Hymns to mark the Feast of the Transfiguration today, including Christ whose glory fills the skies and Be still, for the presence of the Lord.
Holy Trinity Cathedral Photo: RNZ / Paul Bushnell
SONG: MORNING HAS BROKEN
Artist: Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Words/Music: Eleanor Farjeon/Trad
Recording: EMI 948306
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: CHRIST WHOSE GLORY FILLS THE SKIES
Artist: St Michael’s Singers
Words/Music: Charles Wesley/Henry Smart
Recording: Kingsway KMCD 891
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only light,
Sun of righteousness, arise,
Triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near;
Day star, in my heart appear.
Dark and cheerless is the morn
Unaccompanied by thee;
Joyless is the day’s return
Till thy mercy’s beams I see;
Till they inward light impart,
Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.
Visit then this soul of mine,
Pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
Fill me, radiancy divine,
Scatter all my unbelief;
More and more thyself display,
Shining to the perfect day.
SONG: BE STILL, FOR THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
Artist: London Fox Singers
Words/Music: David Evans
Recording: Elevation 2014
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the holy one, is here;
Come bow before him now
with reverence and fear:
In him no sin is found
we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
the holy one, is here.
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire,
with splendour he is crowned:
How awesome is the sight
our radiant king of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
is shining all around.
Be still, for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place;
He comes to cleanse and heal,
to minister his grace
No work too hard for him
In faith receive from him
Be still, for the power of the Lord
is moving in this place.
SONG: LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENCE
Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey, James O’Donnell (dir), Robert Quinney (organ)
Words/Music: Anon paraphrased Gerard Moultrie/Trad
Recording: Hyperion 712801
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: GOD IS OUR HOPE AND STRENGTH (PSALM 46)
Artist: Choir of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Catherine Palmer (dir), Bill Ives (organ)
Words/Music: Psalm 46/Luther
Recording: Marquis
God is our hope and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved,
And though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea.
Though the waters thereof rage and swell,
And though the mountains shake at the tempest of the same.
The rivers of the flood thereof shall make glad the city of God:
The holy place of the tabernacle of the most highest.
God is in the midst of her therefore shall she not be removed:
God shall help her and that right early.
The heathen make much ado and the kingdoms are moved:
But God hath shewed his voice, and the earth shall melt away.
The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge.
O come hither and behold the works of the Lord:
What destruction he hath brought upon the earth.
He maketh wars to cease in all the world:
He breaketh the bow, and knappeth the spear in sunder,
And burneth the chariots in the fire.
Be still then and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen, and I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:
World without end. Amen.
SONG: TO YOU WE BRING OUR HYMN OF PRAISE
Artist: St Michael’s Singers, Coventry Cathedral
Words/Music: Stuart Townend, Matt Maher, Kelly Minter
Recording: Integrity Music 2007
To you we bring our hymn of praise; glory be to God.
Hearts and hands together raised; glory be to God.
Who spoke before the dawn of time; glory be to God.
Veil of darkness torn by light; glory be to God.
And with unceasing voice all heaven sings; glory be to God
The anthem of the Lord’s redeemed; glory be to God
You purchased captives for Your saints; glory be to God
And opened wide the kingdom gates; glory be to God
You overcame the sting of death; glory be to God
And clothed us in Christ’s righteousness; glory be to God
And all Your children cry with loud acclaim; glory be to God
Sing O church Your sweet refrain; glory be to God
Glory, glory, glory, glory forever and ever.
Glory, glory, glory, glory forever and ever. (x2)
Father, Spirit, risen Son; glory be to God.
Who was and is and is to come; glory be to God.
And with unceasing voice all heaven sings; glory be to God
The anthem of the Lord’s redeemed; glory be to God.
And all Your children cry with loud acclaim; glory be to God
Sing O church Your sweet refrain; glory be to God.
SONG: LIFT YOUR HEARTS, WE LIFT THEM LORD TO THEE
Artist: Choir of Norwich Cathedral
Words/Music: Henry Butler/Walter Greatorex
Recording: QED 276
'Lift up your hearts!' We lift them, Lord, to thee;
here at thy feet none other may we see:
'lift up your hearts!' E'en so, with one accord,
we lift them up, we lift them to the Lord.
Above the level of the former years,
the mire of sin, the slough of guilty fears,
the mist of doubt, the blight of love's decay,
O Lord of light, lift all our hearts to-day.
Above the swamps of subterfuge and shame,
the deeds, the thoughts, that honour may not name,
the halting tongue that dares not tell the whole,
O Lord of truth, lift every Christian soul.
Lift every gift that thou thyself hast given:
low lies the best till lifted up to heaven;
low lie the bounding heart, the teeming brain,
till, sent from God, they mount to God again.
Then, as the trumpet-call in after years,
'Lift up your hearts!' rings pealing in our ears,
still shall those hearts respond with full accord,
'We lift them up, we lift them to the Lord!'
SONG: NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD
Artist: Huddersfield Choral Society
Words/Music: Martin Rinkart trans Catherine Winkworth/Johan Cruger
Recording: Signum Records 2006
Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mothers' arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
to keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
of this world in the next.
All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son and Spirit blest,
who reign in highest heaven
the one eternal God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
