Above:  Harry Emerson Fosdick

Image in the Public Domain

Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969) was the founding minister of the Riverside Church, New York, New York, and one of the most prominent liberal Protestant ministers in the United States during the twentieth century.  He, according to many fundamentalists, a rank heretic, has remained in death what he was to them in life:  a figure of scorn and controversy, even a bête noir.  Fosdick was also an advocate for peace and for African-American civil rights in the country.

Fosdick’s four hymns have never ceased to relevant.

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God of Grace and God of Glory:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/god-of-grace-and-god-of-glory/

O God, in Restless Living:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/o-god-in-restless-living/

O God, Who to a Loyal Home:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/o-god-who-to-a-loyal-home/

The Prince of Peace His Banner Spreads:

https://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2018/10/04/the-prince-of-peace-his-banner-spreads/

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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:  Apotheosis of War, by Vasily Vereshchagin

Image in the Public Domain

Text (1930) by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969)

Hymn Source = The Hymnal (1941), Evangelical and Reformed Church

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The Prince of Peace His banner spreads,

His wayward folk to lead

From war’s embattled hates and dreads,

Its bulwarked ire and greed.

O marshal us, the sons of sires

Who braved the cannon’s roar,

To venture all that peace requires

As they dared death for war.

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Lead on, O Christ!  That haunting song

No centuries can dim,

Which long ago the heavenly throng

Sang over Bethlehem;

Cast down our rancor, fear, and pride,

Exalt goodwill again!

Our worship doth Thy name deride,

Bring we not peace to men.

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Thy pardon, Lord, for war’s dark shame,

Its death-strewn, bloody fields!

Yet thanks to Thee for souls aflame

Who dared with swords and shields!

O Christ, who died to give men life,

Bring that victorious hour,

When man shall use for peace, not strife,

His valor, skill, and power.

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:  People Crossing Pedestrian Lane, by Abby Chung

Image in the Public Domain

Text (1931) by Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969)

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O God, in restless living we lose our spirit’s peace.

Calm our unwise confusion, bid thou our clamor cease.

Let anxious hearts grow quiet, like pools at evening still,

till thy reflected heaves all our spirits fill.

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Teach us, beyond our striving, the rich rewards of rest.

Who does not live serenely is never deeply bless’d.

O tranquil, radiant Sunlight, bring thou our lives to flow’r,

less wearied with our effort, more aware of pow’r.

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Receptive make our spirits, our need is to be still.

As dawn fades flick’ring candle, so dim our anxious will.

Reveal thy radiance through us, thine ample strength release.

Not ours, but thine the triumph in the pow’r of peace.

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We grow not wise by struggling, we gain but things by strain.

We cease to water gardens, when comes thy plenteous rain.

O, beautify our spirits in restfulness from strife,

enrich our souls in secret with abundant life.