Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. – James 4:10
Last week we lost one of the most notable men of the twentieth century. At the age of 99, Billy Graham went home to meet the person he dedicated his life to: Jesus.
Before this week, (February 25-March 3, 2018) is over, his body will be placed in the rotunda of the United States Capitol Building and the memorial service will be held Friday at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina. All U.S. presidents presently living are invited to attend.
His death inspired me to play many of the Crusade songs used in his meetings and on his radio and television broadcasts, as I performed pre-conference piano music for the Oregon Christian Writers’ Conference. Some of the songs I played were:
- “It Is No Secret What God Can Do”
- “Everybody Ought to Know
- “Every Time I Feel the Spirit”
- “How Great Thou Art”
- “His Eye Is on the Sparrow”
- “Blessed Assurance”
- “Because He Lives”
- “I’d Rather Have Jesus”
I concluded the first section with what I call “The Grace Medley.”
It begins with a verse of “Amazing Grace,” and transitions into the chorus of “Grace Greater Than Our Sins,” and from there to “He Giveth More Grace,” a song that is foundational to the book The Perils and Parables of Pastor Preechet.
That medley, to me, was a summary of the life and ministry of Billy Graham. I shared with those gathered that the music was from the Billy Graham Crusades. But, I noted, Billy would say, “It’s not about me. It’s about Jesus whom I serve.”
“So,” I continued, “the music is not about Billy Graham. It’s about Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and He shall reign forever and ever! Hallelujah!”
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