Gwydion Lewis, Bala

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

Needless to say, choosing a favourite portion of scripture is very hard. Different verses have been such a help at different times in my spiritual life. But, I am particularly fond of Hebrews 11 and the first 3 verses of Hebrews 12.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

I have been blessed in studying this portion and in preaching it. I trained as a Physical Education teacher, so the picture of the athlete running a race naturally appeals to me. I enjoy looking at this gallery of men and women of faith – this cloud of witnesses. As well as these Biblical characters referred to in Hebrews 11, I can think of other mature Christians that I also look up to and who encourage me to continue to run the race set before me. Their wealth of experience, their love for their Saviour is like the crowd in a stadium, encouraging me to keep going. I am challenged by the practical application of these verses also – the need to throw off those things that hinder us. We can often neglect the practical side of the Christian life! And, of course, more importantly than all of this is the encouragement to look to Christ himself – the one who ran the race perfectly. We can never gaze enough at him.

Which song would you take to the island?

Choosing a favourite hymn is another difficult task, especially as someone who was brought up to worship in the Welsh language – all my favourite hymns are Welsh! My favourite, perhaps is Y Bugail Mwyn by David Charles, (Thomas Charles of Bala’s younger brother, and author of Rhagluniaeth Fawr y Nef, Great Providence of Heaven)

Y Bugail mwyn, o'r nef a ddaeth i lawr,

I geisio'i braidd trwy'r erchyll anial mawr;

Ei fywyd roes yn aberth yn eu lle,

A'u crwydrad hwy ddialwyd arno 'Fe.

O'm crwydrad o baradwys daeth i'm hôl,

Yn dirion iawn fe'm dygodd yn ei gôl;

'Does neb a ŵyr ond ef,y Bugail mawr,

Pa faint fy nghrwydro o hynny hyd yn awr.

Â'i hyfryd lais fe'm harwain yn y blaen;

Cydymaith ydyw yn y dŵr a'r tân;

Rhag pob rhyw ddrwg, yn nyffryn angeu du,

Pwy arall fydd yn nodded i myfi?

Pan âf i dref, i'r hyfryd gorlan fry,

Ni chrwydraf mwy oddi wrth fy Mugail cu;

Wrth gofio'r daith, a'i holl ffyddlondeb Ef,

Mi seinia'i glôd i entrych nef y nef.

Roughly translated (although not as poetic), it reads:

The gentle Shepherd, from heav'n has come to earth,

To seek his flock through barren, ugly pains;

He gave his life, an offering in their place,

Their foolish wand'ring was avenged on him.

How great my wandering, yet he brought me back,

So tenderly he drew me to his side;

Still no one knows but he, the Shepherd dear,

How oft I've wandered on life's journey.

With his sweet voice he leads me safely on;

A friend is he in water and in fire;

From every evil, in death's darkest vale,

Who else will be a refuge to myself?

When safely home, in the eternal fold,

I'll cling to him, my ever faithful friend;

I'll marvel at his faithfulness and care,

I'll live to sing his praise forevermore.

I love this hymn because it is a wonderful balance of focusing on Christ, our Shepherd, but also on the experiences of a Christian. It captures the spiritual life in an honest and warm way. There is a spiritual progression in the hymn, and finishes on the great hope we have of being home with our great God. It provides firm theology and warms the heart, as a good hymn should do.

If I had to choose an English hymn it would be Immortal Honours by William Gadsby:

Immortal honours rest on Jesus’ head;
My God, my portion, and my living bread;
In Him I live, upon Him cast my care;
He saves from death, destruction, and despair.

He is my refuge in each deep distress;
The Lord my strength and glorious righteousness;
Through floods and flames He leads me safely on,
And daily makes His sovereign goodness known.

My every need He richly will supply;
Nor will His mercy ever let me die;
In Him there dwells a treasure all divine,
And matchless grace has made that treasure mine.

O that my soul could love and praise Him more,
His beauties trace, His majesty adore;
Live near His heart, upon His bosom lean;

Obey his voice and all his will esteem.

I love singing any hymn that helps us to truly worship Christ. This hymn gives us so many reasons to worship and to love him. I often find myself echoing those words, ‘O that my soul could love and praise Him more’. I love the fact that the hymn finishes with the nitty gritty of how we express our love for God – obedience! Like those verses from Hebrews 12 – the practical application is so important.

Who would you like to find on the island for company?

For his wisdom, I would like to find the Apostle Paul there. I would have plenty of questions to ask him – the time would fly!

For his practical skills I would like to find Joseph (father of Jesus) there. We don’t get to know much about him in Scripture, but what we do know leads me to think highly of him. I love his humility and gentleness. I like to dabble in woodwork, I would like to serve an apprenticeship under Joseph to find out what type of joints and construction Joseph used. His practical skills would be very handy on a desert island.

I would like to find there Eric Liddell. He won a gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics in the 400m race (having refused to take part in his usual event, 100m, because the race was run on a Sunday). I used to teach running and was interested in analysing running techniques. I would enjoy such conversations with Eric Liddell since his running technique was quite unique. But also I admire him for his brave stand on keeping Sunday as the Lord’s Day – something that I feel is very much under threat these days for Christians.