Text: Fanny Crosby (1820-1915). Tune: William Howard Doane (1832-1915)
Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain,
Free to all—a healing stream,
Flows from Calv’ry’s mountain.
R/In the cross, in the cross
Be my glory ever;
Till my ransomed soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.
2. Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the Bright and Morning Star
Sheds its beams around me.
R/
3. Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.
R/
4. Near the cross I’ll watch and wait,
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I see my Savior’s face,
Leave his presence never.
R/
REFLECTION
Jesus shocks Peter, after his confession that Jesus is the Messiah, with his statement that he was going to die on a cross. This was no way for a messiah to talk, Peter told him. And in terms of world governance, and power, he is right. But Jesus is showing him a new way which ultimately will show the world more power than anything dreamed of—the power over death.
There is this irony in Jesus’ claim that those who seek their lives will lose it and those who lose their lives will find them. This makes no sense in terms of worldly calculations, but we know it is true, even in this world. Those intent on a goal, and who think of nothing else, often idolize their goal, and lose their way. Many a leader can go bad, even one who had started with a kind of purity. They can be corrupted and made useless by setting aside their own lofty principles for gain. We can see it in the leadership of our world. Something seems to happen to even the most lofty person when they get power. No wonder Lord Acton's phrase, "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
The miracle of our faith is that it begins with lowly fishermen and tradesmen in out of way places like Galilee, Nazareth and Bethlehem. Can anything good come out of there?
Well yes, the greatest good of all. God come down to live and die for us. The Gospel of John says the greatest glory of God can be seen in Jesus on the cross. There God’s Son gives up his life to save us. It is his glory, and as the hymn says, can be ours also. "Be my glory ever."
The disciples who saw all this first hand went forth into the world to preach this gospel. None of them ever went back on their testimony. Although all were martyred, they did not fear death and so went out bravely to witness to Jesus’ everywhere. They were not afraid because they had seen the Lord of life defeat death. They had every reason to trust in Jesus and lose their life for him. And what glory followed for them! May it also be for us!
HYMN INFO
Of all the thousands of hymns Fanny Crosby wrote, this is the next most popular after "Blessed Assurance." Crosby's good friend, William Howard Doane, had written the melody without a text. When she heard it she knelt down and prayed and came up with this text. Fanny used her married name, Mrs. Francis J. van Alstyne when it was published in 1869.
Blind from birth, Fanny enrolled in the New York Institute for the Blind when she was fifteen. She stayed there as a student and then a teacher until 1858. She began teaching English grammar, Rhetoric and American History in 1847. In 1858 she married Alexander van Alstyne, another student and teacher there. Upon marrying, they left the school and established their own home. They had a daughter, but she died in infancy. While the couple remained amicable until his death, they did not live together after this. She was famous--and was said to have met every American president from Lincoln to Wilson. She also met Jenny Lind on her American tour in 1850--Lind sang for the students at the Institute where Fanny taught. Crosby learned from Lind that hymns were the best way to reach people and so she began writing them.
Doane was born into wealth and went on to make a great deal of money as an inventor and manufacturer of wood working tools. As the writer of over 2,000 hymn tunes which he also published, he became extremely wealthy and used his money to endow Denison University and Moody Bible Institute with buildings and large sums of money.
LINKS
Don Shirley's jazz version, an elegant and simple piece
Russian version/amazing!
English/Hastings College Choir
Icelandic/Betesda, Ebenezer and Siloa
Faroe Islands/Bethesda Choir
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