One of the features that distinguishes SPPC is our music. We love to sing hymns. No need to attend a special hymn-sing on a Friday night, just come to SPPC on Sunday morning and you'll hear such favourites as "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah," "Amazing Grace," and "Holy, Holy, Holy." Even though the choir is on holiday for the summer, you'll find singers scattered among the pews and a strong lead from the organ.
Recently we sang "My Faith it is an Oaken Staff." The words are by Thomas Lynch and the tune is from a Swiss melody. For all that I've been singing in choir since I was ten years old, this lovely hymn, with its rollicking tune is not that familiar to me. I wanted to know more so I asked for Dr. Cecil Kirk's notes. Edna kindly gave me permission to share them on this blog.
My Faith it is an Oaken Staff
notes by Dr. Cecil Kirk
Scripture
reading: Mark 6. 7 – 13
Thomas Lynch
began his career as a teacher but later became pastor of a Congregational church
in London. His preaching was not of the popular variety but he had the gift of
making people think in a new and intimate way about spiritual matters. He was a
great lover of nature and found much of his inspiration to holiness in the
beauty of God’s world around him. This is reflected in the hymns he has left
us.
Analogy forms a great part of our Christian understanding. We frequently use
things that are familiar to us to help us understand things that are more
difficult and especially things that are abstract. What is faith? Most of us
have a hard time trying to express in words what is an essential element in the
Christian life. But we can use other yardsticks to get across our
understanding. Here it is likened to a traveller’s staff and a soldier’s
sword. And the Christian life is compared to a journey and a battle. An age
which used walking much more than we do, and which was not subjected to the
increased horrors of modern warfare would readily recognize what was being
said.
Travellers of old frequently carried a sturdy oaken staff and that for a number
of reasons. It could be used to lean on when one grew weary. It could be used
as a weapon to ward off attackers, whether human or animal. The Christian
pilgrim has faith as a staff. Our journey through life will bring us to
different types of terrain. Sometimes the going will be easy like the grassy
sod, there will be other times when it will be like walking over flinty rock
but, easy or difficult, we have a guide going on ahead of us and we have the
staff of faith to lean on.
The
Christian is not only a pilgrim but also a soldier. The Christian life is
frequently likened to a war against sin and evil both within ourselves and in
the world and the Christian must arm himself for battle. As the pilgrim will
not fear the road because faith is a staff, in the same way the soldier will not
fear the battle because faith is a sword. Armed with such a weapon the
Christian warrior will be able to fend off and overcome falsehood and
temptation.
The
hymn concludes with a prayer that God will impart his Spirit so that we may
become more and more like him; that we will be given courage to face whatever
life may bring us and patience to wait upon him for all our needs. These are
the things that have characterized the true saint of God in every
age.
For more on the Thomas Lynch, click here
For more on the Thomas Lynch, click here
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