Friday, April 22, 2011

On a Hill Far Away...

There was a facebook status posted today by a friend of mine, Becky.  I loved it and reposted it.  And I've been thinking about it ever since.
It's Earth Day, and I'm a tree-hugger - but not the one you think. I'm clinging to the old rugged cross.
Posting that status, of course, started a song in my head...
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I pulled up my iTunes and started listening to Tyler Andrews sing the song.  I love listening to Ty.  I have to get more of his CDs ripped into my iTunes.  I own 'em all, I think.  I just don't have them on this computer.  I have to fix that.
Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.
And listening to it got me thinking about the song.  It was actually featured just a couple of weeks ago in Amazing Grace, a devotional I'm reading via Logos.  This was the April 9 hymn, telling of George Bennard.  That didn't give me a whole lot of fabulous insight though.
In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
Such a wonderful beauty I see;
For ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.
Oh, I think that is my favorite verse.  I always have tears on my face, and my eyes closed (well, except when this comes on while I'm driving!) when I sing that last phrase, "to pardon and sanctify me."
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far way,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.
I pulled out a devotional my father gave his mother a lot of years ago.  I looked for The Old Rugged Cross to see if it was one of the 53 songs included.  It wasn't, but reading some of Grandma's notes in the margins, and seeing some of these fabulous hymns reminded me why I was so happy to get this book.  I need to start working through it with my kids.

On this Good Friday and Earth Day, a day for tree huggers of all kinds, I'll leave it up to George to have the final word...
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it someday for a crown.

1 comment:

Tess said...

I love that hymn! It was my father's favorite. I've been ignoring all the Earth Day stuff but now I have reason to be a Tree Hugger too!