Sermon . . .

Many times when in ministry I needed to preach a sermon or perhaps give a short address. I always laboured away, often short of time and troubled by many other things to produce something. No one ever walked out,as far as I know, but I bet some wondered what I was drivelling on about, or solved the problem by going to sleep. Only lately, when the words of hymns and carols come back to me in disjointed portions or in earworms of tunes, has it occurred to me that many a hymn is a potted sermon in itself, composed by a far better theologian than I shall ever be. It might be just the text alone, or the text with a few burning, explanatory, words inserted here and there. Below I have turned the words of “O Worship the Lord” into a sort of prose, and I think as a short address or a mediation at, say, Compline it might have proved useful. The words were written by J S B Monsell about whom you can read in Wikipedia.

“O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, bow down before Him, His glory proclaim; with gold of obedience, and incense of lowliness, kneel and adore Him; the Lord is His name.
Low at His feet lay thy burden of carefulness; high on His heart he will bear it for thee, comfort thy sorrows and answer thy prayerfulness, guiding thy steps as may best for thee be.
Fear not to enter His courts in the slenderness of the poor wealth thou wouldst reckon as thine. Truth in its beauty and love in its tenderness, these are the offerings to lay on His shrine.
These, though we bring them in trembling and fearfulness, he will accept for the name that is dear; mornings of joy give for evenings of tearfulness, trust for our trembling, and hope for our fear.”

About Ian

Retired Clergyman, and former RAF person. Lives in Kirkcudbright, SW Scotland. One wife. Two children, three grandchildren and two great grandchildren scattered across UK, Europe and the USA. Long time member of the European Movement, and latterly of the Scottish National Party. ""Here's to us; who is as good as us? Damn few, and they're all dead"
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