It's a gentle start to this week's Summer Hymn Requests, with Eleanor Farjeon's Morning Has Broken sung by the Choir of King's College, Cambridge.
St James Community Church, Otane Photo: Robyn Jaquiery
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: COME DOWN, O LOVE DIVINE
Artist: Cantus Choro
Words/Music: Bianco da Siena/Ralph Vaughan Williams
Recording: Move 743142
Come down, O love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with thine
own ardour glowing.
O comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
And kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness
become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.
And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power
of human telling;
For none can guess its grace,
till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.
SONG: THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral/Malcom Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: Psalm 23/Jessie Seymour Irvine arr Malcolm Archer
Recording: Griffin GCCD 4010
The Lord's my shepherd; I'll not want.
He makes me down to lie
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,
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
And staff me comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
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
My dwelling place shall be.
SONG: KA WAIATA
Artist: New Zealand Youth Choir 1996, Karen Grylls (dir)
Words/Music: Richard Puanaki
Recording: Trust MMT 2016
Maria
Ka waiata ki a Maria
Hine i whakaae
Whakameatia mai
Te whare tangata.
Hine pūrotu
Hine ngākau
Hine rangimārie
Ko te whaea
Ko te whaea
O te ao
SONG: THE THREE KINGS
Artist: Donald Sweeney (bar), Winchester Cathedral Choir
Words/Music: Cornelius trans Bate/Nicolai
Label: Herald HAVPCD 231
Three kings from Persian lands afar
to Jordan follow the pointing star:
And this the quest of the travellers three,
where the new-born King of the Jews may be.
Full royal gifts they bear for the King:
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.
The star shines out with steadfast ray;
the kings to Bethlehem make their way,
and there in worship they bend the knee,
as Mary's child in her lap they see;
their royal gifts they show to the King:
Gold, incense, myrrh are their offering.
Thou child of man, lo, to Bethlehem
the kings are trav'ling, travel with them!
The star of mercy, the star of grace,
shall lead thy heart to its resting place.
Gold, incense, myrrh thou canst not bring:
Offer thy heart to the infant King, offer thy heart!
SONG: O PERFECT LOVE
Artist: Glasgow Phoenix Choir, Peter Mooney (dir)
Words/Music: Dorothy Blomfield/Joseph Barnby
Recording: Word PWCD 003
O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
lowly we kneel in prayer before thy throne,
that theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
whom thou in sacred vow dost join in one.
O perfect Life, be thou their full assurance
of tender charity and steadfast faith,
of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
with childlike trust that fears no pain or death.
Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife;
grant them the vision of the glorious morrow
that will reveal eternal love and life.
SONG: DEAR LORD AND FATHER OF MANKIND
Artist: Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Words/Music: John Greenleaf Whittier/Hubert Parry
Recording: EMI 948306
Dear Lord and father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise,
In deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow thee,
Rise up and follow thee.
Drop thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of thy peace,
The beauty of thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and thy balm,
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,
O still small voice of calm,
O still small voice of calm!
SONG: FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
Artist: Gondwana Voices
Words/Music: Folliat Pierpoint/John Rutter
Recording: ABC 472822
For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies;
over and around us lies:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn 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:
Sun and moon and stars of light:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise.
For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth,
and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise.
For each perfect gift of thine
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n:
flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise,
our hymn of praise.
SONG: AND CAN IT BE
Artist: Choir of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Catherine Palmer (dir), Ronald Jordan (organ)
Words/Music: Charles Wesley/James Campbell
Recording: Marquis MAR 175
And can it be that I should gain
An int'rest in the Saviour's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me? [Repeat last two lines]
Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee. [Repeat last two lines]
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own. [Repeat last two lines]
