Room in God’s Kingdom

(photo of J. R. Baxter)

ROOM IN GOD’S KINGDOM

“Whosoever shall give…a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple…shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42)

     INTRO.:  A song which exhorts us to serve God even if it means just giving a cup of cold water in Christ’s name is “Room in God’s Kingdom” (#620 in Hymns for Worship Revised, #80 in Sacred Selections for the Church).  The text was written and the tune was composed both by Jesse Randall Baxter Jr., who was born on December 8, 1887, in Lebanon, AL, and grew up in DeKalb County, Alabama.  He was a farmer and married Clarice Howard in 1918.  After attending singing schools in Alabama where he studied with some of the foremost gospel hymn writers of the time, including Thomas Benjamin Mosley and Anthony Johnson Showalter, he became proficient in providing both words and music for gospel songs.  It has been said that he probably wrote more convention songs than any other gospel song writer of his day.  Some of his works include “Try Jesus,” “Travel the Sunlit Way,” “Something Happens (When You Give Your Heart to God”), “I Have Peace in My Soul,” “Living Grace,” and “I Want to Help Some Weary Pilgrim.” Also, he was an outstanding singing school teacher and conducted his own schools until 1922, when he was asked to manage the Texarkana, TX, office of A. J. Showalter.

“Room in God’s Kingdom” was copyrighted in 1923.  It is said to have been “Suggested in a sermon by J. D. Ray, Gordo, Ala., July 14, 1922.”  Some newer books list it as “copyright 1923 Stamps-Baxter Music,” but that company was not yet in existence then.   However, older books have the note “Copyright 1923 by Gospel Advocate Co., in Choice Gospel Hymns.”  That book was edited in 1923 for the Gospel Advocate by Thomas B. Mosley.  Sacred Selections carries the notice, “Copyright 1951 Renewal, Stamps-Baxter Music and Ptg. Co., owners.”  So maybe it was originally copyrighted by the Advocate and then renewed by S-B.  Yet, Hymns for Worship identifies it as “Copyright renewal 1951, extended Gospel Advocate Company.”  So I don’t know who, if anyone, currently owns it!   Then in 1926 Baxter, known professionally as J.R. Baxter and sometimes referred to as “Pap,” bought a stake in Virgil Oliver Stamps’s gospel music publishing company.  Renamed The Stamps-Baxter Music and Printing Company, the firm moved to Dallas, TX, in 1929. Baxter opened and ran the company’s Chattanooga, TN, office.

The business became quite successful as one of the leading publishers of Southern gospel songs using shaped notes in the early twentieth century.  After Stamps’s death in 1940, Baxter moved to Dallas to run the main office.  Baxter’s interest in school teaching led him to publish shape-note songbooks and sponsor a Stamps-Baxter School of Music, both of which contributed to the popularity of gospel music.  Other songs in our books for which Baxter provided words and/or music are “God Shall Wipe Away All Tears,” “Zion’s Call,” “Let Me Live Close to Thee,” “He Bore It All,” “I Hold His Hand,” “I Love My Savior Too,” and “The New Song.” Also he arranged “Farther Along.”  His death occurred on January 21 (some  sources have Jan. 29), 1960, in Dallas, TX.  That same year a compilation of his songs, Precious Abiding Peace, was issued. After Baxter’s death, his wife Clarice ran the business until she died; it was then sold to Zondervan. Baxter was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 1997.

Among hymnbooks published among brethren for use in churches of Christ, “Room in God’s Kingdom” has appeared in the 1940 Complete Christian Hymnal edited by Marion Davis; the 1963 Abiding Hymns edited by Robert C. Welch; the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat; and the 2012 Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs edited by Steve Wolfgang et. al.; in addition to Hymns for Worship and Sacred Selections.

The song encourages us to serve Christ with whatever abilities we have, whether great or small.

I. Stanza 1 points out that we should do so because we are citizens of God’s kingdom

There is room in the kingdom of God, my brother,

For the small things that you can do;

Just a small, kindly deed that may cheer another

Is the work God has planned for you.

1. The kingdom of God is His church to which we have been added: Matt. 16:18-19, Acts 2:47
2. There is room in this kingdom even for small things: Zech. 4:10
3. Hence, we should be doing those small, kindly deeds that are part of the work that God has planned for us: Eph. 2:8-9

II. Stanza  2 points out that we should do so because we want to renew hope in others

Just a cup of cold water in His name given

May the hope in some heart renew;

Do not wait to be told, nor by sorrow driven,

To the work God has planned for you.

1. It should always be our desire to renew hope in others: Col. 1:21-23
2. Thus, we should not wait to be told or driven by sorrow or other feeling of necessity because God wants willing, cheerful service: 2 Cor. 8:12, 9:6-7
3. This kind of attitude will lead us to do the work that God has planned for us: Matt. 5:14-16

III. Stanza 3 points out that we should do so because we desire to be loyal workers in His service

There’s a place in the service of God for workers

Who are loyal to Him and true;

Can’t you say to Him now, “I will leave the shirkers,

And the work Thou hast planned I’ll do”?

1. The Lord wants workers in His service: 1 Cor. 15:58, 2 Tim. 2:15
2. To serve Him well, those workers need to be loyal and true, or in other words, faithful: Matt. 25:21, 1 Cor. 4:2, Rev. 2:10
3. So instead of being shirkers we need to be zealous of good works: Tit. 2:13-14

CONCL.:  The chorus reminds us that there is a place in God’s service for everyone to work.

There is room (in the kingdom), there’s a place (in the service),

In the kingdom of God for you.

There is room (in the kingdom), there’s a place (in the service),

There is work that we all can do.

Each of us has different talents and abilities, so in serving God not everyone can do the same thing.  But for whatever service we can perform, no matter how insignificant it may seem to us, we need to remember that there is “Room in God’s Kingdom.”

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Into Our Hands

 

“INTO OUR HANDS”

“But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak…” (1 Thess. 2:4)

     INTRO.:  A gospel song which encourages us to speak about the gospel to others is “Into Our Hands” (#616 in Hymns for Worship Revised, #90 in Sacred Selections for the Church). The text was written by Ruth Johnson (Mrs. Roy) Carruth, who was born at Vashti, TX, on Dec. 31, 1900, and reared at Bellevue, TX.  Even as a child, she liked to write poetry.  Prior to her marriage, she taught school in New Mexico at a little one-room schoolhouse.  She once said laughingly, “No wonder my teaching career was short.”  After only one year of teaching, she married Roy Carruth, and they made their home in Vernon, TX, where she became a woman hymn writer among churches of Christ.  As an author, she published a book of poems called Acorn Cups as well as many hymns.

Perhaps her best known hymn is “Into Our Hands” beginning, “Swiftly we’re turning life’s daily pages.”  It was copyrighted in 1939 with a tune composed by Tillit Sidney Teddlie (1885-1987).  The earliest book in my possession in which I have been able to locate it is Teddlie’s 1943 Standard Gospel Songs.  This book is also the original source of publication for another Carruth-Teddlie collaboration, “You Can Lead Someone to Jesus.”  While looking through some old Will Slater songbooks, I came across still another song by Mrs. Carruth and Teddlie, which he copyrighted in 1946, entitled “One of His Own” beginning, “The wonderful word that was sown in my heart,” in the 1952 Hymns of Praise and Devotion.  Hymnary.com lists yet another Carruth hymn, “After I’m Tested and Tried.”  All of her songs which I have been able to find have music composed for them by Teddlie, who also copyrighted them.

Mrs. Carruth continued to write poetry for the rest of her life.  Her husband had been injured in World War I and was unable to do secular work full time, so he preached at small congregations in the area surrounding Vernon for more than forty years, and also in California for a few years. In addition, he served as an elder.  Their son Vance also became a gospel preacher.  After Roy died, Ruth became more active in writing and for a while did some work with a greeting card company but found that it required too much time.  Her death occurred at Vernon, TX, on Oct. 12, 1985.

Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church for use in churches of Christ, “Into Our Hands” has appeared in the 1959 Majestic Hymnal No. 2 and the 1978 Hymns of Praise both edited by Reuel Lemmons; the 1965 Great Christian Hymnal No. 2 edited by Teddlie; the 1971 Songs of the Church and the 1990 Songs of the Church 21^st C. Ed. both edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1978/1983 Church Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard; the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat; the 2009 Favorite Songs of the Church and the 2010 Songs for Worship and Praise both edited by Robert J. Taylor Jr.; and the 2012 Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs edited by Steve Wolfgang et. al.; in addition to Hymns for Worship and Sacred Selections.

The song reminds us the limited amount of time which we have to do the Lord’s work.

I. Stanza 1 emphasizes the swift passage of time

Swiftly we’re turning life’s daily pages;

Swiftly the hours are changing to years.

How are we using God’s golden moments?

Shall we reap glory?  Shall we reap tears?

1. Swiftly we are turning life’s pages because our days are like a sigh: Ps. 90:9-10
2. Thus, we need to be concerned with how we are using God’s golden moments: Eph. 5:15-16
3. This is because we shall reap glory or tears as we have sown: Gal. 6:7-8

II. Stanza 2 emphasizes the need for the gospel

Millions are groping without the gospel;

Quickly they’ll reach eternity’s night.

Shall we sit idly as they rush onward?

Haste, let us hold up Christ the true light.

1. The gospel is God’s power to salvation: Rom. 1:16
2. Those who do not obey the gospel will reach eternity’s night: 2 Thess. 1:7-9
3. To help them avoid such a fate, we must hold up Christ the true light: Jn. 8:12

III. Stanza 3 emphasizes the value of the soul

Souls that are precious, souls that are dying,

While we rejoice our sins are forgiven–

Did He not also die for these lost ones?

Then let us point the way unto heaven.

1. Souls are precious because each one is worth more than the whole world: Matt. 16:24-26
2. To save our souls, Jesus died for everyone: Heb. 2:9
3. Thus, we need to point out the way to heaven by proclaiming the gospel: Mk. 16:15-16

CONCL.: The chorus reminds us of our responsibility to share God’s precious message.

Into our hands the gospel is given;

Into our hands is given the light.

Haste, let us carry God’s precious message,

Guiding the erring back to the right.

At one time, this song was very popular among our brethren.  The first time that I ever heard the beloved Aude McKee (now deceased) preach was one evening in a gospel meeting at Evendale, OH (a couple of years after that he came and held a meeting at what was then the  Park Ave. church in my hometown of Hillsboro, OH, where our family attended).  The song leader at Evendale that night had led “Into Our Hands,” and when he stood up to speak brother McKee said that it was his favorite hymn for a very special reason.  If I remember his story correctly, when he and his family first went to Africa to live and work in Lagos, Nigeria, they arrived early on a Sunday but were detained on the boat so that they were unable to make it to the Lord’s day services until the evening.  The song that was being sung when they walked into the meeting house was “Into Our Hands.”

A Hymn of Joy We Sing

(picture of Aaron Robards Wolf)

A HYMN OF JOY WE SING

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come” (1 Corinthians 11:26)

     INTRO.:  A song which reminds us that when we eat the bread and drink the cup we are showing the Lord’s death is “A Hymn of Joy We Sing” (note: This hymn does NOT appear in Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs.   But it deserves a look.)  The text was written by Aaron Robarts Wolfe, who was born on September 6, 1821, at Mendham, New Jersey.  Educated at Williams College (1844) and Union Theological Seminary, New York (1848-51), Wolfe, on April 9, 1851, became a minister with the Third Presbytery of New York. He ran a young ladies’ school in Tallahassee, Florida (1852-55).  The devout spirit of the man is fittingly illustrated by the account he once gave his friends of an incident which shaped his later career somewhat seriously. When he left Florida in the summer of 1855 he put all his effects—library, notes, and things of that sort—on board a sailing-vessel at St. Mark’s, and with a simple gripsack returned North by way of Nashville and Chicago. Reaching New York after some two weeks spent in journeying, he sought his goods at the commission house to which they had been consigned. There he learned that, on the day appointed for sailing, the vessel had been struck by lightning, the mate killed at the foot of the mast, and the vessel, laden with turpentine, burned to the water’s edge. Books, papers, notes, everything of past treasure had gone up in smoke. He looked upon this as a special providence of God, shaping his life, and fixing his home. For it made him a teacher of the young rather than a minister of a church; and soon the way was opened for the beginning of one of the most useful engagements with Dr. Abbott, and so his life was fashioned

In 1858, Wolfe contributed seven hymns, under the signature A. R. W., to Church Melodies, by Thomas Hastings.  This one was originally entitled “A parting hymn we sing,” and was apparently intended to be used after observing the Lord’s supper for churches which followed this custom.  In 1859, he established the Hillside Seminary for Young Ladies in West Bloomington (now Montclair), New Jersey. He retired in 1872 and died on October 6, 1902, at Montclair, New Jersey.  Several tunes have been used with this hymn.  I first saw it in the 1948 Church Service Hymns edited by Homer A. Rodeheaver with the original text and a tune (Olmutz) said to be arranged in 1824 from a Gregorian chant by Lowell Mason (1792-1872).  Cyberhymnal suggests an 1832 tune (Boylston) also by Mason which we usually associate with Charles Wesley’s “A Charge to Keep I Have.”  The 1940 Broadman Hymnal edited by B. B. McKinney used an 1832 tune (Dennis) by Johann G. Nageli which we usually associate with John Fawcett’s “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”  The first time I ever saw the change of title and first line was in the 1987 Worship His Majesty edited by Fred Bock, with an 1850 tune (Schumann) attributed to Robert Schumann which we usually associate with William W. How’s “We Give Thee but Thine Own.”  Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church for use in churches of Christ, the song may be found with this same form in the 2017 Wonderful Name (#89) edited by Kevin W. Presley for Legacy Music Publishing.

The hymn emphasizes the practical effects that should ensue from partaking of the communion.

I. Stanza one mentions joy

A hymn of joy we sing

Around Thy table, Lord,

Again our grateful tribute bring,

Our solemn vows record.

1. We can always rejoice in the Lord: Phil. 4:4
2. This is especially true when we surround the table of the Lord: 1 Cor. 10:21
3. At the same time, we are making a vow to the Lord: Eccl. 5:4

II. Stanza two mentions grace

Here have we seen Thy face,

And felt Thy presence here;

So may the savor of Thy grace,

In word and life appear.

1. We “see” His face as we envision in our minds His death on the cross: Jn. 19:17-19
2. We also feel His presence as He promised to be with even two or three who gather in His name: Matt. 18:20
3. As we do so, we savor the grace by which we have been saved: Eph. 2:8

III. Stanza 3 mentions the purchase of Christ’s blood

The purchase of Thy blood,

By sin no longer led,

The path our dear Redeemer trod

May we rejoicing tread.

1. Christians have been purchased or redeemed with His blood: 1 Pet. 1:18-19
2. Thus we are no longer led by sin because we have remission: Matt. 26:28
3. Therefore, we should resolve to tread the path our dear Redeemer trod: 1 Pet. 2:21-23

IV. Stanza 4 mentions communion

In self forgetting love

Be our communion shown,

Until we join the church above,

And know as we are known.

1. By partaking of the Lord’s supper we show our love to Christ for the redemption through His blood: Eph. 1:7
2. We also have communion with His body and blood: 1 Cor. 10:16
3. And we do this until we join the general assembly and church of the firstborn ones above: Heb. 12:22-24

CONCL.:  It has not been the custom among churches of Christ to sing a special hymn after observing the Lord’s supper.  However, with the simple change of the title and first line, this song becomes an appropriate one to help us prepare our minds for partaking of the communion.  While our hearts are saddened that Jesus had to suffer such agony to save us, we are thankful that He was willing to do so, and thus “A Hymn of Joy We Sing.”

The Love of God Is Greater Far

(picture of Frederick M. Lehman)

THE LOVE OF GOD IS GREATER FAR

“Who shall separate us…from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39)

      INTRO.:  A hymn which extols the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord is “The Love of God Is Greater Far,” sometimes titled “O/Oh Love of God” (#608 in Hymns for Worship Revised, #267 in Sacred Selections for the Church).  The text of stanzas 1 and 2 and the tune (Lehman) was composed by Frederick Martin Lehman, who was born on August 7, 1868, at Mecklenburg in Schwerin, Germany. Lehman emigrated to America with his family at age four, settling in Iowa, where he lived most of his childhood. Studying for the ministry at Northwestern College in Naperville, IL, he became a Nazarene minister and served churches in Audubon, IA, and New London, IN.  However, the majority of his life was devoted to writing sacred songs.  His first was produced while living in Iowa, in 1898. In 1911, he moved to Kansas City, MO, where he helped to found the Nazarene Publishing House. Sometime around 1917, Lehman, preparing to relocate to California, was at a campmeeting in a Midwestern state and heard an evangelist end his message by quoting what became the third stanza of Lehman’s song “The Love of God.”  The preacher said that these lines had been found penciled on the wall of a patient’s room in an insane asylum after he had been carried to his grave.  The assumption was that this inmate had scratched out the words in moments of sanity.

The identity of that incarcerated prisoner is unknown, but it is now recognized that his scribbled message was adapted from an eleventh-century acrostic Jewish poem entitled Haddamut (or Akdamut) of ninety couplets written in the Aramaic language with the author’s name woven into the concluding verses.  It was composed in the years around 1050 to 1096 by a Jewish rabbi and cantor in the city of Worms, Germany, named Mayer (or Meir) ben Isaac Nehorai (c. 1020-1096).  The profound depths of the portion cited moved Lehman to preserve the words for future generations.  However, it was not until he had settled in California that his urge found fulfillment.  One day, during a short interval of inattention while he was engaged in manual labor at a factory, he picked up a scrap of paper and a stub pencil and, seated upon an empty lemon box pushed against the wall, added the first two stanzas and the chorus of the song.

During his life, Lehman wrote numerous poems, published hundreds of songs, and compiled five volumes of song books with the title Songs That Are Different.  “The Love of God” first appeared in Volume Two of that series in 1919, although the copyright was obtained two years earlier.  The translation of stanza 3 was made in 1917 by Joseph H. Hertz.  The harmonization of the music was provided by Lehman’s daughter, Claudia F. Lehman (Mrs. W. W.) Mays (1892-1973).  She was also associated with the Nazarene Publishing House as its secretary for a period of time.  Lehman left his own account concerning the writing of this hymn in a 1948 pamphlet entitled “History of the Song, The Love of God.”  Two other well known Lehman songs are “The Royal Telephone” and “There’s No Disappointment in Heaven.”  He spent his latter years in California, where he died on February 20, 1953, at Pasadena.

Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church for use in churches of Christ, “The Love of God” has appeared in the 1963 Christian Hymnal edited by J. Nelson Slater; the 1971 Songs of the Church, the 1990 Songs of the Church 21^st C. Ed., and the 1994 Songs of Faith and Praise all edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1978 Hymns of Praise edited by Reuel Lemmons; the 1978/1983 Church Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard; the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat; the 2009 Favorite Songs of the Church and the 2010 Songs for Worship and Praise both edited by Robert J. Taylor Jr.; and the 2012 Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs edited by Steve Wolfgang et. al.; in addition to Hymns for Worship and Sacred Selections.

The song discusses some important facts about God’s love for us.

I. Stanza 1 teaches us that God’s love is greater than anything that we can tell

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled,

And pardoned from his sin.

1. The greatness of God’s love is seen in the fact that He gave His Son for our sins: 1 Jn. 4:8-10
2. He did this because He wanted us to be reconciled to Him: Col. 1:20
3. As a result, we can be pardoned from our sin: Mic. 7:18-19

II. Stanza teaches us that God’s love is stronger than anything that we can know

When hoary (years of) time shall pass away,

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,

When men, who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hills and mountains call,

God’s love so sure, shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—

The saints’ and angels’ song.

1. The updaters seem to think that no one today can understand what “hoary time” means so they have changed it to “years of time;” but there are times when men who refuse to pray will call on rocks and mountains: Rev. 6:15-16
2. However, because of His love and grace, God wants to redeem sinful mankind: 1 Pet. 1:18-19
3. The strength of God’s love is seen in the fact that He is mighty to save the entire race: Zeph. 3:16-17

III. Stanza 3 teaches us that God’s love is more enduring than anything else

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

1. God’s love is certainly great: Jn. 3:16
2. God’s love is also strong to save: Eph. 2:4-7
3. And God’s love is enduring because it is an everlasting love: Jer. 31:1-3

CONCL.:  The chorus repeats the greatness, strength, and enduring quality  of God’s love

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure

The saints’ and angels’ song.

As we face the various situations that come our way in life, we should be grateful for all the blessings which we have because “The Love of God Is Greater Far.”

It Pays to Serve Jesus

(photograph of Frank C. Huston)

IT PAYS TO SERVE JESUS

“If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and…him will my Father honor” (John 12:26)

     INTRO.:  A song which discusses the importance of serving Jesus and the blessings that come to those who do so, “It Pays to Serve Jesus” (#582 in Hymns for Worship Revised, #481 in Sacred Selections for the Church).  The text was written and the tune was composed both by Frank Claude Huston, who was born at Orange, IN, on Sept. 12, 1871, the son of Thomas M. and Mary Harris Huston, and attended school in Fayette County. Both of his parents were musically inclined, and at the age of twelve, he was playing cornet in a local concert band. By the age of seventeen, he was singing regularly in male and mixed voice units, and at eighteen, he was conducting church music. His education was received at the Moody Bible Institute, and he studied music with William E. M. Hackleman (a cousin), Daniel Brink Towner, W.C. Caffin, and Charles H. Gabriel.  On May 13, 1894, Huston married Bertha Martin and that same year was converted to Christ. There were seven children. He spent a brief period as a public school teacher and then in 1904 became a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) but was also known for his musical abilities.  For several years he was a singing evangelist and traveled for a time with the Charles Reign Scoville party, working in 180 evangelistic campaigns from Nova Scotia to Florida.

Huston served as Chaplain of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Field Artillery, Rainbow Division, in the First World War and continued his interest and participation in patriotic organizations. He served a term as Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and a term as national president of the Federated Patriotic Societies.  During World War II, Huston volunteered his services to the Coast Guard Auxiliary.  For many years Huston lived in Indianapolis, IN, owning and operating his own publishing company in Indiana for a number of years, and was a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. One of his best known books was Selected Sacred Songs.   Huston is credited with more than 400 songs, some patriotic.  His two best-known hymns, for which he provided both words and music, are “It Pays to Serve Jesus,” written in 1909 while he was preaching for the Oaklandon Christian Church in Indianapolis and copyrighted by him, and “The Christ of the Cross,” which was copyrighted in 1924. It was in April of 1909, while Frank was directing the music for Evangelist W. S. Buchanan in a series of services being held in Providence Christian Church, Scranton, PA, that he was inspired to write the music of “It Pays to Serve Jesus.” His hosts during the Scranton engagement were Mr. and Mrs. Gwylym Edwards. One day while Frank was musing at the keyboard of the Edwards’ piano, a melody suddenly came to him which he decided was worth saving. So he quickly wrote it down on a piece of music paper which he usually carried around in his pocket for just such emergencies, and promptly forgot all about it.

Returning to his home in Indianapolis, Hustron paid a visit to an eighty-two year old friend, M. E. Mick. During their conversation, Mick suddenly said to Huston, “You have written so many good songs, won’t you write one for me on the subject we have just been discussing, and call it, ‘It Pays to Serve Jesus’?”  While in Harrisburg, PA, Huston recalled Mick’s plea of several weeks earlier and suddenly remembered the manuscript in his pocket, and out of sheer curiosity, he took it out, and the words of a stanza and chorus fell into place almost spontaneously. Before he knew it, he was singing a brand new hymn to his own original tune.  Among the several hundred others are “Keep on Believing,” “The Word of God Shall Stand,” “Lead On, O Christ, Thou Holy One,” and “O Holy Day of Pentecost.”  Later “It Pays to Serve Jesus” was owned by the Standard Publishing Company, a firm associated Christian Churches and located in Cincinnati. OH, which renewed the copyright in 1937.  Moving to Florida in 1941, Huston’s final years were spent in Jacksonville, FL, where, in his eighties, he served as chaplain for the Jacksonville Chapter of the Coast Guard.  A book, One Hundred Hymns and Gospel Songs, was published in 1955. For the last eighteen years of his life, Huston lived in Florida Christian Home in Jacksonville, a home for the aged maintained by the Christian Church. There, he was active with his music and voluminous correspondence.  He died on October 14, 1959, in Jacksonville, FL. His funeral service was held in the Edgewood Avenue Christian Church in Jacksonville, and interment was in Knightstown, IN.

Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church for use in churches of Christ, “It Pays to Serve Jesus” has appeared in the 1935 Christian Hymns (No. 1), the 1948 Christian Hymns No. 2, and the 1966 Christian Hymns No. 3 all edited by L. O. Sanderson; the 1940 Complete Christian Hymnal edited by Marion Davis; the 1959 Majestic Hymnal No. 2 and the 1978 Hymns of Praise both edited by Reuel Lemmons; the 1971 Songs of the Church and the 1990 Songs of the Church 21^st C. Ed. both edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat; and the 2010 Favorite Songs of the Church edited by Robert J. Taylor Jr.; in addition to Hymns for Worship and Sacred Selections.

The song talks about all the wonderful privileges that are associated with serving Jesus.

I. Stanza 1 teaches us that those who serve Jesus receive true pleasure and joy

The service of Jesus true pleasure affords,

In Him there is joy without an alloy;

’Tis heaven to trust Him and rest on His words;

It pays to serve Jesus each day.

1. A job well done always brings a sense of joy: Eccl. 2:24
2. And serving Jesus brings true joy, both here and in eternity: Matt. 25:21-23
3. Trusting Him by resting on His words is like a taste of heaven on earth: Ps. 20:6

II. Stanza teaches us that those who serve Jesus receive the riches of mercy

It pays to serve Jesus whate’er may betide,

It pays to be true whate’er you may do;

’Tis riches of mercy in Him to abide;

It pays to serve Jesus each day.

1. “Whate’er may betide” would include the various trials and temptations of life: Jas. 1:2-3, 12
2. No matter what happens, we need to be true or faithful to Him: Rev. 2:10
3. People of this world may become rich in material things because of the work that they do, but serving Jesus faithfully produces far greater treasures: Matt. 6:19-20

III. Stanza 3 teaches that those who serve Jesus will receive a reward from the Redeemer Himself

Though sometimes the shadows may hang o’er the way,

And sorrows may come to beckon us home,

Our precious Redeemer each toil will repay;

It pays to serve Jesus each day.

1. Shadows symbolize the tribulations of this life which we must face: Acts 14:22
2. These tribulations often bring sorrows: Matt. 24:4-8
3. The rewards for toil in this life may include fame, power, and praise of men, but the ultimate reward for faithfully serving Jesus is a crown of life in heaven: 2 Tim. 4:6-8

CONCL.: The chorus  reiterates how truly blessed servants of Jesus are

It pays to serve Jesus, it pays every day,

It pays every step of the way,

Though the pathway to glory may sometimes be drear,

You’ll be happy each step of the way.

Serving Jesus has its benefits even now in this life, but when we reach the end of the way and receive our eternal reward, Christians surely will more fully understand that “It Pays to Serve Jesus.”

The Glory-Land Way

THE GLORY-LAND WAY

“That ye may know what is the hope of His calling and what is the riches of His inheritance in the saints…” (Eph. 1:18)

     INTRO.: A song which talks about the way in which we may know the hope of His calling and the riches of His inheritance is “The Glory-Land Way” (#574 in Hymns for Worship Revised, #459 in Sacred Selections for the Church). The text was written and the tune (The Way) was composed both by James Samuel Torbett, who was born on March 15, 1868, in Tennessee (some sources say Alabama, others Georgia), the second child and first son of John Cornelius and Mary Elizabeth (McCauley or Macaulay) Torbett, whose other children were Ellen, John Walter, Oscar, Frank, Ada, and Bert. His father was a Civil War veteran captured at the Battle of Gettysburg.  Their ancestors came from the town of Torbert, on the left bank of the Shannon River in Ireland, and landed in Maryland. From there they spread to Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and finally to Texas and Oklahoma. A year after James’s birth, the Torbetts moved to Jacksonville, Texas, and eventually settled in Coryell County.  When he was ten years of age, James began borrowing and reading every book he could find, frequently sitting up until eleven or twelve o’clock at night to read. He had a splendid memory. His education was through the ordinary public schools, but he had a spirit of adventure and went out to see the world for himself.

Through the influence of a neighbor, Mrs. Gillespie, who was a music teacher, Torbett studied music and at the age of twenty began teaching music in the country schools and churches, a work which lasted a total of 35 years.   James’s father had led church and camp meeting music for thirty years, and was an example and a help to him. James joined the Methodist Church as a child but was never very active.  On Mar. 5, 1893, he married Miss Eugenia Wicker of Mound, TX, an active member of the Church of Christ, who became his devoted, loyal wife for many years.   Torbett always attended church with her, and they had four children: James Eugene (Gene), who as a trombonist led a fine band during World War I; Samuel Edwin, who died young; and twin daughters, Annice Amanda and Ellen Annez. James’s life was a distinctive service to humanity, teaching people who had not had an opportunity to study music. He taught them how to sing, going from one place to another, organizing schools of from fifteen to twenty-five students, at a nominal charge per student, and ending each school with a picnic and dinner on the grounds, the entire neighborhood participating.  Doing this kind of work for twenty years, he carried around with him a little folding organ.

In 1914 James entered the merchantile business by opening a large bookstore on the southeast side of Town Square in Gatesville, TX, but music was his principal interest, and he frequently spent his time giving singing lessons and composing. He published many books of songs, and made connections with other musicians, especially the Stamps-Baxter Quartet, who used his music frequently over the radio.  Torbett is said to have produced over 100 gospel songs.  Hymnary.org credits him with fifteen hymns, the most famous of which is “The Glory-Land Way,” dated 1924.  Another of his gospel songs “Will the Angels Come for Me?” was used in Sacred Selections.  Also, he composed popular secular songs and taught instrumental music, playing the violin.  He retired from business around 1937.  Torbett was active in instituting the Texas State Organization of Music in country schools. Soon after his death on May 16, 1941 (some sources say that his brother gave the year as 1940), 4,200 of the members from all parts of the state held a special meeting in Waco, TX, where many of his songs were sung.

Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church for use in churches of Christ, “The Glory Land Way” has appeared in the 1938/1944 New Wonderful Songs edited by Thomas S. Cobb; the 1959 Hymns of Praise and Devotion edited by Will W. Slater; the 1959 Majestic Hymnal No. 2 and the 1978 Hymns of Praise both edited by Reuel Lemmons; the 1971 Songs of the Church, the 1990 Songs of the Church 21^st. C. Ed., and the 1994 Songs of Faith and Praise all edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1978/1983 Church Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard; the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat; the 2009 Favorite Songs of the Church and the 2010 Songs for Worship and Praise both edited by Robert J. Taylor Jr.; the 2012  Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs edited by Steve Wolfgang et. al.; and the 2017 Standard Songs of the Church edited by Michael A. Grissom; in addition to Hymns for Worship and Sacred Selections.

The song encourages us to follow the way that the Lord wants us to go

I. Stanza 1 identifies the nature of this way

I’m in the way, the bright and shining way,

I’m in the glory-land way;

Telling the world that Jesus saves today,

Yes, I’m in the glory-land way.

1. There is a way that leads to life: Matt. 7:13-14
2. It is a bright and shining way because of who established it: Jn. 8:12
3. It tells the world that Jesus saves: Lk. 2:11, 19:10

II. Stanza 2 mentions the call of this way

List to the call, the gospel call today,

Get in the glory-land way;

Wanderers, come home, oh, hasten to obey,

And get in the glory-land way.

1. Christ calls us to His way: Matt. 9:13, 20:16
2. This call comes to us through the gospel: 2 Thess. 2:13-14
3. And it tells us that to enter this way we must obey: Rom. 16:17-18

III. Stanza 3 refers to the end result of this way

Onward I go, rejoicing in His love

I’m in the glory-land way;

Soon I shall see Him in that home above,

Oh, I’m in the glory-land way.

1. If we expect to reach the goal, we must press onward: Phil. 3:13-14
2. As we do so, we can be rejoicing in His love: Phil. 4:4
3. The cause of this joy is the hope of seeing Him in that home above: 1 Jn. 3:1-3

CONCL.:  The chorus reminds us of the importance of  traveling in this way

I’m in the glory-land way;

I’m in the glory-land way;

Heaven is nearer, and the way groweth clearer,

For I’m in the glory-land way.

It is true that many of the older style gospel songs, and especially some of the earlier twentieth century southern variety, are rather repetitious. This is certainly the case with this song.  If we sing all three stanzas with the chorus each time, we shall have sung the phrase “I’m in the glory-land way” (or its equivalent) some fifteen times by the end of the song. Yet it seems to me that this somewhat egregious example of gospel-song repetition at its worst comes across as nearly “classic poetry” when stood side by side with some of the contemporary praise and worship songs.  In any event, we should be thankful that Christ has made it possible for us to travel in “The Glory-Land Way.”

An Empty Mansion

“AN EMPTY MANSION”

“In my Father’s house are many mansions….I go to prepare a place for you” (Jn. 14:2)

INTRO.: A gospel song which centers upon the many mansions that Jesus is preparing in the Father’s house is “An Empty Mansion” (#198 in Hymns for Worship Revised, #392 in Sacred Selections for the Church). The text was written by Beuna Ora Bryant (Mrs. J. B.) Karnes, who was born on Feb. 8, 1889, in Comanche County, TX, and in 1911, at the age of 22, met and married Jess O’Brian Karnes, who had also been born in 1889. A series of events led up to the production of this song. In 1928, Jess, who was a successful builder in Abilene, TX, lost his lumber yard to a disastrous fire and had no insurance to cover the loss. A few months afterwards, the Great Depression began and their life’s savings were wiped out. By this time, the Bryants had a large family of twelve children, three of which had been born with a genetic disease known as Frederick’s Ataxia, a form of muscular dystrophy, and one of these sons caught pneumonia and died later that year.

The next few years the Karneses struggled to survive. Jess moved the family back to the farm, and they worked at share cropping, picking cotton, or just about anything which would provide food and shelter. Then, in 1937, as the Depression was beginning to end and it appeared that the worst was over, Buena’s father was hit and killed by a drunk driver as he walked along the sidewalk in Mansfield, TX. Three months later, filled with grief, her mother passed away. With all the events of the past few years fresh in her mind, Buena penned a poem beginning, “Here I labor and toil as I look for a home,” which was first published by Stamps-Baxter in their 1939 book Joyful Songs, with a tune (Empty Mansion) composed by Clarence A. Luttrell (1896-1986). Buena remained a housewife until her death in Ft. Worth, TX, on Oct. 7, 1974. After the song’s renewal in 1966 by Luttrell, it was assigned to National Music Co., and then in 1984 to M. Lynwood Smith Pub., but Stamps-Baxter still claims copyright ownership.

Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church for use in churches of Christ, it has appeared in the 1948 Christian Hymns No. 2 and the 1966 Christian Hymns No. 3 both edited by L. O. Sanderson; the 1952 Hymns of Praise and Devotion edited by Will W. Slater; the 1959 Majestic Hymnal No. 2 and the 1978 Hymns of Praise both edited by Reuel Lemmons; the 1963 Christian Hymnal edited by J. Nelson Slater; the 1963 Abiding Hymns edited by Robert C. Welch; the 1965 Great Christian Hymnal No. 2 edited by Tillit S. Teddlie; the 1971 Songs of the Church and the 1990 Songs of the Church 21st C. Ed. both edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1978/1983 Church Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard; the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat; the 2009 Favorite Songs of the Church and the 2010 Songs for Worship and Praise both edited by Robert J. Taylor Jr.; the 2012 Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs edited by Steve Wolfgang et. al.; and the 2017 Standard Songs of the Church edited by Michael Andrew Grissom; in addition to Hymns for Worship and Sacred Selections.

The song focuses our attention on things above rather than on things of this earth.

I. The  first stanza explains what we are looking for

Here I labor and toil as I look for a home,

Just an humble abode among men,

While in heaven a mansion is waiting for me

And a gentle voice pleading, “Come in.”

1. Whatever time we have here upon this earth is filled with labor and toil: Ps. 90:10
2. However, God has prepared a place for His people in heaven: 1 Pet. 1:3-5
3. And His gentle voice is pleading with us so that we can finally hear Him say, “Enter in”: Matt, 25:21

II. The second stanza explains why we can look for it

Ever thankful am I that my Savior and Lord

Promised unto the weary sweet rest;

Nothing more could I ask than a mansion above,

There to live with saved and the blessed.

1. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord: Lk. 2:11
2. He has promised to the weary sweet rest: Matt. 11:28-30
3. Also, He has promised that we can have the hope of living forever with the saved and the blessed if we set our affections on things above: Col. 3:1-2

III. The third stanza explains when we can look for it

When my labor and toiling have ended below

And my hands shall lie folded in rest,

I’ll exchange this old home for a mansion up there

And invite the archangel as guest.

1. Our labor and toiling below will end at death: Heb. 9:27
2. Those who die in the Lord shall have rest from their labors: Rev. 14:13
3. Their final hope is to receive a mansion and live with the angels who surround the throne of God: Rev. 5:11

CONCL.: The chorus points us forward to that mansion which is now empty, just waiting for each of God’s people in the after a while.

There’s a mansion now empty, just waiting for me,

At the end of life’s trouble some way;

Many friends and dear loved ones will welcome me there

Near the door of that mansion someday.

As is usually the case, Ellis Crum of Sacred Selections decided that we won’t have any “friends and dear loved ones” in heaven, so he changed the third line of the chorus to read, “And I know that the Savior will welcome me there,” and Hymns for Worship has followed that alteration. Not many Stamps-Baxter songs found their way into the hymnbooks which L. O. Sanderson edited for the Gospel Advocate Co., but this was one of them, and I can remember singing it quite frequently when growing up in a congregation which used Christian Hymns No. 2. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that while here on earth, we have no continuing city, so we need to remember that what we seek to come is “An Empty Mansion.”