Office Hymns: Additional Hymns for Morning Prayer

Additional Hymns for Morning Prayer

84

Awake, my heart, and render – P. Gerhardt

Awake, my heart, and render
To God thy sure defender,
Thy Maker, thy preserver,
A song of love and fervor.

Due sacrifice I'll offer;
My morning gift I proffer,
No fatted beast for killing,
But prayer and praises willing.

Confirm my deeds and guide me:
My day, with Thee beside me,
Beginning, middle, ending,
Will all be upward tending.

My heart shall be Thy dwelling,
With joy and gladness swelling;
Thy Word my nurture, given
To bring me on toward heaven.

85

Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go – C. Wesley

Forth in thy Name, O Lord, I go,
my daily labor to pursue;
thee, only thee, resolved to know
in all I think or speak or do.

The task thy wisdom hath assigned,
O let me cheerfully fulfill;
in all my works thy presence find,
and prove thy good and perfect will.

Thee may I set at my right hand,
whose eyes mine inmost substance see,
and labor on at thy command,
and offer all my works to thee.

Give me to bear thy easy yoke,
and every moment watch and pray,
and still to things eternal look,
and hasten to thy glorious day.

For thee delightfully employ
whate'er thy bounteous grace hath given;
and run my course with even joy,
and closely walk with thee to heav'n.

86

Awake, my soul, and with the sun – T. Ken

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and early rise
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

Redeem thy mis-spent time that's past,
Live this day as if 'twere thy last;
T'improve thy talents take due care
'Gainst the great day thy self prepare.

Let all thy converse be sincere,
Thy conscience as the noon-day clear:
Think how the all-seeing God thy ways,
And every secret thought surveys.

Glory to God, who save hath kept;
And hath refresh'd me while I slept;
Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake,
I may of endless life partake.

Direct, control, suggest this day
All I design, or do, or say;
That all my power's, with all their might,
In Thy sole glory may unite.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heav'nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

87

All praise to thee, who safe hast kept – S Wesley

 All praise to thee who safe hast kept,
 And hast refreshed me while I slept!
 Grant, Lord, when I from death awake,
 I may of endless life partake.

 Lord, I my vows to thee renew;
 Disperse my sins as morning dew;
 Guard my first springs of thought and will,
 And with thy self my spirit fill.

 Direct, control, suggest this day,
 All I design, or do, or say,
 That all my powers, with all their might,
 In thy sole glory may unite.

 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
 Praise him, all creatures here below;
 Praise him above, ye heavenly host;
 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

88

Christ, whose glory fills the skies – C Wesley

Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true and only Light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise,
triumph o'er the shade of night;
Day-spring from on high, be near;
Day-star, in my heart appear.

2 Dark and cheerless is the morn
unaccompanied by thee;
joyless is the day's return
till thy mercy's beams I see,
till they inward light impart,
glad my eyes and warm my heart.

3 Visit, then, this soul of mine,
pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
fill me, Radiancy divine,
scatter all my unbelief;
more and more thyself display,
shining to the perfect day!

89

Come, my soul, thou must be waking - Buckoll

Come, my soul, thou must be waking;
now is breaking o'er the earth another day:
come to him who made this splendor;
see thou render all thy feeble pow'rs can pay.

Thou too hail the light returning;
ready burning be the incense of thy pow'rs;
for the night is safely ended,
God hath tended with his care thy helpless hours.

Pray that he may prosper ever
each endeavor, when thine aim is good and true;
but that he may ever thwart thee,
and convert thee, when thou evil wouldst pursue.

Think that he thy ways beholdeth;
he unfoldeth ev'ry fault that lurks within;
every stain of shame glossed over
can discover, and discern each deed of sin.

Only God's free gifts abuse not,
light refuse not, but his Spirit's voice obey;
thou with him shalt dwell, beholding
light enfolding all things in unclouded day.

90

New every morning is the love - Keble

New every morning is the love
our wakening and uprising prove;
through sleep and darkness safely brought,
restored to life and power and thought.

New mercies, each returning day,
hover around us while we pray;
new perils past, new sins forgiven,
new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.

If on our daily course our mind
be set to hallow all we find,
new treasures still, of countless price,
God will provide for sacrifice.

Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be,
as more of heaven in each we see;
some softening gleam of love and prayer
shall dawn on every cross and care.

The trivial round, the common task,
will furnish all we ought to ask:
room to deny ourselves; a road
to bring us daily nearer God.

Only, O Lord, in thy dear love,
fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us, this and every day,
to live more nearly as we pray.

91

Awake, awake to love and work - Kennedy

Awake, awake to love and work:
the lark is in the sky,
the fields are wet with diamond dew,
the worlds awake to cry
their blessings on the Lord of life
as he goes meekly by.

2 Come, let thy voice be one with theirs,
shout with their shout of praise,
see how the giant sun soars up,
great lord of years and days!
So let the love of Jesus come
and set thy soul ablaze.

3 To give, and give, and give again
what God hath given thee,
to spend thyself, nor count the cost,
to serve right gloriously
the God who gave all worlds that are,
and all that are to be.

92

O splendor of God's glory bright – Ambrose / Benson

O splendor of God’s glory bright,
from light eternal bringing light;
O Light of light, the fountain spring,
O Day, all days illumining.

Come, very Sun of heaven's love,
in lasting radiance from above,
and pour the Holy Spirit's ray
on all we think or do today.

Teach us to love with all our might;
drive envy out, remove all spite;
turn to the good each troubling care,
and give us grace our name to bear.

All glory be to God Most High;
to God the Son let praises rise;
whom with the Spirit we adore
forever and forevermore.

93

Come, Holy Ghost, with God the Son – Ambrose / Neale

Come, Holy Ghost, with God the Son,
And God the Father, ever one1
Shed forth Thy grace within our breast,
And dwell with us, a ready Guest.

2 By every power, by heart and tongue,
By act and deed, Thy praise be song;
Inflame with perfect love each sense,
That others' souls may kindle thence.

3 O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy ghost and Thee,
Shall live and reign eternally.

94

Morning has broken – E. Farjeon

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the word

Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day

95

Not here for high and holy things - Kennedy

Not here for high and holy things
we render thanks to thee,
but for the common things of earth,
the purple pageantry
of dawning and of dying days,
the splendor of the sea,

the royal robes of autumn moors,
the golden gates of spring,
the velvet of soft summer nights,
the silver glistering
of all the million million stars,
the silent song they sing,

of faith and hope and love undimmed,
undying still through death,
the resurrection of the world,
what time there comes the breath
of dawn that rustles through the trees,
and that clear voice that saith:

Awake, awake to love and work!
The lark is in the sky,
the fields are wet with diamond dew,
the worlds awake to cry
their blessings on the Lord of life,
as he goes meekly by.

Come, let thy voice be one with theirs,
shout with their shout of praise;
see how the giant sun soars up,
great lord of years and days!
So let the love of Jesus come
and set thy soul ablaze,

to give and give, and give again,
what God hath given thee;
to spend thyself nor count the cost;
to serve right gloriously
the God who gave all worlds that are,
and all that are to be.