On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry (v. 3-5)

By Charles Coffin (1676-1749)

We hail Thee as our Savior, Lord,                                            hail - greet

Our refuge and our great reward;

Without Thy grace we waste away

Like flow’rs that wither and decay.

Lay on the sick Thy healing hand

And make the fallen strong to stand;

Show us the glory of Thy face

‘Till beauty springs in ev’ry place.

All praise, eternal Son, to Thee

Whose advent sets Thy people free,

Whom with the Father we adore

And Holy Spirit evermore.

               On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry begins with the proclamation that, “the Lord is nigh!” God is near! The first response to that news is to repent! Every life must be cleansed of sin. Every heart must be prepared. These are acts of faith in the One who comes.

               To welcome Jesus, however, is more than ethically changing our lives. He is not like Santa Claus, whose main concern is whether or not we have been naughty. Jesus knows that we have sinned. Even when we are nice we doomed to die because we are sinners. As Isaiah says, “The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass.  The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isa. 40:7-8 ESV) Because of that doom, Jesus came to be our refuge – our place of protection from sin and death. He came as our great reward – a reward we do not deserve, but which is the gift of God’s grace. This reward means healing, new life, and a new beginning for all things. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor. 5:17 ESV)

               This salvation leads us to praise. The last verse of the hymn is a doxology – a word of praise – for God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But notice that the praise begins with the Son, whose advent (appearing) sets us free. This might seem like a strange statement because we normally point to Jesus’ death and resurrection as the moment of our salvation, but for God to begin something is the same as for Him to finish it. From the moment of Jesus’ conception, our salvation was secure in Him.

 

Prayer

               We praise You, Lord Jesus, for You have saved us from sin and death. Be our refuge and keep us safe until we receive the eternal reward You have promised us in the resurrection. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit that we may walk by faith in this world, until that glorious day You make all things new and bring us to the Father. Amen.