monday's call to worship

Never Further than Thy Cross (Rev 4:10)
Elizabeth R Charles, 1860
It was interesting to me to read that Elizabeth was buried in Hamp­stead, Church Row, Lon­don, Eng­land. We actually were blessed to prayer walk Church Row Street in Hampstead -- I wonder if that's the same area? We obviously did not see Elizabeth's grave, but we did get see many other hallowed places were saints-of-old walked, ministered, and died (often for their faith in Christ)!

I am praying even right now that the words of this hymn and God's Truth would give life to those walking in darkness on Church Row, in Hampstead, and in greater London.

Never further than Thy cross,
Never higher than Thy feet;
Here earth’s precious things seem dross,
Here earth’s bitter things grow sweet.

Gazing thus our sin we see,
Learn Thy love while gazing thus,
Sin, which laid the cross on Thee,
Love, which bore the cross for us.

Here we learn to serve and give,
And, rejoicing, self deny;
Here we gather love to live,
Here we gather faith to die.

Pressing onward as we can,
Still to this our hearts must tend;
Where our earliest hopes began,
There our last aspirings end.

Till amid the hosts of light,
We in Thee redeemed, complete,
Through Thy cross made pure and white,
Cast our crowns before Thy feet.

Rev 4:

8And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!"

9And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."