Above:  Riverside Church and Grant’s Tomb, New York, New York

Image in the Public Domain

Hymn (1930) by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969), for the opening of the Riverside Church, New York, New York, in 1930

Hymn Sources = The Hymnal (1941), Evangelical and Reformed Church; Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (1969), Moravian Church in America

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God of grace and God of glory,

On Thy people pour Thy power;

Crown Thine ancient church’s story;

Bring her bud to glorious flower.

Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,

For the facing of this hour,

For the facing of this hour.

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Lo! the hosts of evil round us

Scorn Thy Christ, assail his ways!

From the fears that long have bound us

Free our hearts to faith and praise:

Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,

For the living of these days,

For the living of these days.

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Cure Thy children’s warring madness,

Bend our pride to Thy control;

Shame our wanton, selfish gladness,

Rich in things and poor in soul.

Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,

Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,

Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.

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Set our feet on lofty places;

Gird our lives that they may be

Armored with all Christlike graces

In the fight to set men free.

Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,

That we fail not man nor Thee!

That we fail not man nor Thee!

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Save us from weak resignation

To the evils we deplore;

Let the search for Thy salvation

Be our glory evermore.

Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage

Serving Thee Whom we adore,

Serving Thee Whom we adore.

Above:  Father and Son

Image in the Public Domain

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (1969), Moravian Church in America

Text (1956) by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969)

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O God, Who to a loyal home

Didst trust Thy Son divine,

Where faithful love and patient work

Made daily life benign;

With contrite shame Thy grace we claim

And lift to Thee our prayer;

Redeem our oft unworthy homes

Till all is Christlike there.

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Deliver us from sins which harm

Our homes, and mar their peace.

May selfless and devoted love

Make strife and discord cease.

With anxious zeal, for mankind’s weal

And worldwide peace we pray,

But all in vain, if wayward homes

Cause childhood’s steps to stray.

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Thou art our Father, and from Thee

All faithful families spring;

To homes where love and honor dwell

Thou dost Thy blessing bring.

O God of love, send from above

Thy succor, swift and strong,

That from such homes stout souls may come

To triumph over wrong.

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We pray that childhood’s latent powers

May grow to bless mankind,

That we may guide aright young lives

For unguessed good designed.

O Father God, Whose Son has trod

Such lowly paths as we,

Help us to build on earth true homes,

Till we come home to Thee.

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Above:  Family Dining Room, 1921-1922

Image Source = Library of Congress

Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-npcc-30489

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) (1923), Moravian Church in America

Text (1740) by John Cennick (1718-1755)

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Be present at our table, Lord;

Be here and everywhere adored;

From Thy all-bounteous hand our food

May we receive with gratitude.

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We humbly thank Thee, Lord our God,

For all Thy gifts on us bestowed;

And pray Thee, graciously to grant

The food which day by day we want.

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Above:  Dusk

Image in the Public Domain

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) (1923), Moravian Church in America

Text by John Cennick (1718-1755)

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Ere I sleep, for every favor

Which my God hath bestowed,

I will bless my Saviour;

O my Lord, what shall I render

Unto Thee?  Thou shalt be

This night my Defender.

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Thou, my Rock, my Strength, and Tower,

While I sleep, deign to keep,

Watch from hour to hour;

Visit me with Thy salvation;

Be Thou near, that Thy care

Guard my habitation.

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Leave me not, but ever love me;

Let Thy peace by my bliss,

Till Thou hence remove me;

Then, aroused from peaceful slumber,

Let me rise with the wise,

Counted in their number.

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Above:  Dark Night

Image in the Public Domain

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) (1923), Moravian Church in America

Text by John Cennick (1718-1755)

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No farther go to-night, but stay,

Dear Savior, till the break of day;

Abide, my Lord, with me:

And in the morning when I wake,

Me under Thy protection take;

Thus day and night I spend with Thee.

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Above:  Dawn, Crater Lake National Park

Image in the Public Domain

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) (1923), Moravian Church in America

Text (1740, 1742) by John Cennick (1718-1755)

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Rise, my soul, adore thy Maker;

Angels praise; join thy lays,

Within them be partaker:

Father, Lord of every spirit,

In Thy might, lead me right,

Through my Saviour’s merit.

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O my God, be ever near me,

For Thy rest, for Thy feast,

More and more prepare me.

Still assure me of my calling,

Kept by Thee, let me be

Saved from final falling.

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Thou this night wast my Protector;

With me stay, all the day,

Ever my Director.

Holy, holy, holy Giver

Of all good, life and food,

Reign adored for ever.

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Above:  St. Peter and St. Paul Episcopal Church, Marietta, Georgia, August 15, 2017

Photographer = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) (1923), Moravian Church in America

Text (1740) by John Cennick (1718-1755)

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Be with me, Lord, where’er I go,

Teach me what wouldst have me do;

Suggest  whate’r I think or say,

Direct me in the narrow way.

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Prevent me lest I harbor pride,

Lest I in my own strength confide;

Show me in my weakness, let me see

I have my power, my all, from Thee.

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Enrich me always with Thy love,

My kind Protector ever prove:

Lord, put Thy seal upon my breast,

And let Thy Spirit on me rest.

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Assist and teach me how to pray,

Incline my nature to obey;

What Thou abhorest, let me flee,

And only love what pleaseth Thee.

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O may I never do my will,

But Thine, and only Thine, fulfill;

Let all my time and all my ways,

Be spent and ended to Thy praise.

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Above:  Abyssian Pilgrims at Jerusalem, February 16, 1899

Photographer = Benjamin West Kilburn

Image Source = Library of Congress

Reproduction Number = LC-DIG-ppmsca-10654

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) (1923), Moravian Church in America

Words (1742) by John Cennick (1718-1755)

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Children of the heavenly King,

As ye journey, sweetly sing;

Sing your Saviour’s worthy praise,

Glorious in His works and ways.

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We are traveling home to God

In the way the fathers trod;

They are happy now, and we

Soon their happiness shall see.

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Lift your eyes, ye sons of light,

Zion’s city is in sight;

There our endless home shall be,

There our Lord we soon shall see.

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Fear not, brethren; joyful stand

On the borders of your land;

Jesus Christ, your Father’s Son,

Bids you undismayed go on.

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Lord, obediently we go,

Gladly leaving all below;

Only Thou our Leader be,

And we still will follow Thee.

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Above:  Alpha and Omega

Image in the Public Domain

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) (1923), Moravian Church in America

Words (1741) by John Cennick (1718-1755)

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Hail, Alpha and Omega, hail,

Thou Author of our faith,

The Finisher of all our hopes,

The Truth, the Life, the Path.

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Hail, First and Last, Thou great I AM,

In whom we live and move;

Increase our little spark of faith,

And fill our hearts with love.

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O, let that faith which Thou hast taught,

Be treasured in our breast;

The evidence of unseen joys,

The substance of our rest.

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Then shall we go from strength to strength,

From grace to greater grace;

From each degree of faith to more,

Till we behold Thy face.

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Above:  Logo of the Moravian Church

Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Hymn Source = Hymnal and Liturgies of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) (1923), Moravian Church in America

Words by John Cennick (1718-1755)

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Lamb of God beloved,

Once for sinners slain,

Thankful we remember

What Thou didst sustain;

Nothing Thee incited

But unbounded grace,

To bear condemnation

In the sinner’s place.

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I with sacred sorrow

View Mount Calvary;

But my soul rejoces

O’er Thy death for me;

Since Thou by Thy passion

Didst for me atone,

Take me as an offering,

Thine I’ll be alone.

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In Thy wounds, O Jesus,

I have found true peace;

Thou in all distresses

Art my hiding-place;

Unto Thee I’ll ever

Look with humble faith,

And rejoice, and glory

In Thy wounds and death.

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I unworthy sinner

Lie before Thy throne;

Though I scarce am able

To express, I own,

All my wants, dear Saviour,

Yet Thou know’st them well;

Now in me the counsel

Of Thy love fulfill.

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