from Gainsville
Lord, we come before Thee now,
At thy feet we humbly bow;
O do not our suit disdain;
Shall we seek Thee, Lord, in vain?
Lord, on Thee our souls depend;
In compasion now descend;
Fill our hearts with Thy rich grace,
Tune our lips to sing Thy praise.
Comfort those who weep and mourn;
Let the time of joy return;
Those who are cast down lift up,
Strong in faith, in love, and hope.
Grant that all may seek and find
Thee a god supremely kind;
Heal the sick, the captive free,
Let us all rejoice in Thee.
poetry: William Hammond 1745
music: W.D. Jones 1869
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Strong in Faith, in Love, in Hope
I'm just back from the All-California Convention, and my ears are still ringing. The song that has hold of me, though, isn't one we sang there. Sometimes I need to shout down my fear, sometimes I need to voice praise and thanks, other times I need to join my dead. Right now, what I need most is a sweet song that makes me feel held by God:
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2 comments:
Welcome home.
I best know these words by the tune at page 50 on the bottom, Humility which also has a sweet tune. I often call it as the first song of a singing.
I especially like the start of v 4: Grant that all may seek and find thee a God supremely kind. . . .
At the Northern Shenandoah Valley monthly sing (which I consider my "home" sing even though I live two hours away in Baltimore), we sing 'Gainesville' as a closer, standing on the words.
It's one of my favorite songs in the book, both as an expression of faith that resonates me, and as something that binds together the community of regional singers who mean so much to me.
Next month I'm going to be participating in a workshop in which those of us who are speaking have been asked to expound upon a SH song that's meaningful to them. 70t is my choice.
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