Phebe Hanaford

Universalist minister, activist, author and poet Phebe Hanaford was born on May 6, 1829 in Massachusetts.  I have already covered several aspects of her biography in previous entries (linked below), but she led a long and active life.

Her early concern with social justice issues led her to write an anti-slavery novel, Lucretia the Quakeress in 1853, the same year that Harriet Beecher Stowe's more well-known Uncle Tom's Cabin appeared.   After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln she wrote a popular biography of the president.  Her most popular book, however, was Daughters of America (1883), an encyclopedia of renowned and accomplished women from colonial times to her day.

Today's communion hymn by Hanaford is taken from a poem in one of her collectiions, From Shore to Shore (1871).

The feast of life is sweet;
I am a willing guest,
And joyful, at my Savior's feet
I heed his high behest.

I eat the living Bread,
I drink the Cup divine;
And love within my heart is shed
And light shall 'round me shine.

With what exultant joy
My Savior, I shall sing!
Thy praise shall be my soul's employ
Till heav'n's high arch shall ring,

My soul feeds on thy Word
And strength receives from thee
I weary not of thee, O Lord,
O weary not of me!

Still at the feast of life
For strength let me sit down
Till victor, through thee, in the strife
I wear the glorious crown.

Phebe Hanaford, 19th cent.; adapt.
Tune: FESTAL SONG (S.M.)
William H. Walter, 1872

The tune FESTAL SONG is most often associated with the hymn Rise up, O men of God, by William Pierson Merrill, but that's not a text I would ever be writing about.  Contemporary hymn writer Ruth Duck has written a modern text for this tune as a sort of replacement: Arise, your light is come!, which appears in some newer hymnals.  I think you should seek it out if possible; it's quite good (and more grounded in scripture than Merrill's).

The picture below depicts Phebe Hanaford in the pulpit of the New Haven Universalist Church which she pastored in the 1870s.  Since I first wrote about her a few years ago, a biography of her (the first!) has been published, A Mighty Social Force.  One of the contributors, Sarah Barber-Braun, is a long-time scholar of Hanaford and her work, and successfully campaigned for a headstone to finally be placed at Hanaford's unmarked gravesite in 1998.

Three Years Ago: Phebe Hanaford

Two Years Ago: Phebe Hanaford

Saint Philip and Saint James

Today is the double celebration of the feast day of Saint Philip and Saint James in some churches.  We know that Philip was one of the Twelve Apostles, but the identity of this James has shifted over the years.  For a long time he was believed have been the James who was called the brother of Jesus, which is how Christopher Wordsworth identified him in this hymn for the day, published in Wordsworth's hymnal The Holy Year (1865).

O Jesus, blest the grace of Love
Shed on our hearts by thee;
Which makes us to another's soul
Dear as our own to be.

"Follow thou me?" that question dear
Thou once to Philip said;
He followed thee, and on the way
To heav'n he others led.

Today with thine own brother, Lord,
Philip is linked in love;
As kindred, to each other joined
By graces from above.

O bring us to that holy place,
That heav'nly home above;
Where kindred shall as angels be,
And ev'ry word be Love.

Christopher Wordsworth, 1865; alt.
Tune: BEATITUDO (C,M,)
John Bacchus Dykes, 1875

P.S. - Last summer, a group of Italian archaeologists believe that they found the tomb of Philip the Apostle in Turkey.



Three Years Ago: Saint Philip and Saint James

Two Years Ago: Joseph Addison

I Drink From Their Plenty

As discussed before, we're back again to Good Shepherd Sunday, celebrated in many churches on the Fourth Sunday of Easter.  If it was observed in your church, you undoubtedly heard Psalm 23, perhaps in more than one format or setting.  It's certainly the most paraphrased psalm I've presented here, and we have not run out of them yet!  This one may not be as complete a paraphrase as some others, but deserves a look anyway.


Beside the still waters, my Shepherd, my Lord,
There lead me, there feed me, there show me your Word;
There give me your counsel, there grant me your peace,
There make all my sorrows and wanderings cease.

Beside the still waters, oh bountiful store,
I drink from their plenty and thirst nevermore;
No more I am weary when there I may rest,
And feel with your mercy and love I am blessed.

Beside the still waters, your goodness is there,
Protects me from danger, preserves me from care;
For pain has no terror and death has no sting,
While you are so near me, my thanks will I sing.

Inge E. Diekinga, 1896
Tune: BROTHERTON (6.5.6.5.D.)
English folk melody, arr. 1905


This text originally appeared in Uplifting Songs (1896), but with a rather uninteresting tune.  BROTHERTON suits it better, though perhaps it should be played a bit more gently than the sound file here.

I have lost count of all the Psalm 23 paraphrases presented here (more than just the four below) but you may be able to see them by clicking on the "Psalm 23" tag below.

Four Years Ago: My Shepherd, you supply my need

Three Years Ago:  Since God is my Shepherd

Two Years Ago:  Thou art my Shepherd

One Year Ago:  I shall not want, in deserts wild

The Earth Arrayed in Green

We have talked before about hymns with a spring theme that sometimes tie into Eastertide.  This one actually doesn't, but still contains some nice images.  It was published anonymously in this country in 1799, in The Hartford Selection of Hymns, from the Most Approved Authors : To Which are Added a Number Never Before Published (I always love those long titles), a Congregationalist hymnal edited by Nathan Strong, though that may not have been the text's first appearance. In fact, the first stanza sometimes appears with completely different succeeding stanzas, and is attributed to John Newton, but that seems like an inexact credit from the days when hymnals were not indexed well, if at all.  Copyright law was also non-existent, and writers rewrote other people's texts all the time.

At length the wished for spring is come;
How altered is the scene!
The trees and shrubs are dressed in bloom,
The earth arrayed in green.

I see my Savior from on high,
Break through the clouds and shine!
No creature now more blest than I,
No song more loud than mine.

Your Word will all my hope revive,
It overcomes my foes;
It makes my thirsting spirit thrive,
And blossom like a rose.

And now, a monument I stand,
Of what your grace can do,
Uphold me by your gracious hand,
Each changing season through.

Text anonymous, 1799; alt.
Tune: ARLINGTON (C.M.)
Thomas Arne. 1762;
arr. Ralph Harrison, 1784

ARLINGTON, a tune which is still known in modern hymnals, would likely have been familiar to those who sang from the Hartford Selection of 1799.   Thomas Arne was an English composer of opera and instrumental music and this tune was arranged by Ralph Harrison from a minuet in Arne's opera Artaxerxes, which was a very successful work in its day.  Though Arne did not write any sacred choral music, perhaps because he was a Roman Catholic in a time when that was not considered acceptable in England, he has two very familiar tunes to his credit, even today: Rule, Britannia is a patriotic song from his opera Alfred, and his particular arrangement of God Save the King (or Queen) was adopted as Great Britain's national anthem (which also appears in UK hymnals).

Steps Unto Heav'n

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;
Nearer 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;
Nearer to thee,
Nearer to thee!

There let the way appear,
Steps unto heav'n;
All that thou sendest me,
In mercy giv'n;
Angels to beckon me,
Nearer, my God, to thee;
Nearer to thee,
Nearer to thee!

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;
Nearer to thee,
Nearer to thee!

Or if on joyful wing,
Cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot,
Upwards I fly,
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to thee;
Nearer to thee,
Nearer to thee!

Sarah Flower Adams, 1841
Tune: PROPIOR DEO (6.4.6.4.6.6.4.4.)
Arthur Sullivan, 1872

Context is here at the bottom of the entry.

All the Earth Shall Be Made New

In hundreds of churches all over the world, some version of this hymn was sung this morning, but probably not this particular one. Many more sang at least this tune, but with a different (perhaps related) text.

Jesus Christ is ris'n today, Alleluia!

Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!

Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!

Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Haste, ye seekers from your fright, Alleluia!

Take to Galilee your flight, Alleluia!

To the sad disciples say, Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is ris'n today. Alleluia!

Lo, the earth awakes again, Alleluia!

From the winter's bond and pain, Alleluia!

Bring we leaf and flower and spray, Alleluia!

To adorn this happy day. Alleluia!

Once again the Word comes true, Alleluia!

All the earth shall be made new, Alleluia!

Now the long, cold days are o'er, Alleluia!

Life and gladness are before, Alleluia!

Jesus Christ is ris'n today! Alleluia!

Christ our Light, our Life, our Way, Alleluia!

Who, by dying conquered death. Alleluia!

Ever sing our love and faith! Alleluia!

Text: Composite

Tune: EASTER HYMN (7.7.7.7. with Alleluias)

Lyra Davidica, 1708; arr. William H. Monk, 19th cent.

As I said, there are, and have been many different versions of this text in English over the last three centuries (it originally derives from a Latin text, perhaps from the fourteenth century). The last stanza here comes from a nine-stanza version published in 1800. The third and fourth stanzas are actually taken from a text by the Unitarian Samuel Longfellow. I can't prove this, but it seems possible that it was written so that Unitarians could get to sing this popular tune also (though it may have only been matched to this tune later).

The second stanza no longer appears in many hymnals, but it actually comes from Lyra Davidica (1708 - full title: Lyra Davidica, or a Collection of Divine Songs and Hymns, partly new composed, partly translated from the High German and Latin Hymns; and set to easy and pleasant tunes), the book where three stanzas of the old Latin text were first translated into English. That version reads:

Jesus Christ is risen today, Halle-Halle-lujah.

Our triumphant Holyday

Who so lately on the Cross

Suffer'd to redeem our loss.

Haste, ye females from your fright

Take to Galilee your flight

To the sad Disciples say

Jesus Christ is risen today.

In our Paschal joy and feast

Let the Lord of life be blest

Let the Holy Trine be prais'd

And thankful hearts to Heaven be rais'd.

The third stanza of this version seems unlikely to be revived; particularly the reference to the "Holy Trine" which does not appear to be a usual shortening of "Trinity," but perhaps an alteration to make it fit the meter of the text.

There is a similar hymn by Charles Wesley which is sometimes sung to this tune: Christ the Lord is risen today, which you might have sung today instead (particularly if you're a Methodist). Many hymnals have even combined stanzas from Wesley and the original.

The tune known now as EASTER HYMN, as first printed in Lyra Davidica is not what we sing today. There it was described as "a little freer air than the grand movement of the Psalm tunes." A later arrangement, closer to what we know, appeared in The Compleat Psalmodist (1749), and this version was later harmonized by William H. Monk. In at least one nineteenth century hymnbook, the tune was matched with a very different text by Charles Wesley: Hark, how all the welkin rings, which we know today by a rather different first line. Christmas might feel a bit different today if that had caught on.

P.S. The art above, The Resurrection of Christ and Women at the Tomb is a fresco by Fra Angelico, from the Convent of San Marco in Florence.

Three Years Ago: Christ is risen! Alleluia!

Two Years Ago: The strife is o'er, the battle done

Good Friday

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

African American spiritual, 19th cent.
Tune: WERE YOU THERE (irregular)
harm. C. Winfred Douglas, 1940



Three Years Ago: There is a green hill far away

Two Years Ago: Ah, holy Jesus

One Year Ago: When I survey the wondrous cross

Maundy Thursday

Love consecrates the humblest act
And haloes mercy’s deeds;
It sheds a benediction sweet
And hallows human needs.

When in the shadow of the cross
Christ knelt and washed the feet
Of the disciples, thus he gave
A sign of love complete.

Love serves and willing stoops to serve;
What Christ in love so true
Has freely done for one and all,
Let us now gladly do!

Silas B. McManus, 1902; alt.
Tune: WINDSOR (C.M.)
Christopher Tye, 1533;
arr. William Daman, 1591



Four Years Ago: 'Tis midnight, and on Olive's brow

Three Years Ago: "Remember me, " the Savior said

Two Years Ago: Thou, who at thy first Eucharist did pray

One Year Ago: Within an upper room they met

Steadfast Toward Jerusalem

See what unbounded zeal and love

Inflamed the Savior's breast,

When steadfast toward Jerusalem

His urgent way he pressed.

With all his suff'rings full in view,

And woes to us unknown.

Forth to the work his spirit flew,

'Twas Love that urged him on.

Prepare us. Lord, to view your cross,

Who all our griefs has borne;

To look on you, whom nails have pierced,

To look on you, and mourn.

While thus we mourn, may we rejoice,

And as your cross we see,

May each exclaim in faith and hope,

"The Savior died for me!"

Thomas Cotterill, 1810; st. 2 William Cowper, 1784

Tune: MARTYRDOM (C.M.)

Hugh Wilson, 1800

This text first appeared in a hymnal complied by Thomas Cotterill, A Se­lect­ion of Psalms and Hymns, for Public and Private Use, Adapt­ed to the Fes­tiv­als of the Church of England (1810). However, it is based on, or perhaps inspired by, an earlier text by William Cowper, using one stanza from The Savior, what a noble flame, which appeared in the influential Olney Hymns (1779), Book II, #55.

Four Years Ago: Green Palms and Blossoms Gay

Three Years Ago: The Victor Palm Branch Waving

Two Years Ago: To See the Approaching Sacrifice

One Year Ago: Hosanna in the Highest

Thoro Harris

Gospel song writer and composer Thoro Harris (March 31, 1874 - March 27, 1955) was born in Washington DC. His father was black and his mother white, and some accounts claim that he "passed as white" in some situations, though it seems that he is generally considered to be an African-American Pentecostal songwriter.

After attending college in Battle Creek, Michigan, he lived in Boston and Chicago, compiling his first hymnbook in 1902 (containing several of his own songs). He wrote both texts and tunes, and sometimes arranged the tunes of other composers. We encountered Harris briefly as the arranger of a song based on Aloha Oe, the best-known melody by the Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani. Several other books under his editorship followed and his songs were widely sung for many years across many denominations, including the hymnals of Bishop Alma White's Pillar of Fire Church. In 1925 he edited The New Hymnal, the first collection for Swedish-American Baptists published in English (and containing 39 of his songs), though he was not a Baptist. The Cyber Hymnal's listing of his works (see the link above) is quite small; you can get a better sense of his large output as listed at The Hymnary site.

In addition to his many gospel songs, Harris also wrote some more "standard" hymn tunes as well, including this one, which may have first appeared in the Free Methodist Hymnal (1910), set to a translated text by Martin Luther, All praise to thee, Eternal Lord, but I think it suits this text as well.

O God, in whom we live and move,
Thy love is law, thy law is love;
Thy present Spirit waits to fill
The soul which comes to do thy will.

Unto thy people’s spirits teach
Thy love, beyond the powers of speech;
And make them know, with joyful awe,
Th'encircling presence of thy law.

Its patient working doth fulfill
Our hopes, and God’s all-perfect will,
Nor suffers one true word or thought,
Or deed of love, to come to naught.

Such faith, O God, our spirits fill,
That we may work in patience still.
Who works for justice, works for thee;
Who works in love, thy child shall be.

Samuel Longfellow, 1864
Tune: PERRY STREET (L.M.)
Thoro Harris, c. 1910

There is a Perry Street in Chicago, in Boston, and in Battle Creek so we can't say which one he had in mind, assuming it was Harris who named this tune and not some editor somewhere.

Around 1930 Harris moved to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where he played the organ at several churches. He also owned a boarding house for a time, which is still in operation today as a bed-and-breakfast.

Four Years Ago: Franz Joseph Haydn

Three Years Ago: Franz Joseph Haydn

Like Comets Through the Sky

Today's well-known and well-loved hymn was sung today in my own church. It's appropriate for Lent based on its first stanza, though it is sung at many other times of year in different churches.

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To lay aside his crown for my soul, for my soul,
To lay aside his crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb who is the great I AM;
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on.

Then friends shall meet again, who have loved, who have loved,
Then friends shall meet again, who have loved;
Then friends shall meet again, in Jesus' presence, when
We'll meet to part no more, who have loved, who have loved,
We'll meet to part no more, who have loved.

Ye winged seraphs, fly! Bear the news, bear the news.
Ye winged seraphs fly! bear the news;
Ye winged seraphs fly! Like comets through the sky,
Fill vast eternity with the news, with the news,
Fill vast eternity with the news!

Anonymous; composite; 19th cent.
Tune: WONDROUS LOVE (6.6.6.3.6.6.6.6.6.3.)
American folk tune; The Southern Harmony, 1840


The earliest appearances of this text were in two different hymnbooks published in 1811, A General Selection of the Newest and Most Admired Hymns and Spiritual Songs Now in Use, edited by the Reverend Stith Mead, published in Virginia, and Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Original and Selected, edited by the Reverend Starke Dupuy, published in Kentucky. A later edition of the latter book is downloadable here.

The two versions are similar but not identical. Later printings of the hymn over the next fifty years or so also reveal slight variations in the text and the number of stanzas. In this version, the fourth stanza above was added about twenty years ago when I was doing research for our hymnal project. We were always looking to restore "lost" stanzas, and this one had particular significance in our churches at the time (and still today). I still remember the slight shock I felt at finding it, and people at the time assumed that we, the editors, had written it ourselves. Google now tells me that this stanza is apparently adapted from one in a different hymn, Saints Bound for Heaven (Our bondage, it shall end, by and by).

The unusual meter is sometimes called the Captain Kidd meter, named for an English ballad about the pirate captain Robert Kidd, but used in dozens of folk songs, many with similarly repetitive lyrics.

The tune for this hymn, adapted from an earlier folk tune, was first printed in the second edition of William Walker's The Southern Harmony (1840), in three-part harmony (and with only one stanza of the text). There have been many different arrangements of the tune since then, not only in hymnals but also as choral anthems and instrumental pieces.


P.S. (March 2016) Welcome to all who followed a Facebook link to get here!  Please follow this blog on FB at 'Conjubilant W. Song' for more inclusive/expansive language hymnody (including most of the old MCC Hymnal Project material).

Four Years Ago: The Feast of the Annunciation

Three Years Ago: Godfrey Thring

Two Years Ago: The Feast of the Annunciation

Fanny Crosby

Fanny Crosby, whose work has been often presented here, was born on this day in 1820. Six weeks later a doctor's mistake blinded her for life, yet she pursued her education and a career writing gospel songs that were (and still are) sung around the world, becoming one of the most famous people of her day.

In addition to her song lyrics she was a popular public speaker, giving lectures and speaking a revival meetings. This skill was probably developed in earlier years when she lobbied states and even the Federal government on behalf of education for the blind. In 1843 she became the first woman to speak before the United States Senate.

Fanny herself believed that her most important work was helping in rescue missions around New York City where she lived most of her adult life. In 1880 she decided that this would now be her primary calling (though she also continued to write gospel songs for the rest of her life). She worked at the Water Street Mission and the Bowery Mission for many years, and nearly all the money she made for her songs went to these and similar causes.

Of the thousands of gospel songs she is reputed to have written, hundreds were still unpublished at the time of her death in 1915 (and many remain unpublished to this day). Today's song was set to music by composer Bentley D. Ackley in 1920.

God. who brought the folk of Israel,
With a strong and mighty hand,
Out of all their cruel bondage
Into Canaan’s promised land

Refrain:
God has said, and we believe it,
’Tis a promise made of old,
From the trusting and the loving
No good thing will God withhold.

God is faithful to that promise,
God is mindful of God's own;
On our journey unto glory
We shall never walk alone.
Refrain

We shall have that kind protection,
Wondrous love as in the past;
Though our days be few or many,
God will guide us to the last.
Refrain

Fanny Crosby, 20th cent.?; alt.
Tune: GOD'S PROMISE (8.7.8.7. with refrain)
B. D. Ackley, 1920

Though Crosby had received a strong musical education, and sang and played the guitar, she did not generally write the tunes for her texts. Only two tunes are known to have been composed by her, and one of those is finally available to hear at the Cyber Hymnal site: The Blood-Washed Throng.

Three Years Ago: Fanny Crosby

Two Years Ago: Fanny Crosby

One Year Ago: Fanny Crosby

Phoebe Palmer Knapp

We celebrate the birthday again of composer Phoebe Knapp, born in New York City in 1839. Her earliest hymn tunes were probably written for the texts of her mother, Phoebe Worrall Palmer, who sponsored a well-known series of Methodist prayer meetings in her home.

Phoebe's husband, Joseph Fairchild Knapp, was one of the founders of the Metropolitan Life insurance company, which put them in the top echelons of New York society in the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century. The photo here is from a May, 1899 newspaper article depicting Phoebe as president of the New York State division of the International Tribune Sunshine Society, apparently a social welfare organization of the day.

Today's tune by Knapp was written for an early text by Fanny Crosby, her dear friend and frequent collaborator. Their gospel song, Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine remains one of the most well-known songs ever written for worship.

We praise our Creator for moments so bright,
We hail their returning, we hallow their light;
And now with the standard of Jesus unfurled,
Thro’ grace we are ready to conquer the world.

Refrain:
The whole world for Jesus our watchword shall be,
An army with banners, Christ’s soldiers are we;
Now marching with music, with sunshine and flowers,
On! on! to the conquest that soon will be ours.

How freely the springtime its tribute has brought,
Which gave us the roses and lilies we sought;
Thus freely to Jesus our talents we give,
For Christ we will labor as long as we live.
Refrain

We praise our Creator for blossoms that grow
By fountains of knowledge whose streams ever flow;
Love’s blossoms that fade not and these we would bring
To Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer, and King.
Refrain

Dear Savior, go with us wherever we go,
Thy truth in its grandeur O help us to show;
And when we have conquered thro’ faith and thy love,
Receive us, we pray thee, to mansions above.
Refrain

Fanny Crosby, 1833; alt.
Tune: FATIMA (11.11.11.11. with refrain)
Phoebe Knapp, 19th cent.

I am not generally in favor of hymns with battle metaphors or talk of conquest, but in this case we're armed "with music, with sunshine and flowers," which makes a bit of a difference.

Knapp apparently did not really know how many tunes she had composed over the course of her career. though the estimate is around five hundred. In one anecdote, she was listening to a song and commented that the music sounded familiar, that she liked it but thought it could be improved upon. A friend with her reminded her that Knapp herself had written the tune ten years earlier.


Three Years Ago: Phoebe Palmer Knapp

Two Years Ago: Phoebe Palmer Knapp

John Samuel Bewley Monsell

Today is the 101st birthday of John Samuel Bewley Monsell, born in Londonderry in 1811, the son of an archdeacon. He attended Trinity College in Dublin and was ordained in 1834, serving several parishes in Ireland before coming to England in 1853.

From 1870-1875 he was the rector of St. Nicolas' Church in Guildford and was also chaplain to Queen Victoria during that time. He became interested in the Oxford Movement (that influence can be seen in some of his hymn texts) but never converted to Roman Catholicism as some Anglicans did in his time.

He published eleven volumes of poetry, which included approximately 300 hymns (about a third of which are listed at the Cyber Hymnal), some of which are still sung today. We have seen one here a while back: Christ is risen! Alleluia! One of his most well-known hymns is Fight the good fight with all thy might, and this is possibly the other, first published in Hymns of Love and Praise for the Church's Year (1863).

On our way rejoicing,
As we homeward move,
Hearken to our praises,
O thou God of love!
Is there grief or sadness?
Thou our joy shalt be;
Is our sky beclouded?
There is light in thee.

Refrain:
On our way rejoicing,
As we onward move,
Hearken to our praises,
O thou God of love!

If with honest hearted
Love for God and all,
Day by day thou find us
Answering thy call,
Thou who giv’st the seed time,
Wilt give large increase,
Crown the head with blessings,
Fill the heart with peace.
Refrain

On our way rejoicing
Gladly let us go;
Conquered hath our Leader,
Vanquished is the foe!
Christ without, our safety,
Christ within, our joy;
Who, if we be faithful,
Can our hope destroy?
Refrain

Unto God the Maker
Joyful songs we sing;
Unto God the Savior
Thankful hearts we bring;
Unto God the Spirit
Bow we and adore;
On our way rejoicing
Now and evermore.
Refrain

John Samuel Bewley Monsell, 1863; alt.
Tune: HERMAS (6.5.6.5.D. with refrain)
Frances Ridley Havergal, 1871

This is probably Havergal's most well-known tune, though I have found more than a dozen others composed by her that have not appeared in any hymnals in the last century.

Monsell died in 1875 durinig the construction of the current church building of his parish of St. Nicolas, though I have read at least three different accounts of exactly how it happened. He either fell from the roof, fell from a boulder at the site, or was struck by falling masonry, and died from a subsequent infection. And these accounts are all from pre-internet sources, so we can't blame Wikipedia!


Three Years Ago: All beautiful the march of days

No Penance Do We Owe

It has only taken four years to get to this point - posting the first complete hymn text I wrote (out of only two) more than twenty years ago.

The hymn was based on some sermons I had heard about a somewhat non-traditional interpretation of Lent, where the season is not about "giving up" things (a concept invented much later by theologians). Repentance, in this context, was about turning away from behaviors and other things that separate us from grace, rather than about a particular rite or litany that we must perform. This turning away then turns us toward the path of Jesus, rededicating us to following his example and learning from his life.

Your forty days of trial,

We mark, O Christ, with care;

As once you braved the wildrness,

New challenges we dare.

This season of repentance will

Inspire us as we pray;

We turn from all that mars our lives

Toward all that points your way.

No burdened obligation,

No penance do we owe,

Your gracious liberality

Is what we strive to show;

That everyone who enters here

May know the hope we feel,

Of all the world together joined,

Communion yet more real.

Our passion for God's justice

Leads on through storm and strife,

As once your passion guided you

To sacrifice your life.

No longer must we suffer thus,

You freed us from that weight;

To build your loving commonwealth

Our lives we dedicate.

Help us to know your freedom,

To understand your grace,

To feel your gentle, guiding hand

That leads us from this place;

That as we live our daily lives

As witnesses for you,

We weave the gifts we've gathered here

Through everything we do.

Text: C.W.S., 1990

Tune: ST. CHRISTOPHER (7.6.8.6.8.6.8.6.)

Frederick C. Maker, 1881

Text Copyright © 1990

This may not be your theology, but it is proclaimed in many churches and there are not many hymns for this particular kind of Lenten season.

P.S. The drawing above is Jesus is Tempted by Satan in the Wilderness, a nineteenth-century engraving by Francis Holl..

Ash Wednesday

All those who seek a comfort sure

In trouble and distress,

Whatever sorrows stir the mind,
Or guilt the soul oppress,

Jesus, who gave himself for you
Upon the cross to die,
Opens to you his sacred heart;
O, to that heart draw nigh.

We hear how kindly he invites;
We hear his words so blest;
“All those that labor come to me,
And I will give you rest.”

O Jesus, Joy of saints on high,
And Hope of pilgrims here,
Attracted by those loving words
To you we lift our prayer.

That mercy may enrich our souls,
That grace may ever flow;
A new and loving heart on all
Who cry to you bestow.

Text: Latin, 18th cent; tr. Edward Caswall, 1849; alt.
Tune: BANGOR (C.M.)
William Tans'ur, 1734

At church tonight we had a choir of 57. I'm not sure there were that many people out in the pews. But another Lent is upon us.

Four (Liturgical) Years Ago: Christ, who throughout these forty days

Three (Calendar) Years Ago: Sarah Flower Adams

Three (Liturgical) Years Ago: Awhile in spirit, Christ, to thee

Two (Liturgical) Years Ago: O Christ, whose tender mercy hears

And Songs of Gladness Ring

The appointed psalm for the day in my church this morning was Psalm 67. The choir sang it as usual, and later in the service we sang an anthem setting of the text by William Mathias which was written for the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana in 1981.

In some traditions, the psalms are still sung in metrical form, so Psalm 67 can also be shared by the whole congregation in this way.

O God, to us show mercy
And bless us in thy grace;
Forever shine upon us
The brightness of thy face;
That so thy way most holy
On earth may soon be known,
And unto every people
Thy saving grace be shown.

O God, let people praise thee,
Let all the nations sing;
In every land let praises
And songs of gladness ring;
For thou shalt judge the people
In truth and righteousness,
And through the earth the nations
Thy perfect rule confess.

O God, let people praise thee,
Let all the nations sing,
For earth in rich abundance
To us its fruit shall bring.
The Living God shall bless us,
Shall to us blessing send,
And all the earth shall know God
To its remotest end.

The Psalter, 1912; alt.
Tune: LANCASHIRE (7.6.7.6.D.)
Henry T. Smart, 1835

This paraphrase comes from The Psalter (1912), published by the United Presbyterian Board of Publication, a hymnbook which was used by several different Presbyterian subdenominations for many years. A sturdy, familiar tune like LANCASHIRE often works with texts like this, which are not sung often and don't usually rise to the level of anyone's "favorite" hymn.

The Confession of Saint Peter

In many liturgical churches, January 18 marks the Confession of Saint Peter, which commemorates the apostle's declaration of the Godhood of Jesus, as told in Matthew 16:13-20. This is apparently the first time that the followers of Jesus realized exactly who they had been following.

Today's hymn is by the Anglican hymnwriter (and eventually Bishop) William Walsham How, and first appeared in Church Hymns (1871), a hymnal produced by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (still in existence today). How was also the chair of the committee that compiled this hymnal.


“Thou art the Christ, O Lord,
The Son of God most high!”
For ever be adored
That name in earth and sky,
In which, though mortal strength may fail,
The saints of God at last prevail!

Oh,great was Peter blest
With blessedness unpriced,
Who, taught of God, confessed
The Godhead in the Christ!
For of thy Church, Lord, thou didst own
Thy saint a true foundation stone.

Thrice was he put to shame,
Thrice did the dauntless fall;
But, oh, that look that came
From out the judgment hall!
It pierced and broke his fearful heart,
And foiled the Tempter’s sifting art.

Thrice fallen, thrice restored!
The bitter lesson learnt,
That heart for thee, O Lord,
With triple ardor burnt.
The cross he took he laid not down,
Until he grasped the martyr’s crown.

Oh, bright triumphant faith!
Oh, courage void of fears!
Oh, love most strong in death!
Oh, penitential tears!
May all these keep us lest we fall,
And make us go where thou shalt call.

William Walsham How, 1871; alt.

Tune: BEVAN (6.6.6.6.8.8.)
John Goss, 1853

There are not many hymns written specifically for this day, but the theme certainly suggests several general hymns which could be sung.

The Feast of the Epiphany

January 6 is the "official" date for the Feast of the Epiphany, though your church may celebrate it on Sunday. In some parts of the world, it is better known as Three Kings Day, but by any name it marks the visit to the infant Jesus by people of distant countries (whether they were indeed kings, or magi, or whatever), as opposed to the nearby shepherds. It signifies the eventual importance of this baby who was to be known around the world, not just in Bethlehem or Galilee.

This hymn was written by William Chatterton Dix, whose work we have seen before, and appeared in his first collection, Hymns of Love and Joy (1861). Reportedly he wrote it on the feast day, January 6, 1856.

As with gladness those of old

Did the guiding star behold;

As with joy they hailed its light,

Leading onward, beaming bright;

So, most gracious Lord, may we

Evermore be led to thee.

As with joyful steps they sped

To that lowly manger-bed;

There to bend the knee before

Christ, whom heaven and earth adore;

So may we with willing feet

Ever seek the mercy seat.

As they offered gifts most rare

At that manger rude and bare;

So may we with holy joy,

Pure and free from sin's alloy,

All our costliest treasures bring,

Christ! to thee, our heavenly King.

Holy Jesus! every day

Keep us in the narrow way;

And, when earthly things are past,

Bring our ransomed souls at last

Where they need no star to guide,

Where no clouds thy glory hide.

In that heavenly country bright,

Need they no created light;

Thou its light, its joy, its crown,

Thou its sun which goes not down;

There for ever may we sing

Alleluias echoing.

William Chatterton Dix, 1856; alt.

Tune: DIX (7.7.7.7.7.7.)

Conrad Kocher, 1838; adapt. William H. Monk, 1861

This well-known tune was altered slightly from its German original form by William Henry Monk, editor of Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861), where it was first matched to this text. It was probably also Monk who named the tune for this text's author.

P.S. You may have thought that after three years (beginnning a fourth later this month) that we have run out of familiar hymns, but as you can see we're not done yet.

Three Years Ago: Saw you never, in the twilight

Two Years Ago: Earth has many a noble city

One Year Ago: What star is this, with beams so bright

P.S. You may have thought that after three years (beginnning a fourth later this month) that we have run out of familiar hymns, but as you can see we're not done yet.

Three Years Ago: Saw you never, in the twiligh

Two Years Ago: Earth has many a noble city

One Year Ago: What star is this, with beams so bright

Another Year Its Course Has Run

O God, whom neither time nor space

Can limit, hold, or bind.

Look down from heav'n, thy dwelling place

With love for humankind.

Another year its course has run,

Thy loving care renew;

Forgive the ill that we have done,

The good we failed to do.

In doubt or danger, all our days,

Be near to guard us still;

Let all our thoughts and all our ways

Be guided by thy will.

O help us here on earth to live

From selfish strife set free;

To us at last in mercy give

Eternal life with thee.

Horace Smith, 19th cent.; alt.

Tune DUNFERMLINE (C.M.)

Scottish Psalter, 1615

Three Years Ago: Bessie Porter Head

Two Years Ago: O God, by whom all change is wrought

One Year Ago: Another year is dawning