Back in the 1980’s I first heard the moving hymn by William P. Merrill (1867–1954), “Rise Up O Man of God.” Years later, when I lived in Prague, I sang it in an Anglican church that I attended. The lyrics, I believe, are quite provocative and relevant today:

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
to serve the King of kings.

Rise up, O men of God!
The kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
and end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait,
her strength unequal to her task;
rise up, and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ!
Tread where his feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
rise up, O men of God!

I am particularly interested in the first stanza, which alludes to Mark 12:30. In response to the question, “What is the most important commandment of all?,” Jesus answered: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” He cited the famous Shema from the Old Testament (Deut 6:5).

The Shema teaches that all areas of life, every activity, and every moment are subject to God’s rule. Nothing, no one, no place or time is exempt. There is no secular realm. There are no “God-free zones.” God’s reign is absolute and exclusive, requiring complete loyalty and total devotion. Nothing can be held back or directed to something or someone else. This kind of love for God forbids any form of idolatry. Anything other than devotion to God, therefore, is a “lesser thing.”

Further, the love that God expects originates in the “heart” (our mind), extends to the “soul” (our motivations and desires), and is expressed “with all your strength,” which means resources. This includes all that God provides to us: capability, time, assets, gifts, as well as physical strength and mental competency.

The stanza also declares, “Have done with lesser things.” What qualifies as “lesser things” in this time and place? I suspect that our answers include: my time is organized around sports, family, pleasure, and work (in other words, myself); my money is spent on consumer items, lifestyle, and social status; my mind is focused on Facebook and other forms of chatter; my passions are often directed to dubious pleasures; I pay too much attention to whatever popular media tells me; and I allow other narratives to define my identity other than the story of God.

Let us consider, therefore, these questions:

How could we “rise up” today within our churche and culture?

What would it mean for us to give God all our “heart and mind and soul and strength” and to make his church “great”?

Rise up, O men and women of God!

 

Listen to a modern remake of the hymn by Phil Keagy.

Listen to a classic version with full chorus and pipe organ.