No Weight of Gold or Silver

No weight of gold or silver

Author: Timothy Dudley-Smith (1972)
Tune: PASTORALE
Published in 5 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Sibelius
Audio files: MIDI

Full Text

1 No weight of gold or silver
can measure human worth;
no soul secures its ransom
with all the wealth of earth;
no sinners find their freedom
but by the gift unpriced:
the Lamb of God unblemished,
the precious blood of Christ.

2 Our sins, our griefs and troubles,
he bore and made his own;
we hid our faces from him,
rejected and alone.
His wounds are for our healing,
our peace is by his pain.
Behold, the Man of Sorrows,
the Lamb for sinners slain!

3 In Christ the past is over;
a new world now begins.
With him we rise to freedom
who saves us from our sins.
We live by faith in Jesus
to make his glory known.
Behold, the Man of Sorrows,
the Lamb upon his throne!

Author: Timothy Dudley-Smith

Timothy Dudley-Smith OBE (born 26 December 1926) is an English hymnwriter and a retired bishop of the Church of England. Born in Manchester, United Kingdom, he was educated at Tonbridge School and Pembroke College, Cambridge. He was ordained deacon in 1950 and priest in 1951. He served as Archdeacon of Norwich 1973-81 and Bishop of Thetford 1981-91. He also served as President of the Evangelical Alliance. Since his retirement in 1991, he has lived in the cathedral city of Salisbury, England. His wife, Arlette, died on 14 December 2007. Dudley-Smith is known as a prolific writer of texts for hymns, including the well-known "Tell Out, my Soul". He is a member and honorary vice-president of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland.… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: No weight of gold or silver
Title: No Weight of Gold or Silver
Author: Timothy Dudley-Smith (1972)
Meter: 7.6.7.6.7.6.7.6
Language: English
Copyright: Text © 1984, Hope Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Used by permission

Notes

Scripture References:
st. 1 = 1 Pet. 1:18-19
st. 2 = Isa. 53:3-6, John 1:29
st. 3 = 2 Cor. 5:14, 17

Timothy Dudley-Smith (PHH 233) wrote this text during August 1972 at his seaside summer home in Ruan Minor, Cornwall, England. The text was first published in the British collection Psalm Praise (1973) as a psalm for Passion Week.

This strong text of testimony and encouragement points all sinners to Christ, the Lamb of God. It also encourages believers to continue the journey that will ultimately bring them to the throne of the Lamb in glory. The repeated phrase "Lamb of God" is John the Baptist's description of Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover (John 1:29).

Liturgical Use:
Lent; Holy Week; Easter; worship services of confession/forgiveness as well as other times in which we reflect on Christ's redemptive work.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune

PASTORALE

PASTORALE is a rounded bar form (AABA) tune with a melodic contour colored by gentle ornateness. Sing in unison or in harmony. Use a confident but not exuberant accompaniment with a legato pedal line tying many of the repeated notes in the bass part. Keep two pulses per measure, and slow down slight…

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Timeline

Media

Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #374

Instances

Instances (4)TextImageAudioScore
Church Family Worship #223
Psalter Hymnal (Gray) #374TextImageAudioScore
Sing Glory: Hymns, Psalms and Songs for a New Century #181
Together in Song: Australian Hymn Book II #249