Today I Live

Today I live, but once shall come my death

Author: Fred Kaan (1975)
Published in 5 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Today I live, but once shall come my death;
one day shall still my laughter and my crying,
bring to a halt my heart-beat and my breath:
God, give me faith for living and for dying.

2 How I shall die, or when, I do not know,
nor where - for endless is the world's horizon;
but save me, God, from thoughts that lay me low,
from morbid fears that freeze my powers of reason.

3 When earthly life shall close, as close it must,
let Jesus be my brother and my merit.
Let me without regret recall the past
then, God, into your hands commit my spirit.

4 Meanwhile I live and move and I am glad,
enjoy this life and all its interweaving;
each given day, as I take up the thread,
let love suggest my mode, my mood of living.

(This is the only representative text available.)^ top

Author: Fred Kaan

Fred Kaan Hymn writer. His hymns include both original work and translations. He sought to address issues of peace and justice. He was born in Haarlem in the Netherlands in July 1929. He was baptised in St Bavo Cathedral but his family did not attend church regularly. He lived through the Nazi occupation, saw three of his grandparents die of starvation, and witnessed his parents deep involvement in the resistance movement. They took in a number of refugees. He became a pacifist and began attending church in his teens. Having become interested in British Congregationalism (later to become the United Reformed Church) through a friendship, he was attended Western College in Bristol. He was ordained in 1955 at the Windsor Road Congregation… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Today I live, but once shall come my death
Title: Today I Live
Author: Fred Kaan (1975)
Meter: 10.11.10.11
Publication Date: 1995
Copyright: Words © 1975 Hope Publishing Co.

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 5 of 5)

Hymnal #607

Text

Chalice Hymnal #616

TextPage Scan

Voices United #493

Text

Church Hymnary (4th ed.) #725

TextPage Scan

Hymns of Glory, Songs of Praise #725

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