Title: Near the Cross (Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross)
Author: Fanny Crosby, 1820-1915
Relevant Scripture verse: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” – Galatians 6:14 ESV
1 Jesus, keep me near the cross, There a precious fountain;
Free to all, a healing stream, Flows from Calv'ry's mountain.
Refrain:
In the cross, in the cross Be my glory ever,
Till my ransomed soul shall find Rest beyond the river.
2 Near the cross, a trembling soul, Love and mercy found me;
There the Bright and Morning Star Shed His beams around me. [Refrain]
3 Near the cross! O lamb of God, Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day With its shadow o'er me. [Refrain]
4 Near the cross! I'll watch and wait, Hoping, trusting ever;
Till I reach the golden strand, Just beyond the river. [Refrain]
Like all music, hymns have a way of evoking memories. For me, Fanny Crosby’s hymn “Near the Cross” takes me back to my first call as a pastor, which I served at two small Lutheran congregations in northwestern Minnesota, one in the town itself and one six miles north of the town. I was 26 years old and fresh out of seminary when I began. The harsh and cold winters in this part of my home state created an initial shock even for me; my hometown was five hours south of the community I called home for those four years, and those five hours make a big difference in terms of climate.
Those initial four years of my pastoral work were filled with all sorts of challenges and learning. One month to the day of my first Sunday began what seemed to be an endless string of funerals and memorial services. I came to call myself “Burying Sam,” a play on the nickname “Marrying Sam,” who is a character in the twentieth century Lil’ Abner newspaper comic strip. In my first year alone, I conducted 17 funerals. By the time I finished, the tally was 42. They were a mix of people, women and men, some older and some younger, but thankfully no young children or teenagers. I walked with many people through the process of dying and provided whatever Christian comfort I could for their family members and friends.
Conducting funerals at my congregation in town became a familiar ritual. As I would wait outside the sanctuary to enter and begin the funeral rite, the organist would play a series of hymns as a prelude. Without fail, one of those hymns was “Near the Cross.” Many things would go through my head as I listened to that reedy organ play the tune by William H. Doane. Did I attend to all the necessary details of the service beforehand? Would my sermon be both faithful and good enough to provide comfort and hope to a grieving family? Mixed in with all these questions were many prayers that God would help and guide me.
Fanny Crosby has been one of the most influential figures in American Christianity, and her influence came primarily through her many hymns. It is said that she wrote over 8,000 hymns, among which are “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” “Blessed Assurance,” and “To God Be the Glory.” She wrote so many hymns, in fact, that many of them were published under pseudonyms; some people were concerned about including too many hymns by the same author in a single hymnal.
Throughout the nineteenth century, Crosby became a household name. Her many hymns were used in the urban revival movement of the mid to later part of the century, and people such as Ira Sankey sang many of her hymns during Dwight Moody’s preaching tours. Throughout her life, Crosby’s church involvement was diverse. Though she was a Baptist for much of her life, she also attended and participated in congregations of various types: Methodist, Episcopalian, Dutch Reformed, and perhaps others. Accordingly, her hymns are well known around the entire Christian world. Many of her hymns have been long forgotten, which is only understandable. Not every hymn withstands the test of time. But some of them have endured and for good reason. Among them, “Near the Cross” is a special gem.
It is common to hear in parts of the Protestant world that Christians should not focus on the cross of Jesus or use crucifixes (crosses with Jesus still on it). Jesus is alive, after all! His resurrection is what matters! But that is a false dichotomy. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is of course important. But it also makes no sense if it is detached from what came before: his cruel and bitter death for us and for our salvation. Instead of pitting the cross and resurrection against each other, as though one is bad and one is good, Christian faith looks to Jesus’ death and resurrection as both a part of the good news. The resurrection gives us the hope of our own resurrection life, but it also proclaims to the world that Jesus’ death was not a tragic and hopeless end. His death becomes our life, which is given to us and which we grasp by faith. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul himself proclaimed Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:23) and continued to boast in the cross of Christ as the source of his righteousness before God (Gal. 6:14).
Preaching at funerals can be tricky. On the one hand, it is important to acknowledge the life of the person who has died and to make the service personal. But the purpose of a Christian funeral is not to exalt the person who has died. It is to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, of the deceased person, and those who have gathered at the funeral. Through his death and resurrection, he has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. As I preached at those many funerals as a young pastor, I came to see that my preaching was successful if I proclaimed that good news of Jesus’ cross and encouraged those gathered to remain near that cross in faith and to be found by the love and mercy of God.
You can access here a video of male/female duet of this hymn at this link: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=near+the+cross+hymn&iax=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwngJSdbjg5Q&ia=videos
Author: Fanny Crosby, 1820-1915
Relevant Scripture verse: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” – Galatians 6:14 ESV
1 Jesus, keep me near the cross, There a precious fountain;
Free to all, a healing stream, Flows from Calv'ry's mountain.
Refrain:
In the cross, in the cross Be my glory ever,
Till my ransomed soul shall find Rest beyond the river.
2 Near the cross, a trembling soul, Love and mercy found me;
There the Bright and Morning Star Shed His beams around me. [Refrain]
3 Near the cross! O lamb of God, Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day With its shadow o'er me. [Refrain]
4 Near the cross! I'll watch and wait, Hoping, trusting ever;
Till I reach the golden strand, Just beyond the river. [Refrain]
Like all music, hymns have a way of evoking memories. For me, Fanny Crosby’s hymn “Near the Cross” takes me back to my first call as a pastor, which I served at two small Lutheran congregations in northwestern Minnesota, one in the town itself and one six miles north of the town. I was 26 years old and fresh out of seminary when I began. The harsh and cold winters in this part of my home state created an initial shock even for me; my hometown was five hours south of the community I called home for those four years, and those five hours make a big difference in terms of climate.
Those initial four years of my pastoral work were filled with all sorts of challenges and learning. One month to the day of my first Sunday began what seemed to be an endless string of funerals and memorial services. I came to call myself “Burying Sam,” a play on the nickname “Marrying Sam,” who is a character in the twentieth century Lil’ Abner newspaper comic strip. In my first year alone, I conducted 17 funerals. By the time I finished, the tally was 42. They were a mix of people, women and men, some older and some younger, but thankfully no young children or teenagers. I walked with many people through the process of dying and provided whatever Christian comfort I could for their family members and friends.
Conducting funerals at my congregation in town became a familiar ritual. As I would wait outside the sanctuary to enter and begin the funeral rite, the organist would play a series of hymns as a prelude. Without fail, one of those hymns was “Near the Cross.” Many things would go through my head as I listened to that reedy organ play the tune by William H. Doane. Did I attend to all the necessary details of the service beforehand? Would my sermon be both faithful and good enough to provide comfort and hope to a grieving family? Mixed in with all these questions were many prayers that God would help and guide me.
Fanny Crosby has been one of the most influential figures in American Christianity, and her influence came primarily through her many hymns. It is said that she wrote over 8,000 hymns, among which are “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” “Blessed Assurance,” and “To God Be the Glory.” She wrote so many hymns, in fact, that many of them were published under pseudonyms; some people were concerned about including too many hymns by the same author in a single hymnal.
Throughout the nineteenth century, Crosby became a household name. Her many hymns were used in the urban revival movement of the mid to later part of the century, and people such as Ira Sankey sang many of her hymns during Dwight Moody’s preaching tours. Throughout her life, Crosby’s church involvement was diverse. Though she was a Baptist for much of her life, she also attended and participated in congregations of various types: Methodist, Episcopalian, Dutch Reformed, and perhaps others. Accordingly, her hymns are well known around the entire Christian world. Many of her hymns have been long forgotten, which is only understandable. Not every hymn withstands the test of time. But some of them have endured and for good reason. Among them, “Near the Cross” is a special gem.
It is common to hear in parts of the Protestant world that Christians should not focus on the cross of Jesus or use crucifixes (crosses with Jesus still on it). Jesus is alive, after all! His resurrection is what matters! But that is a false dichotomy. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is of course important. But it also makes no sense if it is detached from what came before: his cruel and bitter death for us and for our salvation. Instead of pitting the cross and resurrection against each other, as though one is bad and one is good, Christian faith looks to Jesus’ death and resurrection as both a part of the good news. The resurrection gives us the hope of our own resurrection life, but it also proclaims to the world that Jesus’ death was not a tragic and hopeless end. His death becomes our life, which is given to us and which we grasp by faith. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul himself proclaimed Christ crucified (1 Cor. 1:23) and continued to boast in the cross of Christ as the source of his righteousness before God (Gal. 6:14).
Preaching at funerals can be tricky. On the one hand, it is important to acknowledge the life of the person who has died and to make the service personal. But the purpose of a Christian funeral is not to exalt the person who has died. It is to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, of the deceased person, and those who have gathered at the funeral. Through his death and resurrection, he has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves. As I preached at those many funerals as a young pastor, I came to see that my preaching was successful if I proclaimed that good news of Jesus’ cross and encouraged those gathered to remain near that cross in faith and to be found by the love and mercy of God.
You can access here a video of male/female duet of this hymn at this link: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=near+the+cross+hymn&iax=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DwngJSdbjg5Q&ia=videos