Sunday, 7 December 2014

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

SONG: LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENCE

Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey
Words/Music: Anon paraphrased Moultrie/Anon
Recording: HYPERION 712801

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
Our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood,
he will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
Spreads its vanguard on the way,
As the light of light descendeth
From the realms of endless day,
That the powers of hell may vanish
As the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six wingèd seraph,
Cherubim with sleepless eye,
Veil their faces to the presence,
As with ceaseless voice they cry:
Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, Lord most high!

SONG: HARK THE GLAD SOUND

Artist: Choir of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
Words/Music: Doddridge/Anon
Label: Priory PRCD 715

Hark the glad sound! The Savior comes,
The Savior promised long;
Let ev'ry heart prepare a throne
And ev'ry voice a song.

He comes the pris'ners to release,
In Satan's bondage held.
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.

He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.

Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heav'n's eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.

SONG: O THOU WHO CAMEST FROM ABOVE

Artist: Choir of St John’s Chirch, Elora
Words/Music: C Wesley/S Wesley
Recording: Naxos 8.557037

O Thou who camest from above,
the pure celestial fire to impart
kindle a flame of sacred love
upon the mean altar of my heart

There let it for thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and trembling to its source return,
in humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up thy gift in me.

Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat,
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make my sacrifice complete.

SONG: OF THE FATHER’S LOVE BEGOTTEN

Artist: Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford
Words/Music: Prudentius trans Neale/Anon
Recording: Harmonia Mundi HMU 907495

Of the Father's heart begotten,
ere the world from chaos rose,
he is Alpha; from that fountain
all that is and hath been flows.
He of all things is Omega
yet to come the mystic close,
evermore and evermore....

By his word was all created;
he commanded, and 'twas done:
earth and sky and boundless ocean,
universe of three in one,
all that sees the moon's soft radiance,
all that breathes beneath the sun,
evermore and evermore....

O how blest that wondrous birthday,
when the Maid the curse retrieved,
brought to birth the world's salvation
by the Holy Ghost conceived;
and the Babe, the world's Redeemer
in her loving arms received--
evermore and evermore....

Sing, ye heights of heav'n, his praises;
angels and archangels, sing!
Wheresoe'er ye be, ye faithful,
let your joyous anthems ring,
ev'ry tongue his name confessing,
countless voices answering,
evermore and evermore!

SONG: IM ADVENT

Artist: Wellington Cathedral Choir
Words/Music: Mendelssohn
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 224

Lasset uns frohlocken, es nahet der Heiland, den Gott uns verheißen.
Der Name des Herrn sei gelobet in Ewigkeit.
Halleluja!

Translation:
Let us rejoice! The redeemer is coming, whom the Lord has promised.
The name of the Lord be praised for ever.
Halleluja!

SONG: COME DOWN, O LOVE DIVINE

Artist: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge
Words/Music: Bianco da Siena trans Littledale/Vaughan Williams
Recording: Conifer 75605 51249

Come down, O love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with thine
own ardour glowing.
O comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
And kindle it,
thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
til earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes
in its heat consuming;
And let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round,
the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness
become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings
weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power
of human telling;
For none can guess its grace,
till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit
makes his dwelling.

SONG: PEACE CHILD

Artist: Sings Harry
Words/Music: Murray/Gibson
Label: NZ Hymnbook Trust

Peace Child,
       in the sleep of the night
       in the dark before light
       you come,
       in the silence of stars
       in the violence of wars --
Savior, your name.

Peace Child,
       to the road and the storm
       to the gun and the bomb
       you come,
       through the hate and the hurt,
       through the hunger and dirt --
bearing a dream.

Peace Child,
       to our dark and our sleep
       to the conflict we reap
       now come --
       be your dream born alive,
       held in hope, wrapped in love:
God's true shalom.

SONG: GABRIEL’S MESSAGE

Artist: The Sixteen/Harry Christophers
Words/Music: Baring-Gould/Trad
Label: Coro COR 16085

The angel Gabriel from heaven came,
his wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame;
"All hail," said he, "thou lowly maiden Mary,
most highly favored lady," Gloria!

"For know a blessed Mother thou shalt be,
all generations laud and honor thee,
thy Son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold,
most highly favored lady," Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head,
"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said,
"my soul shall laud and magnify his holy Name."
Most highly favored lady, Gloria!

Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born
in Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn,
and Christian folk throughout the world will ever say--
"Most highly favored lady," Gloria!

SONG: COME, THOU REDEEMER OF THE EARTH

Artist: Wellington Cathedral Choir
Words/Music: St Ambrose trans. Neale/Anon adapted Praetorius
Label: Herald HAVPCD 224

Come, Thou Redeemer of the earth,
And manifest Thy virgin birth:
Let every age adoring fall;
Such birth befits the God of all.

Begotten of no human will,
But of the Spirit, Thou art still
The Word of God in flesh arrayed,
The promised Fruit to man displayed.

Forth from His chamber goeth He,
That royal home of purity,
A giant in twofold substance one,
Rejoicing now His course to run.

O equal to the Father, Thou!
Gird on Thy fleshly mantle now;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.

Thy cradle here shall glitter bright,
And darkness breathe a newer light,
Where endless faith shall shine serene,
And twilight never intervene.

All laud to God the Father be,
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To God the Holy Paraclete.