A selection of traditional and modern hymns, including a hymn from the 13th century and a contemporary setting of Charles Wesley's well-known text Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.
Spider web with morning dew. Photo: Ivicabrlic, Wikimedia Commons
SONG: MORNING HAS BROKEN
Artist: Choir of Trinity College, University of Melbourne/Michael Leighton-Jones
Words/Music: Farjeon/Trad arr Michael Leighton-Jones
Recording: ABC 476509
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the word
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day
SONG: FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
Artist: Choir of St Chad’s Cathedral, Birmingham/David Saint
Words/Music: Pierpoint/Evans
Recording: Priory PRCD 723
For the beauty of the earth,
for the beauty of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies.
Refrain:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our sacrifice of praise.
For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light:
Refrain
For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind's delight,
for the mystic harmony
linking sense to sound and sight:
Refrain
For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild:
Refrain
For each perfect gift and sign
of your grace so freely given,
graces human and divine,
flowers of earth and buds of heaven:
Refrain
SONG: STAND UP AND BLESS THE LORD
Artist: Coventry Singers
Words/Music: Montgomery/Lockhart
Recording: Mission Worship 2013
Stand up and bless the Lord,
All people of His choice;
Stand up and bless the Lord your God
With heart and soul and voice.
Though high above all praise,
Above all blessing high,
Who would not fear His holy name,
And laud and magnify?
Oh for the living flame
From His own altar brought,
To touch our lips our minds inspire,
And wing to heaven our thought!
God is our strength and song,
And His salvation ours;
Then be His love in Christ proclaimed
With all our ransomed powers.
Stand up and bless the Lord;
The Lord your God adore;
Stand up and bless His glorious name,
Henceforth forevermore.
SONG: GOD IS LOVE, LET HEAVEN ADORE HIM
Artist: Choir of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh/Dennis Townhill
Words/Music: Rees/Parry
Recording: Priory PRCD 376
God is love: let heaven adore him;
God is love: let earth rejoice;
let creation sing before him,
and exalt him with one voice.
He who laid the earth's foundation,
he who spread the heavens above,
he who breathes through all creation,
he is love eternal love.
God is love, and is enfolding
all the world in one embrace;
with unfailing grasp is holding
every child of every race;
and when human hearts are breaking
under sorrow's iron rod,
that same sorrow, that same aching
wrings with pain the heart of God,
God is love: and though with blindness
sin afflicts and clouds the will,
God's eternal loving-kindness
holds us fast and guides us still.
Sin and death and hell shall never
o'er us final triumph gain;
God is love, so Love for ever
o'er the universe must reign.
SONG: O PRAISE YE THE LORD
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral/Malcolm Archer
Words/Music: Baker/Parry
Recording: Griffen GCCD 4010
O praise ye the Lord! praise Him in the height;
Rejoice in His Word, ye angels of light;
Ye heavens, adore Him by Whom ye were made,
And worship before Him in brightness arrayed.
O praise ye the Lord! Praise Him upon earth,
In tuneful accord, ye sons of new birth;
Praise Him Who hath brought you His grace from above,
Praise Him Who hath taught you to sing of His love.
O praise ye the Lord! All things that give sound;
Each jubilant chord re-echo around;
Loud organs, His glory forth tell in deep tone,
And sweet harp, the story of what He hath done.
O praise ye the Lord! Thanksgiving and song
To Him be outpoured all ages along!
For love in creation, for Heaven restored,
For grace of salvation, O praise ye the Lord!
Amen
SONG: HUMBLY I ADORE THEE
Artist: Choir of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Words/Music: Aquinas trans Neale/Anon
Recording: Grace Cathedral
Humbly I adore thee,
Verity unseen,
who thy glory hidest
‘neath these shadows mean;
lo, to thee surrendered,
my whole heart is bowed,
tranced as it beholds thee,
shrined within the cloud.
Taste and touch and vision
to discern thee fail;
faith, that comes by hearing,
pierces through the veil.
I believe whate’er
the Son of God hath told;
what the Truth hath spoken,
that for truth I hold.
Jesus, whom now hidden,
I by faith behold,
what my soul doth long for,
that thy word foretold;
face to face thy splendor,
I at last shall see,
in the glorious vision,
blessed Lord, of thee.
SONG: I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY
Artist: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge/Richard Marlow
Words/Music: Bonar/Trad arr Vaughan Williams
Recording: Conifer 75605-51248
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
lay down, O weary one, lay down
your head upon my breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found him in a resting place,
and he has made me glad.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one;
stoop down and drink and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world’s light;
look unto me, your morn shall rise,
and all your day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my star, my sun;
and in that light of life I’ll walk
till traveling days are done.
SONG: IT IS A THING MOST WONDERFUL
Artist: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge/Richard Marlow
Words/Music: How/Trad arr Vaughan Williams
Recording: Conifer 75605-51248
It is a thing most wonderful,
Almost too wonderful to be,
That God’s own Son should come from Heav’n,
And die to save a child like me.
And yet I know that it is true;
He chose a poor and humble lot,
And wept, and toiled, and mourned, and died,
For love of those who loved Him not.
But even could I see Him die,
I could but see a little part
Of that great love, which, like a fire,
Is always burning in His heart.
It is most wonderful to know
His love for me so free and sure;
But ’tis more wonderful to see
My love for Him so faint and poor.
And yet I want to love Thee, Lord;
Oh, light the flame within my heart,
And I will love Thee more and more,
Until I see Thee as Thou art.
SONG: LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING
Artist: Choir of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford, London Musici, Howard Goodall
Words/Music: C Wesley/Goodall
Recording: EMI 215047
Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling;
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion;
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe thy loving Spirit
into every troubled breast;
let us all in thee inherit;
let us find the promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
end of faith, as its beginning,
set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty, to deliver;
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.
Finish then thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee:
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.
This programme was first broadcast on 15 February 2015