, I love his words so much, we’ve created a sermon series for July based on Henri Nouwen’s book - Life of the Beloved. But it wasn’t until I read another Nouwen book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, that I put myself into the parable we just read, and I truly began to see God’s grace poured out on me. In this book, Nouwen tells of being magnetically drawn to the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, where Rembrandt’s incredible painting - The Return of the Prodigal Son – hangs. Nouwen spent many hours sitting in front of this painting, soaking in the love, forgiveness, and grace found in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Once upon a time, I, too, used to travel the world, and in 2014, I found myself standing, for the first time, in the Hermitage in front of this massive 8-foot by 6-foot painting… with thousands of my closest friends! 

Each time I have wandered through the Hermitage, I am captivated by the depiction of the father and the grace he so freely gives. It’s the only piece of art that has ever caused tears to form in my eyes. Even now, I stare at a replica hanging in my dining room, to feel Christ’s love, grace, and forgiveness wash over me. I can feel justifying grace jump off the canvas:

The consequences of the son’s decision to separate himself from his father are evident. It’s hard to recognize the pale, emaciated, shattered man returning to the father. We don’t know how long he was gone, but I imagine when he left, he was in his youth – a reckless pleasure-seeker, a gambler, a spendthrift - who asked his father for his share of the inheritance and squandered it away, down to the very last coin. He wasted what he had been freely given. He sank to the lowest point he had ever known. What has become of his self-confidence and fine clothing? Everything impermanent has slipped from him like an empty husk.

We find God’s grace when something reveals to us our weakness and insufficiency, our sin and neediness. Don’t we see that with the son? At the cost of his suffering and loss, the son gained insight. We can feel his conviction. Entering his father’s house - miserable, sick, and exhausted - he falls on his knees before his parent, who bends over him, full of love and forgiveness. In the smoky twilight of the space, the old man’s face shines like a star in the night sky: the light of consolation descends on the son. The red wrap over the old man’s shoulders forms a sort of canopy above the unhappy wanderer. And the astonished witnesses look on in silence.

The Father slid a ring onto the son’s finger, which was a sign of right standing with the father. He called for the servants to clothe the boy with the best robe, a sign of the lavish gift of God’s love, clothing us all of our lives. And then they killed the fattened calf, a sign of provision, celebration, and feasting. While the bystanders may not be rejoicing, the Father in Heaven is. The lost has been found.

The son did nothing to deserve this celebration, other than come home. There is absolutely nothing you or I can do to win God’s grace. Responding to grace is an act of faith. We simply have to confess and say, “yes.” For, as Steven read earlier in Romans chapter 10, verses 9-13: 

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”


His father never stopped waiting for him. His father welcomed him home with great joy!

It is a gift to the son. The son does nothing to affect his salvation - that is God's work through Jesus and nothing else. But the son has finally approached the door to the house, where the father dwells, and has turned the door-knob, because the father has bidden him to do so. He has made him want to open the door through this unending love He has for the son. The son is now responding to the work of the father - accepting the gift of salvation, and saying "yes" to God's call. We can see the conversion of the son, as he is justified by the Father.

As I sat in front of the painting by myself, I felt the Father’s hands upon my shoulders. I, too, have been that lost son. Most of you know my story. I grew up in a Quaker church. It was actually the church my great-great-great-great grandfather planted when he brought his family from England, through Massachusetts, and settled in High Point, North Carolina. So, there was never a time I did not know WHO God is. My grandparents, pastors, Church, Sunday School, and Bible School teachers all planted seeds. They prepared me with knowledge. They taught me who God is. In fact, these sweet mentors had me reciting Bible verses and singing Bible songs before I could do much else. Jesus Loves Me was the first song I ever learned… Though my dad would argue he taught me the North Carolina Tarheels fight song first! 

There was never a time I did not know God. But it wasn’t until I had reached a particularly low point in life, when I had been running from the call to ministry, feeling the consequences of my disobedience, that I was convicted to confess to Him: “Lord, I am Yours. I am Your Beloved Child. Use me. I give my life to You. I CHOOSE to follow You and ACCEPT Your grace.” That night, everything changed. In that moment, He didn’t condemn me; He welcomed me. He loved me. Just like the lost son, I felt the hands of Christ on my shoulders, and I fell into His grace and mercy.

Many times, over the years, I have slipped and fallen back into a sinful rut, but I praise God that His grace has been there to pick me up, one more time, to restore me to an eternal relationship -- a relationship with the One who knows and loves me better than I know and love myself. In scripture, this spiritual experience of justifying grace is also known as -- salvation, healing, conversion, having one’s sins forgiven, and being born again. Salvation is instantaneous AND continuous. It’s also progressive; so, it’s correct to say: I was saved by grace, I am saved by grace, and I will be saved by grace. Like the Prodigal’s Father, the Lord will always be waiting with open arms to welcome us home.

Maybe today, you’re stuck. You’ve heard of this great gift of Christ’s love and forgiveness, but you don’t believe it’s for you. You’ve taken your inheritance of eternal life, and you’ve chosen to live the way of the world. You, too, are lost.

Maybe today, you’re in the pig pen. Everything around you is crashing down. You’re slowly becoming aware of your condition and feel the need to humbly repent.

Maybe today, you’re on the journey home to the Father, the good and beautiful God, but you’re nervous and anxious, wondering, can He really forgive a sinner like me?

Maybe today, you’re arriving home, and when you see your father, the one who loves you unconditionally, you fall to your knees in front of Him. Immediately, immediately, acceptance, love, and restoration flood over you.

He justifies you, treating you just as if you had never sinned.

The waiting father has never stopped, and will never stop, waiting for you! God, through Jesus Christ, has already done the work of justification for you. All you have to do is accept it! You have to walk up to the door of that beautiful antebellum house, and not just knock on it, but put forth your hand, and turn the door-knob, and open it. The door isn’t locked! It’s ready for you to say, "I have sinned and fallen short. I am tired of living in the darkness. And I know there's no light anywhere but with You - my Lord and my God!” All of that happens because the Father has gone before us. He’s done the work of justification in and throughJesus. Now, He is just waiting for us to appropriate that action already taken, into our own lives, and begin to love in harmony with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Wherever you are today, know this truth: the Father is waiting with open arms. Whether it’s been five minutes, five years, or forever, He is waiting to simply say, welcome home.

How Can I Keep From Singing: Episode 12

 

How Can I Keep from Singing?

Episode XII - My life flows on in endless song...

We began this journey considering the ideas of singing and why this act is so consequential to our individual and corporate faith, and its integral nature to worship.  In our final episode, what are our concluding thoughts and summations?  What have we learned along the way?  Any new favorite hymns or eras of hymns?  What encouragements might we offer?

And, we’ll take a final look at our titular hymn, How Can I Keep from Singing:

1 My life flows on in endless song,

above earth’s lamentation.

I hear the sweet, though far-off hymn

that hails a new creation.

Refrain:

No storm can shake my inmost calm

while to that Rock I’m clinging.

Since Love is lord of heav’n and earth,

how can I keep from singing?

2 Through all the tumult and the strife,

I hear that music ringing.

It finds an echo in my soul.

How can I keep from singing? [Refrain]

3 What though my joys and comforts die,

I know my Savior liveth.

What though the darkness gather round?

Songs in the night he giveth. [Refrain]

4 The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

a fountain ever springing!

All things are mine since I am his!

How can I keep from singing? [Refrain]

------------

Alternate and/or additional stanzas:

When tyrants tremble, sick with fear,

And hear their death-knell ringing,

When friends rejoice both far and near,

How can I keep from singing?

In prison cell and dungeon vile,

Our thoughts to them are winging;

When friends by shame are undefiled,

How can I keep from singing?

-------------

I lift mine eyes; the cloud grows thin;

I see the blue above it;

And day by day this pathway smoothes

Since first I learned to love it:

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,

A fountain ever springing:

All things are mine since I am His—

How can I keep from singing?