Samuel Longfellow

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.
Galatians 5:16-18

 Holy Spirit, Truth Divine LBW 257

 1    Holy Spirit, truth divine, dawn upon this soul of mine;
     word of God and inward light, wake my spirit, clear my sight.

2    Holy Spirit, love divine, glow within this heart of mine;
      kindle ev’ry high desire; purge me with your holy fire.

3    Holy Spirit, pow’r divine, fortify this will of mine;
      by your will I strongly live, bravely bear, and nobly strive.

4    Holy Spirit, peace divine, still this restless heart of mine;
      speak to calm this tossing sea, stayed in your tranquility.

5    Holy Spirit, right divine, king within my conscience reign;
      be my guide, and I shall be firmly bound, forever free.

Text: Samuel Longfellow, 1819-1892, alt.

      Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was one of America’s greatest poets; famous for such works as “The Song of Hiawatha”. But he had a famous brother, Samuel, famous in his own right as a hymn writer.  Samuel was a pastor in the Unitarian church, but as he grew older, and began to understand the complexity and richness of the Faith, so he refused to be labeled Unitarian, instead embracing the label “Christian”.

      I suspect that some of us are wondering about labels these days.  I suspect we have heard someone say “how can you call yourself Christian and support…. (you can fill in the blank anything the world finds repugnant, but notice how carefully I couched it so you can assume I am talking about someone else.)

      But here’s the rub, it’s not what someone labels us that matters but what we label ourselves. To answer the question Luther posed; what binds your conscience?

      In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples that he will send the Holy Spirit to convict the church and the world about sin, righteousness and judgment  The Spirit would be, at least for Christians, that “still, small voice” the showed the way, that never let us forget who we are, and whose we are. So as Longfellow wrote, we pray the Holy Spirit guide us, reign over us and bind our conscience so that in such bondage, we find ourselves forever free! 

 Prayer: Holy Spirit, in this time of lies, confusion and obfuscation; convict us. Speak the truth to us.  Be our guide, bind our consciences that we might be truly free to be God’s people!  Amen.