For this series of Bibles, we chose a Hillside song every day, and then spoke on the theme of that hymn. I’ve listed two full Bibles below this outline, but the general idea is to pick 5 Camp songs and do a Bible on them every day.
I did Bibles on the following two Hillside songs.
For The Beauty of the Earth with Psalm 19:1-6
Trust and Obey with Proverbs 3:5-6
I will update this post with the other songs we used, but I’ve attached the text of my two Bibles. I didn’t read this, really. But I did have the notes so that I hit all the points that I wanted to hit.
Here are two examples of Bibles that week.
For The Beauty of the Earth
For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to Thee we raiseThis our hymn of grateful praise.
For the wonder of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light,
Lord of all, to Thee we raiseThis our hymn of grateful praise
For the joy of human love
Brother, sister, parent, child;
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
Today we are going to talk about this hymn from our Hillside song sheet. Some of you may have sung this at church because it is in most hymnals. We actually sang it as the processional hymn at my wedding. I love how it talks about all of the many things and concepts and people that we can be thankful for in our lives. In the first verse, we hear about the beauty of the earth and the skies. In the second, we hear about the sun and moon, but also about the wonder of the difference of the hours of the day. And in the final verse, we hear about the joy of our family and friends around us.
The verses I want to talk about today is Psalm 19: 1-6.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork. One day tells its tale to another, and one night imparts knowledge to another. Although they have no words or language, and their voices are not heard, Their sound has gone out into all lands, and their message to the ends of the world. In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber; it rejoices like a champion to run its course. It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens and runs about to the end of it again; nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
I don’t know about all of you, but I feel closer to God in nature. And nature is all around us at Winnataska. It is easier to see God when the “heavens are declaring the glory” and when the “firmament is showing his handiwork.” Out at camp, we can see clearly all that God has made - the stars that shine so brightly, the pine trees that stretch so tall, and the waterfall that gurgles over the rocks. And we can also see God in the love and relationships with friends, both new and old. God reveals his creativity, diversity, power and brilliance through the natural world. And without the distractions of our everyday life - books, TV, homework, chores, soccer practice, ballet class, and even just living our lives inside - we can clearly be more present in our lives. I hope that this week you will feel closer to God, and spend some time getting to know him through His creation.
I’ll end us in prayer, using a verse of this hymn which isn’t on our song sheet: “For each perfect Gift of Thine; To our race so freely given, Graces human and Divine, Flowers of earth, and buds of Heaven:” Lord, let us see your presence in the flowers. Let us smell your presence in the pine needles. Let us taste your presence in our snacks at canteen. Let us feel your presence in the sun’s heat. Let us hear your presence in the waterfall. Today and everyday. AMEN
Trust and Obey
When we walk with the Lord,
In the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way;
When we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do;
Where He sends we will go.
Never fear; only trust and obey.
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Who is a first year camper? I want to ask you all a few questions. You can just raise your hand for yes, and leave it down for no, okay? Just first year campers, okay?
Did you think that going on one side of the Friendship tree was a little silly at the beginning of the week? What about singing for your supper? How about hut cheers? But I bet most of you played along, right? Most of you joined in with your more experienced hut mates and followed along, and sang and cheered. By now it probably seems like a totally normal thing, right? Essentially, that change is trust. You have come to trust your hut mates, your leaders, your directors, the Blackfeet and Comanches and really you’ve come to trust Camp Winnataska.
How do you learn to trust someone? By spending time with them, right? You’ve learned about your new friends and about Camp throughout this week. And with that knowledge you have built a new relationship. And without that time you invested in them, and that they invested in you, you wouldn’t have built that trust.
Our verse for today is Proverbs 3:5-6. (Wait while someone finds and reads it.)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
So here’s my next question, and it is for all of us: How can we trust God’s plan for our lives if we do not spend time with Him, in prayer or in reading the Bible, or spending time quiet in nature? If you aren’t trusting God, then it is difficult to trust his plan, and to obey it! By spending time with God, by getting to know God through ourselves, through others, and through nature, we can build trust. And in that trust He will show us his will for us and our path.
I’ll close us with prayer, using another verse of Trust and Obey that isn’t on the song sheet is: “Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, But His smile quickly drives it away; Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear, Can abide while we trust and obey.” Lord, please remind us to trust you, so that we can follow your will. Show us your path, and give us the strength and courage to follow it today and always. AMEN
Comments
Post a Comment