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He leadeth me, he leadeth me;
by his own hand he leadeth me:
his faithful follower I would be,
for by his hand he leadeth me.
Refrain from the hymn “He Leadeth Me”
Rev. Joseph Gilmore, the author of this popular American hymn, was preaching at a mid-week prayer service on the topic of Psalm 23. He wrote later, “I set out to give the people an exposition of the 23rd Psalm, but I got no further than the words ‘He leadeth me.’ Those words took hold of me as they had never done before. I saw in them a significance and beauty of which I had never dreamed… At the close of the meeting a few of us kept on talking about the thoughts which I had emphasized; and then and there, on a back page of my sermon notes, I penciled the hymn just as it stands today, handed it to my wife, and thought no more of it… She sent it without my knowledge to the Watchman and Reflector magazine, and there it first appeared in print December 4, 1862.”
I love the refrain on this hymn! I hadn’t realized it was inspired by the 23rd Psalm, but it makes sense. The last half of the refrain speaks of discipleship – “his faithful follower I would be, for by his hand he leadeth me.” Being a disciple is holding Jesus’ hand!
Our Gospel reading this Sunday from Luke 14 speaks of the high cost of following Jesus: “hate” your family (love God more than), count the cost (like building a tower) or a king deciding whether or not to go to war. Jesus is telling us it won’t always be easy, in fact, know what you are getting into!
Dallas Willard, in his book “The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives”, says that the average Christian has no idea what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. He writes: "For at least several decades the churches...have not made discipleship a condition for being a Christian. One is not required to be or [even] intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship. Contemporary American churches...do not require following Christ in his example, spirit and teachings as a condition of membership...discipleship clearly is optional." Is this what Jesus has in mind when he calls persons to be his followers?
The thing that hits me the most in the lyric of this hymn is how discipleship works – “by his own hand, he leadeth me”. We are reminded that discipleship is God’s holding our hand through it all.
What is it like holding someone’s hand? Think about it! You feel the warmth, squeeze, gentleness, connection. At times the hand may be tugging, or pulling you along! Other times, holding you back, bringing caution, protecting you, like a parent with a child! There may be times you want to let go, or go it on your own. Jesus doesn’t force you to hold his hand! But his hands are there, ready to welcome you back again. Let’s sing this song together this Sunday. Can we even hold hands with one another knowing God is holding ours? See you Sunday!
In Christ;
Pastor Dan
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
· The Centennial Committee will meet on September 7th and 28th after worship to continue planning for our 100th Anniversary! We are still looking for more volunteers willing to help with the Anniversary Sunday, April 12, 2026.
· Join the Church Pop Up Choir as we rehearse after worship on September 14th and sing on September 28th during worship (rehearse prior to worship).
· First Evangelical Church Council meets after worship on September 14th.
· Conniston Middle School is in need of the following items to be donated so they can hand them out to students in need. The need is ASAP but no exact deadline as they get dispersed throughout the school year.
Mesh Backpacks (clear or mesh fabric) - Glue Sticks - Notebooks with lined paper - Pencil Pouches
· Join us for a delicious lunch following worship Sunday in the Fellowship Hall.
