Osage Community Bible Church

01/29/2026

“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psalm 85:6)

"Revive Us Again" was written in 1863 by Scottish physician Dr. William Paton MacKay, inspired by his dramatic reconversion after a patient died holding a Bible that MacKay had previously pawned for alcohol. This miraculous return of his mother's Bible brought him back to his faith, leading to the hymn's creation during a Scottish revival.
The Story Behind the Hymn:
A Prodigal Son: Dr. William MacKay was raised by a godly mother but turned away from his faith while studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh, even selling the Bible his mother gave him to buy whiskey.
The Dying Patient: While working in a hospital, a critically injured patient was brought in, who passed away while clutching a small book. That book was the very Bible MacKay had pawned years prior.
Reconversion: Seeing his own name and his mother's handwriting in the returned Bible, MacKay was filled with remorse and experienced a deep, personal revival of his faith.
A Lasting Legacy: The phrase "Revive us again" was a direct reflection of his renewed, passionate faith. He subsequently left medicine to become a pastor and continued to write hymns, though this is his most famous work.
The hymn was published in 1867 and is based on the themes of spiritual awakening, and it remains a popular anthem of revival.

1. We praise thee, O God, for the Son of thy love,
For Jesus who died and is now gone above.

Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Hallelujah, Amen!
Hallelujah, thine the glory!
Revive us again.

2. We praise thee, O God, for thy Spirit of light,
Who has shown us our Savior and scattered our night.

3. All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain,
Who has borne all our sins and has cleansed ev’ry stain.

4. Revive us again – fill each heart with thy love;
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.

01/25/2026

Part 4 of "Be Thou My Vision "

O Bright Heaven’s Sun

Verse 4 ends the hymn just where it should: with the great “blessed hope” of the Christian life (Titus 2:13), when “we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Sun;
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

If our heart is always with our treasure, and if God is our Treasure, then the Heaven of heaven will be the Heart of our heart. And the Sun of heaven will enable us to see more light than we’ve ever seen, “for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23). And so it will be, always and forever. To which we say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

What a priceless gift, this hymn. Thank you, Lord, for that ancient Celtic poet whose God-entranced heart overflowed so eloquently through his quill. And thank you for those throughout history whose collective labors have made this great song of love and longing available to us. And thank you for the gifted Celtic folk musicians whose sweet, haunting melody makes it so wonderful to sing.

But most of all, thank you, Lord, for being the Light of our lives, our ever-present, indwelling Word of life, the great Treasure of our hearts, and someday the Heaven of heaven.

Yes, O Lord, be thou our vision, now in this darkened age, and soon — may it be soon! — in unveiled, eternal glory with unclouded eyes.

Jon Bloom

01/23/2026

@ highlight

Part 3 of the hymn " Be Thou My Vision"

My Treasure Thou Art
Now we come to my favorite verse of this great hymn, the one most likely to prompt tears:

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and Thou only first in my heart;
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

Verse 3 is my favorite — not because the other verses are less true or less hope-giving or less precious, but because Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). Our treasure is whatever we love and long for most — what most satisfies, enthralls, and therefore captivates our hearts. And in this fallen age, where even our best love for our great Treasure is defective and lacking, our love is almost always accompanied by a desire to love him more perfectly, more completely. Hence, my tears, a sweet, melancholic mixture of love and longing.

So, I love this verse, the heart of the hymn, the Love Song within the love song. Because God, as the next verse will say, is the Heart of our hearts — the Treasure that makes his light beautiful, his wisdom desirable, and his heaven so heavenly.

Be thou my Treasure, O Lord, first in my heart now and always.

By: Jon Blume

01/22/2026

Part 2 of the hymn "Be Thou My Vision".

Thou My True Word
The prayer of verse 2 builds on the prayer of verse 1, asking that God would fill us with the riches of his wisdom and knowledge (Romans 11:33):

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father; I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Notice how simply this verse expresses the profound and mysterious New Testament teaching that requires pages to unpack in prose: that Christian wisdom comes from the Father and Son (our true Word) dwelling inside us through the Holy Spirit (John 14:23, 26), a gift we receive through our adoption as sons (Ephesians 1:5). The wisdom we’re praying for here is clearly not “a wisdom of this age,” but a wisdom that can only be “spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:6, 14).

Be thou my wisdom, O Lord, for you are the ultimate Truth.

01/21/2026

Heres part one of a little insight into the song "Be Thou My Vision"

Thy Presence My Light
If the ancient author ever titled the poem, that too has been lost to the mists of time. For centuries it was known simply as “A Prayer.” But it’s hard to imagine a better title than the poem’s first four words, “Be thou my vision,” which in Old Gaelic read, “Rop tú mo bhoile.”

Verse 1, in my view, begins just where it should: a prayer for God to enlighten the eyes of our hearts that we may be filled with his hope (Ephesians 1:18). Listen to how beautifully the lyrics convey the biblical metaphor of light as understanding:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Implicitly woven into this verse are the New Testament references of Jesus as “the light of the world” and “the light of life” (John 8:12). But the words also carry an echo of one of my favorite verses from the Psalms:

With you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light. (Psalm 36:9)

Everyone who has known deep darkness of any kind — the darkness of sin or grief or pain or depression or loneliness or spiritual oppression — and has seen, however dimly, the Light of life shining in their darkness, understands how meaningful this verse can be. It resonates with the hope that this light will not ultimately be overcome by our darkness.

Be thou my vision, O Lord, for you are the light of my life.

By: Jon Blume

01/15/2026

There will no longer be a lunch after morning services. The Word Wise program will be on Sundays 2:00-3:00.

01/08/2026

01/05/2026

01/05/2026

We are presently in the process of searching for a new Pastor. Our weekly Sunday services remain unchanged. However, the Thursday night and Word Wise program are currently on hold. We appreciate your prayers as we seek God's guidance in finding a Pastor for His church in Osage. God Bless!

01/05/2026

⛪️ If you're reading this, you're invited to experience the joy of Church this Sunday; 10:00 Sunday School 11:00 Morning Service! Hope to see you there! ⛪️