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Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbour

Author: Brian Wren (b. 1936) Meter: 11.10.11.10 Appears in 3 hymnals Hymnal Title: Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Lyrics: 1 Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbour out of my knowledge, leisure, power or wealth, help me to understand the shame and anger of helplessness that hates my power to help. 2 And if, when I have answered need with kindness, my neighbour rises, wakened from despair, keep me from flinching when the cry for justice requires of me the changes that I fear. 3 If I am hugging safety or possessions, uncurl my spirit, as your love prevails, to join my neighbours, work for liberation, and find my freedom at the mark of nails. Topics: The Holy Spirit in the Church Enlightening and Renewing the Church; Freedom and Liberation; Neighbour; Social Concern Scripture: 1 John 2:16 Used With Tune: MARK OF NAILS

Tunes

Tune authorities

MARK OF NAILS

Meter: 11.10.11.10 Appears in 2 hymnals Composer and/or Arranger: John L. Bell (b. 1949) Hymnal Title: Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Tune Key: E Major Incipit: 11235 43216 51123 Used With Text: Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbour

BENJAMIN

Meter: 11.10.11.10 Appears in 1 hymnal Composer and/or Arranger: Jonathan McNair Hymnal Title: The New Century Hymnal Tune Key: D Major Used With Text: Spirit of Jesus, If I Love My Neighbor

Instances

Published text-tune combinations (hymns) from specific hymnals

Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbour

Author: Brian Wren (b. 1936) Hymnal: Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #621 (2005) Meter: 11.10.11.10 Hymnal Title: Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Lyrics: 1 Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbour out of my knowledge, leisure, power or wealth, help me to understand the shame and anger of helplessness that hates my power to help. 2 And if, when I have answered need with kindness, my neighbour rises, wakened from despair, keep me from flinching when the cry for justice requires of me the changes that I fear. 3 If I am hugging safety or possessions, uncurl my spirit, as your love prevails, to join my neighbours, work for liberation, and find my freedom at the mark of nails. Topics: The Holy Spirit in the Church Enlightening and Renewing the Church; Freedom and Liberation; Neighbour; Social Concern Scripture: 1 John 2:16 Languages: English Tune Title: MARK OF NAILS

Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbour

Author: Brian Wren (b. 1936) Hymnal: Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #621 (2008) Meter: 11.10.11.10 Hymnal Title: Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise Lyrics: 1 Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbour out of my knowledge, leisure, power or wealth, help me to understand the shame and anger: of helplessness that hates my power to help. 2 And if, when I have answered need with kindness, my neighbour rises, wakened from despair, keep me from flinching when the cry for justice requires of me the changes that I fear. 3 If I am hugging safety or possessions, uncurl my spirit, as your love prevails, to join my neighbours, work for liberation, and find my freedom at the mark of nails. Topics: The Holy Spirit in the Church Enlightening and Renewing the Church; Freedom and Liberation; Neighbour; Social Concern Scripture: 1 John 2:16 Languages: English Tune Title: MARK OF NAILS

Spirit of Jesus, If I Love My Neighbor

Author: Brian Wren Hymnal: The New Century Hymnal #590 (1995) Meter: 11.10.11.10 Hymnal Title: The New Century Hymnal Lyrics: 1 Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbor, out of my knowledge, leisure, power or wealth, open my mind to understand the anger of helplessness that hates my power to help. 2 And if, when I have answered need with kindness, my neighbor rises, wakened from despair, open my heart to hear the cry of justice that struggles for the changes that I fear. 3 If I am hugging safety or possessions, uncurl my spirit, as your love prevails, to join my neighbors, work for liberation, and find my freedom at the mark of nails. Topics: Confession of Sin; Freedom and Liberation Spiritual; Holy Spirit Illuminator; Justice and Peace; Year A Proper 18; Year C Epiphany 7 Scripture: Romans 13:8-14 Languages: English Tune Title: BENJAMIN

People

Authors, composers, editors, etc.

Brian A. Wren

b. 1936 Person Name: Brian Wren (b. 1936) Hymnal Title: Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Author of "Spirit of Jesus, if I love my neighbour" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Brian Wren (b. Romford, Essex, England, 1936) is a major British figure in the revival of contemporary hymn writing. He studied French literature at New College and theology at Mansfield College in Oxford, England. Ordained in 1965, he was pastor of the Congregational Church (now United Reformed) in Hockley and Hawkwell, Essex, from 1965 to 1970. He worked for the British Council of Churches and several other organizations involved in fighting poverty and promoting peace and justice. This work resulted in his writing of Education for Justice (1977) and Patriotism and Peace (1983). With a ministry throughout the English-speaking world, Wren now resides in the United States where he is active as a freelance lecturer, preacher, and full-time hymn writer. His hymn texts are published in Faith Looking Forward (1983), Praising a Mystery (1986), Bring Many Names (1989), New Beginnings (1993), and Faith Renewed: 33 Hymns Reissued and Revised (1995), as well as in many modern hymnals. He has also produced What Language Shall I Borrow? (1989), a discussion guide to inclusive language in Christian worship. Bert Polman

John L. Bell

b. 1949 Person Name: John L. Bell (b. 1949) Hymnal Title: Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Composer of "MARK OF NAILS" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) John Bell (b. 1949) was born in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, intending to be a music teacher when he felt the call to the ministry. But in frustration with his classes, he did volunteer work in a deprived neighborhood in London for a time and also served for two years as an associate pastor at the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam. After graduating he worked for five years as a youth pastor for the Church of Scotland, serving a large region that included about 500 churches. He then took a similar position with the Iona Community, and with his colleague Graham Maule, began to broaden the youth ministry to focus on renewal of the church’s worship. His approach soon turned to composing songs within the identifiable traditions of hymnody that began to address concerns missing from the current Scottish hymnal: "I discovered that seldom did our hymns represent the plight of poor people to God. There was nothing that dealt with unemployment, nothing that dealt with living in a multicultural society and feeling disenfranchised. There was nothing about child abuse…,that reflected concern for the developing world, nothing that helped see ourselves as brothers and sisters to those who are suffering from poverty or persecution." [from an interview in Reformed Worship (March 1993)] That concern not only led to writing many songs, but increasingly to introducing them internationally in many conferences, while also gathering songs from around the world. He was convener for the fourth edition of the Church of Scotland’s Church Hymnary (2005), a very different collection from the previous 1973 edition. His books, The Singing Thing and The Singing Thing Too, as well as the many collections of songs and worship resources produced by John Bell—some together with other members of the Iona Community’s “Wild Goose Resource Group,” —are available in North America from GIA Publications. Emily Brink