Singing through the hymnal: week 21

Verse: Romans 8:1

Hymn: And Can It Be That I Should Gain

       

     The next few hymns will focus on God as our Savior. This is one of my favorites! This song is just oozing with the Gospel (thank you, Charles Wesley!).  I remember memorizing this as a child with my mom. It is one of the earliest hymns I can remember singing all stanzas from memory. This text always reminds me of our verse for this week: Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." This is one of the most beautiful verses in the entirety of the Bible!


   

                                                                  Fun Facts

Text: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

• Wesley only found emptiness in his own self-righteous attempts to please God. It was only at the age of 30 that he found true salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone. This is the hymn that he wrote two days after God opened his eyes to see that he had to walk by faith and not by sight. 

Tune: Thomas Campbell (1777-1844) SAGINA

• Sagina is the name of a beautiful moss (Irish Moss) which grows on thin, rocky soil. 
• He won several prizes for his compositions and wrote 23 original tunes in The Bouquet.
• He was buried at Westminster Abbey

Remember to order you copy of the hymnal we are singing through if you still need a hymnal!

    Things to think about ...

• Read Romans 8 this week with your children (or for yourself!)
• this is written in the first person (Wesley's personal testimony) 
• Galatians 5:1 talks about how we are slaves to sin. Talk to your children about the Israelites in Egypt as slaves. Talk to your children about how we too were slaves to sin before Jesus. Only Jesus has the power to save and set us free.
• Galatians would be a good book to read with your family this week too