“FERRY ‘CROSS THE MERSEY”
When I was a child, I remember grandparents talking about how fast life flies by. In the mid 1960’s I was a pre-teenager and I clearly remember listening to the original recording of the song I’ve recorded and included above. Whether it was on the radio or on my phonograph record player, I sang along with every bit of enthusiasm I had. The artists who recorded this song were in their 20’s back then and they were some of my heroes. I had no idea what “Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey” meant, but I sang right along anyway.
The writer of this song was Gerry Marsden and his group was Gerry And The Pacemakers. They were a band of the “Mersey Beat”, which was a unique style of popular music at the time, and their records played in heavy rotation on the radio during the years of 1964-1966. The group had four musicians and they were popular.
But time marches on and I find myself 57 years later in the year 2021. Of these original four musicians, only one is still alive. Gerry Marsden passed away in January of this year from what I understand was a bacterial infection in the heart. This news really hurt, because I’ve watched him in videos through the years leading the pre-game singing at Anfield Stadium before football games in Liverpool. He had a big personality and could well hold your attention as he talked and told stories.
And so we are all confronted with the words of the Bible written above in verse 2, “a time to be born, and a time to die;”. I’m no longer that child playing records in my bedroom. And it has happened fast. The old grandparents were right, life does flies by. There is appointed, a time to die.
In Hebrews 9.27, the Bible says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” (ESV) And the judgment referred to is the judgment seat of Christ set forth in 2 Corinthians 5.10. And we all will appear before the judgment seat of Christ in one of two positions. Either we have put our faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and received the promise of eternal life, or we have not.
The rejection of Christ results in a “guilty” verdict at the time of judgment, and this does not result in eternal life in heaven.
But the acceptance of Christ as Savior by faith in Him results in a “not guilty” verdict at the judgment seat of Christ. And this does in fact result in the promise and reality of eternal life in heaven.
The choosing is ours.