To Mock Your Reign, O Dearest Lord

Representative Text

1 To mock your reign, O dearest Lord,
they made a crown of thorns;
set you with taunts along that road
from which no one returns.
They did not know, as we do now,
that glorious is your crown;
that thorns would flower upon your brow,
your sorrows heal our own.

2 In mock acclaim, O gracious Lord,
they snatched a purple cloak,
your passion turned, for all they cared,
into a soldier's joke.
They did not know, as we do now,
that though we merit blame
you will your robe of mercy throw
around our naked shame.

3 A sceptered reed, O patient Lord,
they thrust into your hand,
and acted out their grim charade
to its appointed end.
They did not know, as we do now,
though empires rise and fall,
your Kingdom shall not cease to grow
till love embraces all.

Author: Fred Pratt Green

The name of the Rev. F. Pratt Green is one of the best-known of the contemporary school of hymnwriters in the British Isles. His name and writings appear in practically every new hymnal and "hymn supplement" wherever English is spoken and sung. And now they are appearing in American hymnals, poetry magazines, and anthologies. Mr. Green was born in Liverpool, England, in 1903. Ordained in the British Methodist ministry, he has been pastor and district superintendent in Brighton and York, and now served in Norwich. There he continued to write new hymns "that fill the gap between the hymns of the first part of this century and the 'far-out' compositions that have crowded into some churches in the last decade or more." --Seven New Hymns o… Go to person page >

Tune

THIRD MODE MELODY

THIRD MODE MELODY is the third of nine tunes Thomas Tallis composed for Matthew Parker's The Whole Psalter (c. 1561). This magnificent tune is worth the trouble it may take to learn. Diephouse set the text with this tune in mind, since it kept coming to him as he was working on the text. Many may kn…

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KINGSFOLD

Thought by some scholars to date back to the Middle Ages, KINGSFOLD is a folk tune set to a variety of texts in England and Ireland. The tune was published in English Country Songs [sic: English County Songs] (1893), an anthology compiled by Lucy E. Broadwood and J. A. Fuller Maitland. After having…

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Worship and Rejoice #278
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Instances

Instances (1 - 14 of 14)

Church Hymnal, Fifth Edition #245

Hymns Ancient and Modern, New Standard Edition #517

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Common Praise (1998) #191

Common Praise #124

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The Hymnal 1982 #170

Anglican Hymns Old and New (Rev. and Enl.) #778

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Lift Up Your Hearts #162

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Rejoice in the Lord #303

TextPage Scan

Rejoice in the Lord #304

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The United Methodist Hymnal #285

찬송과 예배 = Chansong gwa yebae = Come, Let Us Worship #184

Text

Ancient and Modern #154

TextPage Scan

The Book of Praise #223

TextScoreAudioPage Scan

Worship and Rejoice #278

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