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!