Above:  The Church Triumphant and the Church Militant, by Andrea di Bonaiuto, at the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy

Image in the Public Domain

Text by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

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

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Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;

Holy, Holy Holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

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Holy Holy, Holy!  all the Saints adore thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and Seraphim falling down before thee,

Which, wert, and art, and evermore shall be.

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Holy, Holy, Holy!  though the darkness hide thee,

Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,

Only thou art holy, there is none beside thee

Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

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Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, Holy, Holy!  Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

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SOME UNITARIAN VERSIONS OF THE HYMN

(FOR THE SAKE OF CURIOSITY, IF NOTHING ELSE)

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Hymn Sources = Hymns of the Spirit (1937), American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America; and Hymns for the Celebration of Life (1964), Unitarian Universalist Association

Holy, holy, holy!  Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;

Holy, holy, holy!  Merciful and Mighty!

Who wert, and art, and evermore shall be.

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Holy, holy, holy!  Though the darkness hide thee,

Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,

Only thou art holy, there is none beside thee

Perfect in power, in love and purity!

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Holy, holy, holy!  Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name in earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, holy, holy!  Merciful and Mighty!

Who wert, and art, and evermore shall be.

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Hymn Source = Singing the Living Tradition (1993), Unitarian Universalist Association

Holy, holy, holy!  author of creation!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;

holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty;

who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

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Holy, holy, holy, though the darkness hide thee,

hindered by our vanities we have not eyes to see.

Only thou art holy, there is none beside thee,

perfect in power, in love, and purity.

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Holy, holy, holy!  author of creation!

All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea;

holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty;

who was, and is, and evermore shall be.

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Might I state the obvious?  First, the irony of a staunchly Trinitarian hymn appearing in altered forms in Unitarian hymnals is rich.  Furthermore, “hindered by our vanities we have not eyes to see ” is substantially different from “though the sinful eye of man thy glory may not see.”

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

FEBRUARY 23, 2017 COMMON ERA

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Above:  Starry Night

Image in the Public Domain

Text by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

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

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God, that madest earth and heaven,

Darkness and light;

Who the day for toil has given,

For rest the night;

May thine Angel-guards defend us,

Slumber sweet thy mercy send us,

Holy dreams and hopes attend us,

This livelong night.

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Guard us waking, guard us sleeping;

And, when we die,

May we in thy mighty keeping

All peaceful lie:

When the last dread call shall wake us,

Do not thou our God forsake us,

But to reign in glory take us

With thee on high.

Above:  Meadow of Flowers

Image in the Public Domain

Text by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

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

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When spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil;

When summer’s balmy showers refresh the mower’s toil:

When winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and he flood;

In God the earth rejoiceth still, and owns his Maker good.

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The birds that wake the morning, and those that love the shade;

The winds that sweep the mountain, or lull the drowsy glade;

The sun that from his amber bower rejoiceth on his way,

The moon and stars–their Maker’s name in silent pomp display.

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Shall man, the lord of nature, expectant of the sky,

Shall man alone, unthankful, his little praise deny?

No; let the year forsake his course, the seasons cease to be,

Thee, Master, must we always love, and Saviour, honour thee.

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The flowers of spring may wither, the hope of summers fade,

The autumn droop in winter, the birds forsake the shade;

The winds be lulled, the sun and moon forget their old decree;

But we, in nature’s latest hour, O Lord, will cling to thee!

Above:  St. James Episcopal Church, Clayton, Georgia, January 29, 2017

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Text by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

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

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O, most merciful!

O, most bountiful!

God the Father Almighty

By the Redeemer’s

Sweet intercession

Hear us, help us when we cry.

Above:  Saint John and the Cup, by El Greco

Image in the Public Domain

Text by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

Hymn Source = The Hymnal 1916 (1918), The Episcopal Church

A hymn for the Feast of St. John the Evangelist

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O Thou, Who gav’st Thy servant grace

On Thee the living Rock to rest,

To look on Thine unveiled face,

And lean on Thy protecting breast;

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Grant us, O King of mercy, still

To feel Thy presence from above,

And in Thy word and in Thy will

To hear Thy voice and know Thy love;

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And when the toils of life are done,

And nature waits Thy just decree,

To find our rest beneath Thy throne,

And look in certain hope to Thee.

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To Thee, O Jesus, Light of Light,

Whom as their King the saints adore,

Thou strength and refuge in the fight,

Be laud and glory evermore.

Above:  Lavender Field

Image in the Public Domain

Text by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

Hymn Sources = The Hymnal 1940 (1943), The Episcopal Church; and The Hymnal 1940 Companion (1949)

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I praised the earth, in beauty seen,

With garlands gay of various green;

I praised the sea, whose ample field

Shone glorious as a silver shield;

And earth and ocean seemed to say,

“Our beauties are but for a day.”

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I praised the sun, whose chariot rolled

On wheels of amber and of gold;

I praised the moon, whose softer eye

Gleamed sweetly through the summer sky;

And moon and sun in answer said,

“Our days of light are numbered.”

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O God, O Good beyond compare,

If thus thy meaner works are fair,

If thus thy bounties gild the span

Of ruined earth and sinful man,

How glorious must the mansion be

Where thy redeemed shall dwell with thee!

Above:  All Angels Episcopal Church, Eatonton, Georgia, January 22, 2017

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Text (1562) by John Marckant; altered by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

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

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O Lord, turn not Thy face away

From them that lowly lie,

Lamenting sore their sinful life

With tears and bitter cry.

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Thy mercy gates are open wide

To them that mourn their sin;

O shout them not against us, Lord,

But let us enter in.

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And need we, then, O Lord, repeat

The blessing which we crave,

When Thou dost know, before we speak,

The thing that we would have?

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Mercy, O Lord, mercy we ask,

This is the total sum;

For mercy, Lord, is all our prayer,

O let Thy mercy come!

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This is post #1800 of GATHERED PRAYERS.

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Above:  Christ Pantocrator

Scan by Kenneth Randolph Taylor

Text (1811) by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

Hymn Sources = The Church Hymnary–Revised Edition (1927), Presbyterian; and hymnary.org

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Lord of mercy and of might,

Of mankind the Life and Light,

Jesus, hear and save.

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Strong Creator, Saviour mild,

Humbled to a mortal child,

Captive, beaten, bound, reviled,

Jesus, hear and save.

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Lamb of God, for sinners slain,

Thou didst bear our grief and pain;

Cleanse us now from every stain;

Jesus, hear and save.

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Throned above celestial things,

Borne aloft on angels’ wings,

Lord of lords and King of kings,

Jesus, hear and save.

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Soon to come to earth again,

Judge of angels and of men,

Hear us now, and hear us then,

Jesus, hear and save.

Above:  A Baptismal Font

Image in the Public Domain

Text (1812) by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

Hymn Sources = The Church Hymnary–Revised Edition (1927), Presbyterian; and Handbook to The Church Hymnary–Revised Edition (1927)

The first line of the hymn in its original version is “By cool Siloam’s shady fountain.”  In the version published in 1827, however, “fountain” became “rill.”

Heber based the hymn on Luke 2:40 and entitled it “Christ a pattern for children.”

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By cool Siloam’s shady rill

How sweet the lily grows!

How sweet the breath, beneath the hill,

Of Sharon’s dewy rose!

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Lo! such the child whose early feet

The paths of peace have trod,

Whose secret heart with influence sweet

Is upward drawn to God.

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By cool Siloam’s shady rill

The lily must decay;

The rose that blooms beneath the hill

Must shortly fade away.

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And soon, too soon, the wintry hour

Of man’s maturer age

Will shake the soul, with sorrow’s power,

And stormy passion’s rage!

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O Thou whose infant feet were found

Within Thy Father’s shrine,

Whose years, with changeless virtue crowned,

Were all alike divine,

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Dependent on Thy bounteous breath,

We seek Thy grace alone,

In childhood, manhood, age, and death,

To keep us still Thine own.

Above:  Diocesan Confirmation, the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, Georgia, December 8, 2013

Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta

Hymn Source = The Hymnal 1916 (1918), Episcopal Church

Words (publication date = 1827) by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

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1.  Hosanna to the living Lord!

Hosanna to the Incarnate Word!

To Christ, Creator, Saviour, King,

Let earth, let heav’n, Hosanna sing!

Hosanna, Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

2.  Hosanna, Lord! Thine angels cry;

Hosanna, Lord! Thy saints reply;

Above, beneath us, and around,

The dead and living swell the sound;

Hosanna, Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

3.  O Saviour, with protecting care,

Return to this Thy house of prayer:

Assembled in Thy sacred Name,

Where we Thy parting promise claim:

Hosanna, Lord! Hosanna in the higest!

4.  But, chiefest, in our cleansed breast,

Eternal! bid Thy Spirit rest;

And make our secret soul to be

A temple pure and worthy Thee.

Hosanna, Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

5.  So in then last and dreadful day,

When earth and heaven shall melt away,

Thy flock, redeemed from sinful stain,

Shall swell the sound of praise again.

Hosanna, Lord! Hosanna in the highest!