Scripture Verse

God is love. 1 John 4:8

Introduction

Words: Tho­mas L. Har­ris, in Pray­ers and Hymns for the Church and the Home (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: New Eng­land Uni­ver­sal­ist Pub­lish­ing House, 1866).

Music: Mi­cro­ne­sia, from the Song-Hym­nal of Praise and Joy (Jack­son, Min­ne­so­ta: Plu­ma M. Brown, 1897) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Brown (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Thomas L. Harris
1823–1906

Lyrics

From all who dwell in Heav’n above
We hear the anthem, God is Love!
While thro’ the souls of all below,
His tender mercies ever flow—
While thro’ the souls of all below,
His tender mercies ever flow.

He sows the sun, like golden grain,
On the blue ether’s boundless plain,
Yet in the soul His mercies are
More vast, more bright than every star—
Yet in the soul His mercies are
More vast, more bright than every star.

Oh, while the glorious faith we own,
Be love in all our acts made known;
Then blinded eyes shall ope to see
God is not wrath, but charity—
Then blinded eyes shall ope to see
God is not wrath, but charity.

Teach us, O Lord, like Thee, to give
To all that love wherein we live;
Till earth below to Heav’n above
Repeats the anthem, God is Love!
Till earth below to Heav’n above
Repeats the anthem, God is Love!