I Will Sing of My Redeemer

Philip Bliss took the stage and sat down at the piano.  It was the last song of the program.  There was pin drop silence as Philip set his music in place.  He looked over the crowd.  He thought back to how nervous he was to be singing here at the Michigan State Prison in front of 800 prisoners.  Many of the inmates now had bowed heads and clasped hands.  With his powerful voice, he sang the hymn he had composed called ‘Eternity’.  It would be the last song he would ever sing in a public revival meeting.

 After the service at the prison, he headed back by train to his family in Rome, Pennsylvania where he spent Christmas.  On December 29, 1876 Philip and his wife Lucy said goodbye to their two young children and left for Chicago where they would be helping D.L. Moody with his ministry.  Philip provided the music for Moody’s meetings and wrote and composed many of the hymns for those meetings.

At the train station, he wired a message ahead.  It said “Tickets for Chicago, via Buffalo and Lake Shore Railroad.  Baggage checked through.  Shall be in Chicago Friday night.  God bless you all forever.”

By the time the train rolled into Buffalo, a fierce blizzard was raging.  The Pacific Express was refueled and more passengers came aboard.  The train pulled out of the station on its way to Chicago.  Philip checked his watch – it was going to take a while to get to Chicago in this weather.  The steam engines struggled through the high drifts and gale-force winds.  

By the time the train had reached the village of Ashtabula, the train was only moving at ten miles per hour.  The two engines struggled to pull the eleven cars as the 160 foot single span Ashtabula bridge approached.  As the Pacific Express made its way over the bridge, loud cracking sounds could be heard.  The first engine made it across the bridge but was pulled to a sudden stop as the entire bridge collapsed.  

The train plunged down 70 feet onto the frozen river below.  The engines burst into flames which quickly spread to the cars.  Survivors battled getting out of the twisted wreckage and the tall flames.  To make matters worse, the ice started to crack and swallow the wreckage.

Philip Bliss and Lucy were dozing off when they were suddenly jarred awake by the loud cracking sound of the collapsing bridge.  Philip slipped his hand into Lucy’s and looked out the window.  Suddenly the entire carriage seemed to lurch backwards and seemed to be falling.  Everything went black for Philip.

Philip came to and struggled to get out of his berth.  He could hear moans of pain.  What had just happened?  The carriage was quickly filling with smoke and flames – he knew he had to get out.  He looked around desperately for Lucy but she was nowhere to be seen.  The smoke was starting to get thicker and Philip knew he was running out of time.  He scrambled through an opening and was hit by pelting snow and biting wind.  He looked around desperately for Lucy, but couldn’t find her or hardly anyone for that matter.  There seemed to be only a few people who made it out of the train.

  

Without thinking, Philip took a deep breath and headed back into the mangled railway carriage.  He called out for Lucy but there was no answer.  As Philip crawled through the wreckage looking for his wife, he could feel his air running out.  He headed back to the approximate spot where he was sitting and found Lucy unconscious and pinned under a seat.  Philip couldn’t get her loose.  As the flames and smoke advanced towards them, Philip stayed by her side until the end.

 Out of the 160 Pacific Express passengers, only 14 survived the Ashtabula bridge disaster.  

Philip’s trunk was recovered and inside was found a couple of unfinished hymns.  The last one that Philip had been working on left off with “I know not what awaits me.  God kindly veils my eyes...”  There was also a hymn that was finished but not published – titled My Redeemer.  We sometimes title this hymn “I Will Sing of My Redeemer”. 

I will sing of my Redeemer,
And His heav’nly love to me;
He from death to life hath brought me,
Son of God with Him to be.

Sing, oh, sing, of my Redeemer,
With His blood, He purchased me;
On the cross, He sealed my pardon,
Paid the debt, and made me free.

An Easter Story

Barabbas shared the dark, musty cell with two other criminals. This was the end for all three – this was death row. They were to be brought out of the city that evening – to the place of the skull – and crucified. Barabbas felt his stomach lurch at the thought. His arms and legs were both chained to the wall so that Barabbas would not be able to end his life prematurely. Barabbas looked at the other two criminals. Their heads were hanging down, and they looked miserable and broken. Barabbas didn’t feel sorry for them though – they were thieves who stole from the Romans and from the Jews for their own gain.

Barabbas thought back to his own crimes. He had been the leader of a pack of rebels. They had only one goal and that was to get rid of the Romans. They did anything to achieve that goal – even if that meant stealing from their own countrymen, or murdering them. Barabbas had done some horrible things, he knew, but it was all for the cause. Many had accused Barabbas of only looking out for himself and his band of men. A lot of Jews were scared of Barabbas because he took what he wanted. The Jewish leadership didn’t like Barabbas either and Barabbas despised them in return. Barabbas spit on the floor as he thought about those power hungry Pharisees. In his mind, the Pharisees were no different than the Romans.

His crimes had finally caught up with him. He had caused too much trouble and the Romans, with the help of the Jewish leadership, moved in to crush him and his band of men. One night, his location had been betrayed. He wasn’t surprised – the Jews didn’t like it when he hid out in one their villages. The Romans moved in with overwhelming force. There was a desperate fight and many of his men fought to the death. Barabbas was taken, and dragged to Jerusalem in chains. There was a quick trial, and an even quicker sentencing by Pontius Pilate. Crucifixion.

Barabbas’s thoughts were disturbed by a commotion outside the prison walls. Barabbas could hear that a lot of people were gathering by Pilate’s portico. Were they here to watch the procession to Golgotha and the crucifixion? Was everyone turning on him? Didn’t they realize that he was trying to help them?

“What is happening?” one of the thieves said.

Barabbas strained to hear what was going on. Then he heard his name being chanted.

“Barabbas! Barabbas!”

Why were they chanting his name? What did they want?

The chanting died down but soon began again. This time the crowd was shouting something different.

“Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Barabbas began to sweat as his stomach heaved at the sounds of the blood thirsty crowd and the thought of going to Golgotha.

At the far end of the hallway, a heavy gate groaned open, and marching was heard coming towards the cell.

“They’re coming for us!” cried the one prisoner. He frantically pulled at his chains.

The footsteps of the Roman soldiers came closer. There was no doubt that they were coming for Barabbas and the other two prisoners.

“Open that door!” exclaimed one of the soldiers. A key sounded in the lock, and the door was pulled open. Light from a torch flooded into the room revealing the three desperate criminals.

“Stand up, Barabbas. The gods have smiled upon you!” One of the soldiers said gruffly.

“Take off his chains!” commanded the captain of the guard.

One of the guards moved quickly to loosen Barabbas’s chains. The chains fell to the floor.

Barabbas couldn’t understand what was happening.

“Where are you taking me?” Barabbas said as they led him out of the cell.

“You are free Barabbas.” said the captain.

“But I heard the crowds chanting ‘Crucify him!’ Why would I be free?”

“Someone has taken your place – they didn’t want you to be crucified – they wanted that man Jesus.”

Barabbas and the soldiers made their way out of the prison to Pilate’s portico overlooking the crowd. The sunlight blinded Barabbas who had spent a couple of weeks in a black cell. When his eyes adjusted, he saw a man to his right. He was badly beaten, and large thorns had been twisted on his head. In front of him was Pontius Pilate who appeared to be washing his hands in front of the crowd. The guards released Barabbas and lifted Jesus to his feet.

Barabbas stared at Jesus. What had this man done? Barabbas had heard about Jesus and the miracles he had done, but did not understand why Jesus did not speak out against the Romans.

Then Jesus looked at Barabbas. Barabbas felt as if Jesus was looking into his very soul – such piercing eyes. Barabbas’s cellmates were brought out and each had a large wooden beam put on their backs. Jesus was unable to carry the large beam, so a man was pulled out of the crowd. The prisoners and the crowd left the portico and headed for the city gates.

Barabbas still did not understand what was happening but felt compelled to follow.
Finally the crowd and the prisoners made their way to Golgotha. Barabbas looked away as the nails were driven through the palms of the three men. Barabbas seethed inside as he watched a Roman soldier put a sign on top of Jesus’ cross that read “King of the Jews”.

“What had this man done to deserve this?” Barabbas thought. As the crosses were raised into place, another thought entered Barabbas’s mind. “I should be up there hanging on that cross – not him. I am the murderer and thief, and I’ve broken every commandment and law.

Barabbas moved closer to the cross just in time to hear Jesus say “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

“Forgive them?” Barabbas was ruled by hate and couldn’t comprehend how this innocent man could show love to his enemies.

The hours passed, and the crowd became silent. The mocking had all but stopped as the crowd strained to hear what Jesus would say.

One of the thieves turned his head to Jesus. “Jesus,” he said in a halting voice “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Barabbas looked at Jesus and heard him say “today you will be with me in paradise.”
More time passed, and the sky became as black as ink. The quiet and stillness of the crowd was broken by a loud cry from Jesus. Then the earth began to shake, and thunder and lightning erupted. Some of the people in the crowd fell down to their knees and cried to Jesus.

Barabbas saw the Captain of the guard who had released him approaching. He turned to Barabbas. “This man,” he said pointing to Jesus “was innocent. Truly, he was the son of God.”

Barabbas left Golgotha deeply moved by all that had happened. “I am alive,” he thought, “Because he took my place. He cleared my debt. He took my spot on that horrible cross. This morning, I was chained to a wall in a dark cell sentenced to die on the cross. Now, thanks to Jesus, I am free.”

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Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
- Charles Wesley