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134 Hymns for Living
Faith of the Larger Liberty
MIT FREUDAN ZART 87. 87. 887.
Later form of hymn melody of the Bohemian Brethren, Kirchengeseng, 1566
Faith of the larger liberty,
Source of the light expanding,
Law of the church that is to be,
Old bondage notwithstanding:
Faith of the free!
By thee we live -
By all thou givest and shalt give
Our loyalty commanding.
Heroes of faith in every age,
Far-seeing, self-denying,
Wrought an increasing heritage,
Monarch and priest defying.
Faith of the free!
In thy dear name
The costly heritage we claim:
Their living and their dying.
Faith for the people everywhere,
Whatever their oppression,
Of all who make the world more fair,
Living their faith's confession:
Faith of the free!
Whate'er our plight,
Thy law, thy liberty, thy light
Shall be our blest possession.
Vincent Brown Silliman, 1894-1979
149 Hymns for Living
Walk in the Light
WALK IN THE LIGHT P.M. Sydney Carter arr. David Dawson
Stainer and Bell
There's a light that was shining when the world began,
And a light that is shining in the heart of Man:
There's a light that is shining in the Turk and the Jew,
And a light that is shining, friend, in me and in you.
Walk in the light, wherever you may be,
Walk in the light, wherever you may be!
In my old leather breeches and my shaggy, shaggy locks,
I am walking in the glory of the light, said Fox.
With a book and a steeple and a bell and a key
They would bind it for ever-but they can't, said he.
O, the book, it will perish, and the steeple will fall,
But the light will be shining at the end of it all.
Walk in the light, wherever you may be,
Walk in the light, wherever you may be!
In my old leather breeches and my shaggy, shaggy locks,
I am walking in the glory of the light, said Fox.
"Will you swear on the Bible?" "I will not," said he,
"For the truth is as holy as the Book to me."
"If we give you a pistol, will you fight for the Lord?"
"You can't kill the devil with a gun or a sword."
Walk in the light, wherever you may be,
Walk in the light, wherever you may be!
In my old leather breeches and my shaggy, shaggy locks,
I am walking in the glory of the light, said Fox.
There's an ocean of darkness and I drowned in the night
Till I came through the darkness to the ocean of light;
And the light is forever, and the light will be free,
And I'll walk in the glory of the light, said he.
Walk in the light, wherever you may be,
Walk in the light, wherever you may be!
In my old leather breeches and my shaggy, shaggy locks,
I am walking in the glory of the light, said Fox.
Sydney Carter (About George Fox, 1624-91)
Hymn number 176 Hymns for Living
Come Together in Love
COME TOGETHER P.M.
O come together in truth;
O come together in peace;
O come together in joy and sharing,
Come together in knowing and caring;
Come together,
O come together,
O come together in love.
We come together in search
Of new beginnings for all,
Where understanding and trust surround us—
Gone the hate and fear that bound us;
Come together,
O come together,
O come together in love.
Hymn number 177
We Can Become
AMAZING GRACE C.M.
Community, supporting friends,
Hands joined in unity...
Rejoice, my friend, in fellowship,
In living, full and free.
O let us live with humankind
As sisters, brothers, true.
We'll share our joys, our sorrows share,
Becoming as we do.
We all can grow. We can become
Our finer selves set free...
Risk what we are, sure in our faith
In what we yet can be.
Hymn used in a service about conflict and war.
HYMN 181 from Sing Your Faith (2009)
Hymns in Sing Your Faith are in first line alphabetical order
TOBY 10.10.10.10 Dactylic
Wake, now, my senses, and hear the earth call,
Feel the deep power of being in all;
Keep with the web of creation your vow,
Giving, receiving, as love shows us how.
Wake, now, my reason, reach out to the new;
Join with each pilgrim who quests for the true;
Honour the beauty and wisdom of time;
Suffer thy limit, and praise the sublime.
Wake, now, compassion, give heed to the cry;
Voices of suffering fill the wide sky;
Take as your neighbour both stranger and friend,
Praying and striving their hardship to end.
Wake, now, my conscience, with justice thy guide;
Join with all people whose rights are denied;
Take not for granted a privileged place;
God’s love embraces the whole human race.
Wake, now, my vision of ministry clear;
Brighten my pathway with radiance here;
Mingle my calling with all who would share;
Work toward a planet transformed by our care.
(Words © Thomas J. S. Mikelson)
Hill, A. M., Dawson, D. (2009), Sing Your Faith, London: Lindsey Press.
HYMN 42 from Sing Your Faith (2009)
From the Light of days remembered
THE FIRE OF COMMITMENT by Jason Shelton
From the Light of days remembered
Burns a beacon bright and clear,
Guiding hands and hearts and spirits
Into faith set free from fear.
When the fire of commitment sets our mind and soul ablaze
When our hunger and our passion meet to call us on our way;
When we live with deep assurance of the flame that burns within,
Then our promise finds fulfilment and our future can begin.
From the stories of our living
Rings a song both brave and free,
Calling pilgrims still to witness
To the life of liberty.
When the fire of commitment...
From the dreams of youthful vision
Comes a new prophetic voice,
Which demands a deeper justice
Built by our courageous choice.
When the fire of commitment...
Jason Shelton and Mary Katherine Morn
HYMN 21 from Sing Your Faith
Come and Find the Quiet Centre
LEWIS FOLK MELODY 87.87.D arranged by John L. Bell
Come and find the quiet centre
In the crowded life we lead,
Find the room for hope to enter,
Find the space 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, touches base,
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 lives 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
Adrian Worsfold
Pluralist - Liberal and Thoughtful