The Readings for August 28 were
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
What a great Sunday! All of the readings, hymns, sermon and anthem fit together so well you couldn't miss the significance of each part. Larry preached from the Old Testament reading about Moses and the Burning Bush. Our anthem was Moses by Ken Medema. Here's an Interesting commentary on this anthem.
The first hymn was The God of Abraham Praise. The words are from the Yigdal by Daniel ben Judah, circa 1400. The lyrics are based on the thirteen creeds of Moses Maimonides. The words were paraphrased in 1775 by Thomas Olivers. The melody is Leoni from Sacred Harmony, 1780. WHen I was in ninth grade my dad did a fifteen minute sermonette on television in Paducah, Kentucky. He asked a quartet from our church choir sing on his program. This is the first hymn we sang for the program. My first time on television. It was very exciting.
Here are all of the verses. We don't sing them all.
The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days,
and God of love;
Jehovah, great I AM,
by earth and heaven confessed:
I bow and bless the sacred Name
for ever blessed.
The God of Abraham praise,
at whose supreme command
from earth we rise, and seek the joys
at his right hand;
we all on earth forsake,
its wisdom, fame and power;
and him our only portion make,
our Shield and Tower.
The goodly land we see,
with peace and plenty blessed:
a land of sacred liberty
and endless rest;
there milk and honey flow,
and oil and wine abound,
and trees of life for ever grow,
with mercy crowned.
There dwells the Lord, our King,
the Lord, our Righteousness,
triumphant o'er the world and sin,
the Prince of Peace;
on Zion's sacred height
his kingdom he maintains,
and, glorious with his saints in light,
for ever reigns.
The God who reigns on high,
the great archangels sing,
and "Holy, holy, holy," cry,
"Almighty King!"
Who was and is the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Father, great I AM,
we worship thee."
The whole triumphant host
give thanks to God on high;
"Hail, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost"
they ever cry;
hail, Abraham's God and mine;
I join the heavenly lays;
all might and majesty are thine,
and endless praise!
The second hymn was Go Down, Moses
Exodus 8:1"And the LORD spake unto Moses, go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him,thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me."
When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let My people go;
Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let My people go;
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
The Lord told Moses what to do, Let My people go;
To lead the children of Israel through, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
The pillar of cloud shall clear the way, Let My people go;
A fire by night, a shade by day, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
As Israel stood by the water-side, Let My people go;
At God’s command it did divide, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
When they had reached the other shore, Let My people go;
They dang the song of triumph over, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
Oh, let us all from bondage flee, Let My people go;
And let us all in Christ be free, Let My people go.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt’s land,
Tell old Pharaoh: Let My people go.
The third hymn was Where He Leads Me I Will Follow . The words are by Ernest W. Blandly and the music is by John S. Norris. Both date from 1890. This isn't a hymn that I'm usually thrilled to sing, but this week it just fit perfectly with everything else in the service, so I really enjoyed it.
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
“Take thy cross and follow, follow Me.”
Refrain
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow;
I’ll go with Him, with Him, all the way.
I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
Refrain
I’ll go with Him through the judgment,
I’ll go with Him through the judgment,
I’ll go with Him through the judgment,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
Refrain
He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
And go with me, with me all the way.
Refrain
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Hymns from August 21
Readings for August 21
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
"Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph." Every time I hear that verse from Exodus 1 I think about my father. He remained active in the church after he "retired". Since he had been involved in the administration of the annual conference for many years he expected to have influence after he retired. And he did, until a new bishop was sent to Kentucky, a bishop who had never worked with Daddy. Oh yes, it was interesting. As the verse says, " Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph."
Hymns for the week:
A Mother Lined Her Basket
On Eagle's Wings
Written by Michael Joncas
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in His shadow for life,
Say to the Lord, "My Refuge,
My Rock in Whom I trust."
Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His Wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield.
Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day,
Though thousands fall about you,
Near you it shall not come.
Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
For to His angels He's given a command,
To guard you in all of your ways,
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
Lord Whose Love Through Humble Service
Christ for the World We Sing
Text: Samuel Wolcott, 1813-1886 Music: Felice de Giardini, 1716-1796 Tune: ITALIAN HYMN
Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring,
with loving zeal,
The poor and them that mourn,
the faint and overborne,
Sin sick and sorrow worn,
whom Christ doth heal.
Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring,
with fervent prayer;
The wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
Redeemed at countless cost,
from dark despair.
Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring,
with one accord;
With us the work to share,
with us reproach to dare,
With us the cross to bear,
for Christ our Lord.
Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring,
with joyful song;T
The newborn souls, whose days,
reclaimed from error’s ways,
Inspired with hope and praise,
to Christ belong.
Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
"Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph." Every time I hear that verse from Exodus 1 I think about my father. He remained active in the church after he "retired". Since he had been involved in the administration of the annual conference for many years he expected to have influence after he retired. And he did, until a new bishop was sent to Kentucky, a bishop who had never worked with Daddy. Oh yes, it was interesting. As the verse says, " Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph."
Hymns for the week:
A Mother Lined Her Basket
On Eagle's Wings
Written by Michael Joncas
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord,
Who abide in His shadow for life,
Say to the Lord, "My Refuge,
My Rock in Whom I trust."
Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
The snare of the fowler will never capture you,
And famine will bring you no fear;
Under His Wings your refuge,
His faithfulness your shield.
Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
You need not fear the terror of the night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day,
Though thousands fall about you,
Near you it shall not come.
Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
For to His angels He's given a command,
To guard you in all of your ways,
Upon their hands they will bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Refrain
And He will raise you up on eagle's wings,
Bear you on the breath of dawn,
Make you to shine like the sun,
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
And hold you in the palm of His Hand.
Lord Whose Love Through Humble Service
Christ for the World We Sing
Text: Samuel Wolcott, 1813-1886 Music: Felice de Giardini, 1716-1796 Tune: ITALIAN HYMN
Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring,
with loving zeal,
The poor and them that mourn,
the faint and overborne,
Sin sick and sorrow worn,
whom Christ doth heal.
Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring,
with fervent prayer;
The wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
Redeemed at countless cost,
from dark despair.
Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring,
with one accord;
With us the work to share,
with us reproach to dare,
With us the cross to bear,
for Christ our Lord.
Christ for the world we sing,
The world to Christ we bring,
with joyful song;T
The newborn souls, whose days,
reclaimed from error’s ways,
Inspired with hope and praise,
to Christ belong.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Catching Up on Two Weeks of Hymns
These are the readings for August 14
Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
One of the hymns for this day is a favorite by Brian Wren. Although it could be described as an Easter hymn it is very fitting for the reading from Genesis, which is the story of Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers.
This Is a Day of New Beginnings
This is a day of new beginnings,
time to remember and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing,
laying to rest the pain that's gone.
For by the life and death of Jesus
,love's mighty Spirit, now as then,
can make for us a world of difference,
as faith and hope are born again.
Then let us, with the Spirit's daring,
step from the past and leave behind
our disappointment, guilt, and grieving,
seeking new paths, and sure to find.
Christ is alive, and goes before us
to show and share what love can do.
This is a day of new beginnings;
our God is making all things new.
-Brian Wren, 1978
In Christ There Is No East Or West
The hymn is by William Dunkerley, written for the Pageant of Darkness and Light at the London Missionary Society’s exhibition “The Orient in London,” which ran from 1908 to 1914. Many hymnals credit the words to John Oxenham, Dunkerley’s pseudonym. The hymn tune is St. Peter by Alexander Reinagle. This is one of my all time favorite hymns.
In Christ there is no East or West,
in him no South or North,
but one great fellowship of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
In him shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find,
his service is the golden cord
close-binding all mankind.
Join hands, disciples of the faith,
whate'er your race may be!
Who serves my Father as a son
is surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both East and West,
in him meet South and North,
all Christly souls are one in him,
throughout the whole wide earth.
Ok. The next hymn listing is strange and sad. It is Ubi Caritas or "Where Love and Charity Prevail" It is a Taize Community hymn. It fits the readings for August 14. On August 16, 2005 Brother Roger, founder of the ecumenical Taizé Community, was murdered. How very sad. Why would anyone want to kill Brother Roger? I think the newspaper said the woman was deranged, but I haven't read why she focused on this good old man.
The text is Latin from the ninth century. The modern chant and tune are by Jacques Berthier and the Taize Community.
Live in charity and steadfast love,
live in charity; God will dwell with you.
(Latin)
Ubi caritas et amor,
ubi caritas Deus ibi est.
We usually alternate Latin and English. The choir has some descants and harmonies that enrich the hymn while the congregation repeats the chant.
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Text: Ray Palmer, 1808-1887
Music: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872 Tune: Olivet
My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day be wholly Thine!
May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee,
Pure warm, and changeless be, a living fire!
While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread, be Thou my Guide;
Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray from Thee aside.
When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold sullen stream over me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love, fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!
Genesis 45:1-15
Psalm 133
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28
One of the hymns for this day is a favorite by Brian Wren. Although it could be described as an Easter hymn it is very fitting for the reading from Genesis, which is the story of Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers.
This Is a Day of New Beginnings
This is a day of new beginnings,
time to remember and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing,
laying to rest the pain that's gone.
For by the life and death of Jesus
,love's mighty Spirit, now as then,
can make for us a world of difference,
as faith and hope are born again.
Then let us, with the Spirit's daring,
step from the past and leave behind
our disappointment, guilt, and grieving,
seeking new paths, and sure to find.
Christ is alive, and goes before us
to show and share what love can do.
This is a day of new beginnings;
our God is making all things new.
-Brian Wren, 1978
In Christ There Is No East Or West
The hymn is by William Dunkerley, written for the Pageant of Darkness and Light at the London Missionary Society’s exhibition “The Orient in London,” which ran from 1908 to 1914. Many hymnals credit the words to John Oxenham, Dunkerley’s pseudonym. The hymn tune is St. Peter by Alexander Reinagle. This is one of my all time favorite hymns.
In Christ there is no East or West,
in him no South or North,
but one great fellowship of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
In him shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find,
his service is the golden cord
close-binding all mankind.
Join hands, disciples of the faith,
whate'er your race may be!
Who serves my Father as a son
is surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both East and West,
in him meet South and North,
all Christly souls are one in him,
throughout the whole wide earth.
Ok. The next hymn listing is strange and sad. It is Ubi Caritas or "Where Love and Charity Prevail" It is a Taize Community hymn. It fits the readings for August 14. On August 16, 2005 Brother Roger, founder of the ecumenical Taizé Community, was murdered. How very sad. Why would anyone want to kill Brother Roger? I think the newspaper said the woman was deranged, but I haven't read why she focused on this good old man.
The text is Latin from the ninth century. The modern chant and tune are by Jacques Berthier and the Taize Community.
Live in charity and steadfast love,
live in charity; God will dwell with you.
(Latin)
Ubi caritas et amor,
ubi caritas Deus ibi est.
We usually alternate Latin and English. The choir has some descants and harmonies that enrich the hymn while the congregation repeats the chant.
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Text: Ray Palmer, 1808-1887
Music: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872 Tune: Olivet
My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray, take all my guilt away,
O let me from this day be wholly Thine!
May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart, my zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me, O may my love to Thee,
Pure warm, and changeless be, a living fire!
While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread, be Thou my Guide;
Bid darkness turn to day, wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray from Thee aside.
When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold sullen stream over me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love, fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above, a ransomed soul!
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Here I Am, Lord
Here I Am Lord
Words and Music are by Daniel L. Schutte, copyright 1981. Mr. Schutte's Web site is at http://www.danschutte.com/main.htm
Today none of the hymns matched the readings for the day. Our anthem was a choral arrangement of one of the most popular of “modern” hymns. Catholics and Protestants of every kind seem to have this in their hymnbooks. It’s one of those hymns that will make the charismatics in your congregation raise their hands as they sing. It’s also one of those hymns that will make you cry. If you’re afraid of weeping and wallowing in religious sentimentality just think of this – the tune is very similar to the theme from “The Brady Bunch”. Ok, I hope I didn’t spoil it for you. It’s a wonderful hymn. I have a link to the tune at the end. I don’t understand MIDI files, but I appreciate those who have put them on the Internet for us.
1. I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin,
My hand will save.
Chorus
Here am I, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
2. I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Chorus
3. I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
Chorus
4. I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?
Chorus
5. I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will send the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Chorus
6. Finest bread I will provide,
'Til their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?
Chorus
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~sorem002/here_i_am_lord.mid
Isn’t that wonderful? Well done, Daniel Shutte.
Our opening hymn today was God Hath Spoken by His Prophets. The hymn is by George Wallace Briggs.
God has spoken by His prophets,
Spoken His unchanging Word,
Each from age to age proclaiming
God, the one, the righteous Lord.
Mid the world's despair and turmoil,
One firm anchor holding fast;
God is King, His throne eternal,
God the first, and God the last.
2God has spoken by Christ Jesus,
Christ, the everlasting Son,
Brightness of the Father's glory,
With the Father ever one;
Spoken by the Word incarnate,
God of God, ere time began,
Light of light, to earth descending,
Man, revealing God to man.
3God yet speaks by His own Spirit
Speaking to the hearts of men,
In the age-long Word expounding
God's own message, now as then;
Through the rise and fall of nations
One sure faith yet standing fast,
God is King, His Word unchanging,
God the first, and God the last.
This is sung to the hymn tune “Ebenezer” by Thomas John Williams. In the last edition of The Methodist Hymnal this tune was used with Once to Every Man and Nation, a poem by James Russell Lowell. It’s a stirring hymn that I wish had made it to the new United Methodist Hymnal. I guess “By the Light of burning Martyrs” wasn’t PC enough for the hymnal committee. There were tremendous fights about our new hymnal. There was insistence on “inclusive” language. Inclusive language is a good idea, except sometimes it means either butchering or ignoring some wonderful old hymns. Here are the words. Play the midi file and sing along.
Once to every man and nation,
comes the moment to decide,
in the strife of truth with falsehood,
for the good or evil side;
some great cause, some great decision,
offering each the bloom or blight,
and the choice goes by forever,
'twixt that darkness and that light.
Then to side with truth is noble,
when we share her wretched crust,
ere her cause bring fame and profit,
and 'tis prosperous to be just;
then it is the brave man chooses
while the coward stands aside,
till the multitude make virtue
of the faith they had denied.
By the light of burning martyrs,
Christ, thy bleeding feet we track,
toiling up new Calvaries ever
with the cross that turns not back;
new occasions teach new duties,
ancient values test our youth;
they must upward still and onward,
who would keep abreast of truth.
Though the cause of evil prosper,
yet the truth alone is strong;
though her portion be the scaffold,
and upon the throne be wrong;
yet that scaffold sways the future,
and behind the dim unknown,
standeth God within the shadow,
keeping watch above his own.
Ebenezer
Words and Music are by Daniel L. Schutte, copyright 1981. Mr. Schutte's Web site is at http://www.danschutte.com/main.htm
Today none of the hymns matched the readings for the day. Our anthem was a choral arrangement of one of the most popular of “modern” hymns. Catholics and Protestants of every kind seem to have this in their hymnbooks. It’s one of those hymns that will make the charismatics in your congregation raise their hands as they sing. It’s also one of those hymns that will make you cry. If you’re afraid of weeping and wallowing in religious sentimentality just think of this – the tune is very similar to the theme from “The Brady Bunch”. Ok, I hope I didn’t spoil it for you. It’s a wonderful hymn. I have a link to the tune at the end. I don’t understand MIDI files, but I appreciate those who have put them on the Internet for us.
1. I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin,
My hand will save.
Chorus
Here am I, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.
2. I, who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Chorus
3. I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
Chorus
4. I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my words to them.
Whom shall I send?
Chorus
5. I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will send the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Chorus
6. Finest bread I will provide,
'Til their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?
Chorus
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~sorem002/here_i_am_lord.mid
Isn’t that wonderful? Well done, Daniel Shutte.
Our opening hymn today was God Hath Spoken by His Prophets. The hymn is by George Wallace Briggs.
God has spoken by His prophets,
Spoken His unchanging Word,
Each from age to age proclaiming
God, the one, the righteous Lord.
Mid the world's despair and turmoil,
One firm anchor holding fast;
God is King, His throne eternal,
God the first, and God the last.
2God has spoken by Christ Jesus,
Christ, the everlasting Son,
Brightness of the Father's glory,
With the Father ever one;
Spoken by the Word incarnate,
God of God, ere time began,
Light of light, to earth descending,
Man, revealing God to man.
3God yet speaks by His own Spirit
Speaking to the hearts of men,
In the age-long Word expounding
God's own message, now as then;
Through the rise and fall of nations
One sure faith yet standing fast,
God is King, His Word unchanging,
God the first, and God the last.
This is sung to the hymn tune “Ebenezer” by Thomas John Williams. In the last edition of The Methodist Hymnal this tune was used with Once to Every Man and Nation, a poem by James Russell Lowell. It’s a stirring hymn that I wish had made it to the new United Methodist Hymnal. I guess “By the Light of burning Martyrs” wasn’t PC enough for the hymnal committee. There were tremendous fights about our new hymnal. There was insistence on “inclusive” language. Inclusive language is a good idea, except sometimes it means either butchering or ignoring some wonderful old hymns. Here are the words. Play the midi file and sing along.
Once to every man and nation,
comes the moment to decide,
in the strife of truth with falsehood,
for the good or evil side;
some great cause, some great decision,
offering each the bloom or blight,
and the choice goes by forever,
'twixt that darkness and that light.
Then to side with truth is noble,
when we share her wretched crust,
ere her cause bring fame and profit,
and 'tis prosperous to be just;
then it is the brave man chooses
while the coward stands aside,
till the multitude make virtue
of the faith they had denied.
By the light of burning martyrs,
Christ, thy bleeding feet we track,
toiling up new Calvaries ever
with the cross that turns not back;
new occasions teach new duties,
ancient values test our youth;
they must upward still and onward,
who would keep abreast of truth.
Though the cause of evil prosper,
yet the truth alone is strong;
though her portion be the scaffold,
and upon the throne be wrong;
yet that scaffold sways the future,
and behind the dim unknown,
standeth God within the shadow,
keeping watch above his own.
Ebenezer
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown
The first reading for today, the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, was Genesis 32:22-31:
"The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip."
All of the Old Testament texts since Pentecost have been about Abraham and his family. Today's story about Jacob wrestling with God gave us an opportunity to sing a rarely sung hymn, "Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown" by Charles Wesley. It was one of my father's favorite hymns. I wanted to have it sung at his funeral last week, but there were so many other hymns that we couldn't fit this in. The tune in the Methodist Hymnal is the Scottish melody Candler arranged by Carlton R. Young. Other hymnals use the tune St. Petersburg by Dmitri S. Bortniansky or Melita by John Bacchus Dykes . That's the hymn tune known mostly as the Navy hymn "Eternal Father Strong to Save."
Wesley wrote many verses to this hymn, but these are the four that are included in most hymnals today.
Come, O thou Traveler unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see;
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee,
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.
I need not tell Thee who I am,
My misery or sin declare;
Thyself hast called me by my name,
Look on Thy hands, and read it there.
But who, I ask Thee, who art thou?
Tell me thy name, and tell me now.
But who, I ask Thee, who art thou?
Tell me thy name, and tell me now.
Yield to me now, for I am weak
But confident in self-despair;
Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
Be conquered by my instant prayer.
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me, if thy name is Love.
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me, if thy name is Love.
'Tis Love, 'tis Love! Thou diedst for me!
I hear thy whisper in my heart:
The morning breaks, the shadows flee.
Pure universal Love thou art;
Thy mercies never shall remove,
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
Thy mercies never shall remove,
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
The Gospel lesson for July 31 is Matthew 14:13-21, the story of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. We didn't have a hymn to go with this reading at our church today. I can't think of any hymns that are about loaves and fishes, but all of the Eucharistic hymns fit the text. Here's one I like.
O Food to Pilgrims Given
It's from the Maintzich Gesangbuch, translated by John Athelstan Laurie Riley. The tune is a German melody, O Welt, Ich Muss Dich Lassen.
O food to pilgrims given,
O bread of life from heaven,
O manna from on high!
We hunger; Lord, supply us,
Nor thy delights deny us,
Whose hearts to thee draw nigh.
O stream of love past telling,
O purest fountain, welling
From out the Savior's side!
We faint with thirst; revive us,
Of thine abundance give us,
And all we need provide.
O Jesus, by Thee bidden,
We here adore thee, hidden in forms of bread and wine.
Grant when the veil is risen,
We may behold, in heaven,
Thy countenance divine.
"The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip."
All of the Old Testament texts since Pentecost have been about Abraham and his family. Today's story about Jacob wrestling with God gave us an opportunity to sing a rarely sung hymn, "Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown" by Charles Wesley. It was one of my father's favorite hymns. I wanted to have it sung at his funeral last week, but there were so many other hymns that we couldn't fit this in. The tune in the Methodist Hymnal is the Scottish melody Candler arranged by Carlton R. Young. Other hymnals use the tune St. Petersburg by Dmitri S. Bortniansky or Melita by John Bacchus Dykes . That's the hymn tune known mostly as the Navy hymn "Eternal Father Strong to Save."
Wesley wrote many verses to this hymn, but these are the four that are included in most hymnals today.
Come, O thou Traveler unknown,
Whom still I hold, but cannot see;
My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee,
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.
I need not tell Thee who I am,
My misery or sin declare;
Thyself hast called me by my name,
Look on Thy hands, and read it there.
But who, I ask Thee, who art thou?
Tell me thy name, and tell me now.
But who, I ask Thee, who art thou?
Tell me thy name, and tell me now.
Yield to me now, for I am weak
But confident in self-despair;
Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
Be conquered by my instant prayer.
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me, if thy name is Love.
Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
And tell me, if thy name is Love.
'Tis Love, 'tis Love! Thou diedst for me!
I hear thy whisper in my heart:
The morning breaks, the shadows flee.
Pure universal Love thou art;
Thy mercies never shall remove,
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
Thy mercies never shall remove,
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
The Gospel lesson for July 31 is Matthew 14:13-21, the story of the miracle of the loaves and fishes. We didn't have a hymn to go with this reading at our church today. I can't think of any hymns that are about loaves and fishes, but all of the Eucharistic hymns fit the text. Here's one I like.
O Food to Pilgrims Given
It's from the Maintzich Gesangbuch, translated by John Athelstan Laurie Riley. The tune is a German melody, O Welt, Ich Muss Dich Lassen.
O food to pilgrims given,
O bread of life from heaven,
O manna from on high!
We hunger; Lord, supply us,
Nor thy delights deny us,
Whose hearts to thee draw nigh.
O stream of love past telling,
O purest fountain, welling
From out the Savior's side!
We faint with thirst; revive us,
Of thine abundance give us,
And all we need provide.
O Jesus, by Thee bidden,
We here adore thee, hidden in forms of bread and wine.
Grant when the veil is risen,
We may behold, in heaven,
Thy countenance divine.
Saturday, July 23, 2005
Two Sorrowful Weeks
I haven't posted any new hymns for quite awhile because I've been out of town. The third week of July is traditionally my family's annual reunion in Kentucky, a time of fun at the lake and catching up with my brother and sisters and all the nieces and nephews. But this year my aunt died a week before the reunion. I came here for the funeral and planned to stay until it was time to go to the lake. But then my daddy died twelve days after his little sister. It's been a very sad time for us. The funeral was yesterday. It was a wonderful service. Here are the hymns we sang.
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Words: by Henry J. Van Dyke, 1907. Van Dyke wrote this hymn while staying at the home of Harry A. Garfield at Williams College, Massachusetts. It was first published in the Presbyterian Hymnal in 1911. It also appeared in the Poems of Henry van Dyke, 1911.
Van Dyke wrote: These verses are simple expressions of common Christian feelings and desires in this present time—hymns of today that may be sung together by people who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion, or any revolution on earth overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Therefore this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope.
Music: “Hymn to Joy,” from the 9th Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven; adapted by Edward Hodges, 1824
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.
Mortals, join the happy chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.
I'll Praise My Maker Wile I've Breath
Isaac Watts, The Psalms of David, 1719.
Music: “Old 113th,” attributed to Matthaus Greiter, Strassburger Kirchenamt, 1525
.
I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath,
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers;
My days of praise shall ne’er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.
Why should I make a man my trust?
Princes must die and turn to dust;
Vain is the help of flesh and blood:
Their breath departs, their pomp, and power,
And thoughts, all vanish in an hour,
Nor can they make their promise good.
Happy the man whose hopes rely
On Israel’s God: He made the sky,
And earth, and seas, with all their train:
His truth for ever stands secure;
He saves th’oppressed, He feeds the poor,
And none shall find His promise vain.
The Lord has eyes to give the blind;
The Lord supports the sinking mind;
He sends the labr’ing conscience peace;
He helps the stranger in distress,
The widow, and the fatherless,
And grants the pris’ner sweet release.
I’ll praise Him while He lends me breath,
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers;
My days of praise shall ne’er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.
Be Thou My Vision
Words: Attributed to Dallan Forgaill, 8th Century (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride); translated from ancient Irish to English by Mary E. Buyrne, in “Eriú,” Journal of the School of Irish Learning, 1905, and versed by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912, alt.
Music: “Slane,” of Irish folk origin
Slane Hill is about ten miles from Tara in County Meath. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Patrick defied a royal edict by lighting candles on Easter Eve. High King Logaire of Tara had decreed that no one could light a fire before Logaire began the pagan spring festival by lighting a fire on Tara Hill. Logaire was so impressed by Patrick’s devotion that, despite his defiance (or perhaps because of it), he let him continue his missionary work. The rest is history.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
For All the Saints
William W. How, Hymns for Saint’s Days, and Other Hymns, by Earl Nelson, 1864.
Music: “Sine Nomine” Ralph Vaughan Williams, in The English Hymnal (London: Oxford University Press, 1906), number 641
For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Words: by Henry J. Van Dyke, 1907. Van Dyke wrote this hymn while staying at the home of Harry A. Garfield at Williams College, Massachusetts. It was first published in the Presbyterian Hymnal in 1911. It also appeared in the Poems of Henry van Dyke, 1911.
Van Dyke wrote: These verses are simple expressions of common Christian feelings and desires in this present time—hymns of today that may be sung together by people who know the thought of the age, and are not afraid that any truth of science will destroy religion, or any revolution on earth overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Therefore this is a hymn of trust and joy and hope.
Music: “Hymn to Joy,” from the 9th Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven; adapted by Edward Hodges, 1824
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
Fill us with the light of day!
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee,
Center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving,
Ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other,
Lift us to the joy divine.
Mortals, join the happy chorus,
Which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us,
Brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.
I'll Praise My Maker Wile I've Breath
Isaac Watts, The Psalms of David, 1719.
Music: “Old 113th,” attributed to Matthaus Greiter, Strassburger Kirchenamt, 1525
.
I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath,
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers;
My days of praise shall ne’er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.
Why should I make a man my trust?
Princes must die and turn to dust;
Vain is the help of flesh and blood:
Their breath departs, their pomp, and power,
And thoughts, all vanish in an hour,
Nor can they make their promise good.
Happy the man whose hopes rely
On Israel’s God: He made the sky,
And earth, and seas, with all their train:
His truth for ever stands secure;
He saves th’oppressed, He feeds the poor,
And none shall find His promise vain.
The Lord has eyes to give the blind;
The Lord supports the sinking mind;
He sends the labr’ing conscience peace;
He helps the stranger in distress,
The widow, and the fatherless,
And grants the pris’ner sweet release.
I’ll praise Him while He lends me breath,
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers;
My days of praise shall ne’er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.
Be Thou My Vision
Words: Attributed to Dallan Forgaill, 8th Century (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride); translated from ancient Irish to English by Mary E. Buyrne, in “Eriú,” Journal of the School of Irish Learning, 1905, and versed by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912, alt.
Music: “Slane,” of Irish folk origin
Slane Hill is about ten miles from Tara in County Meath. It was on Slane Hill around 433 AD that St. Patrick defied a royal edict by lighting candles on Easter Eve. High King Logaire of Tara had decreed that no one could light a fire before Logaire began the pagan spring festival by lighting a fire on Tara Hill. Logaire was so impressed by Patrick’s devotion that, despite his defiance (or perhaps because of it), he let him continue his missionary work. The rest is history.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.
For All the Saints
William W. How, Hymns for Saint’s Days, and Other Hymns, by Earl Nelson, 1864.
Music: “Sine Nomine” Ralph Vaughan Williams, in The English Hymnal (London: Oxford University Press, 1906), number 641
For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Patriotic Hymns
Patriotic hymns are always a problem. Do they belong in a regular church service or not? I've been in parishes where they were never sung, and I've also lived in parishes where they were sung at every national holiday. They don't fit in the liturgy. There's also the problem that they somehow smack of civil religion which isn't what church should be about. But they are wonderful hymns sung to stirring hymn tunes. Unless one belongs to a community chorus where else but church would one get to sing them? My current church is very pro-patriotic hymns. We sang three of them on Sunday, and the fourth one was played as a postlude.
America the Beautiful
Katharine Lee Bates wrote the original version in 1893. She wrote the 2nd version in 1904. Her final version was written in 1913.
Here is a note from Katharine Lee Bates:
"One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse."
Here's the version we sing.
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self the country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Written by Julia Howe. This hymn was born during the American civil war, when Howe visited a Union Army camp on the Potomac River near Washington, D. C. She heard the soldiers singing the song “John Brown’s Body,” and was taken with the strong marching beat. She wrote the words the next day. The hymn appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862. It was sung at the funerals of British statesman Winston Churchill, Senator Robert Kennedy, and President Ronald Reagan. There are two other verses, but most hymnals only include these four.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His day is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
While God is marching on.
America
Written by Samuel Francis Smith; the tune used for this song is "God Save the Queen", the British National Anthem.
My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!
God of Our Fathers
Written by Daniel C. Roberts
The tune is "National Hymn" by George W. Warren.
God of our fathers, Whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
Thy love divine hath led us in the past,
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast,
Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.
From war's alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense;
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to never ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.
America the Beautiful
Katharine Lee Bates wrote the original version in 1893. She wrote the 2nd version in 1904. Her final version was written in 1913.
Here is a note from Katharine Lee Bates:
"One day some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to 14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like expanse."
Here's the version we sing.
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self the country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Written by Julia Howe. This hymn was born during the American civil war, when Howe visited a Union Army camp on the Potomac River near Washington, D. C. She heard the soldiers singing the song “John Brown’s Body,” and was taken with the strong marching beat. She wrote the words the next day. The hymn appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862. It was sung at the funerals of British statesman Winston Churchill, Senator Robert Kennedy, and President Ronald Reagan. There are two other verses, but most hymnals only include these four.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
His day is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free;
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
While God is marching on.
America
Written by Samuel Francis Smith; the tune used for this song is "God Save the Queen", the British National Anthem.
My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our father's God to, Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing.
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King!
God of Our Fathers
Written by Daniel C. Roberts
The tune is "National Hymn" by George W. Warren.
God of our fathers, Whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
Thy love divine hath led us in the past,
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast,
Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.
From war's alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense;
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way,
Lead us from night to never ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Faith, While Trees Are Still in Blossom
Faith, While Trees Are Still in Blossom
This hymn by Anders Frostenson was written in 1960 and translated by Fred Kaan in 1972. The scripture reference is Hebrews 11:1-2, but it also fit the Old Testament reading for June 26, which was Genesis 22:1-14
Anders Frostenson was born in Killeberg in Småland in 1906. He studied languages, literature, and theology in the University of Lund, taking a degree in English, Slavic languages, and philosophy in 1928 and in Theology in 1932. He then served as a priest in several cities in Sweden, including Stockholm. In 1941 he married Ulla Lidman, a missionary and parliamentary representative. They had three children. He retired in 1971. In 1955 he was appointed Royal Minister to the castle at Drottningholm. In 1981 he earned a doctorate in theology at Lund. Frostenson has written and translated into Swedish over six hundred hymns, but most of them have not been translated into English. I have not been able to discover if Pastor Frostenson is still alive.
Faith, while trees are still in blossom,
plans the picking of the fruit;
Faith can feel the thrill of harvest
when the buds begin to sprout.
Long before the dawn is breaking,
faith anticipates the sun.
Faith is eager for the daylight,
for the work that must be done.
Long before the rains were coming,
Noah went and built an ark.
Abraham, the lonely migrant,
saw the light beyond the dark.
Faith, uplifted, tamed the water
of the undivided sea,
And the people of the Hebrews
found the path that made them free.
Faith believes that God is faithful:
God will be what God will be!
Faith accepts the call, responding,
“I am willing, Lord, send me.”
This hymn by Anders Frostenson was written in 1960 and translated by Fred Kaan in 1972. The scripture reference is Hebrews 11:1-2, but it also fit the Old Testament reading for June 26, which was Genesis 22:1-14
Anders Frostenson was born in Killeberg in Småland in 1906. He studied languages, literature, and theology in the University of Lund, taking a degree in English, Slavic languages, and philosophy in 1928 and in Theology in 1932. He then served as a priest in several cities in Sweden, including Stockholm. In 1941 he married Ulla Lidman, a missionary and parliamentary representative. They had three children. He retired in 1971. In 1955 he was appointed Royal Minister to the castle at Drottningholm. In 1981 he earned a doctorate in theology at Lund. Frostenson has written and translated into Swedish over six hundred hymns, but most of them have not been translated into English. I have not been able to discover if Pastor Frostenson is still alive.
Faith, while trees are still in blossom,
plans the picking of the fruit;
Faith can feel the thrill of harvest
when the buds begin to sprout.
Long before the dawn is breaking,
faith anticipates the sun.
Faith is eager for the daylight,
for the work that must be done.
Long before the rains were coming,
Noah went and built an ark.
Abraham, the lonely migrant,
saw the light beyond the dark.
Faith, uplifted, tamed the water
of the undivided sea,
And the people of the Hebrews
found the path that made them free.
Faith believes that God is faithful:
God will be what God will be!
Faith accepts the call, responding,
“I am willing, Lord, send me.”
The Words Are the Hymn, The Music Is the Hymn Tune
I have been singing in church choirs since I was 12. That's more than fifty years. I love hymns and also hymn tunes, but mostly the hymns. I have a fairly large of collection of hymn books. Most of the antique ones have no printed music. The congregation was just expected to know the tune. If you move from parish to parish and denomination to denomination you'll find that the hymn tune you expect to go with certain hymns is strange to other people. My daughter, who is a choir director, was always annoyed when the priest at the church where she worked always expected "O, Little Town of Bethlehem" to be sung to the tune "Forest Green", a tune she associates more with the hymn "How Beautiful the March of Days".
I'm going to attempt to post the text of the hymns for each week's readings in the Revised Lectionary. When I have time I may include a little history of the hymn, for every hymn, like all poetry, has a poet and a story behind it.
What Gift Can We Bring?
This fairly new hymn was written by Jane Marshall in 1980 for the 25th anniversary of her congregation, Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas.
What gift can we bring, what present or token?
What words can convey it, the joy of this day?
When grateful we come, remembering, rejoicing,
What song can we offer on honor and praise?
Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life by Frank Mason North
This hymn is well suited to the Gospel reading for June 26 - Matthew 10:40-42
1. Where cross the crowded ways of life,
where sound the cries of race and clan,
above the noise of selfish strife,
we hear your voice, O Son of man.
2. In haunts of wretchedness and need,
on shadowed thresholds dark with fears,
from paths where hide the lures of greed,
we catch the vision of your tears.
3. From tender childhood's helplessness,
from woman's grief, man's burdened toil,
from famished souls, from sorrow's stress,
your heart has never known recoil.
4. The cup of water given for you
still holds the freshness of your grace;
yet long these multitudes to view
the sweet compassion of your face.
5. O Master, from the mountainside
make haste to heal these hearts of pain;
among these restless throngs abide;
O tread the city's streets again.
6. Till all the world shall learn your love
and follow where your feet have trod,
till, glorious from your heaven above,
shall come the city of our God!
Here's a history of this hymn written by C. Michael Hawn of the Perkins School of Theology.
Frank Mason North (1850-1935) composed one of the first social gospel hymns devoted to the special needs of the increasing urban poor population... With New York City as his backdrop, North wrote "Where cross the crowded ways of life" at the suggestion of Caleb T. Winchester, for the committee that prepared the 1905 Methodist hymnal... When North was asked to compose a hymn on a missionary theme, he protested his ability to write hymns but promised to try his hand. Shortly before this appeal to prepare a hymn, he had preached a sermon on Matthew 22:9 with a translation of the passage as "Go ye therefore into the parting of the highways." This idea captured his imagination as he thought of the traffic of the great urban centers of the United States and beyond.
I'm going to attempt to post the text of the hymns for each week's readings in the Revised Lectionary. When I have time I may include a little history of the hymn, for every hymn, like all poetry, has a poet and a story behind it.
What Gift Can We Bring?
This fairly new hymn was written by Jane Marshall in 1980 for the 25th anniversary of her congregation, Northaven United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas.
What gift can we bring, what present or token?
What words can convey it, the joy of this day?
When grateful we come, remembering, rejoicing,
What song can we offer on honor and praise?
Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life by Frank Mason North
This hymn is well suited to the Gospel reading for June 26 - Matthew 10:40-42
1. Where cross the crowded ways of life,
where sound the cries of race and clan,
above the noise of selfish strife,
we hear your voice, O Son of man.
2. In haunts of wretchedness and need,
on shadowed thresholds dark with fears,
from paths where hide the lures of greed,
we catch the vision of your tears.
3. From tender childhood's helplessness,
from woman's grief, man's burdened toil,
from famished souls, from sorrow's stress,
your heart has never known recoil.
4. The cup of water given for you
still holds the freshness of your grace;
yet long these multitudes to view
the sweet compassion of your face.
5. O Master, from the mountainside
make haste to heal these hearts of pain;
among these restless throngs abide;
O tread the city's streets again.
6. Till all the world shall learn your love
and follow where your feet have trod,
till, glorious from your heaven above,
shall come the city of our God!
Here's a history of this hymn written by C. Michael Hawn of the Perkins School of Theology.
Frank Mason North (1850-1935) composed one of the first social gospel hymns devoted to the special needs of the increasing urban poor population... With New York City as his backdrop, North wrote "Where cross the crowded ways of life" at the suggestion of Caleb T. Winchester, for the committee that prepared the 1905 Methodist hymnal... When North was asked to compose a hymn on a missionary theme, he protested his ability to write hymns but promised to try his hand. Shortly before this appeal to prepare a hymn, he had preached a sermon on Matthew 22:9 with a translation of the passage as "Go ye therefore into the parting of the highways." This idea captured his imagination as he thought of the traffic of the great urban centers of the United States and beyond.
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