An old new story
I heard an old, old story; how a saviour came from glory,
he shed his blood on Calvary to save a wretch like me.
I heard about his groaning, & his precious blood’s atoning,
& I repented of my sin°, and won the victory!
I heard an old, old narr-a-tive how a small child come from God to give..
and as he grew (& showed us) UP, he put his hands out too,
(not to collect loose coins, but) to give a hand to those who’d live.
He drew my loyalty right out, and gave me some - to do!
Oh victory in Jesus, my saviour for ever.
He sought me, & bought me with his redeeming blood!
He loved me ere I knew him, & all my love is due him.
He plunged me to the victory beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard an old, old story ‘bout a victor come to glory:
he gave his life, to God, and then to all humanity!
I heard about his waking, & the peaceful rest, he taking
from God’s own hand, you understand, he could pass on to me!
I heard about his healing, of his cleansing power revealing,
how he made the lame to walk again, and he caused the blind to see,
And then I cried: “Dear Jesus, come & heal my broken spirit.”
and somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory.
Oh victory in Jesus, my saviour for ever.
He sought me, & bought me with his redeeming blood!
He loved me ere I knew him, & all my love is due him.
He plunged me to the victory beneath the cleansing flood.
I heard a brand new story ‘bout a victory with glory
from above, the pow'r of love brings a new world into view.
He got his “crown” and “royal robe”, his “stallion colt” (a donkey) rode..
he “cleaned his house up”, and then strode
his “throne” to go up to..
And like a mother giving birth, it’s only after-ward there’s mirth;
and he wood-labour-er, builder, would build a new “tree-home”+.
A tree of life that conquers death, full-fills ol’ life with ev’ry breath,
and brings the victory as saith God’s prophets as they’d roam*.
Oh victory in Jesus, my saviour for ever.
He sought me, & bought me with his redeeming blood!
He loved me ere I knew him, & all my love is due him.
He plunged me to the victory beneath the cleansing flood.
Bibliography & Footnotes
For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, 4for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. 5Who is it who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:3-5 NRSVUE)
~ "story" as part of an announcement/ story duo, as love & faithfulness go together.. this gospel announcement of a Ruler’s news to all the nations (that is firstly told, by being announced and then to those brought in it is storied so as to be "seen" in the mind's eye, and lived before them in the life of the announcers, before finally the announcement is fulfilled e.g. “He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” (Psalms 98:3 NIVUK)
° “repented of my sin” is a technical term made up of two parts: the verb “repent” which means “overturn” or “go back on” & is often used of unlikely subjects [God, and the capital city (Ninevah) of the completely heathen nation of Assyria]; and “sin” which means simply a “missing of the most desirable outcome” together they have been used in a subcultural context that has often gained a set of nuances that (to those not properly studied or recalling their studies) communicates a very different thing (sometimes at odds with, & occasionally contrary to its intended meaning in its context of origin) akin to “feels bad about having done bad things, and is likely to be weighed down by them”, not quite “victorious over weak and stifling mindsets”. To my present understanding It might better be understood as “give up all my short-sighted agendas”, and it is itself commonly the first part of a duo, the second part of which is something about being “fauthful to God’s rule by his chosen method(s)”, which I might presently express as “give your allegiance to God, and his “unlikely” methods of ruling”.
+ A tree-house, a garden based high-up house, a floating city, the designer/ architect of which is God, the builder of which is the one who said “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise up a new one”, & “I will build my .. eklesia” which his apostles (Ambassadors) equated with a temple/ house/ home built of “living stones”, both individually & corporately (his/ our bodies, & his/ our body).
* Abel (herding sheep, so not so static as Cain with his gardens); Abraham (the “wandering Aramean”); Amos, a tender of sycamore figs from another nation; Auld men & women of God (sometimes quite incapacitated, kept past their prime, or just speaking from a position of weakness, their only authority being reality and the fitment of their words to it) speaking (in)to another era/ age (e.g. Isaac re. his sons & grandsons; Jacob re. his sons & their offspring; Samuel re Saul & David coming into their reigns; Ahijah (1 Kings 14:1-18 NIVUK); Deborah; Huldah)
You Tube link to “Victory in Jesus”, Written by Eugene Monroe Bartlett
