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S far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)
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ND I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 8:11)
The sweeping lyrics of this missionary pageant was composed by John Oxenham of England in 1908 as Darkness and Light -our hymn today is a product excerpted from the pageant. His understanding of the eternal is witnessed in his reference of the title – In Christ There is no East or West. It may be difficult for our finite minds to comprehend that concept, but it is beyond any doubt a profound truth. Christ being eternal, there is no future or past for all are comprehended in the I AM. Just as the time scale does not apply to our Lord, neither do the finite bounds suggested by directions – east, west, south, or north. There are two different tunes that apply – McKee (taken from a negro spiritual) and Bourne composed by Everett R. Currier in 1941. Both versions appear as Hymn # 263 in the 1940 Hymnal.
In Christ there is no East or West
In Christ there is no East or West,
In Him no South or North;
But one great fellowship of love
Throughout the whole wide earth.
In Him shall true hearts everywhere
Their high communion find;
His service is the golden cord,
Close binding humankind.
Join hands, then, members of the faith,
Whatever your race may be!
Who serves my Father as His child
Is surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both East and West,
In Him meet North and South;
All Christly souls are one in Him
Throughout the whole wide earth.
1 In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north, but one great fellowship of lovethroughout the whole wide earth. The romantic love of men and women is finite, but the love of Christ is infinite and without limits. It survives death as stated in Romans 8:35-39. After the atomic particles of the consuming fire of the last days have settled and reconstituted into the Edenic Paradise of God’s new earth (do not quote me on the science of that proposition), there will be no point in eternity that is more east or wet than the infinite position on which we stand. All will be One in Christ without division or limit. Love will be the unifying property of all living. If we truly loved with the same kind of love as those martyrs who were willing to be fed to the lions of the roman coliseum, we would have no division in our churches.
2 In Christ shall true hearts ev’rywhere their high communion find. His service is the golden cordclose binding humankind. Speaking of the ‘High Communion,’ Buzz Aldrin observed Holy Communion on the surface of the moon during a pause before opening the hatch to walk on the moon’s surface. The picture presented with this devotion is of his own Bible quotes made during Communion. There is also a photo on History.com (https://www.history.com/news/buzz-aldrin-communion-apollo-11-nasa) of the chalice he used in serving the wine for which he had special permission to carry on the mission. But, in Christ there is no East or West, and therefore no up or down either. Communion on the Moon brings the spiritual Presence of the Lord in. the same fulness as on earth.
3 Join hands, then, people of the faith, whate’er your race may be. All children of the living Godare surely kin to me. I have Christian brothers and sisters that are more family to me than those of my own flesh and blood who are not akin to me in the Blood of Christ. No Jew or Gentile who rejects Christ is related to me, or to Christ. It is not the blood that runs through our veins that qualify us as the elect, but the grace of God granted to us by faith in Him and His Word. When we ascend the narrow path that leads up to the Gates of Splendor, the least thought in our minds will be of what blood our neighbor is who accompanies us on that last journey.
4 In Christ now meet both east and west, in him meet south and north. All Christly souls are joined as one throughout the whole wide earth. When we consider other sisters and brothers in Christ is far off lands, we must remember the words of John Revelator: “9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” (Revelation 7:9-10)
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TRIVE to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. (Luke 13:24-30)
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