Winds of God: Words
Celtic Monks (music: By Thou My Vision)
Be thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.
Be thou my wisdom, my calm in all strife;
I ever with thee and thou in my life;
Thou loving parent, thy child may I be;
Thou in me dwelling, and I one with thee.
Be thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;
Be thou my dignity, thou my delight;
Thou my soul’s shelter, thou my high tower:
Raise thou me heavenward, O power of my power.
Great God of heaven, after victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all.
Irish 8th century,
translated by Mary Elizabeth Byrne, 1905
Versified by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912, alt
Voices United 642
Island People (music: No Man is an Island)
No man is an island. No man stands alone.
Each man’s joy is joy to me; each man’s grief is my own
We need one another. So I will defend
Each man as my brother; each man as my friend.
I saw the people gather, I heard the music start,
The song that they were singing ringing in my heart.
Based on John Donne’s poem
Celebrations (music: Clap your Hands Together All ye
People, John Rutter)
O clap your hands together all ye people
O sing unto God with the voice of melody
For the lord is high and to be feared
He is the great king upon all the earth
He shall subdue the people under us
And the nations under our feet
He shall choose out an heritage for us
Even the worship of Jacob whom he loved
God is gone up with a merry noise
And the lord with the sound of the trump
Oh sing praises, sing praises unto our God
Oh sing praises, sing praises unto our King
For God is the king upon all the earth
Sing ye praises with understanding
O clap your hands all ye people
Psalm 47
Food, glorious food (music: Now Thank We All our
God)
Now thank we all our God,
With heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
In whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers' arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us still in grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next.
All praise and thanks to God
For all that has been given
The son and spirit blest, who dwell in highest heaven.
The one eternal God, whom heaven and earth adore;
For thus is was, is now, and shall be evermore
Martin Rinckart ca. 1636,
translated by Catherine Winkworth 1858, alt.
Voices United 236
Build on a Rock (music: Build on a Rock, Judy Pearson
Hafso & Marc A. Hafso)
Build on a rock. Build on the cornerstone,
Come build on a rock.
Build on Jesus on the word.
Christ the Lord has called us
To leave our earthbound sights,
To feast on mountain meadows,
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To share the awesome heights.
To be bold in our vision as we look for ways to grow,
Unto the hills we lift our eyes to see where we can go.
Grand is Christ’s foundation, the vision grander still.
May hearts and minds be open to act upon His will.
May we be like Peter, grounded in our faith,
Trusting in God’s presence as our sights we raise.
Now we come together to share and celebrate
The majesty and beauty of all that God has made.
Working as one body our mission to renew,
Lord, bring us to the mountaintop
To share a new worldview.
Judy Pearson Hafso & Marc A. Hafso
Quiet Centre (music: Come and find the quiet centre )
Come and find the quiet center
In the crowded life we lead,
Find the room for hope to enter,
Find the frame where we are freed:
Clear the chaos and the clutter,
Clear our eyes, that we can see
All the things that really matter,
Be at peace, and simply be.
Silence is a friend who claims us,
Cools the heat and slows the pace,
God it is who speaks and names us,
Knows our being, face to face,
Making space within our thinking,
Lifting shades to show the sun,
Raising courage when we're shrinking,
Finding scope for faith begun.
In the Spirit let us travel,
Open to each other's pain,
Let our loves and fears unravel,
Celebrate the space we gain;
There's a place for deepest dreaming,
There's a time for heart to care,
In the Spirit's lively scheming
There is always room to spare!
Shirley Erena Murray, 1989, alt Voices United 374
God speaks through Animals
Music: and All Things Bright and Beautiful
R:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.
1.
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors,
And made their tiny wings.
2.
The purple-headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.
3.
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden:
God made them every one.
4.
The tall trees in the greenwood
The meadows where we play;
The rushes by the water
We gather every day
5.
God gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.
Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848, alt. Voices United 291
Music: The Lamb, John Tavener
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, and bid thee feed
By the stream and o’er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, wooly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice.
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee, Little lamb, I’ll tell thee:
He is called by thy name, for he calls himself a Lamb.
He is meek, and he is mild; he became a little child.
I, a child, and thou a lamb, we are called by his name.
Little lamb, God bless thee! Little lamb, God bless thee!
William Blake
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The Cities’ sacred spaces (music: We are Pilgrims)
We are pilgrims on a journey,
Fellow travelers on the road;
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load.
Sister, let me be your servant,
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to let you
Be my servant too.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
Speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping;
When you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we’ve seen this journey through.
Brother, let me be your servant;
Let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to let you
Be my servant too.
Richard A. M. Gillard , 1977 Voices United 595
Lights in the Darkness Music: This Little Light of Mine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine
Light that shines is the light of love
Hides the darkness from above
Shines on me and it shines on you
Shows you what the power of love can do
Shine my light both bright and clear
Shine my light both far and near
In every dark corner that I find,
Gonna let my light shine.
Monday he gave me the gift of love
Tuesday peace came from above
Wednesday he told me to have more faith
Thursday he gave me a little more grace
Friday he told me to watch and pray
Saturday told me just what to say
Sunday gave me the power divine
To let my little light shine
Coventry Cross of Nails (music: Christ Is Made the Sure
Foundation)
Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ the head and cornerstone,
Chosen of the Lord, and precious,
Binding all the Church in one;
Holy Zion's help for ever and its confidence alone.
All that dedicated city, dearly loved of God on high,
in exultant jubilation pours perpetual melody;
God the One in Three adoring in glad hymns eternally.
To this temple, where we call you,
Come, O Lord of Hosts, today;
With your faithful loving-kindness
Hear your servants as they pray,
And your fullest benediction shed within its walls alway.
Here bestow on all your servants
What they ask of you to gain;
What they gain from you, forever
With the blessed to retain,
And hereafter in your glory evermore with you to reign.
Laud and honor to the Father,
Laud and honor to the Son,
Laud and honor to the Spirit, ever Three, and ever One,
One in might and one in glory, while unending ages run.
Latin, seventh century, Trans, by John Mason Neale,
1851 Voices United 325
Perils on the sea (music: Eternal Father, Strong to Save)
Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm has bound the restless wave,
Who bade the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea
O Christ, whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walked upon the foaming deep,
And calm amid the storm did sleep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!
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O Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bade its angry tumult cease,
And gave, for wild confusion, peace;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea
William Whiting, 1860, alt Voices United 659
The Brendan Voyage (music: I Feel the Winds of God
Today)
I feel the winds of God today,
Today my sail I lift,
Though heavy, oft with drenching spray,
And torn with many a rift;
If hope but light the water's crest,
And Christ my bark will use,
I'll seek the seas at his behest,
And brave another cruise.
It is the wind of God that dries
My vain regretful tears,
Until with braver thoughts shall rise
The purer, brighter years;
If cast on shores of selfish ease
Or pleasure I should be;
O, let me feel your freshening breeze,
And I'll put back to sea.
Celtic Blessing (music: A Celtic prayer)
May the Christ who walks on wounded feet
Walk with you on the road.
May the Christ who serves with wounded hands
Stretch out your hands to serve.
May the Christ who loves with a wounded heart
Open your hearts to love.
May you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet,
And may everyone you meet
See the face of Christ in you.
Amen
Traditional Celtic Prayer Voices United 349
Hymns, anthems and poems that have been committed
to memory often come to mind as we travel aboard
Pilgrim. We have used some of these in our
presentation. Some of these hymns are not included
in worship today because the imagery or language is not
in keeping with our current reformed Western religious
practices. In this handout we are using the language
found in Voices United, although some of the
recordings use less inclusive language. We would have
preferred to have found a recording of “no man is an
island” revised to “no one is an island”. We hope the
meaning of the lyrics is not diminished by the noninclusive language.
Book references:
If ever I forget your love
And how that love was shown,
Lift high the blood red flag above;
It bears your name alone.
Great pilot of my onward way,
You will not let me drift;
I feel the winds of God today,
Today my sail I lift
Jessie Adams, 1907, alt Voices United 625
Buechner, Frederick. Brendan. Collier Macmillan
Canada, 1987.
Carson, Rachel. A sense of wonder. New York,
Perennial Library, 1984.
Severin, Timothy. The Brendan voyage. Toronto,
Nelson, Foster & Scott, 1978.
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