No.10 Life
that Shall Endless Be.
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O cross that liftest up my
head, This is the last verse of the Rev.
George Matheson’s hymn, “O love that wilt not let me go”. It was the
favourite hymn of my father who was killed in action during the Second World
War. It is also a particular favourite
of mine. It is an emotive and
heartfelt hymn which plumbs the depths of despair. From the “ocean depths” of God’s great love
in the opening verse it takes us through vicissitudes of pain and suffering
until it ascends to a triumphant conclusion. The last verse is particularly
poignant; it brings us to the cross.
Not, however, the Cross of Calvary but the cross from which we “dare
not ask to fly”. if we are to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. “I took red,” wrote Dr Matheson, as
the symbol of that sacrificial life which blooms by shedding itself”. When I hear this hymn I am reminded of my
father and the sacrifice that he made and the impact his death made on a
young boy of eleven years old.
However, I don’t stop there but go on to remember that greater
sacrifice that took place on The
Rev. Canon Hugh Hopkins 2nd
Rector Donated by Winnie Millar in
Memory of Donated by Barbara Boyd in
Memory of |
