Sunday, 15 March 2015

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

SONG: ALL CREATURES OF OUR GOD AND KING

Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral
Words/Music: St Francis of Assisi paraphrased Draper/Anon
Recording: Griffin GCCD 4010

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising moon, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

And thou most kind and gentle Death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

SONG: HERE IN THE BUSY CITY

Artist: Viva Voce
Words/Music: Murray/Brinson
Recording: NZ Hymnbook Trust 941300

Here in the busy city now let the Church be seen
Where lesser gods are worshipped in money and machine;
Where news is but sensation, the Good News hardly heard
Now let the Church take action in living out the Word!

In policies and planning the Church be there to speak
To moderate the powerful, to argue for the weak:
Where law must sit in judgment and love is little known,
There at the crisis centre the Christ concern be shown.

Where litter chokes the gutter and people go to waste,
Where joblessness is bitter and living lost its taste
To underleavened people the proof of rising yeast,
In lives devoid of flavour be saltiness released.

Here in the busy city God walks on every street
In generous or greedy, the honest or the cheat,
And daily we must offer the good that goes unpriced
With vigour and with vision the lifestyle of the Christ.

SONG: GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

Artist: Choir of St John’s, Elora
Words/Music: Simpson/Stainer
Recording: Naxos 8.572540

God so loved the world.
God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoso believeth, believeth in Him
should not perish, should not perish
but have everlasting life.

For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world.
God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through Him might be saved.

God so loved the world.
God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoso believeth, believeth in Him
should not perish, should not perish
but have everlasting life,

everlasting life, everlasting, everlasting life.
God so loved the world.
God so loved the world.
God so loved the world.

SONG: THE KING OF LOVE MY SHEPHERD IS

Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey
Words/Music: Baker/Dykes
Recording: Hyperion 712801

The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack if I am his,
and he is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow,
my ransomed soul he leadeth;
and where the verdant pastures grow,
with food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
but yet in love he sought me;
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death's dark vale I fear no ill,
with thee, dear Lord, beside me;
thy rod and staff my comfort still,
thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spreadst a table in my sight;
thy unction grace bestoweth;
and oh, what transport of delight
from thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days,
thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within thy house forever.

SONG: WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

Artist: Choir of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney                     
Words/Music: Scriven/Converse
Recording: Startel STARCD 1005

What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
all because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy laden,
cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge,
take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do your friends despise, forsake you?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he'll take and shield you;
you will find a solace there.

SONG: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER

Artist: Anonymous 4                           
Words/Music: Walford/Bradbury
Recording: Harmonia Mundi HMU 90 7326

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
That calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father's throne
Make all my wants and wishes known!
In seasons of distress and grief
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter's snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless:
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I'll cast on Him my ev'ry care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer,

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah's lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I'll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
"Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!"

SONG: O HOLY SPIRIT, HEAR US AS WE PRAY

Artist: Festival Singers
Words/Music: Kaan/Klusmeier
Recording: Festivity Productions FPCD 2007

O Holy Spirit, hear us as we pray:
renew your people's faith day by day.
Free us from the chaos of night and deepness;
in our life and death cheer and keep us.
Kyrieleis, Kyrieleis, Kyrieleis.

Uproot and teach us by your restless love
to share with all what we are and have;
that with strong affection, in truth and doing,
we may love all life, peace pursuing.
Kyrieleis, Kyrieleis, Kyrieleis.

You plead our cause, and by your gift of peace
from fear of death our lives are released.
How we need your presence, O gift from heaven,
all our words and deeds to enliven.
Kyrieleis, Kyrieleis, Kyrieleis.
Kyrieleis, Kyrieleis, Kyrieleis.

SONG: A PRAYER OF ST PATRICK

Artist: Belfast Cathedral Youth Choir
Words/Music: St Patrick (attrib)/Rutter
Recording: Priory PRCD 826

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ above me, Christ beneath me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.