Sunday's Hymn: In Bunhill Fields

Yet another hymn written by someone buried in Bunhill Fields. It happens to be one we sang in church this morning, too, although we didn’t sing all those verses.

Marching to Zion 

Come, we that love the Lord,
And let our joys be known;
Join in a song with sweet accord,
Join in a song with sweet accord
And thus surround the throne,
And thus surround the throne.

Refrain

We’re marching to Zion,
Beautiful, beautiful Zion;
We’re marching upward to Zion,
The beautiful city of God.

The sorrows of the mind
Be banished from the place;
Religion never was designed
Religion never was designed,
To make our pleasures less,
To make our pleasures less.

Let those refuse to sing,
Who never knew our God;
But favorites of the heavenly King,
But favorites of the heavenly King
May speak their joys abroad,
May speak their joys abroad.

The God that rules on high,
And thunders when He please,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
Who rides upon the stormy sky,
And manages the seas,
And manages the seas.

This awful God is ours,
Our Father and our Love;
He will send down his heav’nly powers,
He will send down his heav’nly powers,
To carry us above,
To carry us above

There we shall see His face,
And never, never sin!
There, from the rivers of His grace,
There, from the rivers of His grace,
Drink endless pleasures in,
Drink endless pleasures in.

Yea, and before we rise,
To that immortal state,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss,
Should constant joys create,
Should constant joys create.

The men of grace have found,
Glory begun below.
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
Celestial fruits on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow,
From faith and hope may grow.

The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Before we reach the heav’nly fields,
Or walk the golden streets,
Or walk the golden streets.

Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,
We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,
To fairer worlds on high,
To fairer worlds on high.

Other hymns, worship songs, etc. posted today:

• The Third Sunday After Easter at Magic Statistics
• Kindly, Spring is Here Again at The Happy Wonderer
• I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art at Hiraeth
  
• There is a Fountain Filled with Blood at Seasoning of the Heart
• Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy at Whatever Things…
• Ah, Holy Jesus at Field Stone Cottage
• Lord’s Day 15, 2008 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Rock of Ages at JoythruChrist
• New Participant: My Shepherd, You Supply My Need at Conjubilant With Song, a  new blog primarily about hymns.
  

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.

Petitionary Prayer: April 11

This month’s theme here at Rebecca Writes is petitionary prayer. On Tuesdays and Fridays throughout April, I’ll be posting one request I am making of God, and I’m inviting you to join me. You’ll find all the details here.

• Today I’m praying for me, that I’ll have the wisdom to keep my mouth shut when that’s what’s called for, and the wisdom to say the right thing when that’s what’s called for. And that’s about all I’m saying about that!  Update: Dorothy and Lisa are piggybacking on this request.
  
• Violet of promptings shows us how she keeps track of her prayer requests, and tells us she is prayer for many friends and relatives who are ill.
• Update: Kim of Hiraeth is “praying for a dear friend from church who is undergoing some pulmonary testing this week and next.”
• Update: Kim of The Upward Call is praying for her sister-in-law.
  
• Update: Sandra Peoples is praying for her own speech, too.

  I’ve been focusing on Eph. 4:29 “Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Oh so hard!

• Update: And pray for Carla, who is sick.

What are you praying for today?

Book Review: His Loving Law, Our Lasting Legacy

Living the Ten Commandments and Giving Them To Our Children by Jani Ortlund.

Jani Ortlund has written this book with mothers who are raising children in mind. Her purpose is to help women learn to delight in God through his law and to help them pass on that love for God  to their children.

What do you think about the Ten Commandments? Many of us, I’d say, tend to think of them in either of two ways, both of them wrong. We think of them as a list of very demanding rules that we need to keep in order to become righteous, or we think of them as a list of very demanding rules that no longer, since we are new covenant people, have any relevance for us.

Jani Ortlund argues that God’s law has three purposes for us today. First, it leads us to the Saviour because it shows us our sin. Second, the law helps us understand who God is. And third, the law is a guide to those who are being saved through Christ, because it shows what living the like-Christ life looks like.

Click to read more ...