Sunday Morning Hymns

Henry Van Dyke wrote The Hymn of Joy with the intention of setting it to the melody of the Ode to Joy in the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Van Dyke called it a hymn of trust and joy and hope. The text is included, so please raise your joyful voice and sing along.

Written on Christmas Day during the American Civil War, Longfellow’s poem continues to ring true today. I recorded this last Christmas but had not shared it. The text is included, so please add your voice and sing along with prayers for peace on earth, good will to all.

The text for this beloved carol comes from two of the founding ministers of Methodism, Charles Wesley and George Whitefield. Nearly a century later, Felix Mendelssohn composed the melody that is used with the hymn today. With best wishes for a joyful Christmastide, the text is included so you can add your voice and sing along.

Although the text has been attributed to Martin Luther, it is unlikely that the German Reformer wrote this hymn. “Away in a Manger” appears in an 1882 publication under the title “Luther’s Cradle Song.” Despite its unclear origins, “Away in a Manger” continues to be among the most popular Christmas carols in the U.S. The text is included, along with my wishes for joy and peace this Christmas.

“Angels from the Realms of Glory” has been sung to a variety of hymn tunes. In the United States, James Montgomery’s poem is most often sung to REGENT SQUARE, a tune written by Henry Smart. Although it was first published in 1816, it did not enter the church’s repertoire until Montgomery published it in his collection Christian Psalmist in 1825. The text is included so you can add your voice and sing along.

‘Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates’ is another German hymn translated into English by Catherine Winkworth. Georg Weissel wrote the hymn during the devastation and trauma of the Thirty Years War. The opening stanza draws on Psalm 24 and its reference to the return of the king. The second stanza calls us to open the gates of our hearts. Lift Up Your Heads has become a favorite hymn for Advent. The English text is included, so please add your voice and sing along.

Gerard Moultrie paraphrased the Cherub Hymn in the Liturgy of St. James from the Greek text. In the liturgy, the hymn would have been chanted as the bread and wine of Holy Eucharist were brought forward. The ancient text brings us before Christ in silence and in awe to reflect on Christ’s coming among us, making Moultrie’s paraphrase a fitting hymn for Advent. The text is included, so please add your voice and sing along.

John Fawcett had served for seven years at a small, poor, country church when he received a call from a large and influential church in London. On the day that he preached his farewell sermon, however, love and tears prevailed, and according to Josiah Miller, “Dr. Fawcett sacrificed the attraction of a London pulpit to the affection of his poor but devoted flock,” where he continued to serve for the remainder of his active ministry. Fawcett wrote this text to commemorate that decision. The text is included, so please add your voice and sing along.

Catherine Winkworth translated a number of German hymns, having lived with relatives in Germany in 1845. There she developed an interest in German hymnody. Her English translations continue to be used today. Martin Rinkart was a prolific hymn writer. In its original publication, “Nun danket alle Gott” appears as a short prayer before meals. The English text is included, so please add your thankful voice and sing along.

‘Purer in Heart, O God’ first appeared in Songs of Gratitude, a publication of Fillmore Brothers of Cincinnati, Ohio. Fannie Davison’s text is included, so please add your voice and sing along.