Wedding hymns

Post by **spot** » Sat May 21, 2005 5:50 pm

I've been asked to suggest a wedding hymn or two.

Here's the best I've come up with so far:

Words: Henry K. White (1785-1806) and Frances S. Fuller Maitland.

Tune: University College, Henry J. Gauntlett, 1852.

Oft in sorrow, oft in woe,

Onward, Christian, onward go:

Fight the fight, maintain the strife

Strengthened with the Bread of life.

Onward Christians, onward go,

Join the war, and face the foe;

Faint not: Much does yet remain,

Dreary is the long campaign.

Shrink not, Christians will ye yield?

Will ye quit the painful field?

Will ye flee in dangerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s hour?

Know ye not your CaptainÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s powÃ¢â‚¬â„¢r?

Let your drooping hearts be glad:

March in heavenly armor clad:

Fight, nor think the battle long,

Victory soon shall be your song.

Let not sorrow dim your eye,

Soon shall every tear be dry;

Let not fears your course impede,

Great your strength, if great your need.

Onward then in battle move,

More than conquerors ye shall prove;

Though opposed by many a foe,

Christian soldiers onward go.

capt_buzzard · Post by **capt_buzzard** » Sat May 21, 2005 5:55 pm

Into Battle SPOT?:D

Post by **spot** » Sat May 21, 2005 5:58 pm

Come on Captain, I'm serious. If I don't find suitable hymns, we'll be stuck with And Did Those Feet. Honest.

Here's an alternative. I'm not convinced, yet.

Words: Anne BrontÃƒ« (1820-1849).

Tune: Clifton (J. Brabham)

Believe not those who say

The upward path is smooth

Lest thou shouldst stumble in the way

And faint before the truth.

It is the only road

Unto the realms of joy;

But he who seeks that blest abode

Must all his powers employ.

Arm, arm thee for the fight!

Cast useless loads away:

Watch through the darkest hours of night;

Toil through the hottest day.

Crush pride into the dust,

Or thou must needs be slack;

And trample down rebellious lust,

Or it will hold thee back.

Seek not thy treasure here;

Waive pleasure and renown;

The World's dread scoff undaunted bear,

And face its deadliest frown.

To labour and to love,

To pardon and endure,

To lift thy heart to God above,

And keep thy conscience pure,-

Be this thy constant aim,

Thy hope and thy delight,-

What matters who should whisper blame,

Or who should scorn or slight?

If but thy God approve,

And if within thy breast

Thou feel the comfort of his love,

The earnest of his rest?

Post by **spot** » Sat May 21, 2005 6:56 pm

I'm getting the hang of this, slowly...

1 TWO are better far than one

For counsel or for fight;

How can one be warm alone,

Or serve his God aright?

Join we then our hearts and hands,

Each to love provoke his friend;

Run the way of his commands,

And keep it to the end.

2 Woe to him whose spirits droop,

To him who falls alone!

He has none to lift him up,

To help his weakness on:

Happier we each other keep,

We each other's burdens bear;

Never need our footsteps slip,

Upheld by mutual prayer.

3 Who of twain hath made us one,

Maintains our unity,

Jesus is the corner-stone,

In whom we all agree;

Servants of one common Lord,

Sweetly of one heart and mind,

Who can break a threefold cord,

Or part whom God hath joined?

4 O that all with us might prove

The fellowship of saints!

Find supplied, in Jesu's love,

What every member wants:

Grasp we our high calling's prize,

Feel our sins on earth forgiven,

Rise, in his whole image rise,

And meet our Head in heaven!

Post by **spot** » Sat May 21, 2005 10:40 pm

Words: Charlotte Elliott

Tune: Vigilate, W.H. Monk.

Christian, seek not yet repose,

Cast thy dreams of ease away;

Thou art in the midst of foes:

Watch and pray.

Principalities and pow'rs,

Must'ring their unseen array,

Wait for thine unguarded hours:

Watch and pray.

Gird thy heavenly armor on,

Wear it ever, night and day;

Ambushed lies the evil one:

Watch and pray.

Hear the victors who o'ercame:

Still they mark each warrior's way;

All with one sweet voice exclaim,

"Watch and pray."

Hear, above all, hear thy Lord,

Him thou lovest to obey;

Hide within thy heart his word,

"Watch and pray."

Watch, as if on that alone

Hung the issue of the day;

Pray, that help may be sent down:

Watch and pray.

john8pies · Post by **john8pies** » Sun May 22, 2005 6:09 am

Forgive this joke, spot, but I always feel a wedding is best defined by 3 things in church:

"AISLE, ALTAR, HYMN" ("I`ll alter him"!!!!!!!!!!!)

Rapunzel · Post by **Rapunzel** » Sun May 22, 2005 1:22 pm

What about:

I Vow to Thee My Country'

~ or ~

'Bind us together Lord'

Both are very popular choices and, personally, I love 'Jerusalem'.

Post by **spot** » Sun May 22, 2005 1:34 pm

Hah! You're psychic, Rapunzel - that's two of the three hymns she's listed, that I'm looking out alternatives for!

Instead of "Bind us together, Lord" she's gone for "Dear Lord and Father of mankind,

forgive our foolish ways" because she liked it at school.

This one's possible? I'm going to suggest it, anyway:

MASTER, I own thy lawful claim,

Thine, wholly thine, I long to be!

Thou seest, at last, I willing am

Where'er thou go'st to follow thee;

Myself in all things to deny,

Thine, wholly thine, to live and die.

Whate'er my sinful flesh require

For thee I cheerfully forego,

My covetous and vain desires,

My hopes of happiness below,

My senses' and my passions' food,

And all my thirst for creature-good.

Pleasure, and wealth, and praise no more

Shall lead my captive soul astray,

My fond pursuits I all give o'er,

Thee, only thee, resolved to obey;

My own in all things to resign,

And know no other will but thine.

All power is thine in earth and heaven,

All fulness dwells in thee alone;

Whate'er I have was freely given,

Nothing but sin I call my own,

Other propriety disclaim;

Thou only art the great I AM.

Wherefore to thee I all resign;

Being thou art, and love, and power;

Thy only will be done, not mine!

Thee, Lord, let heaven and earth adore!

Flow back the rivers to the sea,

And let our all be lost in thee!

capt_buzzard · Post by **capt_buzzard** » Sun May 22, 2005 2:55 pm

Fact is, I wasn't churched.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » Sun May 22, 2005 6:50 pm

Spot :-6

Personally I am not in favour of any himn that suggests battle or fight. It is contrary to the message of Jesus Christ.

I would sugges "The Holy City" by Stephen Adams.

Shalom

Ted :-6

Post by **spot** » Sun May 22, 2005 7:11 pm

Ted wrote: Personally I am not in favour of any himn that suggests battle or fight. It is contrary to the message of Jesus Christ.But it's the same message of the same Jesus Christ that these hymn writers were bearing witness to in their day, Ted. Were they wrong even for their own time? Were they right at the time, but the times have changed and we need a different message now? I am really reluctant to push these hymnwriters out of our lifeboat, just because people are more sensitive nowadays to the smell of the blood on their hands.

Ted wrote: I would sugges "The Holy City" by Stephen Adams.That's an interesting selection - you mean the one starting "Last night I lay a sleeping, There came a dream so fair"? I'll read it a few times. It's not in any of our UK hymnbooks that I'm familiar with.

Ted · Post by **Ted** » Sun May 22, 2005 7:41 pm

Spot :-6

Many hymns present very bad theology. Were they right or wrong? Of course hind sight is 20/20. In hindsight, yes they were wrong. I was recently practising one hym that I personally think is horrible but it was for the music and not the words that I was practising; " Onward Christian Soldiers." It is a terrible hym with terrible theology. It does not in any way reflect the life and message of Jesus Christ.

There are all kinds of humns in our hymn book that need to be thrown out. We simply don't sing them ever. They are not a true relection of the life and message of Jesus Christ.

Another good one for weddings is "O Perfect Love"

Shalom

Ted :-6