Wednesday, May 21, 2025

It is the 21st of May 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 Let’s go behind the scenes for a minute- I am always taken aback by 1) how much church history there is and 2) how many of you graciously assume if I know a bunch of the stories, I must know all of them- or at least the particular one you’re thinking of at the moment.

And this is great, but sometimes I’m deficient- just recently with my in-laws my father in-law Walt said “well, Dan, of course you know the story of Sankey and the Ninety and Nine” which I did not, and so I went home a diligently looked up the story only to find that the events leading to the creation of this gospel hymn occurred on this, the 21st of May 1874.

Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey are the first names in 19th century evangelism- Moody was the preacher and Sankey his song-man who carefully crafted gospel hymns and repurposed other songs to sing at evangelistic services- the songs tended to be easily learned, didactic (that is, teaching to reinforce the message) and emotionally poignant.

Sankey tells the story of being with Moody on an Evangelistic trip throughout Scotland in 1874. The men boarded a train from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and Sankey purchased a newspaper for a penny.  The two men sat in their carriage when Sankey came across a poem published in the paper, “The Good Shepherd”. He told Moody to listen up and recited the poem, only to find that Moody was so engrossed in what he was reading that he hadn’t been paying attention. Sankey, nevertheless, tore the poem out of the paper and put it in his pocket.

It was a few days later, on this, the 21st of May in 1874, that they held a meeting at the Free Union Hall in Edinburgh- a noon service at which the popular speaker Horatius Bonar was also called on to speak. The theme for the day was “the Good Shepherd,” and Sankey tells the story that after Bonar gave a particularly rousing talk on Jesus the Good Shepherd, Moody asked him if he had a song he could sing for the occasion.

Sankey recalls seeming to hear a voice “sing the hymn you found on the train” and he pulled the slip of paper out of his pocket, laid his hands on his organ playing an A minor- he claims that music was dictated to him, note by note- and the song “the Ninety and Nine” was born- Moody, Bonar and the crowd were stunned into silence by the poem put to music.

But there is more to the story- at that meeting was Anna Clephane- she would contact Sankey to ask if he knew the origin of the poem. He told her the story of her sister and brother, Elizabeth and George- unfortunately, both dead.

The family had grown up in Fife- their father was the local sheriff. George, the elder brother, was something of a prodigal and left for Canada, where we read he fell in with a bad crowd and soon died. Elizabeth, the concerned sister, was reflecting on the parable of the Good Shepherd and her brother when she penned the poem. Elizabeth died in 1869, and her writings were discovered and published posthumously- the text of the Ninety and the Nine making its way to Sankey’s hands to be produced and performed- seemingly miraculously on this, the 21st of May in 1874.

 

The Last word for today comes from the poem by Elizabeth Clephane-

1. There were ninety and nine that safely lay

In the shelter of the fold

But one was out on the hills away,

Far off from the gates of gold—

Away on the mountains wild and bare,

Away from the tender Shepherd's care.

 

2. Lord, thou hast here thy ninety and nine.

Are they not enough for thee?

But the Shepherd made answer: ’Tis of mine

Has wandered away from me.

And although the road be rough and steep,

I go to the desert to find my sheep.

 

3. But none of the ransomed ever knew

How deep were the waters crossed,

Nor how dark was the night the Lord pass’d

Ere he found his sheep that was lost.

Out in the desert he heard its cry—

Sick and helpless and ready to die.

 

4. “Lord, what are these blood drops all the way

That mark out the mountain’s track?”

“They were shed for the one who’d gone astray

Ere the Shepherd could bring him back.

“Lord, why are these hands so rent and torn?”

“They’re pierced tonight by many a thorn.”

 

5. But all thru’ the mountains, thunder-riv’n,

And up from the rocky steep,

There rose such a cry to the gate of Heav’n,

“Rejoice, I have found my sheep!”

And the angels echoed around the throne,

“Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own!”

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 21st of May 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man celebrating the 14th anniversary of the final judgement, according to Harold Camping, on the 21st of May 2011, Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who digs the track “The 21st of May” by Nickel Creek… that’s Creek… not “back”… very different… Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.