Gospel Greats -- 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' Quiz

Answer: cross

The missing word is 'cross'.

'Nearer, My God, to Thee' was written by Sarah Flower Adams in 1841. Adams was born at Harlow, Essex, Great Britain on February 22, 1805 and she died in London on August 14, 1848. She is buried at Fos­ter Street Cemetery, near Harlow.

Answer: song

The missing word is 'song'.

Sarah Flower Adams, writer of 'Nearer, My God, To Thee', was the daughter of jour­nal­ist and pol­i­ti­cian Ben­ja­min Flow­er and in 1834 she mar­ried Wil­liam Bridg­es Ad­ams, a civil engineer. Flower was the outspoken editor and owner of The Cambridge Intelligencer, according to Hymnary.org.

Answer: down

The missing word is 'down'.

At one time, it appeared Sarah Flower Adams would have a distinguished career as an actress. According to Sharefaith.com, she won rave reviews in 1837 for her performance in Shakespeare's 'MacBeth'. "Her desire was to continue with the theatre indefinitely, but frail health interrupted her plans," Shafrefaith.com reports. "And so she took to writing poems and hymns."

Answer: stone

The missing word is 'stone'.

In 1841, Sarah Flower Adams published "Vivia Perpetua", a dramatic poem dealing with the conflict of heathenism and Christianity, Hymnary.org reports. In the poem, Vivia Perpetua suffers martyrdom. The poem gave her name high visibility in literary circles.

Answer: dreams

The missing word is 'dreams'.

Sarah Flower Adams, writer of 'Nearer, My God, to Thee', was a member of a Unitarian Church in London led by Reverend W.J. Fox, Hymnary.org reports. The Website goes on to state Adams contributed thirteen hymns to the 'Hymns and Anthems', published in 1841, for use in the Unitarian chapel.

Answer: mercy

The missing word is 'mercy'.

The inspiration for Sarah Flower Adams to write 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' came as a result of a casual conversation with the pastor of her church. Sharefaith.com explains things this way: "A pastor from the Unitarian church was visiting with Adams' family one afternoon. He mentioned that he was having difficulty finding a hymn that represented his next week's sermon, taken from Genesis 28:11-19. (The story of Jacob's dream). Sarah volunteered to write a hymn for the occasion. Within the week, 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' was born."

"The beautiful hymn has touched many lives, and has even found its way into the (modern) theatre that Adams so dearly loved," the Website reports. "The song has been sung and/or played in several TV and Hollywood films."

Genesis 28:11-19 tells of Jacob having a dream at Bethel in which he sees angels of heaven ascending and descending a ladder.

Genesis 28:16-17 in the New King James Version Study Bible states: "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.' And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven'!"

Answer: Angels

The missing word is 'angels'.

'Nearer, My God, To Thee' is often associated with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 as some survivors told of the hymn being played while the ocean liner was sinking. Other survivors, however, disputed the claim. Wikipedia reports 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' was sung by the doomed crew and passengers of the SS Valencia as it sank off the Canadian coast in 1906 "and this event may be the source of the Titanic legend."

When James Cameron produced the Oscar-winning movie 'Titanic', a scene showed band members playing 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' as the luxury liner was slowly sinking in the North Atlantic. As a result, the legend about the hymn being played on the Titanic became even more entrenched.

Answer: raise

The missing word is 'raise'.

Eliza Flower was the older sister of Sarah Flower Adams, writer of 'Nearer, My God, to Thee'. Eliza was a musician and composer and according to Wikipedia, she became known for her friendships with Robert Browning, William Johnson Fox, John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor.

"Browning developed a boyish love for [Eliza] Flower, nine years his senior, and remained fond of her until her death," Wikipedia reports. "She was the inspiration for his poem 'Pauline'."

Answer: fly

The missing word is 'fly'.

Sarah Flower Adams, writer of 'Nearer, My God, to Thee', died of tuberculosis at the age of 43 and Wikipedia reports a 'blue plaque' was erected at the place where she lived with her husband, William Bridges Adams. ("A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker," Wikipedia states.)

Answer: rest

The missing word is 'rest'.

'Nearer, My God, To Thee' is an incredibly popular hymn. According to Hymnary.org, it has been published in 2,091 different hymn books over the years.

Here are the words to the classic hymn 'Nearer, My God, to Thee':

"Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!
E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

Refrain:
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee!

Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness be over me, my rest a stone.
Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God to Thee.

[Refrain]

There let the way appear, steps unto Heav'n;
All that Thou sendest me, in mercy given;
Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee.

[Refrain]

Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise;
So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.

[Refrain]

Or, if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, upward I'll fly,
Still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to Thee.

[Refrain]

There in my Father's home, safe and at rest,
There in my Savior's love, perfectly blest;
Age after age to be, nearer my God to Thee.

[Refrain]"