Jonny Raine, Cwmbran

I actually have a secret desire to visit a desert island. In fact, specifically, I’d like to make a trip to the south pacific to visit some of the atolls – ring shaped islands with a lagoon in the centre. I’m not sure I’d like to be isolated from civilisation for all that long though, so a short trip would about do it for me.

Which verses would you take to the island?

…Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine. Ezekiel 47:1-12

If I may make a slight break with the pattern, I’d take a passage rather than a smattering of isolated verses. Since preaching through the book of Ezekiel four years ago, my favourite passage has been Ezekiel 47:1-12.

This passage is wonderfully poetic and rich in imagery. Ezekiel has had a vision of the newly rebuilt temple and he’s looking around. Then he’s shown this trickling stream coming from out of the temple. He walks through it and the river gets deeper and deeper until he cannot stand in its depths. As he looks to the banks of the river which are littered with trees on either side. Fruit trees abound bearing fruit every month and with leaves that heal. And he’s told it flows into the Dead Sea, where it turns the salty water into fresh water and brings it to life, teeming with fish.

It’s so profound in describing how all the richness of life and abundance flows out of Jesus, both now and especially in all that we receive in the new heavens and earth. It’s likely picked up by Jesus when he speaks of living waters flowing out of the believer (John 7:38) and in Revelation 22 when it speaks of the river flowing through the eternal city with the tree of life on either side, bringing fruit each month and with leaves that heal.

I love the picture language in the Ezekiel passage, given those allusions. But I still don’t feel like I’ve plumbed its depths, so I’d like to spend time meditating on it more. It conveys so much of the delights of the gospel and of all we have in Jesus.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

Having broken with tradition, let me just choose one other verse that powerfully struck me thirteen years ago in my own Bible reading times and that has remained with me ever since. God’s love is generously extravagant and poured out upon us to the point that we are called his children. How brilliant is that! And that is what we are!

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

I think one obvious candidate for company would be the recently deceased, Eugene Peterson. I found his book ‘The Pastor’ so helpful, as well as some of his other books, and would love to spend more time chatting things through with him. I’m sure he would have a wealth of wisdom to share. Another person that would be good to have on the island is Johnny Cash, so long as he can bring his guitar. He’d be good to have around for his music and stories.

But perhaps my top choice would be Andreas Bodenstein of Karlstadt. He was around at the same time as Martin Luther and made advances more quickly than Luther did. Some would say he moved too quickly on things (Luther included), but I’m not convinced.

When he was left in charge of the church at Wittenberg, because Luther was in hiding, he made some important changes. For example, he opened up the Lord’s Supper to all believers rather than just the minister and he conducted the service in the common language of the people rather than in Latin. As time went on, he stopped wearing Priests clothing and wore the clothing of peasants, as he had a particular burden to reach them. I’m sure he didn’t get everything right, but he would certainly be an interesting person to talk through and to get a different kind of insight into the reformation than what we’re more familiar with.

Which song would you take to the island?

Well, if I were taking something that wasn’t a Christian song, an all-time favourite album is Nimrod by Greenday. If it had to be one track from that album, then it would predictably be Good Riddance (Time of your Life). More recently I’ve been enjoying listening to Youth Lagoon. And if I had to choose one track from his three albums, it’d probably be 17.

But, being a bit more spiritual, my choice at the moment would be Man of Sorrows, Lamb of God. It expresses so wonderfully the narrative and meaning of the crucifixion in its verses and our joy in the chorus; but the bridge is the high point for me, brilliant biblical truth there!

Man of sorrows Lamb of God
By His own betrayed
The sin of man and wrath of God
Has been on Jesus laid

Silent as He stood accused
Beaten mocked and scorned
Bowing to the Father's will
He took a crown of thorns

Oh that rugged cross
My salvation
Where Your love poured out over me
Now my soul cries out
Hallelujah
Praise and honour unto Thee

Sent of heaven God's own Son
To purchase and redeem
And reconcile the very ones
Who nailed Him to that tree

Now my debt is paid
It is paid in full
By the precious blood
That my Jesus spilled
Now the curse of sin
Has no hold on me
Whom the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed

See the stone is rolled away
Behold the empty tomb
Hallelujah God be praised
He's risen from the grave

Geoff Thomas, London

My Mother and My Debt

My mother, Bess, was one of four children, one of whom had learning difficulties; they lived in a little terrace house in Merthyr Tydfil. Her father worked as a ganger for the railroad and her Uncle Oliver was converted in the 1904 Welsh Revival, for the rest of his life was an evangelist. Uncle Oliver carried a text around the town and he preached in the open air on Saturday nights; He could never resist the opportunity presented to him when he was with a crowd of people to talk to them all about the Lord Jesus Christ. If it were a day trip to the seaside, he would get up, leave his children making sandcastles and talk to the people sitting on the beach; “Isn’t this a lovely day, ladies and gentlemen? And do you know that it was God who made this world and he sent his own dear son, Jesus Christ, to be the Saviour of all who put their trust in him…” If his brother-in-law, a farmer, was hosting a family gathering then the men would go for a walk on the mountain in the afternoon and the women would make the farmhouse supper. It would not be long before Uncle Oliver spoke to the men, “Let us have a word of prayer to thank God for his glory and goodness to us.” And he would take the same evangelistic initiative if he were speaking to one person, for example to my cousin: “Look, Bobi, at this patch of ground, at the flowers and clover and grasses, here and here and here. Let us thank God for his presence with us.” My cousin told me how powerful it was. The Lord used Uncle Oliver powerfully in my mother’s conversion.

On Fridays, Uncle Oliver led some youth meetings; writing songs and teaching them to the twenty children who attended. My mother was a young teenager at the time, during the First World War, and she attended every Friday. It was at some time during those years, that she ‘gave her heart’ to Jesus Christ quite artlessly, and then simply followed him all her life.

My mother was betrayed by the liberals who occupied the pulpit in the Baptist church she attended, but lacked any discernment to pass judgement on them. She simply went to gospel meetings, anniversary services, and conventions and listened intently to the messages. But, in 1929, Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones came to speak in her town and she heard him. When I went to hear him thirty years later, she recalled to me some of the things he had said that she had never forgotten: “See the opposition to the gospel here in the New Testament and the muddles people made of their lives then. It is just the same today. Man does not change, and neither does the gospel.” When I would hear him, he would still be saying the same.

I went with her to the Baptist Chapel, and she gave me an imperial mint to suck after the third hymn. We moved to Hengoed, a church which had its origins in the conversion of a number of people at Mount Pleasant, Maesycwmmer. Their evangelistic earnestness was not there appreciated and they moved across the valley to Hengoed and planted this church. The older members had a stirring testimony and there my mother and I worshipped. One Sunday night in March 1954 I was given assurance as I heard the Word of God that the atonement of Christ covered my guilt and through him God accepted me, and then I was baptised.

My mother always sang the old hymns under her breath, quite unconscious that she was doing so, throughout her life. “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds,” “Jesus the very thought of Thee,” “Crown him with many crowns,” and so on. One day, a close friend, Brian, said to me, “Your mother is remarkable isn’t she?” “Yeah…” I said cautiously, looking for some explanation to his remark. He said, “The way she sings hymns all the time.” I thought, “His mother doesn’t sing hymns!?” I thought every mother sang hymns!

I was my mother’s pastor for the last twenty years of her life. My debt to her is enormous. I long to see her again in heaven. I sometimes think I want to see her more than the Lord Christ; But no, the Lord first and then his bride. I just want to thank her for what she did for me. I never showed her the gratitude that I should have. But she will not know what I am talking about, “When did I help you like that?” she will say, and I will have time to explain.

So, what verses would I find convicting and precious on my desert island?

Her children rise up and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:28

A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Jesus went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. Luke 2:51

Dai Hankey, Cardiff

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

So here I am on a desert island! Not sure how it happened to be honest - one minute I was sat in a coffee shop in Cardiff, then the next minute I’m all alone on an island with nothing to my name but palm trees, a handful of coconuts and a basketball called Wilson. Still it could be worse - I could be stranded on Barry Island!

Joking aside, I’m actually still here in the coffee shop in Cardiff and there are no waves or coconuts in sight. But this is still an intriguing exercise - if I was cast away and cut off from the rest of the world on a deserted island, with only a handful of Bible verses, which ones would I want to help me to navigate the various moments and moods that might ensue? For what it’s worth, here are the ones I’d want to be pulling from the pockets of my faded Bermuda shorts…

I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:25

I would want this verse that has perhaps impacted my life more than any other. Through this verse, I not only hear the voice of God declaring the totality of forgiveness I have received for ALL my sins - past, present and future. But I am also reminded why God has forgiven me - for His sake, not mine! Since he forgives me for His own sake, not mine, then by neither receiving nor revelling in His forgiveness, I am depriving Him the glory and joy of forgiving me. Understanding this one truth has brought me more freedom than my feeble words could ever convey.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

Another scripture I may well be clinging to would be the one that God gave me and my mam when she was first diagnosed with cancer. It is perhaps the ultimate win-win verse for a Christian contemplating life and death. My mam lived for Christ more fully and beautifully than any other human I’ve ever known; and now, having finished her course and left the pain and struggle of this world behind, she is enjoying the glorious gain of eternal paradise in the presence of her Saviour. If I’m gonna die on this island I reckon I’ll want the same verse to give me the same peace.

The heavens declare the glory of God. Psalm 19:1

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. Psalm 103:11

One of the things I’d most appreciate about my new desert island setting would be the lack of invasive synthetic lighting. I’d like to think that, with an absence of street lights and shimmering city illumination, I’d be able to see the stars in all their glorious beauty. And as I star-bathe beneath the Milky Way I’d mediate on verses like these which would remind me that, whatever circumstances I’m currently faced with down here, I have a God above who is both glorious and loving and worthy of my worship.

I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

As an extrovert, I’m pretty sure that loneliness would be one of the biggest challenges that I would face on the island, so I would need to be reminded that I am never truly alone because my God is with me. Therefore I would almost certainly need this promise I’ve clung to and quoted throughout my Christian life.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:19

Perhaps a verse that I would find myself quoting as I scrabbled around the island and generally tried to stay alive would be these gracious words of Jesus to the Apostle Paul to encourage Him in the midst of his agonising struggles.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

I am sure that there will be moments when I’ll be sinking in depression and great despair on the island and I’ll need some seriously chunky Scriptures to keep me afloat. During such times there are not many better options than these verses.

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Galatians 4:7

This would be another little nugget I’d definitely want in my pocket. It has been my favourite verse for many, many years now. It’s a verse that perfectly and succinctly captures my testimony and crystallises the security that I now have in my new identity as a blood-bought child of God and co-heir with Christ. It has also been a great encouragement to me in moments of great temptation and deep shame as it reminds me that I no longer have to live as a slave to sin.

You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:19

This verse I’d like to have as the water laps around my little island on every side. It would both graphically illustrate and help me to celebrate the forgiveness I have in Christ.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephanaiah 3:17

This verse means a lot to me as it blew my mind when I first discovered it and has continued to do so ever since. This verse has shown me that, while God is holy and pure and just and righteously wrathful, He is also a Saviour who graciously draws near, appeases our turbulent hearts with His great love and even sings loudly for joy over us as His precious, redeemed people. On those days when I might not feel like singing to Him, I would be reminded that He is singing over me, and I’d like to think that hearing His song with ears of faith might cause my song to rise again.

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

If I could take one person to the island with me it would have to be the Welsh preaching warrior, Seth Joshua. Seth is from my hometown, Pontypool, and was a bare-knuckled boxer before Jesus grabbed hold of his life and commissioned him to take the gospel to some of the darkest and most dangerous places in Wales. I’d want to hear some of his stories, be inspired by his courageous faith, glean from his wisdom and most of all learn from him how to pray more fervently. I’d also probably ask for some boxing tips too! (Check out Geraint Fielder’s epic book ‘Grace, Grit and Gumption’ to learn more about Seth).

 Which song would you take to the island?

If I only had one song to sing on my island it would have to be my favourite ever hymn, ‘It is well with my soul’ by the wonderfully named Horatio Gates Spafford. I’ve sung this song more than any other and still can’t sing the third verse without tears welling up.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,

It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!

Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

Bernard Lewis, Newport

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Mark 16:15

Saved in my early teens, I had the privilege of seeking God’s help as I worked out what to do in life. One evening having discussed with my parents my future and their expectations I sought God in my devotions. I was shocked that this verse was the focus that evening. I was convinced of God’s will for me to enter full-time Christian service, but was advised by wise older Christians to get the best education I could, so studied for a B.Ed and began teaching along with my wife who I had met while training.

Thus says the Lord. Exodus 4:22

The next phrase, rather than verse, to change our lives was in the question posed in a sermon, “Where are the men who will preach ‘Thus says the Lord?’” The following day I began the process that led me to study for ministry at London Seminary. I am so grateful for those years, because they took the jumble of Bible verses of my faith and gave me an ordered doctrinal conviction that has undergirded my ministry since.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labour is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

I have often found it difficult to ‘return’ to situations which happened between my first and second year at LTS. The Lord particularly helped me at the Beginning of Year Service. The late Wynford Davies preached a powerful message from this verse. My focus was set and I am grateful to say that God has used that verse many times since to encourage me at different times.

For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. 1 Corinthians 16:9

Towards the end of my years at LTS I received an invitation to serve as pastor of Hitherfield Road Baptist Church in London. We were uncertain that this was the right place, because another invitation had come the same week. We prayerfully sought the Lord asking that He would be gracious enough to give us an answer before the end of year service. In our devotions the night before we felt that the Lord wanted us to accept the first invitation as I read 1 Corinthians 16:9.

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; Habakkuk 2:3

As with all ministries there were challenges and at one point feeling my efforts were totally in vain, I began reading Sinclair Ferguson’s ‘Discovering God’s Will’. As part of his argument he cited this verse. I knew I could continue my ministry confident that God would work His purposes out at His time. Two years later the goals that I had at that time were raised by others and accepted as the way forward for the church.

See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10

The assumption that South London was to be my place of ministry until retirement was totally overthrown when my wife and I became conscious of a call to overseas ministry. To do this God used Jeremiah 1:10. God showed me that He still had a concern for the nations and that ministry is wider than the local church. (I did not appreciate the application of the latter lines until a few years later).

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

We fought that call tooth and nail, until the Lord broke me in my devotions reading John 10. Although calling others to discipleship, the Lord showed me that I was not actually prepared to follow Him. That was a painful experience!

What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2

Although we accepted the call we still struggled with its practical demands. I felt totally inadequate to train church leaders, but again with an open Bible the Lord gave the ministry statement as I read, it seemed for the first time, 2 Timothy 2:2. That verse has shaped the whole of my ministry since. The journey has not ended there are countless other verses that scream for attention.

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

Assuming my wife has not died before me, I would like the company of the late Roy Hicks, a mechanic, from Pembrokeshire, and secretary of Cosheston Mission. He and his fellow church members taught me the primacy of prayer and gave a wonderful model to follow. He and his wife practised hospitality (supper on Sunday night) and taught us how to fellowship around the Word after the service ended.

Which song would you take to the island?

‘Tis finished! The Messiah dies,
Cut off for sins, but not His own:
Accomplished is the sacrifice,
The great redeeming work is done.
’Tis finished! all the debt is paid;
Justice divine is satisfied;
The grand and full atonement made;
God for a guilty world hath died.

The veil is rent in Christ alone;
The living way to Heaven is seen;
The middle wall is broken down,
And all mankind may enter in.
The types and figures are fulfilled;
Exacted is the legal pain;
The precious promises are sealed;
The spotless Lamb of God is slain.

The reign of sin and death is o’er,
And all may live from sin set free;
Satan hath lost his mortal power;
’Tis swallowed up in victory.
Saved from the legal curse I am,
My Savior hangs on yonder tree:
See there the meek, expiring Lamb!
’Tis finished! He expires for me.

Accepted in the Well-beloved,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
I see the bar to heaven removed;
And all Thy merits, Lord, are mine.
Death, hell, and sin are now subdued;
All grace is now to sinners given;
And lo, I plead the atoning blood,
And in Thy right I claim Thy Heaven!

Hector Morrison, Inverness

Which verses would you take to the desert island?

Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created Man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-7

The first is one from the context of creation for that is the primary context for humanity presented to us in scripture, just as it will be the final context for the new humanity in the Second and Last Adam, Jesus Christ, in the new heavens and the new earth of the eternally new creation at last.

But I also choose this passage because in it I believe we get one of the earliest intimations of the Fatherhood of God. I think this becomes clear if one compares the phraseology of this passage with the almost identical phraseology applied to the Adam-Seth, father-son relationship in Genesis 5:1, ‘When God created Man, he made him in the likeness of God … When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.’

Before she goes into labour, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such things? Who has ever seen things like this? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labour than she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery?” says the Lord. “Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery?” says your God. “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance. Isaiah 66:7-11

This passage has dominated and shaped my life for much of the past 24 years, in that vv7-8 were the words through which the Lord spoke to my heart about becoming involved in setting up Highland Theological Institute in 1994, which became the Highland Theological College. At a time when a small group of us were being challenged to start a college from scratch within 5 months when we had absolutely no staff, no premises, no resources and no students. It seemed so impossible. We found ourselves saying, ‘Who has heard of such a thing?’ Then the Lord directed me to this verse which I had never taken any notice of before. The result was that a college was born not quite ‘in a day’ but within 5 months. And, perhaps there is a sense in which it was born ‘in a day’ – the day I took God at his word.

Years later, as we went through some of the college’s early struggles, the reassuring words of v9 spoke to my heart again and again. And even now as I write this, vv10-11 have been blessed to my own soul in a fresh way as I wait in faith and expectancy for renewal and revival of God’s cause again in our land – whether in my day or in a coming generation, I wait for it and work and pray towards it.

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

One of Scripture’s truly magnificent verses. This verse reveals to us both the might and the loving tenderness of our great God. These are words that assure us of the Father’s presence with us and power to save us from any and every difficulty, danger, or whatever. But they speak also of the Father’s delight in us his children, even as he expressed that delight in Christ at his baptism, as he set his face towards all that lay ahead climaxing in that other ‘baptism’ which awaited him at his death. This speaks of his tender compassion towards us, like a mother quieting a distressed or tired child until they fall asleep in loving arms. They speak of the Father, singing sweet lullabies over our heads.

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:9-11

Ever since 1975, this has been one of my very favourite passages of Scripture. Then, as a two-year-old Christian (having been born again in 1973), I found myself on mission in France with Operation Mobilisation. During the first week of preparation and training, about 1000 of us from several continents and many countries of the world gathered often in times of worship during which we all sang the same songs but in our own language. For me, that experience was a foretaste of heaven and the new creation with the people of God from every nation, language and cultural group worshipping and serving God and the Lamb in the communion of the Holy Spirit.

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

I have found this to be by far the hardest of these questions. Eventually, I have decided that, if I’m not able to have the company of my wife, Annice, then I would plump for John Knox, one of the great heroes of the Scottish Reformation. Knox has had really bad press in much of the past century or two but I would love to have time to sit and chat with him and find out from the man himself what he learned from Calvin and the other European Reformers; also, somewhat anachronistically, what his views would be on the theology of the Westminster Confession, to discover from the man himself where the Confession’s theology differed from his own (as is often claimed today in certain circles).

Which song would you take to the island?

As a Scottish, Highland Presbyterian you might expect me to choose a Psalm, so I won’t disappoint you. I have a number of favourites, but perhaps for this purpose the metrical version of Psalm 73:25-28 (1650 Scottish Psalter) would be appropriate. This is one sung at our wedding in 1981, it reminded us that even as we committed ourselves to one another for our lives together, there was a greater commitment that we had each made to God years earlier, through Christ, which we wanted to re-affirm at the time of our marriage.

The words seem particularly appropriate for a desert island, where one would certainly long for human company. How much more should we long for the company of the Man from Heaven!

Whom have I in the heavens high

but thee, O Lord, alone?

And in the earth whom I desire

besides thee there is none.

My flesh and heart doth faint and fail,

but God doth fail me never:

For of my heart God is the strength

and portion for ever.

For, lo, they that are far from thee

for ever perish shall;

Them that a whoring from thee go

thou hast destroyed all.

But surely it is good for me

that I draw near to God:

In God I trust, that all thy works

I may declare abroad.

I would certainly wish to have one of the great hymns of the cross which lies at the very core of our faith. I thought first of choosing the hymn, ‘There is a fountain filled with blood,’ not least because of the words ‘redeeming love has been my theme and shall be till I die,’ which must surely be the main theme of every preacher’s ministry?

Eventually I have plumped for the much more recent Getty and Townend hymn, ‘The Power of the cross,’ which captures what, for me, lies at the heart of the message of the cross, the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper and of Christianity as a whole – substitutionary atonement through Christ. This is one of the few songs that has impacted my own soul deeply in recent years. Time and time again, the singing of it has left me broken and in tears, particularly when sung after the preaching of a message in which the cross has been powerfully proclaimed.

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

This, the power of the cross:
Christ became sin for us,
Took the blame, bore the wrath:
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face
Bearing the awesome weight of sin;
Every bitter thought,
Every evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees,
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
'Finished!' the victory cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death,
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

Finally, I would have something with a clear eschatology, a song that may not be familiar to many in the UK, ‘One day we’ll see him face to face’. This song was written by the late Rev Dr Geoffrey Bingham, leader of New Creation Teaching Ministries whom I met in Australia in 1999. It speaks of present experience as we anticipate with longing the fullness that awaits us in the new creation. (The music for this song can be found here.)

One Day we’ll see Him face to face,

And then our hearts will beat as one,

That day we’ll know the glory of His grace,

As we on earth have never known.

Sometimes we are surprised by joy,

Sometimes a bliss unbidden comes,

And in that moment of enriching love

Come intimations of our home.

Our hearts are gladdened in this world,

When grace gives sudden sights of love,

But oh, how richer when our hearts in hope

Reach out to fuller bliss above.

’Tis then the sights of heaven abound,

And flood our tired hearts with pain,

The tears of wonder flow in ecstasy,

And we are fully home again.

The years of sorrow and of strife,

The sin that brought a holy shame,

The guilt our hearts could never wholly hide

Will never visit us again.

Dear Lover, Saviour, Jesus Christ,

Our present life is hid in Thee,

But oh! The wonder when we are unveiled

In glory of our liberty.

Till then we live in present hope,

In patience of the coming sight,

And those who share with You in glory now,

We then will meet with great delight.

Delight and bliss and joy and love,

As now our hearts cannot contain,

Will flood us as we see Him face to face

And we are wholly one again.