z
Skip Navigation

Back

Rock Of Ages

October 22, 2020
By Paul Emmel
Coventry Rocks at Encampment Forest Association, North Shore, Lake Superior, Minnesota
"Coventry Rocks" at Encampment Forest Association, North Shore, Lake Superior, Minnesota

 

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure:
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.
 
Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfill thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save and thou alone.
 
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee.
 
+  +   +
 

Notes on the hymn: The Rev. Augustus Toplady wrote one of the most popular Christian hymns ever in 1763. It is said that Pastor Toplady was inspired by an incident in the gorge of Barrington Combe in England. When travelling along the gorge, he was caught in a sudden storm. Finding shelter in a gap in the gorge, he was struck by the title and scribbled down the initial lyrics.

Barrington Combe, Mendip Hills, England

 

Notes on my photograph: While recently exploring the Coventry Rocks along the rugged shoreline of Lake Superior, I was struck by the blood red flowers and grey lichen growing in the fissures on the massive outcropping of ancient basalt rocks. In its clefts, tiny flowers flourished despite the lashing of powerful waves.

Toplady's entire hymn, of course, is a metaphor of our Lord's crucifixion when his side was cleft by a Roman spear and water and blood came forth.  Therein was the  cure of sin and the cleansing from its guilt and power. The second stanza expresses our total inability to save ourselves by our own efforts. The final stanza, a favorite at funerals, declares our longing for complete salvation on The Last Day.

As a boy at First Lutheran Church, Green Bay, "Rock of Ages" was my favorite hymn. The beautiful tune by Thomas Hastings (1784-1872) added to its poignant lyrics. Both my parents chose it as their funeral hymn in 1998 and 2001.

Paul Emmel
The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
October 18, 2020

 
 

Paul EmmelPaul Emmel is a retired pastor in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, having served as a parish pastor, a correctional chaplain for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, and a hospital chaplain and a community counselor. As a retired pastor, Paul continues to serve the Lord and His people, including establishing the Minnesota South District’s “Pastors to Prisoners” ministry.