Today's selection of Summer Hymn Requests includes two Ancient Greek hymns - Hail, gladdening light and Let all mortal flesh keep silence. There's also a setting of Charles Wesley's hymn Love divine, all loves excelling to the tune Blaenwern
Tui on flax Photo: Matt Binns, Wikimedia Commons
SONG: REJOICE! THE LORD IS KING
Artist: St Michael’s Singers, Paul Leddington-Wright (dir), David Poulter (organ)
Words/Music: C Wesley/Handel
Recording: Kingsway KMCD 583
Rejoice, the Lord is king! Your Lord and king adore;
Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Jesus, the Saviour, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When he had purged our stains he took his seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
His kingdom cannot fail, he rules o’er earth and heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
He sits at God’s right hand till all his foes submit,
And bow to his command, and fall beneath his feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!
Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the judge shall come,
And take his servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!
SONG: LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING
Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey, James O’Donnell (dir), Robert Quinney (organ)
Words/Music: C Wesley/Rowlands
Recording: Hyperion 712801
Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling;
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesu, thou art all compassion;
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.
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.
SONG: THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
Artist: Scottish Philharmonic Singers
Words/Music: Psalm 23/Campbell
Recording: Abbey 282830
The Lord's my shepherd; I'll not want.
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
Within the paths of righteousness,
E'en for His own name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God's house forevermore
And in God's house forevermore
My dwelling place shall be.
SONG: HAIL, GLADDENING LIGHT
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: Anon trans Keble/Stainer
Recording: Hyperion 112102
Hail, gladdening Light, of his pure glory poured
who is the immortal Father, heavenly, blest,
hoIiest of holies, Jesus our Lord.
Now we are come to the sun's hour of rest,
the lights of evening round us shine,
we hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit divine.
Worthiest art thou at all times to be sung with undefilèd tongue,
Son of our God, giver of life, alone:
therefore in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.
SONG: LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENCE
Artist: Choir of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Catherine Palmer (dir), Ronald Jordan (organ)
Words/Music: Anon trans Moultrie/Trad arr Palmer
Recording: Marquis 181175
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood,
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, Lord most high!
SONG: HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION
Artist: Choir of Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
Composer: Anon/Trad
Label: Grace Cathedral
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
“Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”
The soul that to Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!
SONG: BE THOU MY VISION
Artist: Belfast Cathedral Youth Choir
Words/Music: Anon trans Mary Byrne, versified Elinor Hull/Trad
Recording: Griffin 224018
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
thou my best thought in the day or the night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word;
I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father: and I thy true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee.
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my armour, and be thou my might,
thou my soul's shelter, and 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, through all my days:
thou, and thou only, the first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of Heaven, when the battle is done,
grant heaven’s joys to me, O bright heaven's sun!
Christ of my own heart whatever befall,
still be my vision, O ruler of all.
SONG: HE WHO WOULD VALIANT BE (TO BE A PILGRIM)
Artist: Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge, David Rowland (dir), Simon Jacobs (organ)
Words/Music: Bunyan/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.
