May you be blessed as you lift your voice today to praise God, our Creator and Father. May the Scripture, songs, stories, and images here encourage and equip you as you greet a new week with a thankful heart, trusting in Him for everything.
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PRELUDE
When I Consider How the Father Loves
Composed by Penny Rodriguez
"When I Consider How the Father Loves" is a lovely contemplative piano solo by Penny Rodriguez, a pianist and composer who lives in Indianapolis, Indiana. She began playing piano at age six as the child of missionary parents in Peru, and later studied at the Moody Bible Institute and at the American Conservatory in Chicago, majoring in piano performance.
HYMNS FOR YOU TO SING AT HOME
Words by Fanny Crosby, Music by William H. Doane
Psalm 29:1-2
Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
Psalm 71:19
Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens,
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
you who have done great things.
Who is like you, God?
Psalm 106:1
Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:31
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
Frances ("Fanny") Jane Crosby (1820-1915) wrote over 8,000 hymns and was featured previously on "Notes of Glory" (here is the link to the May 10 post, which includes a video link to a wonderful documentary about Fanny's life). Fanny's hymn "To God Be the Glory" has an interesting history, as it was initially better known in England, in spite of the fact that both lyrics and music were composed by Americans. After its first published appearance in Robert Lowry and William Doane's hymn collection The Brightest and Best in 1875, the hymn was included in singer/composer Ira Sankey's British musical collections Sacred Songs and Solos, thereby introducing it to Christians "across the pond."
Singer and musical director Cliff Barrows included "To God Be the Glory" in the songbook for Billy Graham's 1954 London crusade because it was a familiar hymn in evangelistic circles in England: as a result of its popularity it was also used in Graham's Nashville, Tennessee crusade later that year where it was "reintroduced" to America. Barrows later recalled in Crusade Hymn Stories, "of all the songs that have been popularized through crusade activity, we are most happy about this one. Its testimony should rebound in the heart of every Christian; every area of a person’s life should reflect this witness, 'To God be the glory.'"
Fanny Crosby and composer William Doane (1832-1915) collaborated on many hymns, including "Rescue the Perishing," "Near the Cross" and "Safe in the Arms of Jesus." You can read more about "To God be the Glory" and its history here. Here's a recording of "To God Be the Glory" as sung at the Billy Graham crusade in Brisbane, Australia in 1959.
To God be the glory, great things he has done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the life gate that we may go in.
Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
and give him the glory, great things he has done!
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood!
To ev'ry believer the promise of God;
the vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus forgiveness receives. [Refrain]
Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
but purer and higher and greater will be
our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. [Refrain]
This is My Father's World
Words by Maltbie D. Babcock. "Terra Beata" hymn tune arranged by Franklin L. Sheppard
Psalm 24:1-2
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
Frances ("Fanny") Jane Crosby (1820-1915) wrote over 8,000 hymns and was featured previously on "Notes of Glory" (here is the link to the May 10 post, which includes a video link to a wonderful documentary about Fanny's life). Fanny's hymn "To God Be the Glory" has an interesting history, as it was initially better known in England, in spite of the fact that both lyrics and music were composed by Americans. After its first published appearance in Robert Lowry and William Doane's hymn collection The Brightest and Best in 1875, the hymn was included in singer/composer Ira Sankey's British musical collections Sacred Songs and Solos, thereby introducing it to Christians "across the pond."
Singer and musical director Cliff Barrows included "To God Be the Glory" in the songbook for Billy Graham's 1954 London crusade because it was a familiar hymn in evangelistic circles in England: as a result of its popularity it was also used in Graham's Nashville, Tennessee crusade later that year where it was "reintroduced" to America. Barrows later recalled in Crusade Hymn Stories, "of all the songs that have been popularized through crusade activity, we are most happy about this one. Its testimony should rebound in the heart of every Christian; every area of a person’s life should reflect this witness, 'To God be the glory.'"
Fanny Crosby and composer William Doane (1832-1915) collaborated on many hymns, including "Rescue the Perishing," "Near the Cross" and "Safe in the Arms of Jesus." You can read more about "To God be the Glory" and its history here. Here's a recording of "To God Be the Glory" as sung at the Billy Graham crusade in Brisbane, Australia in 1959.
To God be the glory, great things he has done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the life gate that we may go in.
Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,
and give him the glory, great things he has done!
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood!
To ev'ry believer the promise of God;
the vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus forgiveness receives. [Refrain]
Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
but purer and higher and greater will be
our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. [Refrain]
This is My Father's World
Words by Maltbie D. Babcock. "Terra Beata" hymn tune arranged by Franklin L. Sheppard
Psalm 24:1-2
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
Psalm 19:1-6
The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
Acts 4:24
When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
Psalm 148
Praise the Lord!Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,
and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and women,
old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.
Worship
When the great sun sinks to his rest,
His golden glories thrilling me,
And voiceless longings stir my breast,
Then teach me, Lord, to worship Thee.
And when the stars—the daylight fled—
In serried, shining ranks I see,
Filling the splendid vault o’erhead,
Then teach me, Lord, to worship Thee.
Or if in solemn forest shades
The calm of nature steals o’er me,
And silence all my soul pervades,
Then teach me, Lord, to worship Thee.
Not in the sacred shrines alone,
Which chime their summons unto me,
Would I look upward to Thy throne,
But everywhere would worship Thee.
This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--
His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
Words by John Greenleaf Whitter, Music by Frederick C. Maker
John Greenleaf Whitter (1807-1892) was an American Quaker poet and abolitionist. His best-known hymn, "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" was extracted from a much longer 1872 poem titled "The Brewing of Soma" in which Whittier contrasted pagan rituals (which he believed had even infiltrated Christianity) with the calm and contentment of a simple, committed faith. You can read the entire poem here: "Dear Lord and Father" appears beginning in the 12th stanza. Here's an excellent reflection on the hymn in its original poetic context.
Frederick C. Maker (`844-1927) was a British organist and composer based in Bristol. He wrote the tune commonly titled "Rest" in 1887 for a different poem/hymn, "There is an Hour of Peaceful Rest," but it is most frequently paired with "Dear Lord and Father" here in the United States (this is the version we are singing today). A different tune, "Repton" by Sir Hubert Parry, is typically matched with "Dear Lord and Father" when sung in England.
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard
beside the Syrian sea
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
where Jesus knelt to share with thee
the silence of eternity,
interpreted by love!
Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!
POSTLUDE
Traditional African-American spiritual, arranged for solo piano by Victor Labenske
Psalm 89:52
Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
According to the Psalter Hymnal Handbook (cited at Hymnary.org), the text for this African-American spiritual/gospel song provides brief glimpses into Jesus' life: his birth; his astounding wisdom at age 12 when teaching in the temple; his ministry of preaching and healing; his suffering in Gethsemane; and his crucifixion and resurrection. "All text is framed by the repeated 'Amen' responses; as we sing we reaffirm that 'truly, truly, this is the gospel!'"
All:
Amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen . . .
*Leader:
See the little baby . . .
lying in a manger . . .
on Christmas morning. . . .
small creatures and flying birds,
kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
young men and women,
old men and children.
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.
As a young Presbyterian minister in Lockport, New York, Maltbie Babcock (1858-1901) loved to travel to the area near the Niagara escapement for long walks and would often proclaim to his secretary, "I'm going out to see my Father's world" as he set out. Babcock, a graduate of Syracuse University and Auburn Theological Seminary, had many hobbies and interests, including music (he played organ, piano, and violin) and sports like swimming and baseball: he was also an avid outdoorsman.
After pastoring churches in Lockport (NY) and Baltimore, Maryland, in 1900 Babcock accepted a position as senior pastor at the Brick Church in New York City. The following year, Babcock died at the age of 42 as a result of a bacterial infection he contracted after a visit to the Holy Land. His collected poems and essays were published posthumously later that year (1901) in a devotional collection titled Thoughts for Everyday Living from the Spoken and Written Words of Maltbie Davenport Babcock. This small book contained the poem, "This Is My Father's World," which was later set to music composed by Babcock's friend, Franklin L. Sheppard in 1915.
To learn more about Babcock, read some of his sermons and poems, and view the magnificent stained glass Louis Comfort Tiffany window dedicated in his honor by members of the Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church in Baltimore (where he served as pastor from 1897-1900), see this post.
Here's a beautiful poem by Babcock from Thoughts for Everyday Living that you might enjoy reading as a companion to "This is My Father's World"
Worship
When the great sun sinks to his rest,
His golden glories thrilling me,
And voiceless longings stir my breast,
Then teach me, Lord, to worship Thee.
And when the stars—the daylight fled—
In serried, shining ranks I see,
Filling the splendid vault o’erhead,
Then teach me, Lord, to worship Thee.
Or if in solemn forest shades
The calm of nature steals o’er me,
And silence all my soul pervades,
Then teach me, Lord, to worship Thee.
Not in the sacred shrines alone,
Which chime their summons unto me,
Would I look upward to Thy throne,
But everywhere would worship Thee.
 |
| Public Domain. Via Hymnary.org |
This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas--
His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world:
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father's world:
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the Ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let earth be glad!
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
.jpg) |
| Sea of Gaililee. Davidbena / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) |
Words by John Greenleaf Whitter, Music by Frederick C. Maker
John Greenleaf Whitter (1807-1892) was an American Quaker poet and abolitionist. His best-known hymn, "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" was extracted from a much longer 1872 poem titled "The Brewing of Soma" in which Whittier contrasted pagan rituals (which he believed had even infiltrated Christianity) with the calm and contentment of a simple, committed faith. You can read the entire poem here: "Dear Lord and Father" appears beginning in the 12th stanza. Here's an excellent reflection on the hymn in its original poetic context.
Frederick C. Maker (`844-1927) was a British organist and composer based in Bristol. He wrote the tune commonly titled "Rest" in 1887 for a different poem/hymn, "There is an Hour of Peaceful Rest," but it is most frequently paired with "Dear Lord and Father" here in the United States (this is the version we are singing today). A different tune, "Repton" by Sir Hubert Parry, is typically matched with "Dear Lord and Father" when sung in England.
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise.
In simple trust like theirs who heard
beside the Syrian sea
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
rise up and follow thee.
O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
where Jesus knelt to share with thee
the silence of eternity,
interpreted by love!
Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!
POSTLUDE
Traditional African-American spiritual, arranged for solo piano by Victor Labenske
Psalm 89:52
Praise be to the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen.
According to the Psalter Hymnal Handbook (cited at Hymnary.org), the text for this African-American spiritual/gospel song provides brief glimpses into Jesus' life: his birth; his astounding wisdom at age 12 when teaching in the temple; his ministry of preaching and healing; his suffering in Gethsemane; and his crucifixion and resurrection. "All text is framed by the repeated 'Amen' responses; as we sing we reaffirm that 'truly, truly, this is the gospel!'"
The first well-known recording of this song was by the Wings of Jordan Gospel Choir in 1948: here's a link to their version. And here's a wonderful article from NPR that discusses this group's history and their significance in pioneering the first national and international radio programs featuring African-Americans. "Amen, Amen" was arranged by composer, choral conductor, arranger and actor Jester Hairston (1901-2000) and was featured in the 1963 Sidney Poitier film Liles of the Field. The following year, the Impressions, an American musical group recorded their own version (here's a link to their recording).
All:
Amen, amen, amen,
amen, amen, amen . . .
*Leader:
See the little baby . . .
lying in a manger . . .
on Christmas morning. . . .
See him at the temple . . .
talking to the elders . . .
how they marveled at his wisdom. . . .
talking to the elders . . .
how they marveled at his wisdom. . . .
See him at the seaside . . .
preaching and healing . . .
the blind and feeble. . . .
See him in the garden . . .
praying to his Father . . .
in deepest sorrow. . . .
Then they crucified him . . .
Jesus our Savior . . .
and he rose on Easter. . . .
*One person sings the stanzas while everyone else continues to sing
"Amen."
preaching and healing . . .
the blind and feeble. . . .
See him in the garden . . .
praying to his Father . . .
in deepest sorrow. . . .
Then they crucified him . . .
Jesus our Savior . . .
and he rose on Easter. . . .
*One person sings the stanzas while everyone else continues to sing
"Amen."
1 comment:
AMEN! AMEN!!
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