Becca's Blog

Some of you will recognize Rebecca Cochran's name from our most recent newsletter. Here's her blog post from the other day. It's worth a good reading of the lyrics at the end.


It has been just over a week since I last posted here. It's been on my "to do list", but very few of the things on that list have been accomplished in the last week. I had an interesting week realizing that when I have less to do, I do less in general, and becoming frustrated with the lack of ambition I have had. Seems that my best friend these days is playing Settlers of Catan online!

Last week was a mix of everything, I realized that I have been slightly withdrawn lately. Burrowing into my life here at home and failing to realize my need to stay connected with some key people in my life. The retreat at Dauphin this weekend was a good chance to come back into the world and reconnect with people. It was a welcome breath of fresh air - although I was pretty tired by the end of the weekend.

I worked at the school this morning, and have been doing a pretty good job of keeping moving since then. I opened up my "to do list" today and found the first item was "find lyrics to "So Send I You". I had heard this hymn when I was at my grandmother's church this summer (which I discovered at that time is a Mennonite church, so maybe I'm more Mennonite than even I knew!).

The hymn reminded me a lot of the ministry of Regina Rescue Mission, and of Ken and Michelle Porter, the founding directors. It also reminded me of the hard, but rewarding year I had serving there... and finally of the call to Missions of every kind and the road that many travel when there.

As I researched the lyrics, this is what I found. I had originally only heard the first set of lyrics, but upon reading the more recent version, I found I loved the song even more. I love both sets of lyrics - and would probably sing them all as one song (although it would be very long). They remind me of varying times in my journey with Christ and my commitment to "Go into all the world and make disciples". Be blessed today by the words of Margaret Clarkson:

"So Send I You" - revisited
Written by David Meade
Margaret Clarkson revised her own famous words, after contact with missions first-hand...

Margaret Clarkson wrote the more-famous and well-known words to "So Send I You" in 1954. Apparently, it expressed her idea of what missionary work would be like, having had no experience herself. But, by 1963, she had a more Biblical and mature view of the Lord of of Mission work. Her perspective changed considerably. So re-wrote the lyrics to "So Send I You".

Unfortunately, most hymnals only include and/or we only sing the original words. It would be better to sing the later lyrics. See the texts below:

So Send I You
Margaret Clarkson, 1954
So send I you -- to labor unrewarded,
To serve unpaid, unloved, unsought, unknown,
To bear rebuke, to suffer scorn and scoffing --
So send I you, to toil for Me alone.

So send I you -- to bind the bruised and broken,
O'er wand'ring souls to work, to weep, to wake,
To bear the burdens of a world a-weary --
So send I you, to suffer for My sake.

So send I you -- to loneliness and longing,
With heart a-hung'ring for the loved and known,
Forsaking home and kindred, friend and dear one --
So send I you, to know My love alone.

So send I you -- to leave your life's ambition,
To die to dear desire, self-will resign,
To labor long, and love where men revile you --
So send I you, to lose your life in Mine.

So send I you -- to hearts made hard by hatred,
To eyes made blind because they will not see,
To spend, tho it be blood, to spend and spare not --
So send I you, to taste of Calvary.

"As the Father hath sent Me, So send I you."

Margaret Clarkson, 1963
So send I you -- by grace made strong to triumph
O'er hosts of hell, o'er darkness, death and sin,
My name to bear and in that name to conquer --
So send I you, My victory to win.

So send I you - to take to souls in bondage
The Word of Truth that sets the captive free
To break the bonds of sin, to loose death's fetters --
So send I you, to bring the lost to Me.

So send I you -- My strength to know in weakness,
My joy in grief, My perfect peace in pain,
To prove My pow'r, My grace, My promised presence --
So send I you, eternal fruit to gain.

So send I you -- to bear My cross with patience,
And then one day with joy to lay it down,
To hear My voice, "Well done, My faithful servant --
Come share My throne, My kingdom and My crown!"

"As the Father hath sent Me, so send I you."


Amen
-Becca