Through The Hymnbook

Carol Jones Saint: The happy chimes are ringing and we welcome you into the organ loft to enjoy a special time of music that is called Through The Hymnbook. My name is Carol Jones Saint. My brother is the organist, the late Reverend Bert Jones, and we are so glad we have these wonderful tapes that we can be sharing with you. This time, Bert will be looking for a very interesting category: hymns or gospel songs that have been written by the wives of pastors. Pastors have often written, but this is the wives.

Bert Jones: To begin, I play the beautiful hymn, More Love to Thee, O Christ, More Love to Thee, written way back in 1856 by Mrs. Elizabeth Prentiss. She was the wife of a Presbyterian preacher and she wrote More Love to Thee out of very unusual circumstances in life. I will tell you more about that later, but right now, sing along as I pull out all the stops, sounding like Sunday in church. More Love to Thee, O Christ, More Love to Thee.

More Love to Thee was written by the wife of a Presbyterian pastor, Elizabeth Prentiss by name. She wrote this song after the death of her two children in New York City. There had been a great epidemic of illness and many people died, and her two children died in that epidemic. Finally, in spite of all the difficult circumstances of death and sorrow, she was able to say, "But still, more love to thee, O Christ, more love to thee."

As you examine the stanzas of More Love to Thee, you will find hints of the great tragedy, the illness, and the heartache that came to her family. Out of that, she wrote, "Still Lord, more love to thee, O Christ, more love to thee." Elizabeth Prentiss is also known as the author of the famous book that has helped so many people spiritually across the years since the 1850s. That book is called Stepping Heavenward. Look back in some of the books that your parents or grandparents may have left you, and it may well be you will find Stepping Heavenward.

Going through the hymnbook looking for songs written by the wives of preachers, Elizabeth Codner lived far away from London and she was the wife of an Anglican pastor. She had heard echoes of the great revival going on in London. People would take the train some 200 miles to go to London to the revival and they would come back to their little country town and say, "Oh, what God is doing in London! Oh my, what God is doing in London!"

The pastor's wife got a bit irritated hearing people talk about what God was doing in London and she said, "Why don't we let God do it for us here?" She wrote, "Lord, I hear of showers of blessing that thou art sending full and free down in London. Now Lord, send some of those showers even on me." Even here in our little country town, may we know some of the showers of blessing.

How true it is, God is not limited. God is not limited to great places or large cities or famous evangelists. God will work wherever people will give him a chance to work. We need to pray as Elizabeth Codner wrote it many years ago, "Lord, I hear of showers of blessing, thou art falling full and free. Now let some of those blessings fall on me."

What a beautiful prayer to make. Dorothy F. Gurney was also the wife of an Anglican pastor. She wrote the words of a beautiful hymn often used in wedding ceremonies. She wrote it for the wedding of her own sister. On the morning of the wedding, as a gift to her sister, Dorothy Gurney wrote, O Perfect Love, O Perfect Love.

A contemporary song or two written by one who was the wife of a pastor and is the wife of a pastor, written by Beatrice Bush Bixler, the wife of a Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor who has served many churches in Pennsylvania and New York State. Beatrice Bush Bixler is known as one of the finest of the songwriters of the last 30 years. She has a strength and beauty of chord structure that is just delightful.

A chorus she has written is extremely popular. It has been recorded by large groups and orchestras, and it is called Life is a Symphony. Life is a symphony when you have met the Man of Galilee who now conducts that symphony of life for you. She begins with a great flourish. No more a stranger, for he is the arranger of my symphony.

One of my favorites written both words and music by Beatrice Bush Bixler is her lovely song, I Am Unworthy. I am unworthy to even taste of thy goodness, to know of thy grace. I am unworthy. Listen as I use the beautiful violin on the organ to play I Am Unworthy.

Beatrice Bush Bixler, the wife of a Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor. Here is the wife of a Methodist pastor and evangelist. Her name is Ruth Caye Jones, my own mother, the mother of five. She has written a number of beautiful gospel songs. Here is a cheerful, happy chorus that mother wrote for a special series of Saturday night youth rallies.

These rallies were called Sing-spiration Rallies and they were on Saturday night. We used to have the theme of Sing Along because Mom wrote the song. It is too bad it has not been used a whole lot more. We use it a lot and congregations just love it wherever it is sung. Sing along, sing along, it will brighten every day. It will cheer you on your way. It will drive the clouds away if you sing along for Jesus.

Sing along, it will brighten every day. Sing along, it will cheer you on your way. Sing along, it will drive the clouds away. Not just if you sing along about anything, but if you sing along for Jesus. If you sing along for Jesus.

Mother's best-known song is the song In Times Like These. I will play it on the chimes now. Yes, mother was the wife of a Methodist pastor and evangelist. It has always become difficult for me to hear couples say, "Oh, we had to separate because I couldn't take his fame or he couldn't take mine and our careers clashed." Well, my father was mother's most enthusiastic booster. Nobody did more to spread the good news of his dear wife's songs than Dad Jones. He was thrilled when people honored her, and it seems to me that that is as true love should be.

Carol Jones Saint: Just pausing to remind you that you are enjoying Through The Hymnbook and we hope that these songs are being a special blessing. Remember that you can be a blessing by writing to Post Office Box 575, Erie, Pennsylvania, the zip code 16512. That is Through The Hymnbook, and let me know that these hymns by Reverend Bert Jones are a blessing and an inspiration to you. Now as we join Bert once again in the organ loft, remember he is looking for hymns that have been written by the wives of pastors. What an interesting category.

Bert Jones: Back to the hymnbook looking for songs written by the wives of preachers. Here is a song that was written by the wife of an Anglican bishop in England, Mrs. Cecil Alexander. She was teaching her Sunday school class the Christmas story and she wanted to make that story more real to them. She wrote a song which is very theological in content as it gives the theology of the incarnation. Every verse presents some new facet of that theology, the coming of the savior, and it is called Once in Royal David's City.

You can be sure with a song written just for the lesson, the young people in her class remembered the lesson. Again in the Lenten season, Mrs. Alexander, the wife of an Anglican minister who later became a bishop in the Anglican church, she wrote for her class that they might remember more about the sacrifice of the savior as he gave his life on the cross of Calvary. She wrote the hymn, "There is a green hill far away, without a city wall, where the dear Lord died that he might save us all."

Mrs. Stillman Martin was an invalid, the invalid wife of a Baptist minister who later became a Disciples of Christ minister. She wrote the words God Will Take Care of You when during one of her very difficult times of illness, her pastor husband said, "I cannot go away on this evangelistic tour and leave you." She said, "Yes dear, I want you to go because God will take care of you and God will take care of me." She wrote the words and later Dr. Martin wrote the music.

It is the song God Will Take Care of You. I am going to ask the cello on the organ to play this for us. "Be not dismayed whate'er betide, God will take care of you." Mrs. Stillman Martin, whose husband was a Baptist minister and later a Disciples of Christ pastor, also wrote, amazingly, the words for His Eye is on the Sparrow. "Why should I be discouraged? Why should I fret? Why should I wonder, why should I care? For I sing because I'm happy. If his eye is on that sparrow, of course I know he cares for me too."

Very interesting to note that the same person wrote the words of God Will Take Care of You and His Eye is on the Sparrow. Sing-spiration seems to want to sing, so I will have to play this.

I trust that going through the hymnbook looking for songs written by the wives of ministers has been a blessing to you even as it has been to me. Look up a little bit about the people who wrote the songs you sing and you will discover that the inspiration of their lives and the inspiration that gave rise to the writing of the songs will be a blessing to you as well. Until the next time, all too quickly, this is Bert Jones having to say from the organ console, goodbye. Remember, you keep singing and remember his eye is on that sparrow.