Dr. Timothy Tennent, in his recent book entitiled "The Call to Holiness," ends the book, as he does with other devotional books, with a hymn written by his wife Julie Tennent. His book is wonderful and its message wonderfully captured in her hymn to be sung to the old tune Beecher (Charles Wesley’s Love Divine, All Love Excelling) or to Beethoven's the Ode to Joy tune (Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee).
MAKE US HOLY
(1 Peter 1:3-2:3)
You
are holy – make us holy! Let our lives
reflect Your name;
By
Your Spirit’s pow’r within us, be a sanctifying flame.
Not
the work of human striving, but a change from deep within:
Redirect
our core affections; free us from the bonds of sin.
You
are holy – so our holy lives a shining light must be,
Purged
from empty selfish living, filled with love that comes from Thee.
Born
again of seed eternal, through the living Word of God;
Growing
up in our salvation, tasting that the Lord is good.
You
are holy, and You call us to be pure in all we do;
As
your character is holy, so we would be holy, too.
Purified
by true obedience, loving others from the heart;
Serving
in the world with power which your Spirit does impart.
You
are holy – may Your church embody perfect holiness;
May
the love of Christ compel us to bring forth true righteousness.
Let
the strains of New Creation echo through Your church today;
Sounding
forth the consummation of that glorious Holy Day!
Julie Tennent
A lovely reality behind the book and hymn is the beauty of the Tennent's marriage that works in harmony: The theologian and scholar (Timothy) and the musician and poet (Julie). Praise be to God!
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