Scripture Verse

May we shout for joy…and lift up our banners in the name of our God. Psalm 20:5

Introduction

portrait
Ignaz J. Pleyel (1757–1831)

Words: Fran­cis Bot­tome, Songs from the Par­son­age (Cam­bridge, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Uni­ver­si­ty Press, 1894), pag­es 164–66.

Music: Pley­el’s Hymn Ig­naz J. Pley­el, 1791 (🔊 pdf nwc).

Alternate Tune:

portrait
Francis Bottome (1823–1894)

Lyrics

Throw your ban­ner In His name,
Out up­on the New Year’s wing;
Far and wide your Lord pro­claim,
Sons and daugh­ters of the King.

Bear your heads erect, and meet
The ris­ing day with op­en hand;
Kind of speech and swift of feet,
Scatter sun­shine o’er the land.

Yours the brok­en heart to heal,
Yours the load of grief to share;
Who their neigh­bor’s woe can feel,
Find their mis­sion any­where.

Yours the way­ward heart to win,
Yours the out­cast to re­claim;
Yours to lift the child of sin
From the bur­den of her shame.

Pure of heart and clean of thought—
Life with­out and life with­in—
Like a gar­ment rich­ly wrought,
Fit for an­gels or for men.

Royalty is roy­al love,
Royalty in lov­ing deed;
Show your lin­eage from above,
In the broad­ness of your creed.

Catch the mu­sic of your song
From the theme the an­gels sing:
Fainter notes than they pro­long
Are un­wor­thy of your king.

Free as air the hope you raise;
Strong as light the truth you hold;
Christ’s the ev­er­last­ing praise,
One the flock, with­in one fold.

Bow the knee, ex­alt the Son!
Wrong and hate be­fore Him fall;
Let His will on earth be done,
God and Fa­ther ov­er all!

Sons and daugh­ters of the King,
In the spi­rit of His Word,
Joyful on the New Year’s wing
Throw the ban­ner of your Lord.