Above:  The Golden Rule, by Norman Rockwell

Image in the Public Domain

Text Source = Albert F. Bayly (1901-1984)

Hymn Source = The Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada (1971)

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

Thy love, O God, has all mankind created,

and led thy people to this present hour;

in Christ we see life’s glory consumated;

thy Spirit manifests his living power.

+++++

We bring thee, Lord, in fervent intercession

the children of thy world-wide family:

with contrite hearts we offer our confession,

for we have sinned against thy charity.

+++++

From out the darkness of our hope’s frustration,

from all the broken idols of our pride,

we turn to seek thy truth’s illumination,

and find thy mercy waiting at our side.

+++++

In pity look upon thy children’s striving

for life and freedom, peace and brotherhood,

till at the fullness of thy truth arriving,

we find in Christ the crown of every good.

+++++

Inspire thy church, mid earth’s discordant voices,

to preach the gospel of her Lord above,

until the day this warring world rejoices

to hear the mighty harmonies of love.

Above:  Throne of God

Image in the Public Domain

Text (published in 1925) by William Boyd Carpenter (1841-1918), Anglican Bishop of Ripon then Canon of Westminster

Hymn Source = The Hymnal 1940 (1943), The Episcopal Church

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

Before thy Throne, O God, we kneel;

Give us a conscience quick to feel,

A ready mind to understand

The meaning of thy chastening hand;

Whate’er the pain and shame may be,

Bring us, O Father, nearer thee.

+++++

Search out our hearts and make us true,

Wishful to give to all their due;

From love of pleasure, lust of gold,

From sins which make the heart grow cold,

Wean us and train us with thy rod;

Teach us to know our faults, O God.

+++++

For sins of heedless word and deed,

For pride ambitious to succeed,

For crafty trade and subtle snare

To catch the simple unaware,

For lives bereft of purpose high,

Forgive, forgive, O Lord, we cry.

+++++

Let the fierce fires which burn and try,

Our inmost spirits purify;

Consume the ill; purge out the shame;

O God, be with us in the flame;

A new-born people may we rise,

More pure, more true, more nobly wise.

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

Above:  A Crucifix

Photograph by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Text by Timothy Rees (1874-1939)

Hymn Source = The Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada (1971)

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

O crucified Redeemer, whose lifeblood we have spilt,

to you we raise our guilty hands, and humbly own our guilt.

Today we see your passion spread open to our gaze;

the crowded town, the country road, its calvary displays.

+++++

Wherever love is outraged, wherever hope is killed,

where man still wrongs his brother man, your passion is fulfilled.

We see your tortured body, we see the wounds that bleed,

where brotherhood hands crucified, nailed to the cross of greed.

+++++

We hear your cry of anguish, we see your life outpoured,

where battlefield runs red with blood, our brothers’ blood, O Lord.

And in that bloodless battle, the fight for daily bread,

where might is right and self is king, we see your thorn-crowned head.

+++++

The groaning of creation rung out by pain and care,

the anguish of a million hearts that break in dumb despair:

O crucified Redeemer, these are your cries of pain.

O may they break our selfish hearts, and love come in to reign.

Above:  Icon of the Crucifixion, by Andrei Rublev

Image in the Public Domain

Text (1909) by Walter Russell Bowie (1882-1969)

Hymn Source = Hymns for the Living Age (1923)

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

Lovely to the outward eye

Seemed Jerusalem to lie–

Yet ’twas there thou cam’st to die,

Jesus, Son of Mary.

+++++

Far-brought stones and marble rare

Made its towers and circuits fair,

Yet thy cross was waiting there,

Wearied Son of Mary.

+++++

And would all the crowded mart,

Wealth and splendid ease and art

Of our own world please thy heart,

O thou Son of Mary?

+++++

Wouldst thou call our boasting good,

If thou sawest our triumphs stood

On the wreck of brotherhood,

Loving Son of Mary?

+++++

Jesus, pardon where we fail;

Jesus, our whole life enthrall;

Let thy Spirit rule it all,

Blessed Son of Mary.

Above:  A Crucifix

Photograph by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Text (1928) by Walter Russell Bowie (1882-1969)

Hymn Source = The Hymnal 1940 (1943), The Episcopal Church

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

Lord Christ, when first thou cam’st to men,

Upon a cross they bound thee,

And mocked thy saving kingship then

By thorns with which they crowned thee;

And still our wrongs may weave thee now

New thorns to pierce that steady brow,

And robe of sorrow round thee.

+++++

O aweful Love, which found no room

In life where sin denied thee,

And, doomed to death, must bring to doom

The power which crucified thee,

Till not a stone was left on stone,

And all a nation’s pride, o’erthrown,

Went down to dust beside thee!

+++++

New advent of the love of Christ,

Shall we again refuse thee,

Till in the night of hate and war

We perish as we lose thee?

From old unfaith our souls release

To seek the kingdom of thy peace,

By which alone we choose thee.

+++++

O wounded hands of Jesus, burn

In us thy new creation;

Our pride is dust, our vaunt is stilled,

We wait thy revelation;

O love that triumphs over loss,

We bring our hearts before thy cross,

To finish thy salvation.

Above:  Paul Speratus

Image in the Public Domain

Original German Text (1523) by Paul Speratus, during or shortly after his political incarceration (for being a Protestant) in Moravia

Composite Translation

Hymn Source = Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (1996), Evangelical Lutheran Synod

This, perhaps the most Lutheran of hymns, is a staple in many Lutheran hymnals.  However, the majority of Lutheran hymnals I have consulted include no more than 10 stanzas.  The full text is 14 stanzas long.

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

Salvation unto us is come

By God’s free grace and favor.

Good works cannot avert our doom;

They help and save us never.

Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,

Who did for all the world atone;

He is our one Redeemer.

+++++

What God doth in His law demand

No man to Him could render.

Before this Judge all guilty stand;

His law speaks curse in thunder.

The law demands a perfect heart;

We were defiled in ev’ry part,

And lost was our condition.

+++++

False dreams deluded minds did fill,

That God His law had given,

As if to Him we could at will

Earn grace and enter heaven.

The law is but a mirror bright

To bring the inbred sin to sight

That lurks within our nature.

+++++

From sin our flesh could not abstain,

Sin held its sway unceasing;

The task was useless and in vain,

Our guilt was e’er increasing.

None can remove sin’s poisoned dart

Or purify our guilty heart,

So deep is our corruption.

+++++

Still all the law fulfilled must be,

Else we were lost forever,

Then God His Son send down that He

Might us from doom deliver;

He all the law for us fulfilled

And thus His Father’s anger stilled

Which over us impended.

+++++

As Christ hath full atonement made

And brought us to salvation,

So may each Christian now be glad

And build on this foundation:

Thy grace alone, dear Lord, I plead,

Thy death now is my life indeed,

For Thou hast paid my ransom.

+++++

Not doubting this, I trust in Thee,

Thy Word cannot be broken,

Thou all dost call, “Come unto me!”

No falsehood hast Thou spoken:

“He who believes and is baptized,

He shall be saved,” say’st Thou, O Christ,

And he shall never perish.

+++++

The just is he–and he alone–

Who by this faith is living,

The faith that by good works is shown,

To God the glory giving;

Faith gives thee peace with God above,

But thou thy neighbor, too, must love,

If thou art new created.

+++++

The law reveals the guilt of sin,

And makes man conscience-stricken;

The gospel then doth enter in,

The sin-sick soul to quicken.

Come to the cross, look up and live!

The law no peace to thee doth give,

Nor can its deeds bring comfort.

+++++

Faith to the cross of Christ doth cling

And rests in Him securely;

And forth from it good works must spring

As fruits and tokens surely;

Still faith doth justify alone,

Works serve thy neighbor and make known

The faith that lives within thee.

+++++

Hope waits for the accepted hour

Till God give joy for mourning;

When He displays His healing pow’r,

Thy sighs to songs are turning.

Thy needs are known unto thy Lord,

And He is faithful to His Word,

This is our hope’s foundation.

+++++

Though it may seem He hears thee not,

Count not thyself forsaken;

Thy wants are ne’er by Him forgot,

Let this thy hope awaken;

His word is sure, here is thy stay,

Though doubts may plague thee on thy way,

Let not thy faith be shaken.

+++++

All blessing, honor, thanks and praise,

To Father, Son, and Spirit,

The God who saved us by His grace,

All glory to His merit.

O Father in the heav’ns above,

The work begun performs Thy love,

Thy worthy name be hallowed.

+++++

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done

In earth, as ’tis in heaven.

Keep us in live, by grace led on,

Forgiving and forgiven;

Save Thou us in temptation’s hour,

And from all ills; Thine is the pow’r,

And all the glory, Amen!

Above:  The Crucifixion of Jesus

Image in the Public Domain

Anonymous Latin Text, 13th-15th Centuries

English Translation by John Athelstan Laurie Riley (1858-1945)

Hymn Source = The English Hymnal (1906), The Church of England

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

Dost thou truly seek renown

Christ his glory sharing?

Wouldst thou win the heavenly crown

Victor’s meed declaring?

Tread the path the Saviour trod,

Look upon the crown of God,

See what he is wearing.

+++++

This the King of heaven bore

In that sore contending;

This his sacred temples wore,

Honour to it lending;

In this helm he faced the foe,

On the Rood he laid him low,

Satan’s kingdom ending.

+++++

Christ upon the Tree of Scorn,

In salvation’s hour,

Turned to gold these pricks of thorn

By his Passion’s power;

So on sinners, who had earned

Endless death, from sin returned,

Endless blessings shower.

+++++

When in death’s embrace we lie,

Then, good Lord, be near us;

With thy presence fortify,

And with victory cheer us;

Turn our erring hearts to thee,

That we crowned for ay may be:

O good Jesu, hear us!

Above:  Nevada State Orphanage, Carson City, Nevada

Image Source = Library of Congress

Litany Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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

Let us thank God for his blessings.  For all thy blessings in creation; for the beauty of earth and sea and sky; for thy manifold works, and the wisdom with which thou hast made them all,

We thank thee, O God.

For the happiness of our earthly life; for peaceful homes and healthful days; for our powers of mind and body; for faithful friends, for the joy of loving and being beloved,

We thank thee, O God.

For the revelation of thy love and for newness of life in our Saviour; for the blessings brought to us by thy holy Church; for the grace of thy sacraments and for our fellowship with thee in Christ,

We thank thee, O God.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.  From blindness to thy presence in life and sacrament; from hardness of heart and from want of truth, in thought and word and deed,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all that would injure the body, from unworthy fears and anxieties, from despondency, discontent and despair,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From want of sympathy with friends and neighbors; from harsh judgments and ill-feeling towards any; from idle talk and slander; from want of love for our contrary, and unwillingness to seek the common good,

Good Lord, deliver us.

When we question the value of life; when our sense of duty grows faint through self-indulgence; in suffering and failure; in times of happiness and success; in our days of labor and our nights of rest; in the freedom of youth and the weariness of old age; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

That it may please thee to bless with wisdom and courage to those to whom the people have entrusted power, and to give thy guidance and blessing to all who hold rule over their fellows;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to inspire all who are seeking to improve the conditions of our industrial life, and to give fortitude and new hope to all who are out of work;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to solace all who have lost those whom they most loved; to sustain the widows and orphans; to uphold all who are sick and suffering; to protect such as have lost the kindly light of reason; and to supply the needs of the blind, the deaf, and the dumb;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

May the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the splendor of the Eternal Light, remove from our hearts all darkness, now and forevermore.  Amen.

–Pages 306-309

Above:  Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, Atlanta, Georgia, March 12, 2016

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Prayer Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), the General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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

Most holy and merciful Father, we thy wayward children

do make humble confession of our shortcomings and our sin.

All we like sheep have gone astray and have turned every one to his own way.

We have lived too much to ourselves and not unto thee.

We have not loved our brethren as we ought,

nor faithfully followed our Master in unselfish service.

But wilt thou pardon all our offenses.

Create within us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.

May we go on our way with gladness, assured of thy compassion;

and forgetting the things which are behind,

may we reach forth unto those things which are before;

pressing toward the mark of our high calling in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

–Page 46

Above:  Lake Rocks in Morning Mist

Image in the Public Domain

Prayer Source = A Book of Worship for Free Churches (1948), General Council of the Congregational Christian Churches in the United States

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

From “Third Order of Morning Worship”:

PRAYER OF HUMBLE ACCESS

Minister and Congregation

Almighty and everlasting God, whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain,

much less the temples which our minds have builded,

but who art ever nigh unto the humble and the contrite;

grant thy Holy Spirit, we beseech thee, to us who are here assembled;

that cleansed and illumined by thy grace, we may worthily show forth thy praise,

meekly learn thy word, render due thanks for thy mercies,

and obtain a gracious answer to our prayers;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S LOVE

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

As the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

As far is the east from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  Amen.

–Pages 6 and 7