Crown Him with Many Crowns

Crown Him with many crowns,
      The Lamb upon His throne,
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns
      All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
      Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
      Through all eternity.

Crown Him the Virgin's Son,
      The God incarnate born,
Whose arm those crimson trophies won
      Which now His brow adorn;
Fruit of the mystic rose,
      As of that rose the stem;
The root whence mercy ever flows,
      The Babe of Bethlehem.

Crown Him the Son of God,
      Before the worlds began,
And ye who tread where he hath trod,
      Crown Him the Son of Man;
Who every grief hath known
      That wrings the human breast,
And takes and bears them for His own,
      That all in Him may rest.

Crown Him the Lord of life,
      Who triumphed over the grave,
And rose victorious in the strife
      For those he came to save.
His glories now we sing,
      Who died, and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
      And lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of peace,
      Whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
      And all be prayer and praise.
His reign shall know no end,
      And round His pierced feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
      Their fragrance ever sweet.

Crown Him the Lord of love,
      Behold His hands and side,
Those wounds, yet visible above,
      In beauty glorified.
No angel in the sky
      Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends His burning eye
      At mysteries so bright.

Crown Him the Lord of heaven,
      Enthroned in worlds above,
Crown Him the King to whom is given
      The wondrous name of Love,
Crown Him with many crowns,
      As thrones before Him fall;
Crown Him, ye kings, with many crowns,
      For He is King of all.

Crown Him the Lord of lords,
      Who over all doth reign,
Who once on earth the incarnate Word,
      For ransoned sinners slain,
Now lives in realms of light,
      Where saints with angels sing
Their songs before Him day and night,
      Their God, Redeemer, King.

Crown Him the Lord of years,
      The Potenate of time,
Creator of the rolling spheres,
      Ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
      For Thou has died for me;
Thy praise and glory shall not fail
      Throughout eternity.


written by Matthew Bridges and  Godfrey Thring, nineteenth century
music by George Job Elvey,  nineteenth century

Note: This hymn was originally written by Matthew Bridges, a devout member of the Church of England for forty-eight years, who then converted to Catholicism.  He wrote the poem three years after becoming a Catholic.  Then George Job Elvey composed soaring music to fit the poem.  He named the music 'Diademata", Greek for "crown". Elvey was a close friend of the British crown.  Later, Godfrey Thring, an Anglican priest, was asked to create a new version of this song.  Thring prayed, read Bridges' original words and studied the Bible passages relating to Christ as King.  When the song was published in 1874, the hymn publishers studied both versions and felt both works had great substance and character, so they combined the two versions.  This great Easter hymn is unique in that it is the work of three men who didn't know each other, but shared the most important element in common, faith in Jesus Christ as King. (Found in Stories Behind the Traditions and Songs of Easter, by Ace Collins, copyright 2007, pages 97-104)

     
     

O Lord Beloved, Thy Calvary Stills Us

Home of our hearts, lest we forget
   What our redemption meant for Thee,
Let our most reverent thought be set
   Upon Thy Calvary.

We, when we suffer, turn and toss
   And seek for ease, and seek again;
But Thou, upon Thy bitter Cross,
   Wast firmly fixed in pain.

And in our night, star-clusters shine,
   Flowers comfort us, and joy of song;
Nor star, nor flower, nor song was Thine,
   But darkness three hours long.

We, in our lesser mystery
   Of lingering ill and winged death,
Would fain see clear; but could we see,
   What need would be for faith?

O Lord beloved, Thy Calvary
   Stills all our questions; come, O come,
Where children wandering wearily
   Have not yet found their Home.

by Amy Carmichael,  Edges of His Ways
  

Awake, O Sleeper, Arise

Awake, O Sleeper, arise;
   Arise from the dead.
Awake, O Sleeper, arise;
   Arise to new life

For Christ is the Light,
   The Light of the world,
So walk in His Holy Light,
   A flag unfurled.

Walk carefully, redeeming the time.
   Give thanks for all things to God,
          Our Father Divine.

Speak gracefully, esteeming God's Word.
   Be salt in this weary world
          For Jesus, our Lord.

Think soberly, unceasing in prayer.
   Conform your mind to God's design;
          His Spirit, we share.


by Julie Dunlap  3-30-2014,   4th Sunday of Lent

Note:  The Lord gave me this song from Ephesians 5, one of the readings we had at church on Sunday.  This is an encouragement to live intentionally for Christ, being mindful of our walk, speech, and thoughts, that our life will be a testimony of God's love for all mankind.  May our lives bring glory to God.

Love of my Heart

Love of my heart, my streams runs dry;

   O Fountain of the heavenly hills,

Love, blessed Love, to Thee I cry,

   Flood all my secret hidden rills.

Waters of love, to Thee I cry,

   Flood all my secret hidden rills.

Waters of love, O pour through me,

I must have Love:  I must have Thee.

Lord, give me love, then I have all,

   For love casts out tormenting fear.

And love sounds forth a trumpet call

   To valiant hope; and sweet and clear

The birds of joy sing in my tree,

Love of my heart, when I have Thee.

by Amy Carmichael, from Edges of His Ways