The Body of Christ

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

You are reasonable people.  Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.  When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ?  And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?  And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.  1 Corinthians 10:15-17

If you’ve ever said something you immediately regretted, even as the words rolled-out of your mouth, it proves you’re a member of the human race.  I had one of those moments this past Sunday.  It was during communion, celebrating the remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, so our sins could be forgiven.  It’s arguably one of the most sacred acts in worship, but also a source of deep,  viscerally-felt joy – a veritable fountain of eternal happiness to be part of the forgiven, the body of Christ, the church.  I often find myself during this holy mystery (as Charles Wesley put it in his hymn[1]) lost in wonder, love, and praise. 

I ask our communion stewards to always leave the loaf whole.  When serving this holy meal I prefer to break-off a piece for each person who comes, signifying what Paul wrote about one body.  In the church we are all a part of Christ’s body. 

This Sunday everything went smoothly…until it came to the bread.  The loaf was as fresh as ever, but the crust decided it wanted to stay intact.  As the line formed to participate, I stepped forward, loaf in hand, ready to break off a piece of the body (to serve a piece of the body).  I struggled for a moment, but the crust wouldn’t yield.  It took two more yanks on the loaf before it tore loose.  I now had two loaves, one in each hand.  Looking up at the congregant standing in front of me, with her hands palms-up, waiting, I stammered:  It seems this body of Christ doesn’t come apart easily.  She smiled; I almost laughed out loud! 

Solemn and sacred moments are a necessary part of engaging worship.  However, at times the lighter moments can point out some deep truths (albeit in a somewhat absurd and uncomfortable way).  I immediately regretted saying what I did, but nearly as quickly it hit me that was a deeper truth that had tumbled out of my lips…the body of Christ IS tough…Jesus said it would be strong enough with the power of the Holy Spirit to storm the gates of Hell[2].  That kind of body does not come apart easily.

After some further reflection Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, I concluded that God was speaking more to my heart in that humorous, uncomfortable moment, than I’d realized.  If you add up all the stories you’ve heard of churches being torn-apart by a fuss over trivialities like color of the roof or carpet, or what table the cakes should on at a fellowship meal,[3] those tales are only an ugly tip on Satan’s lips.  The church has withstood Nero’s persecution, the Dark Ages with false doctrine, the greed of false prophets on TV and radio, physical assaults like Covid and countless other viruses of human frailty. 

And the church, the body of Christ, still stands!  And will stand!

For You Today 

Yes, Jesus did say HIS church would storm the gates of Hell, and those gates wouldn’t be able to stand.  He also said HIS words would never pass away…ever![4]

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO (read by author)

There are about 2,500 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper explore some of these:  Mem Tsade Hey  and  Bread in the Cup      

Title Image: via Pixabay.com    Images without citation are in public domain.

Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

---

[1] Charles Wesley, Love Divine, All Loves Excelling, United Methodist Hymnal, p.384

[2] Matthew 16:18

[3] Irony definitely intended!

[4] Isaiah 40:8

Taking Your Meds

 

Thursday, April 14, 2022

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself.  On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it.  Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood.  Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”  For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.  1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Medication time is somewhat tedious if you're the giver, and the patient has four legs. 

But our dog, Wellie, who is in a long term relationship with chicken (in any shape, size, original, or extra-crispy), gives me no problem with pills.  I could wrap a lethal tarantula the size of Cleveland in an ounce of chicken skin and he would swallow it like a vacuum inhales a feather.  Problem solved!

Overweight Shih-Tzus aside, few people enjoy taking their meds.  I could be biased…, but nonetheless, I’m one who utterly despises any medication, even though taking the stuff helps keep me breathing.  Of late, when my doctor asks me how I’m doing, I growl, FINE!  It seems to be effective in avoiding more trips to the pharmacy!

The apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthian believers sounds somewhat like a doctor prescribing:  Do this…it’s an announcement of the cross, a reminder of the resurrection, and strength for when Jesus comes back.  And, truth be told, this was a vitally-required spiritual medication for the Corinth church.  They were in dire need of healing for their selfish, hedonistic ways.  They had little appreciation for the worship moment of The Supper, which, in their case, had turned into a dinner-on-the-grounds pig-out.  

There are some who, for whatever reason, view The Supper that way…a routine to be followed…ho-hum, pass the bread and Welch’s, please.  It goes down like the regimented swallowing of a pill, absentmindedly giving little or no thought to the holiness of the moment.  Somehow the magnitude of what’s going on at the table is lost, and (sadly enough) so is its’ grace-filled benefit.  It leaves no lasting aroma like the gift of Mary’s anointing of Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume, or savoring of the taste of what Isaac Watts called sorrow and love flow[ing] mingled down[1].

For You Today

Maundy Thursday of Holy Week, is a particularly poignant time for celebrating the coming cross, and eating the Holy Meal, remembering that passion of our Lord’s sacrifice.  Our eternal souls should not need the meal wrapped in chicken to go down gladly.  So, let’s go there allowing the Proverb writer the last word on taking our meds…

A cheerful heart is good medicine....  Proverbs 17:22a

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

---

[1][1] From Isaac Watts’ 1707 hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” (United Methodist Hymnal #298)

Wait FOR and ON Each Other

 

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.  That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup.  For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.  That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.  But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way.  Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.  So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other.                          1 Corinthians 11:27-33

As a pastor, I’ve served communion to many people. 

One of the things I’ve hated about the last two years of COVID-19, is missing that holy moment of looking into the eyes of the people who come to the table.  It was always an honor and high privilege to break the bread and place it into the hands of those who loved Christ, and humbly held out a hand to receive.

I belong to a group of fellow-pastors that meets monthly for fellowship and accountability.  We share ministry ideas, discuss current events in church life, and try hard to offer each other “support space”.  We don’t solve problems or leap tall buildings in a single bound.  Of course, we DO eat!  Invariably we share the loaf and cup as the finale to our meeting.  

We serve each other, face to face, uttering those treasured words, the body of Christ, given for you; the cup of Christ shed for your healing.  And it is certainly a healing moment for spiritual strength.  I have never left such a time without a sense of renewed spiritual energy and joy. 

For that reason (among many others) I am certain the enemy, that old slew-footed serpent, Lucifer, has relished COVID-19 social distancing.  It has not only crippled the intimate nature of fellowship around the table, but in some cases derailed many local churches from meeting together for worship.

On a more positive note, I believe the church has found something exists that needed to surface…determination, perseverance – that intangible spiritual toughness that takes-on the challenges God’s enemy throws in our pathway.  It is that nearly undefinable quality of spiritual fortitude, a reserve called-forth in response to the Spirit’s bidding which says, we’re going to serve Him, no matter what!

The church of the roaring, troubled 20’s reminds me of Job, sitting in the ashes of grieving, covered with boils, ridiculed by most everyone who knew him, being questioned as to why God was punishing him, and why he would even consider continuing to breathe.  Job’s answer was a resounding stone-faced glare of steel:

Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:                              Job 13:15

For You Today

There are two reminders for each of us in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers, as well as Job’s faithful response to his critics:

     1.    We need to wait FOR each other…don’t forget that the body moves together, or it comes apart.

     2.  We need to wait ON each other…the strength I need is something you exhibit and share with me…and, that which keeps you going does not entirely come from within you...thou and I share the same pulse when we consider:  one loaf, one body.  Life is in the blood, brother!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title & other images:  Russell Brownworth (own work)   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©    

Revelation 2:1-17 Backslidden, Rich, and Called

 

July 11, 2021

Have you ever read someone else’s mail?  Maybe it was from some famous person, the letter was encased in a library or museum showcase for everyone to see.  Or maybe you found it in an attic, stowed away in a long-forgotten suitcase or chest.  You never knew the person who wrote, or got the letter, so you felt like you missed some of what the letter was all about.  There were references to old stuff, like horse and buggy days.  Or maybe the problems with loading a musket, and how unreliable they were when hunting bear. 

Well, Revelation is not anything like that.  The reason for that becomes clear in chapters 2 and 3 as John records that Jesus told him to write seven letters to the churches.  Although Jesus names them specifically, it becomes clearer as you read that these are letters to ALL the churches, from that day down to this moment in time, right here in Seagrove.  This isn’t just the mailbag contents for the post offices in Asia Minor; this is our mail…letters from the Lord. 

Today we see the first three, so gear-up with your Bible in hand and heart, mind, and soul all alert; we’re getting our instructions from the Commander in Chief.  (And that has nothing to do with Washington, D.C.!)

We’re going to look at three churches and what Jesus had to say about, and to them.  There will be a word in each letter for each of us…three words actually:

·       evaluation of the church’s service

·       reproach for the church’s sluggishness, and

·       encouragement to the church for stirring-up their love for Christ.

First up in our mailbag is the letter to Ephesus:

I.              Ephesus:  Backslidden – in need of Repenting

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus.  This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:  “I know all the things you do.  I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance.  I know you don’t tolerate evil people.  You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not.  You have discovered they are liars.  You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.  “But I have this complaint against you.  You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!  Look how far you have fallen!  Turn back to me and do the works you did at first.  If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.  But this is in your favor:  You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do. “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.  Revelation 2:1-7

You don’t love me like you used to!  You don’t need to go further with that one.  Jesus talks about first love, and how the folks at Ephesus had been so committed, hot in the battle against false apostles, and other evils of their day.  Now…not so much!  That’s not just a B-grade movie, or romance novel.  That is worked out daily in believer’s lives and the life of the church.  Many people start out energetic and committed to serve Christ, but somewhere along the way, the cold-water committee gets ahold of them; worse – they join the committee and spread the misery.

For Ephesus (and for us) the word Jesus offered was repent.  This was evaluation mixed with consolation and warning.  To repent is to change your mind and behavior.  It means, go back to your first love.  Get re-engaged, and let God re-energize your love life with the Lord.
And this isn’t a one-revival-service fix.  This is a commitment of life, soul, and body.  In poker terms, this is all-in – nothing is held back.  You’re all His, and He promises to be all yours.
What I wouldn’t give to see the church altar filled once again with tears soaking the carpet.  Well…preacher…lead the way!
The next page in the mailbox was first read in Smyrna:

II.          Smyrna:  Poor – in need of Faith’s Riches

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna.  This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:                “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich!  I know the blasphemy of those opposing you.  They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan.  Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer.  The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you.  You will suffer for ten days.  But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.  Revelation 2:8-11

There are two warnings to the church here – poverty and persecution.  Persecution kind of speaks for itself.  Since Jesus’ day it’s estimated there have been some 70 million martyrs for the faith. 

Church history records that the church experienced some seven million martyrs at the hands of 10 different emperors in the Roman Empire.  Nearly 2 million of them occurred in the first two centuries after Jesus lived.  There was enough reason for Jesus to give the folks at Smyrna some encouragement about being persecuted.

One of the martyrs was Polycarp, who was the bishop at Smyrna.  Church history tells us he was a student of John the Apostle as a young man, became bishop and was martyred for the faith in AD 155.  Tradition has it that he was burned at the stake, and when the fire would not burn his body, soldiers stabbed him to death.  Tradition records his words as they lit the wood around him on fire:  Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong.  You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment.  Why are you waiting?  Come, do what you will.

Persecution holds no eternal threat.  Jesus told us not to fear those who could kill the body, but rather God, who has control over the body AND your soul. 

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Matthew 10:28

But what of poverty?  Why is that lumped-in with persecution?  The fact is that the enticement and intimidation of riches can compel those who are poor to take their eye off the ball of serving God, and letting money have its place.  Just look at the numbers of untold millions who stand in line for lottery tickets; they don’t want to be have-nots anymore; they want what the haves have!

Truth be told, poverty claims more lives (spiritually-speaking) than the hatred of persecution.  And by this we don’t mean physical life, as when homeless people starve, or sickness is raging.  We are talking about the poverty of faith – when people choose the material goods and pleasures of this life over God’s promises of eternal riches.  There may have been 70 million martyred for the faith in the two-thousand years since Jesus, but there are twice that many alive today, just in America who have turned their back on God…have no church, no faith, and no salvation.  If you add in the rest of humanity just in 2021, materialism is claiming billions of souls!  Jesus gave the folks at Smyrna a message of hope, so they would be faithful, because God was willing to give them eternal blessings.

III.      Pergamum:  Called – in need of Courage

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum.  This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:   “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me.  You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.  “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel.  He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.  In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching.  Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.  “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.  To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven.  And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.          Revelation 2:12-17

The third page in the mailbag goes to Pergamum (Pergamos in some translations). Jesus’ complaint with this group of believers was not that they didn’t believe; they just weren’t into correcting corrupt behavior.  They tolerated the likes of Balaam in the church.  Balaam was a false prophet who only wanted the money he could get (Balaam was the TV smiling evangelist of the first century).  Also on their church roll were the Nicolaitans, epicureans – those who are the party-hearty group, eat-drink-and-be-merry…only having a good time matters.  The church is called to be different than these; we are not called to be like every other church, successful by worldly standards.  Rather we are called to be what our calling is, here, in this place, for this moment, honoring the Christ.

How are we to do that?  No matter what time it is, nor what public opinion is going viral these days, nor what it might cost us in popularity, income, or opportunity, wherever the conversation begins, we must take the conversation cross-country to Jesus.  It’s that simple!  John said Jesus promised gifts for those who will cooperate with this calling; more precisely, three gifts:

THE TABLE

Jesus promised heavenly manna for overcomers.  He is referring to the food with which God fed Israel during their wanderings in the wilderness.  However, it is not physical food, but spiritual kingdom.  Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life.  When we gather at the Lord's Table, and in humility, confess our sins, eating the bread of life, we submit to the one who has power to make us overcomers.

THE TABLETS

In ancient times the white stone was a symbol of acquittal from a jury.  Friends sometimes gave each other gifts of small white marble, cut to fit a hand, engraved with words of kindness.  When we bow at the foot of Jesus, confessing our sins, he buries our sins in the sea of forgetfulness, and posts a "no fishing" sign -- forever. 

THE TITLE

A new name.  Friends, this is not the name of Jesus – rather it’s a new name of friendship and power that only Jesus and you will know.  It may be a literal, lingual name, a name that sounds differently.  Abram became Abraham.  Saul became the beloved Apostle Paul. 

However, I believe that it is more.  I believe it is that certain something Jesus places deep down inside us when we are saved.  It is the quiet understanding of salvation...an assurance, knowing that He is Lord, and you are His.  It is the newness of relationship that you cannot really explain, touch, smell or know, apart from a personal relationship with Jesus.

In ancient days, if a child fell ill, and the situation worsened to the point of fearing for life, and the doctors could not help, the father would stand over his child and give him a new name.  It wouldn't be just any name, but one of a great and valiant warrior, or the name of a respected and strong individual.  The thinking was that the name carried authority.  The child would become a new person in that name, and the disease must capitulate. 

This is the overcoming, beloved; this is allowing Jesus to take complete control of your life at the cross, with His blood, with His love, with His power.  The disease of sin is no longer in control.  When you surrender to that power daily, there is nothing the world can do; you are an overcomer in Christ.

Years ago when hurricane Andrew hit the Southeast coast of Florida, a TV reporter went into one area in Homestead.  As he surveyed the devastation the camera settled on one lone house which stood largely undamaged.  It was the only house standing for blocks.  The owner was surveying his minor damage.  The reporter asked how it was possible for the house to stand when all others fell. This was the man's answer...I built this house myself.  I also built it according to the Florida State building code.  When the code called for 2X6 roof trusses, I used 2X6 roof trusses.  I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane.  I did, and it did.  I suppose no one else around here followed the code."[1]

There is a code written in the table, the tablets, and the title.  Is the house of your life built according to the code?  Are you an overcomer?  Do you answer the call?  Have you been renamed?  The church today is in dire need of this commitment. 

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation 

---

[1] David R. Culver, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin in LEADERSHIP/'93, Winter 1993, p.49

 

Perfect Peace; a Glorious River

 

Always be full of joy in the Lord.  I say it again—rejoice!  Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do.  Remember, the Lord is coming soon.  Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:4-7

The writer of the hymn Like a River Glorious, which we sang earlier in the service, was Frances Ridley Havergal.  She lived a short life (1836-79) in the middle part of the 19^th century.  She wrote about 50 hymns, many of which are still in church hymnals around the world.  This hymn came about because a friend wrote her a letter, in which she shared her struggle with faith, particularly about her salvation.  Frances wrote back to her quoting one of Paul’s other letters:

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.  Romans 5:1

She went on to say that this peace is ‘yours already, purchased for you, made for you, sealed for you, pledged to you – by the word of the Father and the ‘precious blood of Jesus!’  Apparently, Frances recognized the vicious circle that many Christians get into, struggling to feel at peace.  The harder they struggle, the less peace they feel, which makes them struggle more.  But God’s peace is a gift already given.  We don’t have to fight for it.[1]

When it comes to struggling to feel at peace, I find two dangers and one safe place. 

Danger #1.  Always struggling, never finding

Some of us are perfectionists (how many of you are married to one?).  In Frances Havergal’s day there was a rash of that amongst Christian churches.  Many were trying to be the perfect Christian.  Somehow, they’d forgotten that job had already been filled…perfectly…on Calvary. 

As Methodists we sling around the term perfection.  Sometimes we say it like the man who just announced to a worldwide audience on CNN that he had achieved perfect humility.  Rather, we are to be going on to perfection in love as John Wesley had it.  This means acting with humility, kindness, and grace towards others – NOT perfectly knowing everything and doing everything without flaw.  That’s not a possibility for fallen humans, albeit redeemed. 

Somehow, grasping at perfection, as if it is something you could master within you, misses the point Paul made about finding peace.  He spoke to real people who had the same kinds of sin problems we do; they weren’t perfect and they knew it.  So Paul told them rejoice – and then he said it a second time again…I say REJOICE.  I believe he said it in his best capital letters voice so they’d get it.  People who are forever struggling over finding peace are like folks who bring an elephant gun to a mosquito fight…they make a lot of noise, but kill very few bugs.  Struggle doesn’t produce peace; rather it’s a formula for a spiritual coronary.

Danger #2.  Hardly struggling, despairing finding peace

This is the other side of struggle as a vocation, pursuing peace as if a prize to be locked away in a trophy closet; this is fatalism, resigning to the difficulty of peace in a warring world, and writing-off having any part of it.  This is losing the desire to even pray for peace, the essence of despair, giving up! 

Paul’s letters are filled with military and athletic competition analogies.  Paul encourages us to run the race ^{(Galatians 5)}, fight a good fight ^{(1 Timothy 6)}_,  and when it comes to being God’s worker in the field, Paul encourages us to give everything we’ve got to please God. 

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.  2 Timothy 2:15

But as God’s co-laborers, we’re not struggling to find peace; in His vineyard we are laboring to show others the Prince of Peace.  We haven’t given-up in despair and unbelief.  There, in the fields of God’s vineyard, when we labor shoulder to shoulder, not complaining, but learning to rejoice in all things, we are the very essence of the hard-working servant hearing well done, enter into thy Master’s joy…that’s a place of peace and rest!

These are two dangers, the first is always struggling, and the second is never hoping…and then:

The Safe Place – Resting in His Unchanging Grace  and finding peace like a glorious river…Always!

In the second verse of Havergal’s Like a Glorious River, we have the image of Moses hidden in the hollow place, the cleft of the rock, both metaphors for being like the children’s song, He’s Got the Whole World (where?) In His Hand. 

And covered there with the hand of God, there is no foe, surge of worry, or care, that can touch us.  Nothing can assail or corrupt God’s plans; He is entirely unhurried by both joys or sorrows and trials. 

And in that condition, you and I experience the river, gloriously and victoriously, in perfect grace and peace; it is there we experience God’s grace and peace fuller and deeper every day.

And so, to the business of the day, which the apostle Paul called the peace that passes understanding.  It’s found not in struggle, or giving up hope…that perfect peace is found in surrendering to the safe place of communion with God.  It is when we place our hand firmly in His, trusting him fully for that peace.

We do this because, as Frances Ridley Havergal understood and wrote,

they who trust him wholly find him whole true

stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest,

finding, as he promised, perfect peace and rest.

This is the essence of that glorious river of communion, the peace of a heart unhurried and unworried, firmly planted in Christ, and in sweet fellowship with all who are in that communion with Jesus.

Our Prayer

As we move to this place of perfect peace and rest in communion with our blessed Lord, I want to give Frances Havergal the last word from another hymn she wrote.  The hymn is very short, but it helps us open the front-entry door to perfect communion, and thereby perfect peace:

In full and glad surrender, I give myself to thee,

Thine utterly and only, and evermore to be.

O Son of God, who lov’st me, I will be thine alone;

And all I have and am, Lord, shall henceforth be thine own.

Reign over me Lord Jesus, O make my heart thy throne;

It shall be thine, dear Savior, it shall be thine alone.

O come and reign, Lord Jesus, rule over ev’rything!

And keep me always loyal and true to thee, my King.[2]

Come, sweet Holy Spirit, embrace us with thy power and love as we dine together in perfect peace and rest.

Title Image:  via Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation 

---

[1] Perfect Peace – Frances Ridley Havergal (Excerpted from Women in Christian History, Petersen & Shreeves)

[2] The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes, Methodist Conference Office, London, 1933, page 567 (Hymnary.org)