Hymns to mark the first Sunday in Lent, and a favourite setting of Psalm 23 (The Lord’s my Shepherd) by Scottish healer, mystic and poet James Leith Macbeth Bain – known to his peers as ‘Brother James’.
St Luke's Church, Remuera, Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Paul Bushnell
SONG: CHRIST, BE OUR LIGHT
Artist: Choirs of the Diocese of Leeds
Words/Music: Bernadette Farrell
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 397
Longing for light, we wait in darkness
Longing for truth, we turn to You.
Make us Your own, Your holy people
Light for the world to see.
Refrain:
Christ, be our light!
Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ, be our light!
Shine in Your church gathered today.
Longing for peace, our world is troubled
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has pow'r to save us.
Make us your living voice.
Refrain:
Longing for food, many are hungry
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us Your bread, broken for others
Shared until all are fed.
Refrain:
Many the gift, many the people
Many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another
Making Your kingdom come.
Refrain:
SONG: PRAISE, MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: Henry Lyte/John Goss
Recording: Hyperion 112102
Praise, my soul, the king of heaven!
to his feet thy tribute bring,
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting king.
Praise him for his grace and favour
to our fathers in distress;
praise him still the same as ever,
slow to chide and swift to bless:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Glorious in his faithfulness.
Father-like, he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Widely as his mercy flows.
Angels in the height adore him,
ye behold him face to face;
Saints triumphant, bow before him,
gathered in from ev’ry race.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace.
SONG: TOKU WAIROA, OHO MAI
Artist: Hatea Kapa Haka, David Tapene
Words/Music: Himene 89/John Dykes
Recording: Private 2023
|
Toku Wairua, oho mai
|
O my Spirit, arise
|
SONG: FORTY DAY AND FORTY NIGHTS
Artist: Choir of Gloucester Cathedral, David Briggs (dir), Ian Ball (organ)
Words/Music: George Smyttan adapted Potts/Herbst
Recording: Priory PRCD 704
Forty days and forty nights
Thou wast fasting in the wild;
Forty days and forty nights
Tempted, and yet undefiled.
Sunbeams scorching all the day,
Chilly dewdrops nightly shed,
Prowling beasts about thy way,
Stones thy pillow, earth thy bed.
Let us thine endurance share,
And awhile from joys abstain,
With thee watching unto prayer,
Strong with thee to suffer pain.
And if Satan, vexing sore,
Flesh or spirit should assail,
Thou, his vanquisher before,
Grant we may not faint or fail.
So shall we have peace divine,
Holier gladness ours shall be;
Round us too shall angels shine,
Such as ministered to thee.
Keep, O keep us, Saviour dear,
Ever constant by thy side;
That with thee we may appear
At the eternal Eastertide.
SONG: IT IS A THING MOST WONDERFUL
Artist: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, Richard Marlow (dir)
Words/Music: William WalshamHow/Trad arr Ralph Vaughan Williams
Recording: Conifer 75605-51248
It is a thing most wonderful,
Almost too wonderful to be,
That God’s own Son should come from Heav’n,
And die to save a child like me.
And yet I know that it is true;
He chose a poor and humble lot,
And wept, and toiled, and mourned, and died,
For love of those who loved Him not.
But even could I see Him die,
I could but see a little part
Of that great love, which, like a fire,
Is always burning in His heart.
It is most wonderful to know
His love for me so free and sure;
But ’tis more wonderful to see
My love for Him so faint and poor.
And yet I want to love Thee, Lord;
Oh, light the flame within my heart,
And I will love Thee more and more,
Until I see Thee as Thou art.
SONG: BROTHER JAMES’ AIR
Artist: Choir of Clare College Chapel, Timothy Brown (dir)
Words/Music: Psalm 23 (Rous)/James Bain arr Gordon Jacob
Recording: Guild GMCD 7109
The Lord's my Shepherd; I'll not want.
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of blessedness,
E'en for His own name's sake.
Yea, though I pass through shadowed vale,
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me, and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
My table Thou hast furnished
In presence of my foes;
My head with oil Thou dost anoint,
And my cup overflows.
Goodness and mercy all my days
Will surely follow me;
And in my heart forevermore
Thy dwelling place shall be.
SONG: TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS
Artist: Upper Norwood Salvation Army Band
Words/Music: Helen Lemmel
Recording: Word SALCD 002
[instrumental only]
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
SONG: OUR LIFE HAS ITS SEASONS
Artist: Festival Singers, Guy Jansen (dir)
Words/Music: Shirley Murray/Colin Gibson
Label: Festivity Productions FPCD 2007
Our life has its seasons, and God has the reasons
why spring follows winter, and new leaves grow,
for there's a connection with our resurrection
that flowers will bud after frost and snow.
Refrain:
So there's never a time to stop believing,
there's never a time for hope to die,
there's never a time to stop loving,
these three things go on.
There's a time to be planting, a time to be plucking,
a time to be laughing, a time to weep,
a time to be building, a time to be breaking,
a time to be waking, a time to sleep.
Refrain:
There's a time to be hurting, a time to be healing,
a time to be saving, a time to spend,
a time to be grieving, a time to be dancing,
a time for beginning, a time to end.
Refrain:
SONG: BE THOU MY VISION
Artist: Choir of St Mary’s Episcopal Church, Edinburgh
Words/Music: Anon trans Mary Byrne, versified Elinor Hull/Trad
Recording: Priory PRCD 376
Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word;
be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord;
be thou my great Father: and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.
Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armour, thou my true might,
be thou my soul's shelter, be thou my high tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
be thou mine inheritance now and always
be thou and thou only, the first in my heart
O Sovereign of Heaven, my treasure thou art.
High King of Heaven, thou Heaven’s bright sun!
O grant me its joys after victory is won,
great heart of my own heart whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O ruler of all.
