"Ride On, Ride On, O Savior-King"

We sang this hymn today during 1st service to set the theme of this Sunday around The Triumphal Entry. I for one, had not heard the song before practicing it. But as I read the lyrics, I found it to be quite fitting to be telling the story of Christ's entry into Jerusalem just 4 days before His crucifixion.

The lyrics are:

Ride on, ride on, O Savior-King

To set the prisoner free!

To sin-cursed souls salvation to bring

And peace eternally!

Ride on to dark Gethsemane, 

To untold agony,

And on the cross of Calvary

Procure our victory!

Ride on, ride on, O Savior-King,

To claim the hearts of men!

Now death has lost its dreadful sting

And hope is born again.

O come, in human hearts to reign--

Suppress the pow'r of sin!

Our own endeavor is in vain--

Lord, Thou must help us win!

Ride on, ride on, O Savior-King!

Ride on o'er land and sea,

For Thou alone to men can bring

Eternal liberty.

Ride on to sin-bound nations, Lord

Until each hearts shall own

Thy saving, sanctifying word

And bow before Thy throne!

Written by a pastor, C.K. Solberg, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN back in 1932, is among one of the recorded 11 hymns he wrote during his lifetime. Rather than translating hymns, Carl Knutson Solberg was gifted as an original hymnist; composing hymns with his own lyrics.

Among the 11 recorded (meaning, written down & kept record of; not necessarily an audio/mp3 file), "Ride on, Ride on, O Savior-King" is one of the most unpopular of his writings. Because of this, it has been quite difficult to find details on this particular hymn. 

Since it is labeled in PFBC's hymnal as "Christ: The Triumphal Entry" we have reason to believe that C.K. Solberg wrote this hymn with Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem in mind.

Interestingly enough, this hymn ties together Jesus riding into Jerusalem with the real reason why He came; which was to teach us that Rome and other people are not the problem, but that the human heart is the problem. With each deceitful heart that seemingly welcomed Him into Jerusalem, betrayed Him just a few days later shouting out their desire to crucify Him. But Jesus died for every one of them who chose to crucify Him. Including us. 

I half-wonder if Solberg wrote these lyrics as what he would say to Jesus if he were at the entrance to Jerusalem on the day Jesus rode in on a colt.  

Whatever the case, I'm thankful God led me to this hymn. Its scarceness, yet with the lyrics having pure faith and trust in Jesus Christ to fulfill the true reason of why He came (to redeem us by dying for us on the cross to reconcile us back to God) makes it become a hymn to keep in my collection for years to come.

If you would like a copy of it, here are some hymnals that still have it in print:  

Revival Hymns and Choruses

and

Sing Joyfully

I pray this hymn blesses you as you advance on the journey that Holy Week has in store for you and your relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior King.

Striving to accept the Free Gift

The following questions were from a Lenten devotional I was reading today. The answers are my responses.


Why is it so hard for us to accept Christ's gift (of salvation)? 

We live in a world that shuns you if you don’t do enough. There are written and unwritten rules of this world that capture our time;  if you’re not doing something, it’s considered ‘laziness’. If you’re doing everything while neglecting yourself, family, friends, and other relationships, you’re considered ‘gifted’, ‘selfless’, and ‘worthy of promotion’. This world has little, if no, grace for those who try their best and then fail. If you fail at your job, you’re fired. If you fail in your marriage, you're forced into a divorce.

Whereas when we know and proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior; that He died for us and that we are called to live for Him, we feel like our relationship with Him has the same so-called rules as the ones we have here on earth. 

Wrong. The relationship Christ offers is full of forgiveness. Forgivefull. We live in this world, and therefore are easily conformed to the ways of it. Our senses are overwhelmed. However, Paul tells us to fix our eyes not on what is seen (or otherwise, “sensed” by our 5 senses by what is in the world) but to fix our eyes on what is unseen [2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV] (or otherwise, we shall focus on everything that is, and of, Christ--our focus should be heavenward). 

Is this a struggle for [me]?
Since I am of this world, yes, I do feel it is a struggle for me to continually and momentously accept Christ’s gift of salvation through the cross. This world tells and shows us that if we fail in this world, we gain nothing. Christ tells us that if we fail in this world, we gain everything; if we lose our lives for Him, we will find our lives in Him alone. 


Christ calls us to lose ourselves in His sacrifice; that we learn to love as He loved us. Our lives are to be a constant sacrifice to Him. In every activity we do, we are called to honor Him. “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial…” and therefore we need to honor Him only in actions, words, and events that are holistically pleasing to Him. 

However, this world does not always approve of actions, words, and events that would be pleasing to Christ. But that shouldn’t matter. Christ is our treasure. HE. DIED. FOR. US. ALL.  “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him Who died for them and was raised again” [2 Corinthians 5:14-15].



How do we make it a non-struggle? 

My desire is to keep a constant relationship with Christ. By praying to Him; thanking Him for His sacrifice. “Pray without ceasing” [1 Thess. 5:17]. 

I desire to ask Him to reveal His Truth to His people. And “in your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:” [Ph. 2:5 NIV]. 

I desire to “[g]ive thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” [1 Thess. 5:18 NIV].

And remember, Christ doesn’t look down on you if you fail. YOU. ARE. FORGIVEN. Our relationship with Christ is forgivefull; it is full of forgiveness. It is important to not become prideful of His grace, but to accept it as a gift; one that you never expected, but are overtly grateful to receive. For it is in Christ that we are saved. It is in Him through His sacrifice of love that we have the opportunity to be reconciled to God. 

Now all glory to God, Who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to Him Who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present and beyond all time! Amen.

-Jude 1:24-25