Scripture Verse

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Introduction

portrait
Edward Bickersteth (1825–1906)

Words: Ed­ward H. Bick­er­steth, 1889.

Music: Un­de et Me­mor­es Will­iam H. Monk, 1875 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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William Monk (1823–1889)

The struc­ture of this hymn was sug­gest­ed by Can­on Bright’s vers­es, so well known in their ab­bre­vi­ated form, be­gin­ning, ‛And now, O Fa­ther, mind­ful of the love,’ and the hymn was writ­ten with the echo of the most beau­ti­ful tune, ‘Un­de et mem­or­es,’ by W. H. Monk, to which these vers­es are set in Hymns An­cient and Mo­dern, vi­brat­ing in my heart.

Edward Bick­er­steth

Lyrics

O holy Fa­ther, who in ten­der love
Didst give Thine on­ly Son for us to die,
The while He pleads at Thy right hand above,
We in one Spir­it now with faith draw nigh,
And, as we eat this bread and drink this wine,
Plead His once of­fered sac­ri­fice di­vine.

We are not wor­thy to be called Thy sons,
Nor gather up the frag­ments of Thy feast;
Yet look on us, Thy sor­row­ing con­trite ones,
On us in Him our ad­vo­cate and priest,
Whose robe is fringed with mer­cy’s gold­en bells,
Whose breast­plate fa­thom­less com­pas­sion tells.

O hear us, for Thou al­ways hear­est Him;
Behold us sprin­kled with His pre­cious blood;
And from be­tween the sha­dow­ing che­ru­bim
Shine forth, and grant us in this hea­ven­ly food
Foretastes of com­ing glo­ry, and mean­while
A Fa­ther’s bless­ing and a Fa­ther’s smile.

Nor on­ly, Fa­ther, in Thy pre­sence here
Low at Thy foot­stool for our­selves we pray,
But for the loved ones to our hearts most near
At home or toil­ing in far lands away;
O guard them, guide them, com­fort and be­friend,
And keep them Thine un­fal­ter­ing to the end.

And, Fa­ther, ere we leave Thy mer­cy-throne,
Bound by these sac­red pledg­es, yet most free,
We give our hearts, and not our hearts alone,
But all we are and all we have to Thee;
Glad free-will of­fer­ings all our pil­grim days,
Hereafter an eter­ni­ty of praise.