“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-2
In the Cross of Christ I Glory | by John Bowring (1825)
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o’ertake me,
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me,
Lo! it glows with peace and joy.
When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
Story Behind the Song
“Tradition has it that John Bowring — linguist, author, and British governor of Hong Kong — was inspired to write this hymn by the sight of a huge cross on the ruins of a cathedral at Macao on the south Chinese coast. Apparently the cathedral, built by Portuguese colonists, had been leveled by a typhoon, but the wall with this bronze cross remained standing. The story is unverified, but the image is a strong one–the cross “towering o’er the wrecks of time” above the shore at Macao.
[from “The One Year Book of Hymns” / March 26 entry]
New Life Baptist Church 