Meter: 77.77
God the Lord and King of all,
Hear our earnest, fervent call.
Lead us out of darkest night,
Into truth and love and light.
Jesus look within our heart,
Take our very souls apart.
Heal our sins and give us grace,
Show us now your loving face.
Holy Spirit, Lord of Life,
Free us from our constant strife,
Grant us power to obey,
Strength to love, and faith to pray.
Glory to our God above,
God of mercy, God of love,
High among the heavenly host;
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
This hymn can be sung to most tunes that have a 7777 meter, such as the following:
- Chalice Hymnal
- 179, 241
- Episcopal Hymnal
- 54, 188, 150
- Lutheran Hymnal
- 28, 257, 379
- Presbyterian Hymnal
- 14, 77, 244
- United Methodist Hymnal
- 550, 214, 385
- First public performance:
- The choir of the Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC, sang this hymn to the tune of UMH 550 on Trinity Sunday 1999 (30 May 1999).
My purpose was to write a simple hymn text that is a corporate act of Trinitarian praise, in which the congregation directly worships God.
The first three stanzas express dependence on God, addressing each Person of the Trinity with an appropriate characterization, confession, and petition. The fourth stanza praises the Trinity. Notice that ‘God Above, God of Mercy, and God of Love’ anticipates the transcendence of the Father, the forgiveness of the Son, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. This text seeks to include both activism and pietism as equal components of discipleship. It also expresses personal devotion within the context of corporate worship.
The last line (with its ‘Holy Ghost’) fittingly anchors us in the past; for not only is God our contemporary, as J. B. Phillips rightly remarked; God is also the Ancient of Days.