"I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.
I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."
(JOHN 10:16)

John 10:14-18;
Romans 8:28-30
The hymn our congregation was singing was foreign to me, but as a new Christian, I was used to that. I tried to follow along, wondering, Why has someone taken the melody to Paul Simon’s “American Tune” and put Christian lyrics to it?
“O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down…” Jesus deserves so much more than that, I thought.


I stared at the hymnal, feeling disappointed. Then at the bottom of the page the year the music was written caught my eye: 1601, by Hans Hassler. I realized that I’d been listening to a melody of a Christian hymn in the public domain when I heard “American Tune,” a song that had always stirred me deeply with its haunting beauty and which references the Pilgrims who were seeking the spiritual freedom we now enjoy.


A profound awareness of how Jesus bathes our lives with His beauty long before we know Him began unfolding. He is actively there all along, patiently and lovingly marking an irresistible trail that leads us directly home to Him.



Scripture Focus

John 10:14-18;
Romans 8:28-30

Insight

THANK YOU, LORD, FOR SPRINKLING OUR LIVES WITH REMINDERS OF YOU UNTIL WE EXPERIENCE THE INEXPRESSIBLE RELIEF OF YOUR REALITY. AMEN.

Bible In A Year

  • Deuteronomy 28-29
  • Psalm 93
  • Acts 17

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