A gentle start to this week's hymn requests programme, with an arrangement of Eleanor Farjeon's Morning has broken sung by the Choir of Trinity College, University of Melbourne.
SONG: MORNING HAS BROKEN
Artist: Choir of Trinity College, University of Melbourne/Michael Leighton-Jones
Words/Music: Eleanor 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: TOUCH THE EARTH LIGHTLY
Artist: Durham St Methodist Church Choir, Christchurch
Words/Music: Shirley Murray/Colin Gibson
Recording: Private CD 817
Touch the earth lightly,
use the earth gently,
nourish the life of the world in our care:
gift of great wonder,
ours to surrender,
trust for the children tomorrow will bear.
We who endanger,
who create hunger,
agents of death for all creatures that live,
we who would foster
clouds of disaster,
God of our planet, forestall and forgive!
Let there be greening,
birth from the burning,
water that blesses and air that is sweet,
health in God's garden,
hope in God's children,
regeneration that peace will complete.
God of all living,
God of all loving,
God of the seedling, the snow and the sun,
teach us, deflect us,
Christ reconnect us,
using us gently, and making us one.
SONG: HOW SHALL I SING THAT MAJESTY
Artist: Choir of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Auckland
Words/Music: John Mason/Ken Naylor
Recording: Private CD 805
How shall I sing that Majesty
which angels do admire?
Let dust in dust and silence lie;
sing, sing, ye heavenly choir.
Thousands of thousands stand around
thy throne, O God most high;
ten thousand times ten thousand sound
thy praise; but who am I?
Enlighten with faith's light my heart,
inflame it with love's fire;
then shall I sing and bear a part
with that celestial choir.
I shall, I fear, be dark and cold,
with all my fire and light;
yet when thou dost accept their gold,
Lord, treasure up my mite.
How great a being Lord, is thine,
which doth all beings keep!
Thy knowledge is the only line
to sound so vast a deep.
Thou art a sea without a shore,
a sun without a sphere;
thy time is now and evermore,
thy place is everywhere.
SONG: REJOICE! THE LORD IS KING
Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey, James O’Donnell (dir), Robert Quinney (organ)
Words/Music: Charles Wesley/George Frederick Handel
Recording: Hyperion 712801
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!
SONG: AND NOW, O FATHER, MINDFUL OF THE LOVE
Artist: Marlborough College Chapel Choir
Words/Music: William Bright/William Monk
Recording: Priory PRCD 702
And now, O Father, mindful of the love
that bought us, once for all, on Calvary's tree,
and having with us him that pleads above,
we here present, we here spread forth to thee
that only offering perfect in thine eyes,
the one true, pure, immortal sacrifice.
Look, Father, look on his anointed face,
and only look on us as found in him;
look not on our misusings of thy grace,
our prayer so languid, and our faith so dim:
for lo, between our sins and their reward
we set the Passion of thy Son our Lord.
And so we come: O draw us to thy feet,
most patient Saviour, who canst love us still;
and by this food, so aweful and so sweet,
deliver us from every touch of ill:
in thine own service make us glad and free,
and grant us never more to part with thee.
SONG: JESU, JOY OF MAN’S DESIRING
Artist: Choir of Guildford Cathedral
Words/Music: Schop, Bach/Bridges
Recording: Word WSTCD 9705
Jesu, joy of man’s desiring
Holy wisdom, love most bright;
Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring
Soar to uncreated light.
Word of God, our flesh that fashioned,
With the fire of life impassioned,
Striving still to truth unknown,
Soaring, dying round Thy throne.
SONG: O LOVE THAT WILT NOT LET ME GO
Artist: BBC Radio 4 Daily Service Singers
Words/Music: George Matheson/Albert Peace
Recording: BBC
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O Light that followest all my way
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
my heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
may brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
SONG: LORD FROM THE DEPTHS TO THEE I CRIED
Artist: Scottish Philharmonic Singers
Words/Music: Psalm 130/Trad arr Hugh Wilson
Recording: Abbey 282830
Lord, from the depths to thee I cried.
My voice, Lord, do thou hear:
Unto my supplication’s voice
give an attentive ear.
Lord, who shall stand, if thou, O Lord,
should’st mark iniquity?
But yet with thee forgiveness is,
that fear’d thou mayest be.
I wait for God, my soul doth wait,
my hope is in his word.
More than they that for morning watch,
my soul waits for the Lord;
I say, more than they that do watch
the morning light to see.
Let Israel hope in the Lord,
for with him mercies be;
And plenteous redemption
is ever found with him.
And from all his iniquities
he Israel shall redeem.
SONG: THE LORD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU
Artist: Cambridge Singers, City of London Sinfonia, John Rutter (dir)
Words/Music: Trad/John Rutter
Recording: Collegium COL CD 100
The Lord bless you and keep you:
The Lord make His face to shine upon you,
To shine upon you and be gracious, and be gracious unto you.
The Lord bless you and keep you:
The Lord make His face to shine upon you,
To shine upon you and be gracious, and be gracious unto you.
The Lord lift up the light
Of His countenance upon you,
The Lord lift up the light
Of His countenance upon you,
And give you peace,
And give you peace,
And give you peace,
And give you peace.
Amen.
