SONGS WE SING: ‘IN THE GARDEN’
John 20:1-18
#InTheGarden
SING ‘IN THE GARDEN’
INTRODUCTION… maineiac.com/index.php/jokes/religious-jokes/1187-forrest-gump-
The day finally arrived. Forrest Gump finally dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met none other than St. Peter himself. St. Peter says, "Well, Forrest, it's certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must inform you that the place is filling up fast, and we've been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short and you have to pass before you can get into heaven."
St. Peter continues: "The questions are:
What days of the week begin with the letter "T"?
How many seconds are there in a year?
What is God's first name?"
Forrest says, "Well, the first one, how many days in the week begin with the letter "T"? That's an easy one. That'd be Today and Tomorrow."
The Saint's eyes open wide and he exclaims, "Forrest, that's not what I was thinking, but... I'll give you credit for that answer. How about the next one?" asks St. Peter.
"How many seconds in a year? Now that's harder," says Forrest, "but I thunk and thunk and guess the only answer can be twelve."
Astounded, St. Peter says, "Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?"
"Shucks, there's gotta be twelve; January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd..."
"Hold it," interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you're going with this, and I'll have to give you credit for that one, too. Let's go on with the next and final question. Can you tell me God's first name?"
"Sure." Forrest replied. "It's Andy."
"Andy?!" exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St. Peter. "Okay, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name of Andy as the first name of God?"
"That was the easiest one of 'em all," Forrest replied. "Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own.”
St. Peter opened the Pearly gates and said, "Run, Forrest, Run!"
This morning we are finishing up a sermon series called: “The Songs We Sing” and the song we will focus on is where that classic joke with many versions comes from. And just so you know: #1 yes there are gates in Heaven, #2 no I don’t know if Peter will meet us at the gates, #3 and no there is no entrance exam. #4 And everyone knows God’s Name is not Andy. But Howard. Jesus told us this when He taught His disciples how to pray: “Our Father in Heaven, Howard be Thy Name.”
FOCUS ON “WORSHIP”
Worship is an important attitude of the heart and a total disposition of our soul focusing on God. As we have focused on different songs we sing, understand that the songs are the surface focus, but the real focus is the direction of our hearts and minds when we sing. Worship is our focus and the posture of our minds:
Worship of God Almighty is our focus.
Worship claiming the blood of Christ is our focus.
Worship in the Spirit and in Truth is our focus.
We have been focusing on the heart of worship:
SONG LYRICS: ‘HEART OF WORSHIP’ BY MATT REDMAN
I'll bring You more than a song; For a song in itself is not what You have required
You search much deeper within; Through the way things appear; You're looking into my heart
I'm coming back to the heart of worship; And it's all about You all about You Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it; When it's all about You all about You Jesus
Part of worshipping God is singing. It is not the only part, but is a significant part. As we have focused on different songs we sing, understand that the songs are the surface focus, but the real focus is the posture of our body and our actions (from last week’s Sunday School lesson):
Worship is (yahdah) reverence by extending our hands to God (Psalm 67:3).
Worship is (halal) clamorously celebrating our Creator (Psalm 149:3).
Worship is (zamar) making music to God (Psalm 144:9).
Worship is (towdah) extending the hand to our Lord of Lords (Psalm 56:11-12).
Worship is (shabach) shouting praises to the King of Kings (Psalm 145:4).
Worship is (tehillah) spontaneous songs to our Heavenly Father (Psalm 22:3).
Worship is (shacah, proskuneo) bowing down flat in God’s presence (Job 1:20, Matthew 2:2).
Worship is (barak) kneeling to praise the God of the Universe (Psalm 72:11, 15).
Worship is (abad) serving for God’s glory (Deuteronomy 6:13).
Part of worship is the words that we intentionally say or sing to God. Part of worship is our focus. Part of worship is our actions. So, in these past weeks as we have thought about some of the songs we sing in services, we are thinking through worship. Today is no different as we continue to ponder the heart of worship and bring it back to focus on Jesus.
TRANSITION
The song that we are focusing on today is the one we sang earlier: “In the Garden.”
SONG LYRICS: ‘IN THE GARDEN’ (optional)
Verse 1: I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses, And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses.
Verse 2: He speaks and the sound of His voice. Is so sweet the birds hush their singing, And the melody that He gave to me, Within my heart is ringing.
Verse 3: I'd stay in the garden with Him, 'Tho the night around me be falling, But He bids me go; through the voice of woe, His voice to me is calling.
Chorus: And He walks with me, And He talks with me, And He tells me I am His own, And the joy we share as we tarry there, None other has ever known.
TRANSITION
When I think about the hymn “In the Garden,” which can be found in our hymnal on page #428, I always think about Jesus praying under stress in the Garden of Gethsemane before He was arrested which is mentioned in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18. When I think of the word “garden” relating to Scripture, my brain goes to Genesis 1-3 referencing the Garden of Eden and those Gospel passages I just mentioned referencing the Garden of Gethsemane. It is just where my brain goes.
CONTENT… staugustine.com/story/lifestyle/faith/2015/03/05/story-behind-song-garden/ 16247416007/ [adapted]
That’s not how C. Austin Miles was inspired to write this hymn. Charles Austin Miles wrote over 3,000 hymns in his lifetime from 1868-1946. The most popular is “In the Garden” which he wrote in 1912. C Austin Miles attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and the University of Pennsylvania. In 1892, he abandoned his career as a pharmacist and wrote his first Gospel song. He later became editor and manager of the music publishing company that published his song and served them for 37 years.
Austin Miles' hobby was photography. He built his own "darkroom" for developing film. He discovered one day that he could read his Bible in the special "red lighting" of the darkroom. He often read passages of scripture as he waited for the developing process to finish. Since he was a musician and a songwriter, he often found himself reading with the express purpose of getting ideas for Christian songs.
One day in March 1912, Miles, while developing film and waiting for the process to complete, picked up his Bible. It fell open to John 20. He started to read. He found in that chapter Mary's coming to the garden tomb to visit Jesus. As she looked into the tomb her heart sank because He wasn't there. He, standing nearby, spoke to her, and she recognized Him. Her heart leaped for joy!
Sitting in the darkroom, Miles imagined that he was present with them in the garden witnessing the wonderful event. Reverently he thought: “This is not an experience limited to a happening almost 2,000 years ago. It is the daily companionship with the Lord that makes up the Christian's life." In the inspiration of those moments, he wrote a poem. He later said the words and phrases came quickly. That same evening he composed the musical setting.
TRANSITION
Let’s read this morning from John 20 and be inspired by the same passage that inspired C. Austin Miles in 1912.
READ JOHN 20:1-18 (ESV)
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that He had said these things to her.
INITIAL OBSERVATIONS
As we read over John 20, even though we are not in a darkroom developing film, we can still be encouraged by the words we read. What is John 20 about? As I was looking over the passage, I had some initial observations:
My first observation is about the stone that was set at Jesus’ garden tomb. The stone itself was large and heavy and was used to keep graverobbers and animals out and the smell of death in. The stone in front of the tomb of Jesus Christ had to be rolled away, not to let Jesus out (for He had already risen and the tomb was empty), but to let the witnesses inside the tomb to see that He was gone. The stone could not have been moved by the women. The group of soldiers could have done it, but they were all unconscious with fear (based on other Gospels). The angels came to remove the stone.
My second observation is about two of the disciples. One was Simon Peter and the other is usually thought of to be John himself. Two of the disciples ran to the tomb seeing that it was empty. They hadn’t a clue what happened. They were astonished. They were bewildered. They did not recall that Jesus had told them He would rise from the dead. They hadn’t quite figured it all out yet. It wasn’t until Jesus appeared to them later that they would truly understand all that had occurred. The resurrection was an astonishing miracle… dare I say… the most astonishing miracle that has ever astonishingly miracled!
My third observation is about the woman (women) at the tomb. Mary Magdalene, whom John 20 focuses on, must have loved Jesus dearly because she was up early ready to complete Jesus’ burial process. The process had been a rush job on Friday because Sabbath was approaching. They only did a little. Mary and some other women were going to meet and finish the burial process. They wanted to get there early because He was important. He was their priority… even after He died. I love that she found Jesus risen from the dead and shared that news with everyone. She told the disciples. She shared the news that Jesus had risen from the dead.
TRANSITION
Perhaps you will notice other parts of this passage that are important, but those are the initial thoughts I had when reading over this passage. I also had one other thought that I found interesting given the hymn we are focusing on and our passage. If I’m honest, it is the part of the hymn that has never made sense to me based on my previous thought that the song was referencing either Genesis 1-3 in the Garden of Eden or the Gospel passages referencing the Garden of Gethsemane.
Also, many times lyrics don’t make sense to me so I think I might have an issue with such things. I did a little digging and apparently the “mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase” when it comes to things like songs is called “mondegreen.” I spent waaaaay too long diving into this when I should have been writing my sermon. I had no idea that “mondegreen” was a real thing. In 2000, 2002, and 2008 the big three dictionaries added the word so that makes it a real thing.
Oddly, the joke from the beginning of the sermon where Forrest Gump says God’s Name is Andy quoting… “Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am His own” is a perfect example of “mondegreen.” As I said, I spent some self-discovery time this week! Anyway, back to the sermon, what is another central truth that we find in John 20? Another central truth for us comes from John 20:17-18 and the third verse of the hymn.
A CENTRAL TRUTH: CONNECTION WITH GOD
RE-READ JOHN 20:17-18 (ESV)
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that He had said these things to her.
SONG LYRICS: ‘IN THE GARDEN’
Verse 3: I'd stay in the garden with Him, 'Tho the night around me be falling, But He bids me go; through the voice of woe, His voice to me is calling.
John 20 highlights for us that Mary Magdalene was on the cusp of a new relationship with God and you and I absolutely are the beneficiaries of that new relationship with Him. We have a connection with God because of Christ.
This passage is full of all kinds of emotion or emotional states: eagerness, nervousness, fear, grief, anxiety, anger, anticipation, cautiousness, alarm, astonishment, wonder, sadness, puzzlement, bargaining, joy, and faith.
In verse 17, Jesus says to Mary “do not cling to Me.” This is a strange statement. In the hymn, this is reflected in the words: “I’d stay… but He bids me go.” The resurrected Christ tells this to Mary to indicate that a shift has taken place. Jesus’ resurrection shows a new reality has been created for human beings. Their relationship has shifted to one not based on physical presence, but spiritual faith. Based on some other words Jesus taught in John 16, Jesus is referring to the eventual coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) which not only binds believers in Jesus with Jesus, but also to each other.
In verse 17, Jesus doubles down that this new relationship is profound because He says: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” This is a bit of a mystery, but you and I share in Jesus’ relationship with God. We are adopted as the children of God by way of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. I mention the importance of the “ascension of Jesus” because Jesus mentions it here as important. It was important for Him and for us that Jesus not remain resurrected on Earth with us, but rather for Him to ascend and sit at the right hand of God the Father.
Hebrews 4 reflects on this for us:
READ HEBREWS 4:14-16 (ESV)
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Jesus “passed through the heavens” in Hebrews 4:14 is the same as “I am ascending to My Father” in John 20:17. Jesus the Christ secured our connection with God because of Himself when He ascended. He does it still. Mary Magdalene’s emotional encounter with the resurrected Jesus shows us that Jesus rising from the dead changes many things… including a relationship with God.
TRANSITION
What does any of this have to do with worship? I believe something Jesus says to Mary Magdalene impacts our worship. What Jesus says to Mary brings us to the heart of worship for a believer in Jesus.
APPLICATION TO WORSHIP
RE-READ JOHN 20:17a (ESV)
“Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.”
There is one difference between Mary Magdalene and us and the difference is contained in the words “for I have not yet.” He had not yet… what? “Ascended to the Father.” After a period of time teaching and appearing, Jesus Christ did eventually ascend into Heaven. That is the difference between Mary Magdalene in this passage and us now. This passage describes a short window of gray for Mary when her relationship with Jesus was changing. For us, it has changed!
You and I worship not something physical, but spiritual.
You and I worship our Father in Heaven.
You and I can cling to Jesus all we want. Clinging to Jesus is the heart of worship!
Christians live in the age when Jesus’ birth, life, teachings, death, resurrection, and ascension impacts our relationship with God 100%. We are the worshippers in “spirit and in Truth” that Jesus predicted in John 4.
READ JOHN 4:23-26 (ESV)
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
The application for us in this passage is that we can cling to Jesus all day long, all night long, and we can connect with Him in the Spirit at all times. At the point Mary Magdalene was at described in John 20, she was not there yet. She eventually got there. We all did.
The application for us in this passage when it comes to worship is:
If we feel led, reverently extend our hands to God Who sent His Son for us!
Clamorously celebrate God the Son Who connects us to God the Father!
If you have the talent or gift, make music to God Who made us!
If we feel led, extend the hand to our Resurrected Lord!
Shout praises because the tomb was empty!
Spontaneously sing to our Heavenly Father Who planned to save us!
If we feel led, bow in God’s presence showing honor due Him!
If we feel led, kneel to praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
Serving for God’s glory!
All of that because Jesus ascended to the Father!
PRAYER
INVITATION
“Cling to Jesus and live” are the only words I can think of right now.
“Cling to Jesus and live” in a relationship with God.
“Cling to Jesus and live” free of guilt and shame.
“Cling to Jesus and live” fully in the grace of God.
“Cling to Jesus and live” are the only words I can think of right now.
