Hymns by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

There Is a Mighty Question
ANGEL'S STORY 7.6.7.6 D (O Jesus, I Have Promised)

There is a mighty question we ask when nations rage:
Just when will be Christ's coming, the ending of the age?
Take care, said Jesus clearly, for many will appear;
They'll claim to be Messiah, yet people should not fear.

For in the days of Noah, the people went along
In eating and in drinking, in merriment and song —
Then suddenly the world changed with great, surprising power;
So too will be Christ's coming, and no one knows the hour.

So keep awake and watchful; salvation is at hand!
Our hope is in Christ Jesus, and by God's grace we stand.
The night is almost over, we wait for God's new day,
And through the Holy Spirit, we follow Jesus' way.

Be ready in your living, for when you feed the poor,
Or give to thirsty children the water they long for,
And when you welcome strangers and help the ones in need,
Christ says: "Receive my kingdom, for you are serving me."

Biblical References: Mark 13:1-37; Matthew 24-25; Luke 21:8-36; Romans 13:11-14
Tune: Arthur Henry Mann, 1881
Text: Copyright © 1998 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Copied from Gifts of Love: New Hymns for Today's Worship by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Geneva Press, 2000).
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net

Hymn Use Permission: Gifts of Love: New Hymns for Today's Worship by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Geneva Press, 2000) includes a permission note for those who own this book to use this hymn (along with the 44 other new hymns in the book) in their local church's worship services. People who do not own Gifts of Love are asked to contact Carolyn (bcgillette@comcast.net) for permission to use the hymn and to get a copy of the hymn formatted for worship bulletin use.

Consider buying these books for yourself, your church library and your public library, where they have the potential of touching the lives of people you might never meet.

 
Helpful Reading on Christian Hope
  • Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N. T. Wright: A popular writer and top biblical scholar, Wright explores "new heavens and a new earth," the "second coming" of Jesus and Christian hope. He argues that what we believe about life after death impacts what we believe about life before death. Wright's book carefully explains that God intends to renew the whole creation, starting at Easter, and therefore the Church cannot stop at "saving souls" but must work for God's reign in the whole world with healing and hope for today. This understanding of a biblical-grounded Christian hope empowers Jesus' followers today to faithful service today.
  • Christian Doctrine by Shirley Guthrie: This book, originally written for an adult Sunday School class, became a bestselling overview of the Christian beliefs. Carolyn had it as a college textbook; it was later revised and it has been used for adult classes in two churches where she has been a pastor. This book has an excellent chapter on Christian hope for individuals and the world; see pages 373-400.
  • Books on the Apostles' Creed include commentaries and insights on the Creed's affirmation that "he will come to judge the living and the dead."
  • The Apostles' Creed for Today by Justo L. González is one of the newest books on the creed. This gifted church historian and theologian shows the creed's meaning for today with discussion questions at the end of each chapter.
  • A Christian Primer: The Prayer, the Creed, the Commandments by Albert Curry Winn is a very readable book filled with new insights into the pillars of the faith: The Lord's Prayer, The Apostles' Creed, and The Ten Commandments. Carolyn has given this book to new members in her church.
  • Exploring and Proclaiming the Apostles' Creed edited by Roger E. Van Harn is a rich collection of essays by top theologians from diverse backgrounds on each part of the creed followed by sermons of outstanding preachers.
  • "I Believe": Exploring the Apostles' Creed by Alister E. McGrath is a popular evangelical writer's examination of how this traditional statement of faith speaks to Christians today.
  • The Apostles' Creed by William Barclay offers biblical insights about the creed by this popular writer of Daily Study Bible commentaries on the New Testament.
  • The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why it Matters by Luke Timothy Johnson is a wonderful, ecumenical explanation of the Nicene Creed by a top Roman Catholic scholar who teaches the New Testament at a Methodist seminary (Emory).
 
Books on Year B
  • Daily Feast: Meditations from Feasting on the Word, Year B, edited by Kathleen Long Bostrom and Elizabeth F. Caldwell, is a wonderful, new (2011) daily devotional that contains Scripture passages for the coming Sunday from the lectionary, excerpts from these very popular commentaries for reflection, a response, and a prayer. Additional material is provided for each Sunday.
  • Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 1, Advent through Transfiguration, edited by David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, looks at each lectionary passage from the four perspectives (exegetical, theological, pastoral and homiletically) by great pastoral preachers, seminary professors of Bible and preaching.
  • Preaching God's Transforming Justice: A Lectionary Commentary, Year B, edited by Ronald J. Allen, Dale P. Andrews and Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm, looks at each Sunday's lectionary texts from social justice perspectives as well as additional special days (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Earth Day, etc.). Writers are pastors, social writers and seminary professors of preaching, Bible and ethics.
  • The People's New Testament Commentary by M. Eugene Boring and Fred B. Craddock is a wonderful single volume commentary that Carolyn used in teaching a course for commissioned lay pastors and is one she recommends to all pastors and lay people.
 
Books on Mark
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