Aah, it’s August…the hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer. Before air conditioning, these were the
days when we would get the day’s work done early and spend the hottest parts of the day
swimming in a pond or river or we’d find a shady place to relax because it was too hot to do
anything else. These were “porch sitting” days spent on the porch swing or a rocking chair
playing board games and sipping on iced tea or cold lemonade.
It’s the time of the year when the soil has been tilled in our fields and gardens. The
weeding has been done, the corn and beans are nearing maturity, and the vegetables in our
gardens are starting to produce. It’s a time of rest…a time when we come out of the fields and
spend time with our neighbors at the county fair…a time to renew and refresh our bodies and
spirits before the work of harvesting, baling, and canning begins. It’s a time to step back and
look with awe and wonder at God’s handiwork in the world around us.
I often visit with folks who tell me that they are struggling with their sense of well-being.
Their struggles may be physical, emotional, financial, or vocational. And when I ask if they’ve
been spending time with God, they often confide that they’ve been too busy lately and haven’t
been as attentive to that part of their lives.
We all go through difficult times. We all experience those times when our spirits seem
to have dried up. I know many people (I have been one of them) who try to overcome their
struggles and spiritual fatigue by trying to be all things to all people while, at the same time,
robbing themselves of time to nurture their relationships with God, themselves, their friends
and loved ones. We do all we can to make sure everyone else is fed even when we, ourselves,
maybe hungry. That’s why God has built these “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” into the
rhythm of the year…so we can stop and catch our breath and feed our spirits.
In recent years, it seems as though we have gotten busier than ever. Even our vacations
are so packed with activities that we barely get any rest.
Mark Twain once said that when he felt overworked and needed to get away, he would
take his fishing pole down to the river, throw in his line, sit back, and wait for a bite. And
sometimes, he would even bait his hook.
When Jesus felt overwhelmed, he would go off by himself to pray…to reconnect with
God…to be refreshed and renewed so he could go back out to continue his ministry of
preaching, teaching, healing, and making known the kingdom of God.
Perhaps we can all take time in these “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” to pause and
breathe deeply. Take a long look around and thank God for the blessings that surround us…the
corn and the beans in the fields, the vegetables and flowers in our gardens, our families and
friends, and the beauty of creation. Step back and enjoy the “quiet time” God has given us to
find rest and renewal so that as summer draws to a close we will be ready to dive into the
harvest and begin all the fall activities in our schools, our churches, and our communities.
May this month bring you some time to sit in the shade and sip on a cold glass of
lemonade or iced tea with friends and family.
Blessings,
Pastor Karl
Music to Our Ears
Each month we include a reflection on some of our favorite hymns. Is there a hymn that gets stuck in your head like ear candy? Is there a hymn that touches your spirit deeply each time you hear it? Perhaps you have a hymn that always gives you a sense of peace when your heart is troubled. If you want to know a bit of the backstory behind that hymn, you can send your suggestions by e-mailing Pastor Karl at either stpaulsofgermanlake@gmail.com or kerydholm@gmail.com.
Although it isn’t necessary, we would love it if you would share why this hymn is important to you. This month’s hymn is perhaps one of the best-known, most popular, hymns ever written. It often stirs deep emotions when it is sung in church because, for many people, it was sung at the funeral of a family member or a dear friend. As we enter the middle of summer and the crops in the fields, the flowers and vegetables in our gardens ripen and burst forth in all their beauty, it seems appropriate that our hymn for this month speaks of the greatness and grandeur of God and God’s creation…How Great Thou Art. (ELW #856) “For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, (he is God) who formed the earth and made it, (he established it; he did not create it a chaos, he formed it to be inhabited!): I am the Lord and there is no other”. Isaiah 45:18
Carl Boberg, a twenty-six-year-old Swedish minister, wrote a poem in 1885 that he called ”O Store Gud”…” O Mighty God”. The words, literally translated in English, said: When I consider/Which Thou has made by Thine almighty Word and how the web of life Thou wisdom guideth/And all creation feedeth at Thy Board. Then doth my soul burst forth in a song of praise/ Oh, great God, Oh, great God!
His poem was published…and “forgotten” … or so he thought. Several years later Carl was surprised to hear it being sung to the tune of an old Swedish melody, but the poem and hymn did not achieve widespread fame.
Hearing this hymn in Russia, English missionary Stuart Hine was so moved by it that he modified and expanded the words and made his own arrangement of the Swedish melody. He later said his first three verses were inspired, line upon line, by the rugged Carpathian Mountains. The first verse was composed when he was caught in a thunderstorm in a Carpathian village, the second as he heard the birds sing near the Romanian border, and the third as he witnessed many of the Carpathian Mountain dwellers coming to Christ. The final verse was written after Dr Hine returned to Great Britain.
Sometime later, Dr. J. Edwin Orr heard “How Great Thou Art” being sung by Naga Tribes people in Assam, in India, and decided to bring it back to America for use in his own meetings. When he introduced it at a conference in California, it came to the attention of music publisher, Tim Spencer, who contacted Mr. Hine and had the song copyrighted. It was published and recorded.
During the 1954 Billy Graham Crusade in Harringay Arena, George Beverly Shea was given a leaflet containing this hymn. He sang it to himself and shared it with other members of the Graham team. Though not used in London, it was introduced the following year to audiences in Toronto.
In the New York Crusade of 1957, it was sung by Bev Shea ninety-nine times, with the
choir joining the majestic refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!
