Hear Anonymous 4's beautiful a capella rendition of the gospel hymn Sweet hour of prayer, as well as 20th century hymns O Christ the same by Timothy Dudley-Smith, and Shirley Murray's Look in wonder.
Holy Trinity Cathedral's Great Window, designed by Nigel Brown, is said to be the largest expanse of stained glass in the southern hemisphere. The windows have a Maori/Polynesian side and a European side, with the risen Christ in the centre. Photo: RNZ
SONG: PRAISE THE LORD OF HEAVEN
Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Rupert Gough (dir), Malcolm Archer (organ)
Words/Music: Dudley-Smith/Archer
Recording: Hyperion 112101
Praise the Lord of heaven!
praise him in the height;
praise him, all his angels;
praise him, hosts of light;!
Sun and moon together,
shining stars aflame,
planets in their courses,
magnify his name!
Earth and ocean, praise him;
mountains, hills and trees;
fire and hail and tempest,
wind and storm and seas.
Praise him, field and forests,
birds on flashing wings,
praise him, beasts and cattle,
all created things.
Now by prince and people,
let his praise be told;
praise him, men and maidens,
praise him, young and old.
He, the Lord of glory!
We, his praise proclaim!
High above all heavens
magnify his name!
SONG: THE GOD OF ABRAHAM PRAISE
Artist: Cantus Choro
Words/Music: Anon adapted Olivers/Lyon, Olivers
Recording: Move MD 3032
The God of Abraham praise,
who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of Everlasting Days,
and God of Love;
Jehovah, great I AM!
by earth and heaven confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name
forever blest.
The God who reigns on high
the great archangels sing,
and "Holy, holy, holy!" cry
"Almighty King!
Who was, and is, the same,
and evermore shall be:
Jehovah, Lord, the great I AM,
we worship thee!"
The whole triumphant host
give thanks to God on high;
‘Hail! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,’
they ever cry:
Hail! Abraham’s God, and mine!
(I join the heavenly lays)
all might and majesty are thine,
and endless praise.
SONG: SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER
Artist: Anonymous 4
Words/Music: Walford/Bradbury
Recording: Harmonia Mundi HMU 90 7326
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
That calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father's throne
Make all my wants and wishes known!
In seasons of distress and grief
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter's snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless:
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I'll cast on Him my ev'ry care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer,
Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah's lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I'll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
"Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!"
SONG: LOOK IN WONDER
Artist: Viva Voce, John Rosser (dir), Michael Bell (piano)
Words/Music: Murray/Strathdee
Recording: NZ Hymnbook Trust 941300
Look in wonder, hold in honour
all the beauty of the earth!
World, surrender to her splendor:
God's own blessing for her birth;
sense and savour every color,
every season, sun to star,
see the measure of this treasure,
all we nurture, all we mar.
Every creature by its nature
shares the cycle, life's design,
every human, man and woman
joins the circle, moves the line;
look in horror, look in anger--
these are lifestreams we destroy!
Tree and river gone forever,
bird and flower dead to joy.
In this garden, Eve and Adam
still are given time and place,
ours to cherish, our to nourish,
ocean, water, land and space;
God, unnerve us, God, forgive us:
how we plunder, waste and war!
Give new meaning to earth's greening,
that the beauty thrives once more.
SONG: SAVIOUR, I HEARD YOUR VOICE GENTLY SAY
Artist: Colla Voce (Havelock North High School)
Words/Music: David Burt
Recording: RNZ
Refrain:
Saviour, I heard your voice gently say:
Seek you my face, come, walk, child, with me;
Lord Jesus Christ, thy face will I seek,
My heart replies in worship to thee.
Hear, O my Lord, when I call with my voice,
have mercy upon me and answer my cry
In your sweet presence my heart will rejoice,
to our tender call my heart will reply.
Refrain:
Hide not thy face from me, oh Lord
and turn not thy servant in anger away;
My constant help thou hast been till today
so do not forsake me or leave me, oh God.
Refrain:
In your great mercy teach me your way
and out of your paths let me never depart.
Wait on the Lord, be of courage, I say,
and his loving kindness shall strengthen your heart.
Refrain:
SONG: O CHRIST THE SAME
Artist: Choir of Portsmouth Cathedral, David Price (dir), David Thorne (organ)
Words/Music: Dudley-Smith/Trad
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 205
O Christ the same, through all our story's pages,
our loves and hopes, our failures and our fears;
eternal Lord, the King of all the ages,
unchanging still, amid the passing years:
O living Word, the source of all creation,
who spread the skies, and set the stars ablaze;
O Christ the same, who wrought our whole salvation,
we bring our thanks for all our yesterdays.
O Christ the same, the friend of sinners, sharing
our inmost thoughts, the secrets none can hide;
still as of old upon your body bearing
the marks of love, in triumph glorified:
O Son of Man, who stooped for us from heaven,
O Prince of life, in all your saving power,
O Christ the same, to whom our hearts are given,
we bring our thanks for this the present hour.
O Christ the same, secure within whose keeping
our lives and loves, our days and years remain,
our work and rest, our waking and our sleeping,
our calm and storm, our pleasure and our pain:
O Lord of love, for all our joys and sorrows,
for all our hopes, when earth shall fade and flee,
O Christ the same, beyond our brief tomorrows,
we bring our thanks for all that is to be.
SONG: GLORIOUS THINGS OF THEE ARE SPOKEN
Artist: Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Words/Music: Newton/Taylor
Recording: EMI 948306
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
he whose word cannot be broken
formed thee for his own abode;
on the rock of ages founded,
what can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
thou may'st smile at all thy foes.
See! the streams of living waters,
springing form eternal love,
well supply thy sons and daughters
and all fear of want remove.
Who can faint, when such a river
ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace which, like the Lord, the giver,
never fails from age to age.
Saviour, if of Zion's city,
I through grace a member am,
let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name.
Fading is the worldling's pleasure,
all his boasted pomp and show;
solid joys and lasting treasure
none but Zion's children know.
SONG: THINE BE THE GLORY
Artist: Choir of Portsmouth Cathedral, David Price (dir), David Thorne (organ)
Words/Music: Budry trans Hoyle/Handel
Recording: Herald HAVPCD 205
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory, thou o'er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave clothes where thy body lay.
Refrain:
Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son,
Endless is the vict'ry, thou o'er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing;
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.
Refrain:
No more we doubt thee, glorious prince of life;
life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love:
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.
Refrain:
