Scripture Verse

As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

Introduction

portrait
Christoph von Pfeil
(1712-1784)

Words: Christ­oph C. L. von Pfeil (1712–1784). Trans­lat­ed from Ger­man to Eng­lish by Ca­ther­ine Wink­worth, The Chor­ale Book for Eng­land (Lon­don: Long­man, Green, Long­man, Rob­erts, and Green, 1863), num­ber 175.

Music: Wo Gott zum Haus Geist­liche Lied­er (Wit­ten­berg, Ger­ma­ny, 1535) (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Catherine Winkworth
(1827–1878)

Lyrics

Oh blest the house, what­e’er be­fall,
Where Je­sus Christ is All in All;
Yea, if He were not dwell­ing there,
How poor and dark and void it were!

Oh blest that house where faith ye find,
And all with­in have set their mind
To trust their God and serve Him still,
And do in all His ho­ly will.

Blest, where their pray­ers shall dai­ly rise
As frag­rant in­cense to the skies,
While in their lives the world is taught
That forms with­out the heart are nought.

Blest, where the bu­sy hands ful­fill
Their pro­per task with rea­dy skill,
While through their dif­fer­ent works ye see
One spir­it run of uni­ty.

Blest such a house, it pros­pers well,
In peace and joy the par­ents dwell,
And in their child­ren’s lot is shown
How rich­ly God can bless His own.

Then here will I and mine to­day
A solemn covenant make, and say—
Though all the world for­sake Thy Word,
I and my house will serve the Lord.