HYMN FOR THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST His Eye is on the Sparrow

Text: Civilla Durfee Martin (1866-1948) T une: Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (1856-1932 Jesus teaching the disciples James Tissot 1..Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: //His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;// R/ I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. 2. “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; //His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; //R/ 3. Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;| //His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;// REFLECTION Jesus healing the paralytic The more I read Scripture the more it feels like I have never read it before. It is always new and surprising. Jesus in Matthew 10 is instructing his disciples on what they are to do on their mission: proclaim that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand and then to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers and cast out demons. Jesus has given the disciples power to do what he has been doing. These miracles are no small thing—raising the dead no less! Doing this is certain proof the kingdom of heaven is near. In his instructions he invests them with his powers. Thus they bring Jesus, the kingodm of heaven, with them to do the works he commends to them. This list of miracles is not in the command he gives in his Great Commission, Frederick Bruner says in his wonderful commentary on Matthew. There we are to baptize and teach all that he commanded, and he will be with us always. Because he is with us, we will bring the kingdom wherever we go, that is sure, but do we do anything but baptize and teach? Or as we go as salt and light, or sheep among wolves, will we be called to act in his name with healing, casting out demons and raising the dead? It isn't clear. Maybe we are to wait in each encounter we have with another for a word from the Lord. He tells us not to prepare a speech beforehand to defend ourselves when we are hauled before our persecuters. At that moment we will be given the words to say. It is the mystery and surprise of the Christian life, always to be waiting on the Lord in every new situation. As our hymn has it, I know he watches me. It is not a picnic to do as he commands, either. Doing as he commands will bring persecutions and suffering to us, something Jesus describes vividly. This is what it means to bear our crosses, he says. One has to believe in the dread purposes of the Lord to fathom some part of these instructions with their consequences. Yet we are not to fear. God is watching over us as he cares for the sparrows of the field. We can sing because we are happy in him. Let not your heart be troubled! Ultimately, we can trust that he will keep us safe. HYMN INFO Civilia Martin Civilla Martin and her husband were visiting a married couple. The wife had been bedridden for twenty years, and the husband confined to a wheelchair. When she asked him how they were doing he remarked, “His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.” From that exchange came this hymn. Charles H. Gabriel who set it to music was among the more prolific writers of Gospel songs—they think over 7,000--and this is among his most beloved. He grew up on a farm in Iowa where his father was a singing school leader. He learned music from him but was never trained. He served as organist in several churches, one in San Francisco and Chicago where he became the musician with the Homer Rodeheaver Publishing company. He edited over 35 Gospel Song books, plus many other collections. His most famous song after this one is “Brighten the Corner Where You Are.” The song became Ethel Waters’ signature tune. She had come to hear Billy Graham in Manhattan in 1957 and rededicated her life to Christ. Cliff Barrows heard she was there and asked her to sing for them over the next years. She became a regular at the Billy Graham revivals. Ethel Waters and Billy Graham LINKS Ethel Waters version https://youtu.be/Fo3-p3GDV6w?si=vOIF3QU_9T3clYDd Lynda Randle, David Phelps, Reggie Smith https://youtu.be/g5XZK4hDRKg Whitney Houston (her last recording} https://youtu.be/kg81gddHA4M Mississippi Children’s Choir https://youtu.be/Q_8pUqXADTE