Candle Photo: Arivumathi, Creative Commons
FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Today's selection of traditional and modern hymns marks the First Sunday in Advent, and includes O come, o come Emmanuel, and Charles Wesley's Come thou long-expected Jesus. And there's a theme of light and darkness in the programme, with Christ be our light by Bernadette Farrell, and one of New Zealand composer Jenny McLeod's Sun Festival carols, Light of lights.
SONG: O COME, O COME EMMANUEL
Artist: Choir of Wellington Cathedral, Philip Walsh (dir), Andrew Macmillan (organ)
Words/Music: Anon trans Neale/Anon arr Carter
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 224
O come, O come Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel
Shall come to thee,
O Israel!
O come, Thou Branch of Jesse's tree,
Free them from Satan's tyranny
That trust Thy mighty pow'r to save,
And give them vict'ry o'er the grave.
Refrain:
O come, Thou Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by Thy drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain:
O come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Refrain:
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Refrain:
SONG: HARK THE GLAD SOUND
Artist: Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choir, Mervyn Cousins (dir), Richard Lea (organ)
Words/Music: Doddridge/Anon
Recording: Priory PRCD 715
Hark the glad sound! The Saviour comes,
The Saviour 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: COME THOU LONG-EXPECTED JESUS
Artist: Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge, Sarah MacDonald (dir), Timothy Morgan (organ)
Words/Music: C Wesley/Stainer
Recording: Priory PRCD 714
Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.
SONG: CHRIST, BE OUR LIGHT
Artist: OCP Session Choir
Words/Music: Bernadette Farrell
Recording: Journeysongs Vol 28
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 shelter, many are homeless.
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others,
walls made of living stone.
Refrain:
Many the gifts, many the people,
many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
making your kingdom come.
Refrain:
SONG: THOU WHOSE ALMIGHTY WORD
Artist: Scottish Festival Singers
Words/Music: Marriott/Giardini
Recording: Whole World Media Group
Thou, whose almighty word
Chaos and darkness heard,
And took their flight;
Hear us, we humbly pray,
And, where the gospel’s day
Sheds not its glorious ray,
Let there be light!
Thou, who didst come to bring
On thy redeeming wing
Healing and sight,
Health to the sick in mind,
Sight to the inly blind,
O now, to all mankind,
Let there be light!
Spirit of truth and love,
Life giving, holy dove,
Speed forth thy flight;
Move on the water’s face
Bearing the lamp of grace,
And, in earth’s darkest place,
Let there be light!
Blessèd and holy three,
Glorious trinity,
Wisdom, love, might!
Boundless as ocean’s tide,
Rolling in fullest pride,
Through the world far and wide,
Let there be light!
SONG: LIGHT OF LIGHTS BEHOLDEN
Artist: Festival Singers
Words/Music: Jenny McLeod
Recording: Festivity Productions
Light of lights beholden
we from days of olden
sang this song
for to understand
that peace upon this planet
was pledged to come.
Each to other, sister, brother,
born for life and song,
look towards the light and carry on:
let the simple heart and hope among us
keep our family strong.
Darkness all around us,
light has always found us,
light will come
where the dark is deepest,
greater light will keep us
safe from harm.
Troubled times will always find
a voice of troubled doom,
look towards the light and carry on:
let the simple heart and hope among us
keep our family strong.
Let the simple heart and hope among us
Keep our family strong.
SONG: O THOU WHO CAMEST FROM ABOVE
Artist: Choir of St John’s Church, Elora, Noel Edison (dir), Paul Halley (organ)
Words/Music: C Wesley/SS 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: COME DOWN, O LOVE DIVINE
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: da Siena/Vaughan Williams
Recording: Griffin GCCD 4010
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: OF THE FATHER’S HEART BEGOTTEN
Artist: Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, Bill Ives (director), Martin Ford (organ)
Words/Music: Prudentius trans R F Davis/Anon
Recording: Harmonia Mundi HMU 90 7495
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 is Omega of all things
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 mankind'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!
