I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the old hymns.
Today’s song is Tell Me the Old Old Story from 1866. .
1 Tell me the old, old story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love.
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child;
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.
Refrain:
Tell me the old, old story;
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story
Of Jesus and His love.
2 Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in -
That wonderful redemption,
God's remedy for sin.
Tell me the story often,
For I forget so soon;
The early dew of morning
Has passed away at noon. [Refrain]
3 Tell me the same old story
When you have cause to fear
That this world's empty glory
Is costing me too dear.
Tell me the story always,
If you would really be,
In any time of trouble,
A comforter to me. [Refrain]
I do remember singing this one regularly in my earlier years. It’s good to hear modern songs, but there’s also much to be gained by familiarizing ourselves with old hymns and stories. And of course, the modern worship songs also remind us of the old old story of Jesus and His love. It wasn’t always old. Would it have been old if you had lived in New Testament times? But in a sense, it was. The story of Jesus and His love ultimately goes back even before creation. And because time is part of creation, maybe it’s better to think in terms of it being outside time rather than before time. But because we live in time, maybe that’s just how we think about it. I can think of several Scriptural passages that mention The Son of God before time:
John 1:1-3 and 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ..14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 17:5 and 24 (Jesus praying on the night before He died)
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began….
24 ‘Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
Colossians 1:17
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
So, you can think of the story being 2000 years old, of going back before the world began, or you could also think of how old it is for you.
I first heard the story of Jesus as a young child. And I am always happy to hear it again and again. And I like being among people who cherish it. Sometimes religion can become a purely cultural thing that continues out of custom or social pressure. I felt a little like that as a child and teen when I went to Mass. But on other occasions, such as reading the gospels in school or watching movies based on the life of Jesus, I took a greater interest.
The one part of the Mass that I did enjoy was communion. Now that I’m no longer a Roman Catholic, I no longer believe that the bread turns into the body of Jesus. But whatever church I’m in, focusing on the death of Jesus and eating the bread and drinking the wine has a significant effect on me. It signifies that we are feeding ourselves spiritually by believing in Jesus and the fact that He took the punishment for our sins on Calvary. And whatever theories churches have on how Jesus is present at communion, drawing near to God means that God will draw near to you. And people tend to feel His presence more when they are celebrating together and doing it in response to his request:
1 Corinthians 11:23-25
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
My favourite lines from today’s hymn are the following:
Tell me the story often,
For I forget so soon;
The early dew of morning
Has passed away at noon.
However wonderful the story is, there’s always plenty of things to distract us. Two evangelical traditions are going to church on Sundays and having a daily “quiet time” – a time set aside for prayer and Bible reading. I’ve rarely had a rigid pattern for a “quiet time”, but I think that it is a good tradition. And it’s always a joy to be with others on Sunday, especially when I’m among people who are enthusiastic about worship and not just there out of custom or social pressure.
Here are some other versions of todays hymn:
Hibernia Gospel 