The Hymns of Isaac Watts

I know.... no one likes hymns anymore. I think that is tragic. I want to expose you to a great thinker, theologian and poet. His name is Isaac Watts. He was born in Southhampton, England, on July 17, 1674. That makes him 333 years old this year!!! His father served several prison terms because of his non-conformity. He refused to yield to the church of England. Issac was a non-conformist also and his hymns reflect his rich faith and unswerving devotion to truth in Christ. Issac Watts fought for the truth that many of us cherish today. His concepts of grace were revolutionary. Here is a sample for your benefit and for God's praise!

Hymn 43 Part !

Adam, our Father and our head,

Transgress'd, and justice doom'd us dead;

The fiery law speaks all despair;

There's no reprieve nor pardon there.

But, O unutterable grace!

The Son of God takes Adam's place;

Down to our world the Saviour flies,

Stretches his arms, and bleeds and dies.

Justice was pleased to bruise the God,

And pay its wrongs with heav'nly blood;

What unknown racks and pangs He bore!

Then rose; the Law could ask no more.

Amazing work! look down, ye skies,

Wonder and gaze with all your eyes;

Ye heav'nly thrones, stoop from above,

And bow to this mysterious love.

Lo! they adore th' incarnate Son,

And sing the glories he hath won;

Sing how he broke our iron chains,

How deep he sunk, how high he reigns!

Triumph and reign, victorious Lord,

By all the flaming hosts ador'd;

And say, dear Conqueror, say how long

Ere we shall rise to join their song.

Send down a chariot from above,

With fiery wheels, and paved with love;

Raise us beyond th' ethereal blue,

to sing and love as angels do.

May we come to enjoy Christ in all his fullness..... in us!

Broken and spilled out

The alabaster jar of perfumed ointment has been broken to release the precious and costly contents. The oil was to be saved for burial rituals. But on this amazing encounter a women overcome by her love for Christ abandons all formal protocol and "wastes" the essence on the feet of a living Christ and dries his feet with her hair. A scandalous moment.
In order for the ointment to be used the jar had to be destroyed. One could not simply pour the ointment out and save the bottle as a reminder of what was done. At the exact moment of the alabaster jar's demise, a wonderful essence began to fill the room. The contents were lavished on dirty feet. Usually reserved for a funeral, this ointment was used to celebrate and anoint her Lord while he lived. This is the picture of overwealming love from a grateful heart. This is what it looks like when a sinner meets the Saviour. Always!
At the moment of our brokenness we notice the enticing aroma of Christ lofting up from where Jesus is washing our feet. This is the same Christ who endured the agony of the cross. He has been punished in our place. He has borne our sorrows and our shame. He died for our disapointments and our best efforts. He was crushed for our frustration and our failures. He was bruised for our grief and our guilt. He bled to death for our pain and pleasure. This sacred love has made us right with God. This love is the only reality that saves us; the only one that can.
So as we encounter our broken alabaster shells laying in the dirt, we must understand that the spilling of our inward essence is mandatory on this journey of life in Christ. In our brokenness we identify ourselves with His brokenness and in our spilling out we identify with his emptying of himself. In the full wonder of the aroma of Christ that invades our hearts and minds, we are filled with Life and essence. His life and His essence is in us and expresses itself through us! So reach down and pick up an alabaster remnant and put it in your pocket and smell it often.