Above:  Apotheosis of War, by Vasily Vereshchagin

Image in the Public Domain

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is a hymn for use in time of war.  Sadly, we human beings keep acting is ways which keep the sentiments of the hymn current.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is one of those great Anglican contributions to English-language hymnody.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PART THE FIRST:  THE BEGINNING

The story begins with Henry Fothergill Chorley (1808-1872), a Quaker-born novelist, playwright, libretticist, and literary and music critic in London, England, the United Kingdom.  In 1842 he published a hymn, “God, the All-Terrible! Thou Who Ordainest.”  My sources identified the the publication as having occurred in Part Music (1842), by John Pike Hullah (1812-1884).  A search at hymnary.org led me to my reprint of the Plymouth Collection of Hymns and Tunes (Henry Ward Beecher, Plymouth Congregational Church, Brooklyn, New York, 1855), where I found these verses:

1.  God, the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest

Thunder Thy clarion, and lightning Thy sword;

Show forth Thy pity on high where Thou reignest,

Give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

2.  God, the Omnipotent! mighty Avenger,

Watching invisible, judging unheard;

Save us in mercy, O save us from danger,

Give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

3.  God, the all-merciful! earth hath forsaken

Thy ways all holy, and slighted Thy word;

But not Thy wrath in its terror awaken,

Give to us pardon and peace, O Lord.

4.  So will Thy people with thankful devotion,

Praise Him who saved them from peril and sword;

Shouting in chorus, from ocean to ocean,

Peace to the nations, and praise to the Lord.

(Hymn #1101)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PART THE SECOND:  UNITARIANS DURING THE CIVIL WAR

Hymns of the Spirit (American Unitarian Association, 1864), included an abbreviated and different version of the text, starting with the second stanza.  Thus the hymn became “God, the Omnipotent! Mighty Avenger!”  The context of the U.S. Civil War was evident:

1.  God the Omnipotent! mighty Avenger!

Watching invisible, judging unheard!

Save Thou our land in the hour of her danger,

Give to us peace in Thy time, O Lord!

2.  Thunder and lightnings Thy judgment have sounded;

Letters of flame have recorded Thy word,

‘Only in righteousness true peace is founded’:

Give us that peace in Thy time, O Lord!

3.  So shall the people, with thankful devotion,

Praise Him who saved them from peril and sword;

Shouting in chorus, from ocean to ocean,–

‘Peace to the nation, and praise to the Lord!’

(Hymn #262)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PART THE THIRD:  ENTER JOHN ELLERTON

In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), John Ellerton (1826-1893), a priest of The Church of England and author of no fewer than 86 hymns, wrote “God the Almighty One, Wisely Ordaining,” based on Chorley’s hymn.  The text debuted in Robert Brown-Borthwick’s Select Hymns for Church and Home (The Church of England, 1871).  I found the original version of that hymn via Google Books.

1.  God the Almighty One, wisely ordaining

Judgments unsearchable, famine and sword;

Over the tumult of war Thou are reigning;

Give to us peace in our time, O Lord!

2.  God the All-righteous One! man hath defied Thee;

Yet to eternity standeth Thy word;

Falsehood and wrong shall not tarry beside Thee;

Give to us peace in our time, O Lord!

3.  God the All-pitiful, is it not crying,

Blood of the guiltless like water outpoured?

Look on the anguish, the sorrow, the sighing;

Give to us peace in our time, O Lord!

4.  God, the All-wise! by the fire of Thy chastening

Earth shall to freedom and truth be restored;

Through the thick darkness Thy kingdom is hast’ning,

Thou wilt give peace in Thy time, O Lord!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PART THE FOURTH:  THE JOINING AND SUBSEQUENT VARIATIONS AND ALTERATIONS

The first joining of the Chorley and Ellerton texts occurred in the 1874 revision of Church Hymns (The Church of England, 1871), as one can read for oneself by following the hyperlink and seeking hymn #262.  Since then many hymnals have contained various composites of the Chorley and Ellerton texts, frequently with alterations to them.  The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) contained the hymn, but listed it as “God, Lord of Sabaoth, Thou Who Ordainest.”  The hymn was “God the All-Merciful! Earth Hath Forsaken” in the Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church (1917) but “God the Omnipotent! King, Who Ordainest” in the Service Book and Hymnal (1958).  The influential Hymnal (Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., 1895) and its successor from 1911 listed the hymn as “God, the All-Terrible,” but The Hymnal (1933) changed the title to “God the Omnipotent.”  Among more conservative Presbyterians (especially in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America) who use either the 1961 or the 1990 versions of the Trinity Hymnal, God remains “All-terrible.”  God was “All-terrible” in The Methodist Hymnal (Methodist Episcopal Church and Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1905), but “Omnipotent” in The Methodist Hymnal of 1935 (Methodist Episcopal Church, Methodist Protestant Church, and Methodist Episcopal Church, South; later The Methodist Church, 1939-1968).  As late as The Hymnal of 1918 (Episcopal Church, authorized in 1916) God was “All-Terrible,” but the deity was “Omnipotent” instead in The Hymnal 1940 (published in 1943).  The consensus among hymnal committees is that God is “Omnipotent,” not “All-terrible.”

The variation on the hymn in The Hymnal 1982 (Episcopal Church, 1985) contains four stanzas–two from Chorley, two from Ellerton, and all of them altered.  This is the version I sing in church:

1.  God the Omnipotent! King, who ordainest

thunder thy clarion, the lightning thy sword;

show forth thy pity on high where thou reignest:

give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

2.  God the All-merciful! earth hath forsaken

thy ways all holy, and slighted thy word;

bid not thy wrath in its terrors awaken:

give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

3.  God, the All-righteous One! earth hath defied thee;

yet eternity standeth thy word,

falsehood and wrong shall not tarry beside thee:

give to us peace in our time, O Lord.

4.  God the All-provident! earth by thy chastening

yet shall to freedom and truth be restored;

through the thick darkness thy kingdom is hastening:

thou wilt give peace in thy time, O Lord.

Hymn writer Brian Wren (1936-) wrote of hymns in Praying Twice:  The Music and Words of Congregational Song (Louisville, KY:  Westminster John Knox Press, 2000, page 297):

I have shown that congregational songs are communal.  Though they usually originate from particular authors, their primary purpose is to give shared expression to shared experience, not parade the author’s personality.  Because they are communal a faith community may, in principle amend them.

The story of “God the Omnipotent!” fits that statement well.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PART THE FIFTH:  DROPPING THE HYMN

Denominations revise their official hymnals from time to time.  In so doing they add some texts and remove others.  Here is a partial list of denominations which have removed “God the Omnipotent!” (however they have listed it) from their official hymnody as of 2015, based on hymnals of which I own physical copies:

1. the American Baptist Churches U.S.A., during their transition from the Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970) to no official hymnal;
2. the Anglican Church of Canada, during the transition from The Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada (1971) to Common Praise (1998);
3. the Evangelical Covenant Church of America, during the transition from The Covenant Hymnal (1973) to The Covenant Hymnal:  A Worshipbook (1996);
4. the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, during the transition from the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) to Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006);
5. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod, during the transition from The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) to the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (1996);
6. the Free Methodist Church of North America and the Wesleyan Church, during their transition from Hymns of Faith and Life (1976) to no official hymnal;
7. The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, during its transition from The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) to Lutheran Worship (1982) and the Lutheran Service Book (2006);
8. the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), by way of its predecessors, the Presbyterian Church in the United States and The United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., during the transition from The Hymnbook (1955) to The Worshipbook–Services and Hymns (1972);
9. the Reformed Church in America, during its transition from Rejoice in the Lord:  A Hymn Companion to the Scriptures (1985) to Lift Up Your Hearts:  Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs (2013);
10. the Southern Baptist Convention, during the transition from Baptist Hymnal (1956) to Baptist Hymnal (1975); the text is absent even from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship‘s Celebrating Grace Hymnal (2010);
11. the Unitarian Universalist Association, sometime after Hymns of the Spirit (American Unitarian Association, 1864) and before Hymns of the Spirit (American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America, 1937);
12. The United Methodist Church, during its transition from The Hymnal of the Evangelical United Brethren Church (1957) and The Methodist Hymnal/The Book of Hymns (1966) to The United Methodist Hymnal:  Book of United Methodist Worship (1992); and
13. the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, during the transition from The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) to Christian Worship:  A Lutheran Hymnal (1993); neither is the hymn present in Christian Worship:  Supplement (2008).

That list covers a wide theological range.  So does the list of denominations which have retained it–from The Episcopal Church to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to the United Church of Christ to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America.  The list of denominations which have never added it to their official hymnody is also diverse, ranging from the Christian Reformed Church of North America to the Church of Nazarene.  Sometimes the presence or absence of the hymn indicates more about tastes in hymnody and worship style than about theology.

Another piece of supporting evidence for that conclusion comes from two non-denominational Evangelical hymnals Tom Fettke edited:  The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration (1986) and The Celebration Hymnal:  Songs and Hymns for Worship (1997).  The former contains the hymn which is the subject of this post, but the latter does not.  A Victorian hymn set to the majestic former Russian national anthem does not fit with contemporary worship, with its seven-eleven songs, does it?

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

JULY 21, 2015 COMMON ERA

THE FEAST OF J. B. PHILLIPS, BIBLE TRANSLATOR AND ANGLICAN PRIEST

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Above:  Saint John on Patmos

Image in the Public Domain

Hymn Source = Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), American Baptist Convention and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Original Text by Wilhelm Andreas Wexels (1797-1866)

English Translation by Richard Birch Hoyle (1875-1939)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1.  What joy to think of that vast host,

Of every tribe and tongue,

Who come from every clime and coast,

Who raise in heaven their song,

Their glad triumphal song.

2.  Glad thought, that all who served the Lord,

The apostolic band,

The myriads trusting in their word

Shall all together stand,

Redeemed at God’s right hand.

3.  What bliss, their loves and joys to tell!

What wondrous strains they sing!

Exultant anthems rise and swell

Till heaven’s high arches ring

As they adore their King.

4.  Great God, in mercy save us all;

Raise us to dwell with thee.

With the redeemed, then thou shalt call,

Grant that our place may be,

Through all eternity.

Above:  Map of Nepal, 1945

Image Source = Hammond’s New Era Atlas of the World, 1945

Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Prayer Source = Chalice Worship (1997), Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lord of compassion and power,

be with those who have survived this disaster;

minister to their needs of mind and spirit, body and circumstance;

help those who are hurt;

give peace to the dying;

comfort and support the bereaved;

and to all who are working to bring relief and restore order,

give strength and resilience to do their work well;

for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Above:  Camp Mikell, Near Toccoa, Georgia, October 25, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5938872943494898465/5939066102295939010?banner=pwa&pid=5939066102295939010&oid=114749828757741527421)

Words by Kenneth I. Morse (1913-1999)

Hymn Source = Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the American Baptist Convention

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1.  O Christ, we climb the hill with thee,

thou Master of the upward way.

We scale the heights that we may see

thy vision of the coming day.

2.  Show us thy kingdom, thou our King,

point out the paths of peace and right;

Though feet are weary, hearts will sing,

we climb into thy glorious light.

3.  Give us the courage of thy cross

to dare to live and die for thee;

To walk through fire, to suffer loss

in faith that keeps us strong and free.

4.  New worlds of beauty greet our eyes

as far horizons now we see;

O master of the hills that rise,

to unknown heights we climb with thee.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is post #1150 of GATHERED PRAYERS.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Above:  Camp Mikell, Near Toccoa, Georgia, October 25, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5938872943494898465/5938873558018830226?banner=pwa&pid=5938873558018830226&oid=114749828757741527421)

Words by Kenneth I. Morse (1913-1999)

Hymn Source = Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the American Baptist Convention

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1.  God of the moving years,

God of the marching days,

Thy music on our ears shall turn our fears to praise;

God of each singing heart,

God of each silent voice,

Thy beauty stands apart, above, beyond all art.

Accept the song we raise; let men rejoice.

2.  God of eternal peace,

God of undying life,

Thy mercy will not cease to bring release from strife.

God of each hungering soul,

God of each searching mind,

Thy laws alone control the power to make us whole.

Thou art the light of life for all mankind!

Above:  Ruins of Babylon, 1932

Image Source = Library of Congress

(http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/mpc2005007825/PP/)

Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-matpc-13231

Words (1931) by Percy Dearmer (1867-1936)

Hymn Source = Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the American Baptist Convention

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1.  Thou Judge by  whom each empire fell,

When pride of power o’er came it,

Convict us now, if we rebel,

Our nation judge, and shame it.

In each sharp crisis, Lord, appear,

Forgive, and show our duty clear:

To serve thee by repentance.

2.  Search, Lord, our spirits in thy sight,

In best and worst reveal us;

Shed on our souls a blaze of light,

And judge, that thou may’st heal us.

The present be our judgment day,

When all our lack thou dost survey:

Show us ourselves and save us.

3.  Lo, fearing nought we come to thee,

Though by our fault confounded;

Though selfish, mean, and base we be,

Thy justice is unbounded:

So large, it nought but love requires,

And, judging, pardons, frees, inspires,

Deliver us from evil!

Above:  St. David’s Episcopal Church, Roswell, Georgia, December 18, 2011

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5687616707453348225/5687623013139666338?banner=pwa&pid=5687623013139666338&oid=114749828757741527421)

Words (1931) by Percy Dearmer (1867-1936)

Hymn Source = Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the American Baptist Convention

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1.  Ah!  think not the Lord Lord delayeth:

“I am with you,” still he sayeth,

“Do you yet not understand?”

Look not back, the past regretting;

On the dawn your hearts be setting;

Rise and join the Lord’s command.

2.  For e’en now the reign of heaven

Spreads throughout the world like leaven,

Unobserved, and very near,

Like the seed when no man knoweth,

Like the sheltering tree that groweth,

Comes the life eternal here.

3.  Not for us to find the reasons,

Or to know the times and seasons,

Comes the Lord when strikes the hour;

Ours to bear the faithful witness

Which can shape the world to fitness,

Thine, O God, to give the power.

Above:  Camp Mikell, Near Toccoa, Georgia, October 25, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5938872943494898465/5939066086647492338?banner=pwa&pid=5939066086647492338&oid=114749828757741527421)

Words by Percy Dearmer (1867-1936)

Hymn Source = Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the American Baptist Convention

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1.  O Father above us, our father in might,

All live by thy love, as the flowers in light;

Our father and mother and maker art thou.

Forward!  Forward ever, forward now!

2.  In thee move the infinite stars on their rounds,

The planets, the sun, and the moon in their bounds,

As they kindle and glitter and sparkle and glow:

Onward!  Onward ever, onward now!

3.  O Father in heaven, our father on earth,

Thou makest new life in each seed and each birth;

The inventor, designer, and artist art thou.

Forward!  Forward ever, forward now!

4.  We praise thee, O Father of infinite might,

We thank thee for life and for love and for light,

We pray thee thy treasure on all to bestow:

Onward!  Onward ever, onward go!

Above:  Flag of the United States of America

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Prayers Source = Chalice Worship (1997), of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Almighty God, giver of all good things:

We thank you for the natural majesty and beauty of this land.  They restore us, though we often destroy them.

Heal us.

We thank you for the great resources of this nation.  They make us rich though we often exploit them.

Forgive us.

We thank you for the men and women who have made this country strong.  They are models for us, though we often fall short of them.

Inspire us.

We thank you for the torch of liberty that has been lit in this land.  It has drawn people from every nation, though we have often hidden from its light.

Enlighten us.

We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety.  It sustains our life, though we have been faithless again and again.

Renew us.

Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun.  Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime.  And hasten the day when all people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy Name.

Amen.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We pray for this nation in which you have set us,

for its men and women of government,

for the leaders of commerce and industry,

for those who through newspapers and television lead in thought.

Human cleverness alone cannot heal our nation’s sickness,

treaties and armaments cannot safeguard our real interests,

more luxuries and leisure cannot meet our deepest needs.

O may your Living Word speak afresh to our people.

Raise up men and women who can speak words of insight and integrity,

that new life may inspire us and set us right.

O Prince of Peace, despised and rejected by the wise ones of this world,

we pray for this world,

that the people who grope in the darkness may see a great light,

the light of your love for every human being.  Amen.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You gather us together in faith, O God, as a loving mother and a gentle father.  Help us to remember that your dwelling place is built upon love and peace, and that to bring about your reign on earth we must follow the way of peace.  We pray for all governments and legislatures that they may be mindful of the rights of the peoples of this world to live in peace and dignity.  Grant this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

We have come to sing,

rejoicing in the good that walks this land by day.

We have come to be silent,

repenting of the evil that stalks it by night.

We have come to this place because here we are reminded

that you are both our creator and our conscience.

Here all our loyalties are put in their proper place,

ordered behind our allegiance to you.

Be with us in our celebration and our confession,

that our citizenship may become more responsible,

our nation more humble, and our world more dependable.  Amen.

Above:  Easter Vigil, March 30, 2013, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

(https://plus.google.com/photos/114749828757741527421/albums/5861968701435894753/5862728954767110258?banner=pwa)

Hymn Source = Hymnbook for Christian Worship (1970), of the American Baptist Convention and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Words by Henry Alford (1810-1871), a priest of The Church of England

http://neatnik2009.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/feast-of-henry-alford-january-12/

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

1.  We walk by faith and not by sight;

No gracious words we hear

From him who spoke as man ne’er spoke;

But we believe him near.

2.  We may not touch his hands and side,

Nor follow where he trod;

But in his promise we rejoice,

And cry, “My Lord and God!”

3.  Help then, O Lord, our unbelief;

And may our faith abound,

To call on thee when thou art near,

And seek where thou art found.

4.  That, when our life of faith is done,

In realms of clearer light

We may behold thee as thou art,

With full and endless light.