ONE SOLITARY LIFE

“The Real Jesus and Other Sermons” ^ | 1926 | Dr James Allan Francis

[Liz]

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

This essay was adapted from a sermon by Dr James Allan Francis in “The Real Jesus and Other Sermons” © 1926 by the Judson Press of Philadelphia (pp 123-124 titled “Arise Sir Knight!”). If you are interested, you can read the original version (link on site). Graham Pockett

[Liz]

.......all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings
that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life....

[PietroA]

How true, how amazing, how wonderful, how precious. Thank You Jesus. No one compares to You!!!

[joonbug]

Bill Clinton probably thinks the story is about himself.

[RaceBannon]

(Mat 4:12 KJV) Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

(Mat 4:13 KJV) And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

Jesus did have a house at one time! :)

[silverleaf]

life of Jesus ping

[Jackknife]

BTTT!

[Skooz]

When I was a kid, the local Top 40 station would play Christmas music all Christmas day.

A few times during the day, they would play someone reciting this. I found it deeply moving.

[PietroA]

Of course Jesus lived in different houses, (His parents', for example). He never had one of His own.

Mat 8:20 - And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.

[FrogMom]

Isn't there some discussion that He was carried to Egypt to hide when He was a child? Perhaps more than 200 miles?

Doesn't detract from the underlying message, but...

[Former Fetus]

...He came and dwelt in Capernaum...
Jesus did have a house at one time!

He dwelt in Peter's house!

[jwpjr]

If a child is born to parents in the military and the family is transfered to Germany then to Italy before the child is a year old, but then returned to his hometown in rural Georgia and stayed there the rest of his life, would the child be referred to as "well-traveled"? I'm not sure being carried as a child, regardless of the distance, is considered travel. That's an interesting point!

[wizr]

Thanks. You just added another note to the joyous Song of the Season.

[Liz]

.......all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life....

Christmas thread.

[SamAdams76]

You probably heard the Johnny Cash verson of this.

[libs_kma]

Amen Liz, great post.

Add some spiritual perspective to it all bump

[SierraWasp]

"America the beautiful"

And America the exceptional! With a President that follows that one solitary life to the best of his ability and in his own way... Which reminds me of the Don McNeal Breakfast Club that I used to listen to on WLS in Chicago as a child growing up. He would ask for a moment of silent prayer around the breakfast table, "Each in his own words, each in his own way."

Which, in my way of thinking, is what should be as far as the way all religion in the US should be conducted. It's an intensely personal thing, this following of that "one solitary life" and we should not expect everyone to do it in a similar fashion. After all, that's how there got to be "Protestants!"

We protest universalism because even in religion, "power corrupts and absolute (universal) power, corrupts absolutely!" We want to be free to worship, "each in his own heart, each in his own way, as INDIVIDUALS!!!

Of course, we should all reflect on the up-coming holy day, that without the supernatural birth, the world would remain a hopeless case for all INDIVIDUALS!!!

[SierraWasp]

"He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself..."

Oh! And he was HOME SCHOOLED!!!

[BigCinBigD]

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,

"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

[Dog Gone]

I could not possibly agree with you more. You nailed it.

[Liz]

'ONE SOLITARY LIFE' AUTHORSHIP

"One Solitary Life" is a story, first told by Dr. James Allen Francis at the First Baptist Church of Los Angeles in a sermon, "Arise, Sir Knight." It was delivered on July 11, 1926 to the National Baptist Young Peoples’ Union(1). Later, Dr. Francis included it as the last sermon in his book, The Real Jesus And Other Sermons published by Judson Press in 1926. This is apparently the first print version.

The familiar passage, known as "One Solitary Life," is fairly close to the beginning of this sermon. The phrase, "one solitary life" is at the end of a sentence in the middle of the second paragraph. The rest of the paragraph continues with an emphasis upon "great adventures," concluding, "No man has ever done a great thing until he has first believed a great thing."(2) None of the editions of the story that we have found, other than that in his 1926 book, continue beyond "one solitary life."

Before Rev. Francis died at age 64 on June 30, 1928, he apparently rewrote the story in past tense with several minor changes. (This second version was on a single page, published by The American Baptist Publication Society, entitled: "JESUS * A BRIEF LIFE."


REST HERE

http://www.sjvls.org/bens/bf007sl.htm