Monday, January 29, 2007

Water into Wine

Yesterday at Parish Pres, the service focused on the wedding feast at Cana and the broader application of the joy and festivity that should abound in the New Covenant. I was thrilled to find this hymn by Charles Spurgeon (1866) that I set to a new arrangement of a 16th c. German melody.


Amidst us our Belovèd stands,

And bids us view His piercèd hands;

Points to the wounded feet and side,

Blest emblems of the Crucified.

What food luxurious loads the board,

When at His table sits the Lord!

The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,

When Jesus deigns the guests to meet!

If now, with eyes defiled and dim,

We see the signs, but see not Him;

O may His love the scales displace,

And bid us see Him face to face!

Our former transports we recount,

When with Him in the holy mount,

These cause our souls to thirst anew,

His marred but lovely face to view.

Thou glorious Bridegroom of our hearts,

Thy present smile a heav’n imparts!

Oh lift the veil, if veil there be,

Let every saint Thy beauties see!

3 comments:

AJ Harbison said...

That's a sweet hymn. Would you mind sharing the name of said German melody? I'll have to look it up and piece them together....

Incidentally, what hymnal do you use at Parish Pres?

AJ Harbison
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Diane V. said...

Thank you for sharing this rich and beautiful hymn. Of course, anything Spurgeon writes is amazing! I've never not known my soul to be stirred by his zeal. Do you know how many hymns he wrote?

Gregory Wilbur said...

AJ: You can find my adaptation of SAXONY in the Parish Pres bulletin from January 28. Those are located at www.parishpres.org on the "Worship" page.

Diane: Spurgeon is indeed amazing! In 1866 he published A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Public, Social, and Private Worship. At least six of those hymns were his own creation.