I Thank Thee, Lord

I have just been given a collection of my late father's writings which include poetry, sermon outlines, Bible study notes and many other items, some of which were used in his preaching, teaching and pastoral ministry, others of which were written expressions of his personal reflections and thoughts.

I have been given complete freedom by my mother to use this material in the way God leads me by His Holy Spirit and am seeking the best way forward in what may be quite an absorbing adventure in my walk with the Lord.

My father, known as Allan Retallick or R.E.A. Retallick may have been known to some of you who read this article. I would love to hear from you if you want to share any memories or accounts of your meetings with him or experiences of his ministry. To me he was not only a wonderful father seeking to live a Christ-like life serving his Heavenly Father, having first preached at the age of 17, (I waited until I was 22), but a polymath, good at history, painting, composing and playing music (self-taught), writing poetry and fluent in a host of European languages, being able to preach in Dutch and French as well as his native English (of course). In the Netherlands many thought he was Dutch, but it was my mother who came from there, she was born near the banks of the Rhine not far from Leiden, in what was a village, but is now a large town called Alphen aan de Rijn.

When my father went to be with the Lord in June, 2002, we had a tomb stone put over the grave with an abridged version of his favourite text, in the King James Version, his favourite and mostly used Bible translation: "The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me." ~ Galatians 3:20.

My father was my spiritual mentor with whom I often led church services before he preached, or I would provide the musical accompaniment on organ and perhaps sing a solo accompanying myself on the guitar. I can remember occasions when I was younger, on which he would play the organ, lead the service and preach as well!

I mentioned the King James Version earlier partly because you will see from the following poem he wrote that it permeated his style of writing and he was most particular to ensure that the scanning of lines, accented words and poetic metre were correct. To him I owe elements of perfectionism in my character, but they don't extend to poetic details like iambic pentameters or trochaic whatevers!

In a few recent videos I spoke a little about worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth, and one very important ingredient of this is thanksgiving to God, for all that He has done in creation and redemption and his tender care for our ongoing daily needs in His world. He has placed us here as witnesses to His love and grace and to reach out to hurting people with the Good News that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!

I Thank Thee, Lord.

I thank Thee, Lord, for all that Thou hast given,

For every token of Thy changeless love,

For earthly joys, ambassadors of heaven,

To teach the greater worth of things above;

For all the lavish bounty of the sun,

For dawn, for day, for floods of golden light,

For evening shadows and for duty done,

For healing rest, for soft caress of night;

For treasures yet in undiscovered mines,

For riches to be found in flower and tree,

For shafts of sunlight 'twixt the scented pines,

For cloud shades floating on a summer sea;

For crimson apples at a cottage gate,

For harvest glory, with its wealth untold,

Its nodding ears so full they scarce can wait

The coming of the blade that claims their gold;

For woodland glade, whose ever-changing hues

To man a parable must always be,

Its peace, for all who have a heart to muse,

Its beauty, there for all with eyes to see;

For vale and hill, for river broad and clear,

For drowsing cattle on its grassy brink,

For little things, from bank and hedgerow near,

That, shy, yet unmolested, come to drink;

For autumn colours in the sunset's gleam,

For lovely things aloof from haunts of men,

The purple heather by an upland stream,

A curlew's call across a misty fen;

For flowers that bud, and bloom, and bud again,

For shells, immaculate, on cavern's floor,

For sweet refreshment of the summer rain,

For waves that break upon a rocky shore;

For earth and sea and sky, for breath of morn,

For songs of birds, for lark upon the wing,

Sun, moon, and stars, and blessings yet unborn,

For life and love and home--for everything.

And yet for mercies on a higher plane

I fain would bring my thanks, O Lord, to Thee,

For all the sorrows and the bitter pain

That Thou didst bear so willingly for me;

The cross, the grave, that moment when for me

Thy dying vanquished all the hordes of sin,

For gates flung wide, for welcome back for Thee,

For shout of joy when Thou didst enter in;

For all the good Thy work has wrought for me,

For everlasting life, the gift of heaven,

For reconciliation made by Thee,

For peace with God and trespasses forgiven;

For all Thine understanding of my needs,

For Thy dear presence as I tread life's road,

For all the gracious words and tender deeds

That help me upward to the throne of God;

For faith that leaps all barriers in a breath,

And grasps the Power that guides the farthest star,

For hope that looks beyond the vale of death,

And sees the glory in the land afar;

For that triumphant moment when these eyes

Shall see Thee come to meet me on the way,

When loved ones, watching for me in the skies,

Shall greet me at the dawning of the day;

For long, eternal ages in the light,

Where Thou alone for ever art adored,

For voice to sing, for heart to praise aright,

For everything I owe--I THANK THEE, LORD!

Worship Songs Piano recital from Erik Retallick on Vimeo.