Tune: Carl Gotthilf Glaeser, 1829; in Lowell Mason's Modern Psalmody, 1839 ("O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing")
This hymn is based on "Faith of the Reformed Tradition,"
Book of Order, F-2.05.
Text: Copyright © 1998 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Copied from Gifts of Love: New Hymns for Today's Worship by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Geneva Press, 2000).
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net
New Hymns: www.carolynshymns.com/
| Hymn stanzas: | Book of Order: |
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Our God, we are a church reformed, A church reforming still: We long to grow in your true Word, And follow more your will. |
..."the church reformed, always reforming" according to the Word of God and the call of the Spirit. |
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How awesome is your sovereign rule; You reign from heav'n above. Yet you knelt down in Jesus Christ, In sacrificial love. |
In its confessions, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) expresses the faith of the Reformed tradition. Central to this tradition is the affirmation of the majesty, holiness, and providence of God who creates, sustains, rules, and redeems the world in the freedom of sovereign righteousness and love. Related to this central affirmation of God's sovereignty are other great themes of the Reformed tradition: |
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In love, you bring your people here And call your church to you, That we may know salvation's joy And serve in all we do. |
1) The election of the people of God for service as well as for salvation; |
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You call us to community; By faith our hearts are stirred. In church, we seek an ordered life, According to your Word. |
2) Covenant life marked by a disciplined concern for order in the church according to the Word of God; |
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As faithful stewards we find joy; We need no rich display. Lord, teach us all to use with care The gifts you give each day. |
3) A faithful stewardship that shuns ostentation and seeks proper use of the gifts of God's creation; |
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The world makes gods of lesser things, And wrongly uses power; So by your Spirit may we work For justice every hour. |
4) The recognition of the human tendency to idolatry and tyranny, which calls people of God to work for the transformation of society by seeking justice and living in the obedience to the Word of God. |
Hymn Use Permission: Gifts of Love: New Hymns for Today's Worship by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette (Geneva Press, 2000) includes a permission note for those who own this book to use this hymn (along with the 44 other new hymns in the book) in their local church's worship services. People who do not own Gifts of Love are asked to contact Carolyn (bcgillette@comcast.net) for permission to use the hymn and to get a copy of the hymn formatted for worship bulletin use.