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Jump Start # 3739

Jump Start # 3739

 

Psalms 40:3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the Lord.

 

I like singing. I especially like singing hymns. I really don’t understand music, although my wife could probably play piano on the professional level if she had pushed herself that direction. All my children know music and the three boys can all lead singing very well. I guess I was standing in the wrong line when the gift of music was handed out. I tell people that every band has a bus driver and that’s me.

 

I have a collection of song books. A few are very dear to me because they came from congregations where by grandparents and great grandparents once attended. Those congregations no longer exist. One of the hymn books, “The New Gospel Song Book,” was published by the Firm Foundation in 1914 and edited by G.H.P. Showalter and Austin Taylor, our brethren.

 

The copy I have is pretty rough. Pages torn, pieces  falling off, but what a treasure of wonderful hymns. Many of the hymns in that old song book are the same ones that we sing today, which presents an interesting thought. Why do some hymns endure through generations and others not? Could be how often certain ones were sung over and over. Could be the tune was easy to remember. Could be the words.

 

For the next few Jump Starts, I want to pull out some lesser known and old forgotten hymns from this 1914 hymnal and share some thoughts with you.

 

We start with the hymn: “Will there be any Stars.” The words were written by E. E. Hewitt, and the tune came from John Sweeney, who was the professor of music at the Pennsylvania Military Academy for twenty-five years, and produced over 1,000 hymns and edited 60 hymnals.

 

Will there be any stars

 

I am thinking today of that beautiful land I shall reach when the sun goeth down;

When thro’ wonderful grace by my Saviour I stand,

Will there be any stars in my crown?

 

In the strength of the Lord let me labor and pray,

Let me watch as a winner of souls;

That bright stars may be mine in the glorious day,

When His praise like the sea billow rolls.

 

O what joy will it be when His face I behold,

Living gems at His feet to lay down;

It would sweeten my bliss in the city of gold,

Should there be any stars in my crown.

 

Chorus: Will there be any stars, any stars in my crown, when at evening the sun goeth down?

When I wake with the blest, in the mansions of rest,

Will there be any stars in my crown?

 

  I have never heard this song. There is a 1950 Western movie with the title, “Stars in the crown.” There is also a children’s book with the title, “Stars in my crown,” and a couple of Youtube recordings of this hymn.

 

It is interesting how time changes and in some ways how we see things differently. When I first read the words of this song, I thought, “Who cares if there are stars in my crown?” If I have a crown, that ought to be enough. I could see someone thinking, “I doubt I’ll have any stars. I didn’t do much.” And, rather than being encouraged, this song would deflate them.

 

Here are some thoughts:

 

First, the Lord is generous. Just look at how you have been blessed. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard illustrates the generosity of God. The man who worked but one hour received the same as those who worked all day. Don’t worry about stars in your crown. The Lord is good. He’ll take care of you. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Second, the second stanza sounds a bit like salvation by works. He mentions grace at the beginning, but then talks about the winning of souls as that might be a means to get stars. Winning souls is not about what we get. It’s about bringing someone to the Lord. It’s about salvation. Whether we get something for our labors is not the motive for working in the kingdom.

 

Third, I like the line, “O what joy will it be when His face I behold.” That sounds like Revelation 22:4. What joy that will be. We have sung about the Lord. We have prayed to the Lord. We have read His words. We have tried to walk closely with Him. But to see His face…nothing will be greater than that. I can’t prove this, but I tend to think the Lord will be smiling at us when He sees our face. When the Lord took the hand of Jairus’ departed little daughter and said, “Little girl, arise.” She opened her eyes and there was Jesus. I like to think that’s the way it will be for us when we depart. We’ll close our eyes here only to open them on the other side and see Jesus.

 

It is good, as this hymn begins, to think of that beautiful land. Set your mind above, the Colossians were told. The dreariness of winter, the troubles of this life, the long journey that we are on, can weigh heavily upon our hearts. But, thinking of that beautiful land helps us to press on. We think about who will be there. We think about our Lord. We think about all the things that will no longer plague us. We think about the endless praise of the Lord. Being in His presence. Home, finally home, where we belong.

 

Have you thought today of that beautiful land that we shall reach when the sun goeth down? Wonderful thought that carries you through today. As you think about that land, suddenly so much of what we do today really doesn’t matter. Just like that, our priorities get reshaped. So, the house doesn’t get cleaned to look like the pictures in magazines. So, I didn’t get everything done today. Spending time thinking about that beautiful land that we shall reach, is healthful for the soul and good for the heart.

 

Our verse today is a reminder that God is praised though the songs we sing. New songs. Old songs. Familiar songs. Forgotten songs.

 

In coming days, Lord willing, I’ll pick out a few more hymns that time has forgotten.

 

Roger

 

 

 

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