Sunday's Hymn: In Bunhill Fields

For the next few weeks, the Sunday’s hymn will be written by someone who is buried in Bunhill Fields.

He Who Would Valiant Be

He who would valiant be ’gainst all disaster,
Let him in constancy follow the Master.
There’s no discouragement shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent to be a pilgrim.

Who so beset him round with dismal stories
Do but themselves confound—his strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might; though he with giants fight,
He will make good his right to be a pilgrim.

Since, Lord, Thou dost defend us with Thy Spirit,
We know we at the end, shall life inherit.
Then fancies flee away! I’ll fear not what men say,
I’ll labor night and day to be a pilgrim.

—-John Bunyan, but reworked by Percy Dearmer

Here are the original words from Pilgrim’s Progress:

Who would true valour see,
Let him come hither;
One here will constant be,
Come wind, come weather
There’s no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.

Whoso beset him round
With dismal stories
Do but themselves confound;
His strength the more is.
No lion can him fright,
He’ll with a giant fight,
He will have a right
To be a pilgrim.

Hobgoblin nor foul fiend
Can daunt his spirit,
He knows he at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then fancies fly away,
He’ll fear not what men say,
He’ll labor night and day
To be a pilgrim.

Learn more about John Bunyan:

• To Live Upon God that Is Invisible: Suffering and Service in the Life of John Bunyan by John Piper. 

Other hymns, worship songs, etc. posted today:

• The First Sunday After Easter at Magic Statistics
• Who Am I? at The Happy Wonderer
• The God of Abraham Praise at Hiraeth
  
• Jesus, The Very Thought of Thee at Seasoning of the Heart
• It Is a Thing Most Wonderful at Whatever Things…
• Christ the Lord is Risen Today at Field Stone Cottage
• Lord’s Day 13, 2008 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Now Be My Heart Inspired to Sing at JoythruChrist
  

Have you posted a hymn this Sunday and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

Theological Term of the Week

 

panentheism

A belief system which views the universe as contained within God, yet God is also greater than the universe, extending beyond it. It is different from pantheism, which views God and the material universe as identical, and also different from biblical theism, which views God as present everywhere in the universe, sustaining everything in the universe, without the universe being a part of God.

 

• From the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 2, Section 2. (A biblical Christian view of the relationship between God and the universe.)
  

  God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them: he is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things; and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them whatsoever himself pleaseth. In his sight all things are open and manifest; his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature; so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain.

• From Panentheism—Part One by Norman Geisler.
  
  
  

  Rather than viewing God as the infinite, unchanging sovereign Creator of the world who brought it into existence, panentheist think of God as a finite, changing, director of world affairs who works in cooperation with the world in order to achieve greater perfection in his nature.
  
  Theism views God’s relation to the world as a painter to a painting. The painter exists independently of the painting; he brought the painting into existence, and yet his mind is expressed in the painting. By contrast, the panentheist views God’s relation to the world the way a mind is related to a body. Indeed, they believe the world is God’s “body”…. [L]ike some modern materialist who believe the mind is dependent on the brain, panentheists believe God is dependent on the world. Yet there is a reciprocal dependence, a sense in which the world is dependent on God.
  

Learn more

1. Norman Geisler:  Panentheism—Part One and Part Two
2. What is panentheism? from GodQuestions.org

The term panentheism was suggested by threegirldad, who says that panentheism is “another age-old heresy that is running rampant of late.”  Tune in next week for another age-old heresy that ain’t dead yet.

 

Have you come across a theological term that you don’t understand and that you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Complaint Department: Parcel Delivery

Yes, I do have a more substantial post coming (I hope) later today. Meanwhile, I’m amusing myself by tracking a parcel containing a gift I ordered for oldest son’s birthday last Wednesday.

Can you read that? According to this, my parcel has been right here in town since last Thursday (That’s eight days ago!) and on the truck for delivery every single working day since then, yet on three of those days, my parcel was not due for delivery. What’s up with that? Do they lug it around town just for the fun of it?

On Tuesday, it says I was not available, yet I was right here at home all day.

I’m taking bets on whether it will be delivered today or whether I’ll have to wait until next week. What’s your best guess?

Update on Friday, March 28, 2008 at 12:42PM by rebecca

Grrrrrr!

The very nice Purolator delivery man delivering another parcel suggested that I call the delivery company with the local contract for Fed Ex deliveries. He even gave me the number. Unfortunately, I must have remembered the number wrong. And I don’t remember who it is who does the local deliveries, either, so I can’t look the number up for myself.

I tried calling Fed Ex’s 1-800 number three times. Each time, it cut me off while I was holding for the first available customer representative. I’ve wasted 40 minutes and achieved nothing but a tension headache, so I’m leaving it alone for a while.

Oh and get this: When calling that toll free Fed Ex number, it asks that I punch in my tracking number. When I punch in the tracking number given right there on the Fed Ex tracking form shown above, it says the parcel is not in its system. Yet there it is, updated daily on their own tracking form.

Grrrrrr again! 

Update on Friday, March 28, 2008 at 3:11PM by rebecca

Tension headache is gone; the parcel has arrived.

Before I could say anything, the delivery guy said, “I’ve been trying to deliver this to your neighbour for 4 days. Sorry about that!” When she was finally home to recieve the parcel she pointed out to him that the address was for us, not her.

I told him I’d been tracking the parcel in Whitehorse for 8 days. He laughed nervously, so I laughed, too, and left it at that.