Sunday, 12 October 2014

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

SONG: PRAISE TO THE HOLIEST IN THE HEIGHT

Artist: Choir of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh
Words/Music: Newman/Dykes
Recording: Priory PRCD 376

Praise to the holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise;
In all his words most wonderful,
Most sure in all his ways.

O loving wisdom of our God!
When all was sin and shame,
A second Adam to the fight
And to the rescue came.

O generous love! that he, who smote,
In man for man the foe,
The double agony in man
For man should undergo.

And in the garden secretly,
And on the cross on high,
Should teach his brethren, and inspire
To suffer and to die.

Praise to the holiest in the height,
And in the depth be praise;
In all his words most wonderful,
Most sure in all his ways.

SONG: GOD OF GODS, WE SOUND HIS PRAISES

Artist: Choir of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Wellington
Words/Music: Dudley-Smith/Strover
Recording: RNZ Private CD 812

God of gods, we sound his praises,
highest heav'n its homage brings;
earth and all creation raises
glory to the King of kings.
Holy, holy, holy name him,
Lord of all his hosts proclaim him,
to the everlasting Father
every tongue in triumph sings.

Christians in their hearts enthrone him,
tell his praises wide abroad;
prophets, priests, apostles own him
martyrs' crown and saints' reward.
Three-in-one his glory sharing,
earth and heav'n his praise declaring,
praise the high majestic Father,
praise the everlasting Lord.

Hail the Christ, the King of glory,
he whose praise the angels cry,
born to share our human story,
love and labor, grieve and die.
By his cross his work completed,
sinners ransomed, death defeated,
in the glory of the Father
Christ ascended reigns on high.

Lord, we look for your returning,
teach us so to walk your ways,
hearts and minds your will discerning,
lives alight with joy and praise.
In your love and care enfold us,
by your constancy uphold us,
may your mercy, Lord and Father,
keep us now and all our days.

SONG: JESUS WHERE’ER THY PEOPLE MEET

Artist: St Michael Singers
Words/Music: Cowper/Knapp
Recording: Kingsway KMCD 599

Jesus, where'er thy people meet,
there they behold thy mercy-seat;
where'er they seek thee, thou art found,
and every place is hallowed ground.

For thou, within no walls confined,
inhabitest the humble mind;
such ever bring you where they come,
and going, take thee to their home.

Dear Shepherd of Thy chosen few,
Thy former mercies here renew;
Here, to our waiting hearts, proclaim
The sweetness of Thy saving name.

Here may we prove the power of prayer
to strengthen faith and sweeten care,
to teach our faint desires to rise,
and bring all heaven before our eyes.

Lord, we are few, but thou art near;
nor short thine arm, nor deaf thine ear;
O rend the heavens, come quickly down,
and make a thousand hearts thine own!

SONG: HERE IN THE BUSY CITY

Artist: Viva Voce
Words/Music: Murray/Brinson
Recording: NZ Hymnbook Trust 941300

Here in the busy city now let the Church be seen
Where lesser gods are worshipped in money and machine;
Where news is but sensation, the Good News hardly heard
Now let the Church take action in living out the Word!

In policies and planning the Church be there to speak
To moderate the powerful, to argue for the weak:
Where law must sit in judgment and love is little known,
There at the crisis centre the Christ concern be shown.

Where litter chokes the gutter and people go to waste,
Where joblessness is bitter and living lost its taste
To underleavened people the proof of rising yeast,
In lives devoid of flavour be saltiness released.

Here in the busy city God walks on every street
In generous or greedy, the honest or the cheat,
And daily we must offer the good that goes unpriced
With vigour and with vision the lifestyle of the Christ.

TUNE: COLNE

Artist: NZ Community Trust Woolston Brass Band
Music: Unknown arr Rive
Recording: Private 930

Words: Oxenham
'Mid all the traffic of the ways,
Turmoils without, within,
Make in my heart a quiet place,
And come and dwell therein:

A little shrine of quietness,
All sacred to thyself,
Where thou shalt all my soul possess,
And I my find myself:

A little place of mystic grace,
Of self and sin swept bare,
Where I may look into thy face,
And talk with thee in prayer.

Come occupy my silent place,
And make thy dwelling there!
More grace is wrought in quietness
Than any is aware.

SONG: SAVIOUR, AGAIN TO THY DEAR NAME WE RAISE

Artist: Wells Cathedral Choir
Words/Music: Ellerton/Hopkins, harmonised by Sullivan
Label: Hyperion 112105

Saviour, again to Thy dear Name we raise
With one accord our parting hymn of praise;
Guard thou the lips from sin, the hears from shame,
That in this house have called upon thy name.

Grant us thy peace, Lord, through the coming night;
Turn thou for us its darkness into light;
From harm and danger keep thy children free,
For dark and light are both alike to thee.

Grant us thy peace throughout our earthly life,
Peace to thy church from error and from strife;
Peace to our land, the fruit of truth and love;
Peace in each heart, thy Spirit from above.

Thy peace in life, the balm of every pain;
Thy peace in death, the hope to rise again;
Then, when thy voice shall bid our conflict cease,
Call us, O Lord, to thy eternal peace.

SONG: LORD, ENTHRONED IN HEAVENLY SPLENDOUR

Artist: Elora Festival Singers
Words/Music: Bourne/Willan
Label: Naxos 8.557734

Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendor,
first-begotten from the dead.
Thou alone, our strong defender,
liftest up thy people's head.
Alleluia!
Jesus, true and living bread!

Here our humblest homage pay we,
here in loving reverence bow;
here for faith's discernment pray we,
lest we fail to know thee now.
Alleluia!
Thou art here, we ask not how.

Though the lowliest form doth veil thee
as of old in Bethlehem,
here as there thine angels hail thee,
branch and flower of Jesse's stem.
Alleluia!
We in worship join with them.

Paschal Lamb, thine offering, finished
once for all when thou was slain,
in its fullness undiminished
shall for evermore remain.
Alleluia!
Cleansing souls from every stain.

Life-imparting heavenly manna,
stricken rock with streaming side,
heaven and earth with loud hosanna
worship thee, the lamb who died.
Alleluia!
Risen, ascended, glorified!

SONG: YE HOLY ANGELS BRIGHT

Artist: Choir of St Paul’s Cathedral, English Brass Ensemble, Christopher Dearnley (org)
Words/Music: Baxter/Darwall
Label: Helios CDH 88036

Ye holy angels bright,
who wait at God's right hand,
or through the realms of light
fly at your Lord's command,
assist our song,
for else the theme
too high doth seem
for mortal tongue.

Ye blessed souls at rest,
who ran this earthly race
and now, from sin released,
behold your saviour's face,
his praises sound,
as in his sight
with sweet delight
ye do abound.

Ye saints, who toil below,
adore your heavenly King,
and onward as ye go
some joyful anthem sing;
take what he gives
and praise him still,
through good or ill,
who ever lives.

My soul, bear thou thy part,
triumph in God above:
and with a well-tuned heart
sing thou the songs of love!
Let all thy days
till life shall end,
whate'er he send,
be filled with praise!