I have heard some dullard preachers in my day, hopefully more times than I have been accused of being one. A real low point in ministerial skill came when I heard a preacher adamantly refuse to allow the hymn “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” be sung in his church.
He thought that the idea of a Savior “passing us by” was physically impossible. My initial reaction was that this man most likely called in sick the day in seminary they covered the passage on the relentless woman in Matthew 15:21-28. Jesus all but kicked her out of the house! (we can assume that even the Almighty can have a bad day.)
In this story, the woman came with a particular need on her mind/in her heart, yet all she expressed to Jesus in the passage was:
Lord, help me!
And yet through whatever “bad day” He was having then, or what lesson he was about to give (and it was a good one!) Jesus in the end relented to her simple prayer of “Lord, help me!” and said that her problem would be taken care of: her daughter would be healed.
That brings us back to the slow-thinking preacher.
Ministers – the good ones – walk thought this world in full assurance of the everlasting-undying promise of God’s love whenever, whatever, whomever. God won’t let us down if we do our own tiny little bit to open our hearts and minds to the promise of a love that “passes all understanding.”
The great ministers are the ones who have that same knowledge and who at the same time see the rest of us are mere humans – a bunch of “guys.” They see us as insecure people who like to think that we could be so very awful that Jesus would look at us – even if He bothered to look our way – and say “it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”Great preachers know that they are teaching to a room full of fallible humans, some of whom might not have every tool they need to walk constantly in Blessed Assurance.
Fanny Crosby (who was born blind) wrote the hymn “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior” in 1868 and it was one of over 8,000 lyrics she wrote during her lifetime, often as many as two or three a day. My favorite story of the genesis of this song is that Crosby once had a dream that she was in church, and Jesus was there! And she saw that he was going among the congregation, touching those in the room who would be blessed and go on to heaven with him. And in the dream, she sat and fervently prayed that He would also touch her – giving her that promise of eveylasting life.
Miss Crosby wrote 8,000 hymns during her life yet in this dream she had the pause to wonder if Jesus was going to come and bless her, or if he would step by her to another person.
It is also said to be the only dream in which Miss Crosby said that she could see.
Yes, the minister who ruffled my preaching tabs by proclaiming he would never have this song in his church, he’s a good minister. He says good things. Oh, but if he could just open his eyes from the blindness of being “Good”, and see the human frailty sitting in front of him in every pew – he would be a great man of God!
I have to add exclamation points when I sing the refrain of this song. Like the woman in the Matthew story, I have to reach out from my human-ness and add to her voice, Lord! Help me! I have to sing, “Savior! Savior! Hear my humble cry….”
Would that we now could sit in our prayerful silence and hear the words: “You have faith. Your request is done.”
Keep the faith!
- Amen
Pass Me Not, I Gentle Savior (1868)
Lyrics by Fanny Crosby Hymn Tune: Pass Me Not by William H. Doane (1868)
Pass me not, O gentle Savior, Hear my humble cry; While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Refrain: Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry, While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Let me at Thy throne of mercy Find a sweet relief; Kneeling there in deep contrition, Help my unbelief.
Refrain
Trusting only in Thy merit, Would I seek Thy face; Heal my wounded, broken spirit, Save me by Thy grace.
Refrain
Thou the spring of all my comfort, More than life to me; Whom have I on earth beside Thee? Whom in heaven but Thee?
Refrain
Tags: Faith, forgiveness, healing, Jesus, simplicity
Leave a Reply