Gregg DeMey: 0:07
Welcome to Elmhurst, CRC'S daily dose of the word of God. It's Friday, July 1, and Sunday's coming. This is Gregg DeMey and I serve as Lead Pastor and ECRC, and this Sunday just after a kid's message from Kara Hackert about our core identity and belonging to God, we will be singing a great hymn, Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past. On a personal note, this hymn is one of the handful of songs that is in my head regularly as I emerge from sleep, or my dream state and wake up in the morning.
Gregg DeMey: 0:40
Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past is not a new song. It was written by Isaac Watts, who lived from 1674 to 1748. And this hymn seeks to capture the infinite timelessness of God, in contrast to the brief and ephemeral nature of our mortality and humanity. I think that's the attraction of my dreaming brain to my waking brain knowing that my dreams are brief, my life is brief, and God is eternal. The original opening line of this hymn was actually, "OUR God, Our Help In Ages Past", but was changed by Charles Wesley who is a preacher of the gospel in the early days of America and wished to emphasize that the grace of God was open to everybody, not just those who are already in church. So he changed it to "OH God, Our Help In Ages Past..". Yes, and amen to that!
Gregg DeMey: 1:33
There's a classic version of a recording of this hymn from King's College in Cambridge, England in the show notes. Our version that we will sing together on Sunday will be a little less lofty, but whatever the style, this song stands the test of time. As a way for us to pray together this morning, I'll share a few verses of the lyrics.
Gregg DeMey: 1:47
Let's pray. Oh God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come. Our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home. Before the hills and order stood, or earth received its frame from everlasting. You are God to endless years the same. Time, like an ever-rolling stream soon bears us all away, and we fly forgotten as a dream. Dies at the opening of the day. Oh God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come. Still be our guard while troubles last and our eternal home. For Jesus' sake, Amen.