Notes on the Notes – March 12, 2023

Third Sunday in Lent

This week’s music:

“All Who are Thirsty” (MV #4)

“All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the streams of life

Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of his mercy
As deep cries out to deep, we sing

Come Lord Jesus, come
Come Lord Jesus, come
Come Lord Jesus, come
Come Lord Jesus, come”

This song was written by Brenton Brown in 1998.  In John 7:37b-39, Jesus said, “‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’

Are we thirsty? Humans inherently feel that there is something more to life than just living and dying, or gaining reputation and amassing great wealth. There is a deep hunger and thirst for some spiritual meaning in our lives.   Jesus satisfies us.   Through the lyrics of this song,  all who are “thirsty” are invited to come, and Jesus will give us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us.  Through this, we find meaning in and through our lives.

Hear the song at:  https://yout-u.be/zviSoihOEHU

“Cares Chorus”

“I cast all my cares upon You.
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet.
And anytime that I don’t know what to do,
I will cast all my cares upon You.”

This simple chorus was written by Kelly Willard in 1978.  Her “Cares Chorus” was based on 1 Peter 5:6-7, where Peter writes about how to handle hard things, especially when we don’t understand. Peter says: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.”

“Peter reminds us to pray in troubled times, something we often forget in painful circumstances. Writer Andree Seu Peterson was a young widow with four children who realized, “Thinking a lot is not the same as praying a lot.” Negative over-thinking and rumination is toxic. It leaves us feeling overwhelmed, pessimistic, and powerless. Peter says to throw all our anxieties, cares, concerns, and worries on God.” (Source: https://wohbm.org/all-your-anxieties/)

Hear the song at:  https://yout-u.be/zn7RHpQ6ots

“How Deep the Peace” (MV #95)

“How deep the peace, the confidence, of those whose wrongs are forgiven.
How deep the peace, the confidence, of those whose hearts are healed.”

Our response to the Words of Assurance is based on Psalm 32.  Having left our concerns with God through prayer, we hear of God’s unfailing love. This hymn was written by Linnea Good in 2004.

“Fill My Cup, Lord” 

“Like the woman at the well I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy.
And then I heard my Saviour speaking:
‘Draw from the well that never shall run dry.’

Fill my cup, Lord,
I lift it up, Lord.
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.
Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.
Fill my cup,
Fill it up and make me whole.

There are millions in this world who are craving
The pleasure earthly things afford.
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Fill my cup, Lord…

So, my brother, if the things this world gave you
Leave hungers that won’t pass away.
My blessed Lord will come and save you
If you kneel to Him and humbly pray:

Fill my cup, Lord…”

This song was written by Richard Blanchard in 1959.  The first verse directly references the gospel reading about the women at the well from John 4.  The second and third verses extend the invitation for a more meaningful life through Jesus to everyone in the world whose lives feels empty.

“For Those Tears I Died”

“You said you’d come and share all my sorrows,
You said you’d be there for all my tomorrows.
I came so close to sending you away.
But just like you promised,
You came there to stay
I just had to pray.

And Jesus said,
‘Come to the waters, stand by my side.
I know you are thirsty, you won’t be denied.
I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried;
And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died.’

Jesus, I give you my heart and my soul,
I know that without you I’d never be whole.
Saviour, you opened all the right doors.
And I thank you and praise you from earth’s humble shores.
Take me, I’m yours.

And Jesus said,
‘Come to the waters, stand by my side.
I know you are thirsty, you won’t be denied.
I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried;
And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died.’”

Marsha J. Stevens wrote this song in 1969 and it is often considered to be the first contemporary Christian song.   Hear her talk about the song at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUpQ_WoKWYI

“Praise God Throughout These Forty Days”

“Praise God throughout these forty days;
 Praise Christ, our Lord, whom God did raise;
And praise the Spirit who imparts
God’s love in Christ into our hearts.”

The Lenten words for our offering response were written by G.W. Dub Shepherd for the tune OLD 100TH, more familiar as the doxology, “Praise God from Whom All blessings Flow.”

“I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” (VU #626)

“I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, O weary one, lay down your head upon my breast.’
I came to Jesus as I was, weary and worn and sad;
I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one, stoop down, and drink, and live.’
I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream;
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say, ‘I am this dark world’s light;
Look unto me, your morn shall rise, and all your day be bright.’
I looked to Jesus, and I found in him my star, my sun;
And in that light of life I’ll walk till travelling days are done.”

Horatius Bonar wrote this hymn for his congregation at Kelso in the border district of Scotland, and gave it the title “The Voice from Galilee.”   Through the 3 verses, Bonar shares the invitation to come to Jesus for sanctuary, renewal and direction.  The tune is a traditional folk melody from England and Ireland.  It was arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the English Hymnal (1906).  The tune is named KINGSFOLD after the village in Surrey where Vaughan Williams collected the folk song.

Flute and harp instrumental http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34hdxri8qbk

Singer Joanna Hogg – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH4OVm8nzXk

“Grace Alone”