HymnSite.com's Suggested Hymns
"Pray Faithfully"
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| Scripture | Theme | Hymns | ||
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| Malachi
3:1-4 |
The Appearance of God's Messenger; God's Refining, Purifying Presence The Day of the Lord is Awesome! |
422 Jesus, Thine All
Victorious Love 384 Love Divine, All Love's Excelling 211 O Come, O Come, Emanuel vs. 1&2 * |
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| Psalm 126 | Almost Too Good to be True; Restored Fortunes; From Tears to Joy |
Psalter 847 resp. 2 75 All People that on Earth Do Dwell 126 Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above |
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| Luke 3:1-6 | Prepare The Way!; John as Herald of God's Salvation |
207 Prepare the Way of the Lord 202 People Look East 210 Toda la Tierra |
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| Phillipians 1:3-11 | The Day of Christ; Brought to Completion in Christ |
475 Come Down, O Love
Divine 733 Come, We that Love the Lord 732 Come, We that Love the Lord 161 Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart 160 Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart |
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Featured Hymn
203 Hail to the Lord's Annointed
Tune: ELLACOMBE
There is general agreement among hymnologists that this is James Montgomery's finest rendering of any of the Psalms. Written for a Christmas Day convocation of Moravians in 1821, it was later read by its author at the close of a missionary meeting in a Wesleyan Chapel where Dr. Adam Clarke was presiding.
Dr. Clarke was so impressed with the excellence of Montgomery's paraphrase of Psalm 72 that he asked permission to include it in his forthcoming Commentary. It appears at the end of Dr. Clarke's exposition of Psalm 72, with the following effusive preface:
- The following poetical version of some of the principal passages of the foregoing Psalm was made and kindly given me by my much respected friend, James Montgomery, Esq., of Sheffield. I need not tell the intelligent reader that he has seized the spirit, and exhibited some of the principal beauties, of the Hebrew bard; though, to use his own words in his letter to me, his "hand trembled to touch the harp of Zion." I take the liberty here to register a wish, which I have strongly expressed to himself, that he would favour [sic] the Church of God with a metrical version of the whole book."
Then follows all eight of the orginal stanzas.
It is instructive to compare Montgomery's paraphrase of Psalm 72 with Isaac Watts' version of 1719 (nearly 100 years earlier): 157 Jesus Shall Reign. Montgomery has stuck less closely to the text than did Watts. Obviously Montgomery absorbed from the Psalm the essential intent of the Psalmist as he saw it and then proceeded to create his own imagery -- imagery that makes his rendition the one that is suitable for singing during Advent.
The hymn entered American Methodist hymnals in 1847. Usually the same 4 stanzas in current use have been printed. They are 1, 2, 4 and a final stanza composed of the first half of 7 and the last half of 8.
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HymnSite.com
Contributed by Rev. Linda K. Morgan-Clark
Additional Suggestion for using 211 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
For a ritual to light the Advent Wreath read Antiphon 1 (opposite hymn) then sing verse 1 and refrain. Light first candle. Read Antiphon 4, sing verse 4 and refrain. Light second candle. Read Antiphon 2, sing verse 2 and refrain.
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God bless you!
| Passages suggested are from The Revised Common Lectionary: Consultation on Common Texts (Abingdon Press, 1992) copyright © by the Consultation on Common Texts (CCT), P.O. Box 340003, Room 381, Nashville TN 37203-0003. Reprinted with permission of CCT. |