2 Aug 2020

Hymns on Sunday for 2 August 2020

From Hymns on Sunday, 2:30 am on 2 August 2020

This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions.

Hymns with a social justice theme, a spiritual from the New Zealand Youth Choir, and some settings of Psalm 104 - all in Hymns on Sunday this week.

St Peters Church, King Country

St Peters Church, King Country Photo: Sara McIntyre

SONG: O WORSHIP THE KING

Artist: Choir of Norwich Cathedral/David Dunnett (dir), Katherine Dienes (organ)
Words/Music: Grant/Croft
Recording: QED 276

O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendour and girded with praise.

O tell of his might and sing of his grace,
whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
and dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, thy power hath founded of old;
hath stablished it fast by a changeless decree,
and round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to hymn thee above,
Thy humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall all sing thy praise.

SONG: PSALM 104 (PRAISE THE LORD)

Artist: Choir of Christ’s College, Cambridge, David Rowland (dir), Alexander Miller (tenor), Simon Jacobs (organ)
Words/Music: Psalm 104/Dom Gregory Murray
Recording: Priory PRCD 721
Response:
Send forth your spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth.

Praise the Lord O my soul,
O Lord God, your glory is great:
how manifold are your works,
in wisdom you have made them all.
Response:

All creatures look to you
to give them their food to eat:
when you open your hands, they are filled with good,
when you hide your face, they pine away.
Response:

When you take away their breath, they die,
and return to the earth whence they came:
when you send forth your spirit, all things spring to life,
and the face of the earth is renewed.
Response:

The glory of the Lord shall never cease,
the Lord shall rejoice in all his works:
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live,
I will praise my God while my breath remains.
Response:

SONG: THERE IS A BALM IN GILEAD

Artist: New Zealand Youth Choir 1984
Words/Music: Trad
Recording: RNZ 811

Refrain:
There is a balm in Gilead
to make the wounded whole,
there is a balm in Gilead
to heal the sin-sick soul.


Sometimes I feel discouraged
and think my work's in vain,
but then the Holy Spirit
revives my soul again.
Refrain:

If you cannot preach like Peter,
if you cannot pray like Paul,
you can tell the love of Jesus
and say, "He died for all."
Refrain:

SONG: FAIREST LORD JESUS

Artist: Choir of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Catherine Palmer (dir), Ronald Jordan (organ)
Words/Music: Anon/Trad
Recording: Marquis 181175

Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of all nature,
O thou of God and man the Son,
thee will I cherish, thee will I honour,
thou, my soul's glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
robed in the blooming garb of spring:
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moonlight,
and fair the twinkling, starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer,
than all the angels heaven can boast.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
wondrously, Jesus, is found in thee;
none can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
than thou, my Saviour, art to me.

SONG: O GOD, YOU SEARCH ME AND YOU KNOW ME

Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ)
Words/Music: Bernadette Farrell
Recording: Hyperion 112105

O God, you search me and you know me
All my thoughts lie open to your gaze
When I walk or lie down you are before me:
Ever the maker and keeper of my days.

You know my resting and my rising
You discern my purpose from afar
And with love everlasting you besiege me:
In ev'ry moment of life or death, you are.

Before a word is on my tongue, Lord,
You have known its meaning through and through.
You are with me beyond my understanding:
God of my present, my past and future, too.

Although your Spirit is upon me,
Still I search for shelter from your light.
There is nowhere on earth I can escape you:
Even the darkness is radiant in your sight.

For you created me and shaped me,
Gave me life within my mother's womb.
For the wonder of who I am, I praise you:
Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.

SONG: LET JUSTICE ROLL DOWN LIKE A RIVER

Artist: Choir from Otago Girls’ High School
Words/Music: Colin Gibson
Recording: RNZ CD 816

Refrain:
Let justice roll down like a river,
let justice flow  down to the sea;
let justice roll down like a river
let justice begin through me.


Justice for all who go hungry,
crying to God to be fed,
left in a world of abundance
to beg for a morsel of bread.
Refrain:

Justice for those who are homeless,
victims of war or of need,
trapped on the borders of nowhere,
lost in the canyons of greed.
Refrain:

Justice for all who are powerless,
yearning for freedom in vain,
plundered and robbed of their birth-right,
silently bearing their pain.
Refrain:

SONG: DEEP IN THE HUMAN HEART

Artist: Jubilate Singers
Words/Music: Bill Wallace/Ellor
Recording: Private

Deep in the human heart
The fires of justice burn;
With visions of a world renewed
Through radical concern.
As Christians we are called
To set the captives free,
To overthrow the evil powers
And end hypocrisy.

This is our task today,
To build a world of peace;
A world of justice, freedom, truth,
Where kindness will increase;
A world from hunger freed,
A world where people share,
Where every person is of worth
And no-one lives in fear.

Taking the step of faith,
We leave the past behind
And move into the future’s world
With open heart and mind.
By grace we work with Christ,
As one community,
To bring new hope and fuller life
To all humanity.

SONG: LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING

Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey
Words/Music: C Wesley/Rowlands
Recording: Hyperion 712801

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling;
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesu, thou art all compassion;
pure, unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation;
enter every trembling heart.

Come, Almighty, to deliver;
let us all thy life receive;
suddenly return, and never,
nevermore thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above,
pray, and praise thee without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation;
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee:
changed from glory into glory,
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Get the RNZ app

for easy access to all your favourite programmes

Subscribe to Hymns on Sunday

Podcast (MP3) Oggcast (Vorbis)