Tommy Dorsey…5/30/08
by SteveThomas Andrew Dorsey was a black jazz musician from Atlanta. In the 1920s he became somewhat famous as a composer of jazz tunes with suggestive lyrics, but he gave all that up in 1926 to concentrate solely on spiritual music. One of his most famous tunes was a song called “Peace in the Valley.” But he wrote another song, later on, that became even more famous, and I want to tell you how it came about.
In 1932, times were hard for Dorsey and nearly everyone else. The country was in a depression, and on top of that, this new music of his wasn’t being accepted by everybody. Some church people thought it was too worldly, and called it the devil’s music. Dorsey said he got kicked out of some of the best churches in the land. But the real kick in the teeth came one night in St. Louis, when he received a telegram informing him that his pregnant wife had suddenly taken ill and died.
Thomas Dorsey was so filled with grief that his faith was shaken to the roots, but instead of wallowing in self-pity, he turned to what he knew best, his music, and in the midst of his agony he wrote these words:
Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light;
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.
When the darkness appears, and the night draws near,
and the day is past and gone,
At the river I stand, guide my feet, hold my hand,
take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.
My friends, if we live long enough, we’ll experience heartache, disappointment, and helplessness. But Christianity says to us that we have hope, not only for the future, but for today as well, because that same Christ who rose from the dead, still lives, still cares, and still reigns. And in the very heart of our troubles, we can sing our hallelujahs, because the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and he shall reign forever and ever.
RSS
Human existence is, indeed, a lesson in pain and suffering. From the physical anguish of pain, to the debilitating mental crush of loss, there seem to be infinite lessons in human suffering, all to often caused by human hands. Never, in the entire history of humanity, is there a period void of it, a time when mankind could breathe a sigh of relief and smile upon itself. Yet no one, in their gravest suffering, has glimpsed hell, so long as they could call God’s name, or feel the Spirit’s presence. This is what Jesus taught; to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God was with us always, and no amount of suffering, or even death, could separate us from God. It is only our own actions, when we cast God from us, refuse God a place in our lives, that we are truly alone. This is hell, this is the place without hope, the landscape of despair. A desolate loneliness, devoid of even God’s presence, God’s love. Jesus didn’t say, “I am the savior, worship me…”, he demonstrated, first-hand, the power of God’s love to transcend all – the Romans, the Pharisees, even death. “… forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Words spoken while physically broken, denied by friends, alone on a cross, mocked by those present, dying a brutal death. If this example does on teach us, what will?
Bj
Right on, Berry! I love what you said about what Jesus DIDN’T say. As with us, his actions spoke much louder than words, but somehow many of us neither see nor hear.
It’s always terrified me, the people who most vehemently defend the Bible for it’s words are the ones who don’t grasp the meaning of those words. Those who say, “Jesus, save me,” and mean it in a very literal way, as though the physical Christ will arrive to rescue them from their current strife, would help crucify a modern Christ if he presented himself at their church on Sunday. Those who worship a book, even one called the Bible, will lose their religion when it’s language is lost, or the book is burned. Those who learn the *ideas* communicated in the bible, feel the power of the *examples* provided by the Gospels, will find a faith that cannot be destroyed, even by death. That’s what Jesus was saying, and the example he gave. Why do so many want to dwell on the words?
Bj