Back on the bench

If you neglect doing something that you enjoy, it easy to forget how much you love it. Or, as my small group leader said, passions are like a fire - if they aren't fed, they will smolder until rekindled. I brought my spiral bound red trinity hymnal to college with me as one of my most treasures possessions (along with my brown betty (if you followed that link and were concerned, I'm sorry to say that my brown betty did quickly develop that crazing, and I did not know about the replacement offer at the time.)) but never made the time to play for pleasure during the school year as I had hoped. This evening I opened the much worn and beloved hymnal on which I learned to play hymns, and sat down to play some favorites. Now I remember why all I wanted to do in the practice room freshman year was play hymns, back when my piano teacher was giving me such distress. It can bring such peace and perspective, and pleasure too.

One of my favorite hymns is The Church's One Foundation. I remember coming to love it in seventh grade. My history teacher had my class watch a long, but actually fairly good, documentary on the early church. This entire hymn was sung at numerous times throughout the film, at transition points of some sort. By the end of the documentary, most of my classmates were thoroughly sick of hearing it, but I am so grateful that I instead came to know and love this great hymn, as well as the Church and her dear Lord who defends her a little bit more because of the truths the hymn so strongly proclaimed. (The familiarity that breeds contempt is not the familiarity of close acquaintance, but that of informality.) Here's the hymn:

The Church's One Foundation

The church's one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.

Elect from every nation,
Yet one over all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping;
Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.

The church shall never perish,
Her dear Lord to defend
To guide, sustain and cherish,
Is with her to the end
Though there be those that hate her,
And false sons in her pale
Against a foe or traitor,
She ever shall prevail

Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
'Til, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blessed,
And the great church victorious
Shall be the church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee.

Across the page from that is another favorite, also worthy of posting here. There are multiple verses, but I really only know the eight that are in my hymnal:

Jesus, With Thy Church Abide

Jesus, with Thy church abide;
Be her savior, Lord, and Guide,
While on earth her faith is tried:
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Keep her life and doctrine pure;
Grant her patience to endure,
Trusting in Thy promise sure:
We beseech Thee, hear us.

May she one in doctrine be,
One in truth and charity,
Winning all to faith in Thee:
We beseech Thee, hear us.

May she guide the poor and blind,
Seek the lost until she find
And the brokenhearted bind:
We beseech Thee, hear us.

Save her love from growing cold,
Make her watchmen strong and bold,
Fence her round, thy peaceful fold:
We beseech thee, hear us.

May her lamp of truth be bright,
Bid her bear aloft its light
Through the realms of heathen night:
We beseech thee, hear us.

Arm her soldiers with the cross,
Brave to suffer toil or loss,
Counting earthly gain but dross:
We beseech thee, hear us.

May she holy triumphs win,
Overthrow the hosts of sin,
Gather all the nations in:
We beseech thee, hear us.