When the church of Jesus

Full Text

1
When the church of Jesus shuts its outer door,
lest the roar of traffic drown the voice of prayer,
may our prayers, Lord, make us ten times more aware
that the world we banish is our Christian care.

2
If our hearts are lifted where devotion soars
high above this hungry, suffering world of ours,
lest our hymns should drug us to forget its needs,
forge our Christian worship into Christian deeds.

3
Lest the gifts we offer—money, talents, time—
serve to salve our conscience, to our secret shame,
Lord, reprove, inspire us by the way you give;
teach us, risen Savior, how true Christians live.


Source: Sing! A New Creation #265

Author: Fred Pratt Green

The Reverend Fred Pratt Green (2 September 1903 – 22 October 2000) CBE was a British Methodist minister and hymnwriter. Born in Roby, Lancashire, England, he began his ministry in the Filey circuit. He was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1928 and served circuits in the north and south of England until 1969. During his career as a minister he wrote numerous plays and hymns. It was not until he retired, however, that he began writing prolifically. His hymns reflect his rejection of fundamentalism and show his concern with social issues. They include many that were written to supply obvious liturgical needs of the modern church, speaking to topics or appropriate for events for which there were few traditional hymns available. His… Go to person page >

Tune

KING'S WESTON

Ralph Vaughan Williams (PHH 316) composed KING'S WESTON for this text. It was published in Songs of Praise (1925). The combination of text and tune in a festive hymn¬-anthem by Vaughan Williams has become a favorite of many church choirs. The tune's title refers to a manor house on the Avon River n…

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RUTH (Smith)


Timeline

Instances

Instances (5)TextImageAudioScore
Worship and Rejoice #555TextImage
The Worshiping Church #722TextImage
Sing! A New Creation #265TextImageAudio
The United Methodist Hymnal #592TextImage
Baptist Hymnal 1991 #396TextImage