Above:  The Beginning of the Hymn, from The Hymnal (1933)

Image Source = Kenneth Randolph Taylor

The Reverend Hugh Thomson Kerr, Sr. (1872-1950), was a Canadian-born minister of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.  Kerr, a scholar, a liturgist, Kerr worked on the 1932 incarnation of the PCUSA’s Book of Common Worship.  A hymnodist, he helped prepare the 1933 Hymnal and wrote hymns.  An ecumenist, Kerr was instrumental in founding World Communion Sunday.

I found these hymn lyrics in the 1965 Methodist Hymnal, of The Methodist Church.  The successor, The United Methodist Hymnal, does not include this hymn, unfortunately.

http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/feast-of-hugh-thomson-kerr-sr-and-hugh-thomson-kerr-jr-june-28/

KRT

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1.  God of our life, through all the circling years,

We trust in thee;

In all the past, through all our hopes and fears,

Thy hand we see.

With each new day, when morning lifts the veil,

We own thy mercies, Lord, which never fail.

2.  God of the past, our times are in thy hand;

With us abide.

Lead us by faith to hope’s true promised land;

Be thou our guide.

With thee to bless, the darkness shines as light,

And faith’s fair vision changes into sight.

3.  God of the coming years, through paths unknown

We follow thee;

When we are strong, Lord, leave us not alone;

Our refuge be.

Be thou for us in life our daily bread,

Our heart’s true home when all our years have sped.

The Finding of Jesus in the Temple; a Representation from the 16th Century

Image Source = Wikipedia

Jay T. Stocking (1870-1936) was a U.S. Congregationalist minister and denominational moderator, as well as the author of hymns.

http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/feast-of-jay-thomas-stocking-april-9/

Hymn Source = The Methodist Hymnal (1965), of The Methodist Church

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1.  O Master Workman of  the race,

Thou man of Galilee,

Who with the eyes of early youth

Eternal things did see:

We thank thee for thy boyhood faith

That shone thy whole life through;

“Did ye not know know it is my work

My Father’s work to do?”

2.  O Carpernter of Nazareth,

Builder of life divine,

Who shapest man to God’ own law,

Thyself the fair design:

Build us a tower of Christ-like height,

That we the land may view,

And see, like thee, our noblest work

Our Father’s work to do.

3.  O Thou who dost the vision send

And givest each his task,

And with the task sufficient strength:

Show us thy will, we ask.

Give us a conscience bold and good;

Give us a purpose true,

That it may be our highest joy,

Our Father’s will to do.

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AN ASIDE:

I occupy the center-left theologically, politically, and philosophically, by current U.S. standards.  Yet certain traditions appeal to me deeply.  Among these is a hymn with real and deep content.  In an age of praise choruses, actual theology (beyond that one can fit on a bumper sticker) in a hymn gratifies me and uplifts my spirit.  Hymnals contain many examples of the art of hymnody at its best, and old hymmals contain a plethora of hymns which have fallen out of use.  I collect such hymnals, and I testify without reticence that many of these forgotten and discarded hymns are theological gold mines.  So I recommend that you, O reader, spend time with a hymnal, a wonderful companion to a Prayer Book and a Bible.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

AUGUST 12, 2010 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE

St. John Chrysostom (Circa 354-407), Twice-Exiled Bishop of Constantinople

Image Source = Wikipedia

From the Book of Common Prayer (1979), of The Episcopal Church:

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them:  Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting.  Amen.

Entrance to Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia, USA

(I attended GSU from 2001 and 2003, graduating in December 2003.)

Image Source = Wikipedia

From the Book of Common Prayer (1979), of The Episcopal Church:

O Eternal God, bless all schools, colleges, and universities [and especially Georgia Southern University], that they may be lively centers for sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom; and grant that those who teach and those who learn may find you to be the source of all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Image Source = Wikipedia

From the Book of Common Prayer (1979), of The Episcopal Church:

O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Image Source = Wikipedia

From the Book of Common Prayer (1979), of The Episcopal Church:

Heavenly Father, in your Word you have given us a vision of that holy City to which the nations of the world bring their glory:  Behold and visit, we pray, the cities of the earth [especially Atlanta, Georgia, USA]. Renew the ties of mutual regard which form our civic life.  Send us honest and able leaders.  Enable us to eliminate poverty, prejudice, and oppression, that peace may prevail with righteousness, and justice with order, and that men and women from different cultures and with differing talents may find with one another the fulfillment of their humanity; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

From the Book of Common Prayer (1979), of The Episcopal Church:

Almighty God and heavenly Father, we give you humble thanks because you have been graciously pleased to deliver from his/her sickness your servant N., in whose behalf we bless and praise your Name.  Grant, O gracious Father, that he/she, through your help, may live in this world according to your will, and also be a partaker of everlasting glory in the life to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

English Evensong

Image Source = Wikipedia

From Chalice Hymnal (1995), of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ):

God of glory, around whose eternal throne

all the heavenly powers offer their ceaseless songs of praise:

Grant that we may overhear these songs,

and with our own lips interpret them to all

in whose presence we play or sing;

That your church may behold the beauty of God,

and see with mortal eyes the land that is afar off,

where all your promises are celebrated,

and where all your love in every sight and sound

is the theme of eternal rejoicing;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The Reverend Erik Routley (1917-1982) was an English Congregationalist/United Reformed pastor and hymn writer.  (The Congregational Church in England and Wales merged with the Presbyterian Church of England in 1972 to create the United Reformed Church.  The URC has expanded to encompass other Reformed denominations in the British Isles since its formation.)

Below:  Logo of the United Reformed Church (source = official website, which is http://www.urc.org.uk/)