HYMN OF THE MONTH:
TELL ME THE STORY OF JESUS
by Fanny Crosby, 1880 (1820-1915)
THE WONDROUS STORY: 2024 JOURNEY THROUGH FAVORITE HYMNS
Truth #5: Jesus died, was buried, and rose again to save us. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Two Friends Tell a Story
One day in the summer of 1869, a group of Methodist pastors looked for a spot to escape the summer heat of New Jersey so they could spend the time studying the Bible.
They found it in a well-shaded piece of land by the sea and pitched their tents.
They loved the spot so much they named it Ocean Grove and came back summer after summer.
Word got out and this spiritually refreshing campsite soon came to be known as the “Queen of Religious Resorts.”
For years, curious crowds came every summer to hear preaching and to sing hymns.
One year, Robert Lowry visited Ocean Grove, New Jersey and introduced his hymn Nothing But the Blood of Jesus. It moved people’s hearts so deeply, a revival took place.
And one summer, one of the song leaders was John R. Sweeney, a composer from Pennsylvania. One of the people in the crowd was Fanny Crosby, the well-known blind hymn writer from New York.
The two met and forged a friendship and collaborated on over twenty hymns together.
One of their most loved hymn collaborations is “I Love to Tell the Story” which reminds us how the true gospel story is always worth hearing and it’s always worth telling.
You never know who you might meet and where you might them. And you never know how God will use your friendship to help tell the gospel story.
Fun Fact: Ocean Grove is still a popular tourist destination in New Jersey. People still vacation in tents there. And the land is still owned by Methodists (The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association).
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Hymn Outline
The Story of Jesus Is:
Divine and True (Stanza One)
Sweet and Precious (Chorus)
Relatable and Hope-Filled (Stanza Two)
Life-Giving and Heart-Changing (Stanza Three)
Read & Relate
Tell Me the Story of Jesus
By Fanny Crosby, 1880 (1820-1915)
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart ev'ry word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels, in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth,
"Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth."
John 3:16; Acts 8:34-35; Luke 2:11-14
Chorus:
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart ev'ry word;
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Matt. 28:16-20; Prov. 3:3; 1 Peter 1:18-19
Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past;
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore;
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor.
Matt. 4:1-11; Heb. 4:15; Luke 7:22; Isa. 53:3; Luke 9:58
Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain;
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see:
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
Love paid the ransom for me.
1 Cor. 1:18; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Cor. 15:3-6; Rom. 10:9; 2 Cor. 5:17
Go Deeper
Discover God's Plan for Hymns
When was the last time a hymn entered your mind, causing you to remember and apply the powerful truths of Scripture?
That was Colossians 3:16 in action and is just one small example of the ways God uses hymnody in the spiritual lives of His people.
Surprisingly, there aren't a lot of resources designed to help you be intentional in hymn study.
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