Sunday Morning Hymns

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.

Among the best known hymns of Mary Lathbury are those that she wrote for the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle. Edward Everett Hale once told a Chautauqua audience that “Day Is Dying in the West” would be loved and sung “as long as Chautauqua shall endure.” The lyrics to this wonderful evening hymn are included, so please add your voice and sing along.

How Can I Keep from Singing, also known by the title My Life Flows On, was published in Robert Lowry’s 1869 song book, Bright Jewels for the Sunday School. In this publication, Lowry takes credit for composing the melody but does not indicate an author for the words. Some modern hymnals credit Lowry for both the melody and the text. The hymn has been erroneously cited as a Quaker hymn. The authorship may be uncertain, but the text is included so you can add your voice and sing along.

Charles Albert Tindley served as a Methodist Episcopal preacher at the turn of the 20th century, appointed to Bainbridge Street Methodist Church in Philadelphia in 1902. We’ll Understand It Better By and By reflects his ministry through preaching that aimed to lift the spirits of urban African-Americans of his day. Tindley’s “by and by” demonstrates a theology of hope. The text is included, so please add your voice and sing along.

First published a year after George Askins’ death in 1816, ‘Christians, We Have Met to Worship’ (originally ‘Brethren, We Have Met to Worship’) is one of the oldest published American folk hymns. With its simple melodic structure and evangelistic theme, the hymn may have gained popularity in camp meetings of the early 20th century. The tune HOLY MANNA is tightly connected to Askins’ text, but its simple pentatonic structure and commonly used meter have made it adaptable to a number of different hymn texts. The Chalice Hymnal adaptation of the original text is included, so please add your voice and sing along.

Sabine Baring-Gould was a prolific scholar, hymn writer, and collector of folk songs as well as an Anglican priest, having taken Holy Orders in 1864. From the time it was first published in 1865, ‘Now the Day Is Over’ gradually increased in popularity. However, the hymn has been omitted from many Protestant hymnals published in the late 20th century. The simple melody is borne up by a flowing harmony, and the text is included. Please add your voice and sing along.

Rev. David Edwards (1947-2019) was a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He served congregations in Kentucky, Virginia, and Indiana. A songwriter and recording musician, Edwards adapted and set to his tune, LORETTO, this text from the section of Alexander Campbell’s “The Christian System” where Campbell describes the act of communion as commemorative of Christ’s death. Campbell claims that in passing the bread and cup to a fellow disciple, each one claims the other in the bonds of Christian fellowship. We are no longer strangers. We share the same Lord, and we are joined as God’s people. We share our joys and our sorrows. Edwards’ text is included, so please add your voice and sing along.

Scripture is filled with examples of how God can take something that we might consider insignificant and accomplish great things. Jesus fed a multitude with five loaves of bread and two small fish. We should never underestimate the significance of the gifts that God has given each of us. Little Is Much When God Is in It expresses that important principle. Kitty Louise Suffield, along with her husband Fred Suffield, worked at a church in Ottawa with the pastor, A. J. Shea.  They encouraged the pastor’s teen-aged son, George Beverly, to use his voice to sing God’s praises. The text is included here, so please add your voice and sing along.

In the Sweet By and By emerged from the American Midwest. Sanford Fillmore Bennett penned this hymn in Elkhorn, Wisc., when his friend Joseph Webster was in a period of depression. Upon reading the words, according to Bennett's autobiography, Webster's eyes kindled, and he began writing the melody. The text is included, so please add your voice and sing along. I pray it will make your eyes kindle as well.