Songs We Sing: "the Old Rugged Cross" Series

SONGS WE SING: “THE OLD RUGGED CROSS”

Romans 5:1-11

#theoldruggedcross

INTRODUCTION… Funeral this past week (p)

Some of you may know, but some may not, that I am on a short list for a few of the funeral homes around the area for emergencies or when a family has lost a loved one and the family is not religious, but they are religious enough to think they need a minister at a funeral. I do my best to match the funeral to the person who died. One funeral home in particular seems to like how I do things and how I treat the families.

They called at the end of last week and I had a funeral on Monday of this week. I called and talked with the family, but they did not want to meet in person to discuss the funeral; so we just talked on the phone a bit and made a brief plan. They mentioned they would choose a song or two perhaps to put in the service. No problem. I get there on Monday, all is well. I meet them in person during the viewing. The service went just fine.

I mention all of this because of their choice of one of the songs. From what I could tell and what I was told, they are not Christians. The widow said they believed in God… of course… but never went to church ever. The song in the middle of the funeral service, probably at the moment when people are most thoughtful and impacted by death, they play ‘The Old Rugged Cross.’ I didn’t know what songs they were going to play, but it struck me that these folks who don’t go to church hired me because they didn’t know any ministers… choose ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ for a meaningful song at a funeral. It struck me as odd. It also struck me as important.

The Old Rugged Cross was written and first sung on January 12, 1913 by George Bennard at a revival meeting at the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Pokagon Michigan. The song has 4 verses and a chorus and can be found in our hymnal on page 317. It can also be found in most other hymnals as well.

SERMON SERIES FOCUS

This morning we are continuing a sermon series called: “The Songs We Sing.” We are just about done with this focus on worship. Next week is our last week where we focus on the song that you all voted on. I decided to go with the popular vote on this and so next week we will focus on our last song. We are focusing on songs because part of worshipping God is singing. It is! That is not all worship is, but singing is part of it. Music and poetry and instruments and emotions are part of worship.

The meaning of the New Testament Greek word most often translated “worship” means “to fall down before” or “bow down before.” We saw that in action last week when we looked at Revelation 4 in how the 24 elders fell before God in the Apostle John’s vision of heaven. The English word “worship” also comes from “worth-ship” meaning we show how much something is worth to us. Worship is an attitude of our spirit. Worship is an internal state of being and an outward expression that can be done regardless of place or situation. Worship is a spiritual attitude when we are by ourselves and a spiritual attitude we can have when we are with other people. Both are true.

The nature of Christian worship is from the inside out and has two equally important parts. We must worship, according to Jesus in John 4:23-24, “in spirit and in truth.” Worshiping in spirit has nothing to do with our physical posture, but our innermost being. Our innermost self is energized pointing towards God to focus on Him. Worshiping also requires a mind centered on Truth. Worship is an expression from the depths of our hearts toward a God Who is understood through His Word.

Christian worship is a way to honor, praise, and give thanks to God. It is also a way to cry out, lament, and be angry with God. It can include singing, listening to music, reading scripture, listening to Scripture, praying by yourself, praying with others, meditation on the Bible, giving offerings, listening to a sermon, and participating in ordinances like communion.

Part of worshipping God is singing. It matters how and why we sing. The words we say matter. The most important part of worship is that we focus on God in spirit (in our hearts) and in truth (in our minds.)

SONGS WE SING: “The Old Rugged Cross” / TRANSITION

The song we are peeking in on today is what we in the biz call a “diamond certified classic.” The classic was written in 1913 and is such an impressive song that even non-Christians play it at funerals because it is meaningful. Most importantly this classic hymn, which was played first with a guitar by the way, focuses us on the death of Jesus Christ. The death of Jesus is the central thought, intention, and focus of this song. The death of Jesus is a worthy topic for a worship song because the death of Jesus is central to our faith.