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Hymns with a pilgrim theme feature in Hymns on Sunday this week.
Pekapeka Wetlands, Hawke's Bay Photo: Robyn Jaquiery
SONG: THE GOD OF ABRAHAM PRAISE
Artist: Choir of Norwich Cathedral
Words/Music: Ben Judah, Olivers/Lyon.
Recording: QED QED 276
The God of Abraham praise,
Who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days,
And God of love.
To Him uplift your voice,
At whose supreme command
From earth we rise, and seek the joys
At His right hand.
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,
Forever reigns.
Before the great Three-One
they all exulting stand;
And tell the wonders He hath done,
through all their land:
The listening spheres attend,
and swell the growing fame;
And sing, in songs which never end,
the wondrous name.
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.
SONG: GOD THAT MADEST EARTH AND HEAVEN
Artist: Choir of Trinity College, University of Melbourne, Michael Leighton-Jones (dir)
Words/Music: Heber, Whatley/Trad arr Vaughan Williams
Recording: ABC 476509
God, that madest earth and heaven,
darkness and night,
who the day for toil has given,
for rest the night;
may thine angel-guards defend us,
slumber sweet thy mercy send us,
holy dreams and hope attend us,
this livelong night.
Guard us waking, guard us sleeping;
and, when we die,
may we in thy mighty keeping
all peaceful lie;
when the last dread call shall wake us,
do not thou our God forsake us,
but to reign in glory take us
with thee on high.
SONG: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY
Artist: Choir of Norwich Cathedral
Words/Music: Heber/Dykes
Recording: QED QED276
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
who wert and art and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye made blind by sin thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,
perfect in power, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea;
holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty,
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
SONG: JESUS, GOOD ABOVE ALL OTHER
Artist: Choir of St Edmundsbury Cathedral
Words/Music: Dearmer/Trad
Recording: Priory PRCD 712
Jesus, good above all other,
gentle child of gentle mother,
in a stable born our brother,
give us grace to persevere.
Jesus, cradled in a manger,
for us facing every danger,
living as a homeless stranger,
make we thee our King most dear.
Jesus, for thy people dying,
risen Master, death defying,
Lord in heaven, thy grace supplying,
keep us to thy presence near.
Jesus, who our sorrows hearest,
all our thoughts and hopes thou sharest,
thou to us the truth declarest;
help us all thy truth to hear.
Lord, in all our doings guide us;
pride and hate shall ne'er divide us;
we'll go on with thee beside us,
and with joy we'll persevere.
SONG: PSALM 121
Artist: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge
Words/Music: Psalm 121/Howells
Recording: Hyperion 712810
I will lift up my eyes unto the hills -
from whence cometh my help?
My help cometh from the Lord,
who hath made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot be moved;
and he that keepeth thee will not sleep.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord himself is thy keeper;
the Lord is thy defense upon thy right hand.
so that the sun shall not burn thee by day,
neither the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil;
yea, it is even he that shall keep thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth forevermore.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
SONG: TO BE GOD’S PEOPLE
Artist: Rodney Macann (bass-baritone),Festival Singers, Wellington, Guy Jansen (dir)
Words/Music: Brown, Jansen/Brown
Recording: Festivity Productions FPCD2007
Almighty Father, give us a vision
of a dying world that needs your love and care.
We see the need, the yearning for a Saviour,
In Jesus’ name, grant this our prayer.
Refrain:
To be God’s people in this place,
live his goodness, share His grace.
proclaim God’s mercy through his son,
be his love to everyone.
Free us to follow our great Companion
guiding us as pilgrims on the servant way.
To walk more humbly, bring peace and freedom,
and pointing to th’eternal day.
Refrain:
SONG: O HAPPY BAND OF PILGRIMS
Artist: Choir of St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham
Composer: Neale, St Joseph the Hymnographer trans Neale/Knecht
Label: Priory 723
O happy band of pilgrims,
if onward ye will tread
with Jesus as your fellow
to Jesus as your head!
O happy, if ye labour
as Jesus did for men:
O happy, if ye hunger
as Jesus hungered then!
The cross that Jesus carried
he carried as your due:
the crown that Jesus weareth
he weareth it for you.
The faith by which ye see him,
the hope, in which ye yearn,
the love that through all troubles
to him alone will turn,--
What are they, but forerunners
to lead you to his sight?
What are they, save the effluence
of uncreated light?
The trials that beset you,
the sorrows ye endure,
the manifold temptations
that death alone can cure,--
What are they, but his jewels
of right celestial worth?
What are they but the ladder,
set up to heaven on earth?
O happy band of pilgrims,
look upward to the skies,
where such a light affliction
shall win so great a prize.
SONG: LIGHT OF THE LONELY PILGRIM’S HEART
Artist: Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge, David Rowland (dir), Simon Jacobs (organ)
Words/Music: Denny/Stewart
Recording: Priory PRCD 721
Light of the lonely pilgrim's heart,
Star of the coming day,
Arise, and with Thy morning beams
Chase all our griefs away.
Bid the whole earth, responsive now
To the bright world above,
Break forth in rapturous strains of joy
In memory of Thy love.
Thine was the cross, with all its fruits
Of grace and peace Divine:
Be Thine the crown of glory now,
The palm of victory Thine.
See how they fair creation groans,
The sky, the earth, the sea,
In unison with all our heart,
And calls aloud for thee.
Come, blessed Lord, let every shore
And answering island sing
The praises of thy royal name,
And own thee as their king.
SONG: HE WHO WOULD VALIANT BE
Artist: Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge, David Rowland (dir), Simon Jacobs (organ)
Words/Music: Bunyan, Dearmer/Trad arr Vaughan Williams
Recording: Priory PRCD 721
He who would valiant be
'Gainst all disaster,
Let him in constancy
Follow the Master.
There's no discouragement
Shall make him once relent
His first avowed intent
To be a pilgrim.
Who so beset him round
With dismal stories,
Do but themselves confound
His strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might,
Though he with giants fight;
He will make good his right
To be a pilgrim.
Since, Lord, thou dost defend
Us with thy Spirit
We know we at the end
Shall life inherit.
Then, fancies, flee away!
I'll fear not what men say,
I'll labour night and day
To be a pilgrim.