ORSBORNAGAIN (23)
A devotional series by Major Rob Birks
ORSBORNAGAIN is meant to introduce the poetry of the first Poet General, Albert Orsborn (1886-1967) to a new audience and to reintroduce his works to dyed-in-the-(tropical)-wool Salvationists.
These are not new songs.
However, the lyrics are jam-packed with new life, which may be missed during corporate worship. Re-examined through scripture and experience, Rob Birks intends through an examination of these scared songs to renew the spiritual fervor of believers, and point seekers to their Savior.
On every hill our Saviour dies,
And not on Calvary’s height alone;
His sorrows darken all our skies,
His griefs for all our wrongs atone.
Present he is in all our woes,
Upon a world-wide cross is hung;
And with exceeding bitter throes
His world-embracing heart is wrung.
Go! Cry the news from every hill;
Go! Ring the earth with sacred flame;
To pardon is the Father’s will,
And Jesus is the Saviour’s name.
In us his love invested is,
God cannot pass a suppliant by;
For heard in God’s eternities
Our prayers repeat the Saviour’s cry.
And for the sake of that dear name
With which all hope of good is given,
Our heavy load of sin and shame
The Father clears, and cries: Forgiven!
Albert Orsborn
470 Our Response To God – Salvation, Forgiveness
As I write this, the race for the presidency of the United States is on. By the bitterness and brutality of the political ads, it seems to me they should change the terminology from race to cage match. I’m also currently reading a book called The Presidents Club by Nancy Gibbs, which chronicles the relationships between many of the men who formerly held the position.
It’s a strange juxtaposition: following the current battle and reading about late night amicable phone calls of the past between guys on totally different ends of the political spectrum. It actually gives me hope for the two men currently in the cage. Maybe someday one will call the other from the Oval Office to reminisce about the good old days of the campaign. Speaking of hope, when these guys aren’t slinging all kinds of stuff at each other to see what might stick, they can both be heard using the word hope in stump speeches and interviews. If we believe the polls and pundits, no matter who gets elected, half the country will feel hopeful about our country’s future—the other half, not so much. Hope can be elusive.
If you don’t (or didn’t) know the good news of the gospel, the first two verses of this Orsborn song can read a bit gloomy, and give the impression that hope is lost and it’s all our fault. Listen to the language: “his sorrows darken all our skies,” “his griefs for all our wrongs,” “he is in all our woes.” Yikes! It’s about time for a political ad hawking hope, right? Wrong! It’s about time for the work of a Christ-centric, cross- centric artist to remind us that just when all seems hopeless, our hope is in Jesus—our hope:
And for the sake of that dear name
With which all hope of good is given
Our heavy load of sin and shame
The Father clears, and cries: Forgiven!
Once, while some friends and I were spending just a brief amount of time with, and hoping to offer hope to, some of Seattle’s homeless, I got hope-schooled. It was one of those moments that slap you in the face, and the only appropriate response is; “Thanks, I needed that,” like the old after shave commercial that I’m almost too young to remember (almost).
It was raining, like it sometimes does in that city, and we had brought food and some toiletries to share with those with whom we came in contact. I had a talk with one guy in a doorway. I was really new at that kind of ministry, and I didn’t quite know how to engage him in conversation. I stumbled over myself and said something like, “How do you stay warm out here?” He told me he had a place. “Are you safe?” I asked. “Yeah,” he mumbled, looking away from me. Clearly I was getting really good at this very quickly. Anyway, determined to offer him hope, I pressed on.
“What gets you through?” He didn’t miss a beat. “I think of better times,” he said. OK! Here I go. This is where I can tell him that even though he messed up his life to this point, there’s hope for him in Jesus. In my sincere ignorance I said, “Oh, like when things were going well for you?” I have for- gotten many things in life and will forget many more things (in some instances, thankfully). But I can’t imagine ever for- getting his response that night. He looked at me as if I had a lot to learn (spot on) and said, “No! Better times in the future!” Thanks, I needed that!
Mercifully, my foolishness didn’t dissuade him from talking with me further. In fact, I think it lightened and loosened things up a bit. Ignorance may not be bliss, but it can be freeing, and it sure beats the heck out of being a know-it-all. Turns out he had a strong faith in the same God I worship, and he genuinely placed his present and future hope in Jesus Christ. Like I said, I got hope-schooled. That man didn’t need political ads, pious platitudes or poems. He needed some food and a friend. I think I went one for two that night. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t get his name. He didn’t ask for mine either, but he knew “that dear name” Orsborn mentions.
People need hope. No matter who the president, queen, chief or prime minister is, hope will always and only be found in Jesus, our King. Even though we often go about it awkwardly, it’s up to those of us who have hope in Jesus to share hope in Jesus. “In us his love invested is.” And God is looking for a return on that investment. You can do it. You’ve got to be better at it than I was in that Seattle doorway.
Go! Cry the news from every hill;
Go! Ring the earth with sacred flame;
To pardon is the Father’s will,
And Jesus is the Saviour’s name.