… the mouth speaks*
Life flows from the heart,
guiding lips and eyes –
do they help you do things
that are good and wise?
Purify your heart,
guard it well each day,
let it cleanse your lips, be
kind in what you say.
Take it to the fount,
cleansed by water, blood.
God can wash it clean, and
give delight in good.
*Mathew 12:34
Proverbs 4:20-27
Tune: This is 55. 55. but can be sung to Gott ein Vater by F Silcher arr W Tschirsch which is 55 65
Transcendent God took human form
in order to make known, inform,
and live the life we could not live,
and die our death,
his body on a cross impaled,
his life to give
as ransom for the many failed,
then he was raised –
life-giving Conqueror:
Come, quench your thirst,
drink more, and more …
The prophets and the law
were teaching long before
about true holiness,
salvation from sin’s mess
– much needed grace that God will bring:
accept and honour Christ the King.
How deep the love of God
within the Trinity:
the Father loves his Son
so deeply, and yet he
sent him to earth to teach and save:
listen! receive the gift he gave!
Tune: 66 66 88 eg Gopsal, tune of ‘Rejoice! the Lord is King’
We’re waiting for his coming,
we do not know the hour
– it may seem he’s delaying,
but soon he’ll come with power
– he’s patiently time given us
to pray, anticipate
the Landlord is returning:
repent, be ready, wait.
Tune: 76 76 D eg Cruger (Hail to the Lord’s anointed) or Passion Chorale (O Sacred Head sore wounded)
‘He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.’ Hebrews 9:28
* Revelation 1:7
Wanting life heavenly, feeling it hell,
stress and frustration – nothing goes well:
take short vacation, leave hurt behind,
new sights and feasting – brief pleasure find.
Jesus brings heaven to those who seek him,
and who will break with selfishness, sin;
soon there’ll be fullness, and even now,
heavenly foretaste here we can know.
Do others see it shown in the love
of those receiving grace from above?
wonderful life that Jesus can give
– may more be longing with him to live.
54 54 D eg Thine own way, Lord
Gifts “exchanged” and gifts “expected”,
grudging giving – price inspected:
some thus hope to buy esteem,
which they later can redeem;
some just want to give a token
as a sign of love unspoken.
God is not obliged to gifting
those forgetting him and drifting,
and we can’t placate, persuade
by a few good deeds displayed;
previous gifts have lain unused
or discarded, mocked, abused.
If we value love so great,
sense our very needy state,
long to live with souls repaired,
fellowship, much anguish spared,
then for ever with him live –
oh, receive what he can give!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Tune: 77 77 77 eg England’s Lane, tune of ‘For the beauty of the earth’, or Dix, tune of ‘As with gladness men of old did the guiding star behold’
An understanding Father
who’s tender, gentle, kind
encouraging, rebuking,
maturing heart and mind.
He’s infinitely tender,
he’s infinitely strong,
he’s infinitely awesome,
and I’m his royal son.
Not weak and not uncaring
of foolish things I do;
he’s just and strong and righteous,
and helps me to pull through.
He is the Finest Master,
I want to serve him well.
He’ll teach and bless, support me,
and with me ever dwell.
Tune: 76 76 D tune of ‘O Sacred Head sore wounded’ or Ewing, tune of ‘Jerusalem the golden’
This life to which you have been born,
bursts forth from deep within
with fruit that nourish and adorn –
fruit only God can bring.
When life loads on and weighs you down,
you find yourself inclined
to crumble, or lose heart, and groan –
by grace gird up your mind –
not weary in the things you should
be doing – he’s defined
what’s truly properly right and good,
unselfish, thoughtful, kind.
His Spirit gives us power to go,
press onward in his strength,
his comfort and his joy we’ll know,
and harvest see at length.
‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control … Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’ Galatians 5:22,23 and 6:9
Tune: CM eg ‘Amazing Grace’ or DCM eg tune of ‘It came upon a midnight clear’ or ‘There is a green hill far away’
Filled not with stupefying drink,
but with the Spirit of our God
for him to mould us, grow his fruit,
and help us witness to his Word,
prepared to love and serve his church,
empowered in prayer, to worship stirred.
So daily come to Christ, and drink,
confessing and forsaking sin,
cleansed, consecrated, to his will
submitting, set apart for him;
and ask, receive him constantly,
and see him work, the coming King.
Tune: 88 88 88 eg a tune of ‘On Christ, the solid Rock’
(1 Peter 1:18-25)
In persecution, problems,
the answer is the same –
remember his great gospel –
the Christ to whom you came.
His purchase, precious payment,
his blood – the price he paid:
God’s plan fulfilled, your sins all
upon the Lamb were laid.
In him brought to the Father,
believing what you heard,
obeyed his call, you love him –
Christ, purifying Word.
Preserved by faithful promise,
eternal life received,
remembering Christ, be strengthened,
as when you first believed.
Tune: 76 76 eg St Alphege tune of ‘In full and glad surrender’
rhiannonshymns.co.uk 
You must be logged in to post a comment.