Arise, the Kingdom Is at Hand

[Haruo]

Arise, the kingdom is at hand,
The king is drawing nigh;
Arise with joy, ye faithful band,
To greet the Lord most High!
Ye Christians, hasten forth,
With holy ardours greet your King,
And glad Hosannas to Him sing,
Nought else your love is worth.

Look up, ye drooping hearts, to-day!
The King is very near,
Oh cast your griefs and fears away,
For lo! your Help is here;
And comfort rich and sweet
In many a place for us is stored,
Where in His sacraments and word
Our Saviour we can meet.

Look up, ye souls weigh'd down with care!
The Sovereign is not far;
Look up, faint heart, from your despair,
Behold the Morning Star!
The Lord is with us now,
Who shall the sinking spirit feed
With strength and comfort at its need,
To whom e'en Death shall bow.

Hope, O ye broken hearts, at last!
The King comes on in might,
He loved us in the ages past
When we sat wrapp'd in night;
Now are our sorrows o'er,
And fear and wrath to joy give place,
Since God hath made us in His grace
His children evermore.

O rich the gifts Thou bringest us,
Thyself made poor and weak;
O love beyond compare that thus
Can foes and sinners seek!
For this to Thee alone
We raise on high a gladsome voice,
And evermore with thanks rejoice
Before Thy glorious throne.

Recommended tune: ELLACOMBE
Text: Johannes Rist, tr. Catherine Winkworth

I will try to remember to use this thread to share seasonal hymnody throughout Advent. I will not however be closely following the lectionary. The rest of you are welcome to join me.

[Stephen Fox]

Love having the opportunity to sing it in a congregation of good voices. Haven't had that opportunity to date this year. May try FBC Ft. Payne, Alabama next week.

[Haruo]

I missed the Sunday after Thanksgiving shapenote singing this evening, but here are the minutes (they sang from the Denson Sacred Harp, the Shenandoah Harmony, and the online journal The Trumpet, plus one new song composed by a participant):

Denson:
47t - Primrose
58 - Pisgah
49t - Old Hundred
66 - Jordan
201 - Pilgrim
532 - Peace and Joy
430 - Arbacoochee

The Shenandoah Harmony:
106 - Bunker Hill
310 - Wigan
278 - Hauff
259 - Mecklinburg
258 - Lamentation
236 - Wantage
236b - Maquoketa
241b - Strizak

The Trumpet Vols. I-III:
115b - Shoreline
148t - Anniston
12 - Lincoln Street
60 - Angels Gate
111 - Ursina
76 - Kyrkjebobakken
134 - Gray

Denson:
180 - Vermont
222 - Ocean
223 - Portuguese Hymn
224 - Save, Lord, or We Perish
565b - The Hill of Zion (for Emily Schinske)
117 - Babylon Is Fallen
158 - Funeral Thought
269 - Bear Creek (in memory of Shelbie Sheppard)

Shenandoah:
340b - Whitestown
65b - I Love The Holy Son of God
149 - Reflection

Denson 115 - Edmonds (tune) with Shenandoah 102 - Holy City (words)

Trumpet:
40 - Stafford
26 - Exalted Hope
77 - Forest Rose
83b - Nehalem
92 - The Radiant Band of Music

Shenandoah:
171 - Catalina

Trumpet:
39 - Catalina

Denson:
492 - Invocation
139 - Elysian
140 - Sweet Solitude
216 - Delight

Shenandoah:
326 - We've No Abiding City Here
162 - All Is Well
414b - Poole
3t - Walk With God
132 - Star In The East
139 - Hull

Denson:
547 - Granville (for Jim)
474 - Mount Deseret

Disturbance (by Kevin Barrans)

Sorry about the thread drift; little of this was Advent music... But while we're on the subject I must say that the new Presbyterian hymnal Glory to God has the lamest PISGAH I've ever seen. The whole second half is missing, it feels like. And no rollicking.

[Haruo]

The advent of our God
Our prayers must now employ,
And we must meet Him on His road
With hymns of holy joy.

The everlasting Son
Incarnate deigns to be;
Himself a servant’s form puts on
To set His people free.

Daughter of Zion, rise
To meet thy lowly king,
Nor let thy faithless heart despise
The peace He comes to bring.

As judge, on clouds of light,
He soon will come again,
And all His scattered saints unite
With Him in Heaven to reign.

Before the dawning day
Let sin’s dark deeds be gone;
The old man all be put away,
The new man all put on.

All glory to the Son
Who comes to set us free,
With Father, Spirit, ever One,
Through all eternity.

Text: Charles Coffin ("Instantis adventum Dei"), tr. John Chandler (alt.)
Suggested tune: BETHLEHEM SHORT (Hanford), #66 in "An American Christmas Harp", 3rd ed., from Jenks' "Delights of Harmony: or Norfolk Compiler", 1805

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

Quick while Hanukkah/Chanuka and Advent are still in alignment...

Rock of Ages, let our song
Praise your saving power;
You, amidst our raging foes,
Were our sheltering tower.
Furious they assailed us,
But your arm availed us,
And your Word
Broke their sword
When our own strength failed us.

Children of the holy God,
Whether free or fettered,
Wake the echoes of that song
Where you may be scattered.
Yours the message cheering:
That the time is nearing
Which will see
All set free,
Tyrants no more fearing.

Here is the first verse in Hebrew, of which the English version given here is a very loose paraphrase. I'm not sure that any of the remaining Hebrew verses is close enough to the second verse here (which is the third in the usual English version) to say this is a translation or even a paraphrase of it.

מָעוֹז צוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי, לְךָ נָאֶה לְשַׁבֵּחַ
תִּכּוֹן בֵּית תְּפִלָּתִי, וְשָׁם תּוֹדָה נְזַבֵּחַ
לְעֵת תָּכִין מַטְבֵּחַ מִצָּר הַמְנַבֵּחַ
אָז אֶגְמוֹר בְּשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ

[Haruo]

Hail to the Lord's Anointed!
Great David's greater Son;
Hail in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free;
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.

He comes with succour speedy,
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light;
Whose souls, condemn'd and dying,
Were precious in His sight.

By such shall He be fearèd,
While sun and moon endure,
Belov'd, obey'd, reverèd;
For He shall judge the poor,
Through changing generations,
With justice, mercy, truth,
While stars maintain their stations
Or moons renew their youth.

He shall come down like showers,
Upon the fruitful earth,
And love, joy, hope, like flowers,
Spring in His path to birth:
Before Him, on the mountains,
Shall Peace, the herald, go;
And Righteousness, in fountains,
From hill to valley flow.

Arabia's desert-ranger
To Him shall bow the knee,
The Ethiopian stranger
His glory come to see:
With offerings of devotion,
Ships from the Isles shall meet,
To pour the wealth of ocean
In tribute at His feet.

Kings shall fall down before Him,
And gold and incense bring,
All nations shall adore Him,
His praise all people sing:
For He shall have dominion
O'er river, sea, and shore,
Far as the eagle's pinion
Or dove's light wing can soar.

For Him shall prayer unceasing,
And daily vows ascend;
His kingdom still increasing,
A kingdom without end:
The mountain-dews shall nourish
A seed in weakness sown,
Whose fruit shall spread and flourish,
And shake like Lebanon.

O'er every foe victorious,
He on His throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All-blessing and all-blest;
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His Name shall stand for ever,
That Name to us is—Love.

Text: James Montgomery
Tune recommendation: SHEFFIELD ("British Grenadiers")

[Stephen Fox]

Keith, If you'll loan me 15 for gas I may make it over Tuesday. I'll collect when I show and here is an oath before William Thornton and the online world you will be repaid in full by April 2--The 1st woulda been sniffed out by Thornton right away (ha); or have your former pastor contact my sister in Upstate S.C. when I decease and you will be paid in full then with two dollars interest off my estate!

[Stephen Fox]

Looks like you covered the Absalom song which I think is Lamentation

[KeithE]

[Mrs Haruo]

O for an Amtrak ticket or a high speed camel to join you guys and sing,sing,sing.

[Haruo]

Watchman, tell us of the night,
What its signs of promise are.
Traveler, o’er yon mountain’s height,
See that glory beaming star.
Watchman, does its beauteous ray
Aught of joy or hope foretell?
Traveler, yes—it brings the day,
Promised day of Israel.

Watchman, tell us of the night;
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveler, blessedness and light,
Peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman, will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveler, ages are its own;
See, it bursts o’er all the earth.

Watchman, tell us of the night,
For the morning seems to dawn.
Traveler, darkness takes its flight,
Doubt and terror are withdrawn.
Watchman, let thy wanderings cease;
Hie thee to thy quiet home.
Traveler, lo! the Prince of Peace,
Lo! the Son of God is come!

Text: John Bowring, 1825
Tune recommendation: WATCHMAN, Lowell Mason (I prefer this to ABERYSTWYTH, let alone other pairings like SALZBURG or ST. GEORGE'S WINDSOR)

[Haruo]

See! see in the East a new glory ascends,
And pours its effulgence afar;
It glides on sublime, and earth's uttermost ends
Acknowledge Emmanuel's star.
O'er the "Jew trodden down," as the prophets foretold,
It travels with lustre serene;
While heathens transform'd as intent they behold,
Are singing "The star we have seen."

Ye Herods, in vain do you menace and rage,
And vain is hell's horrible roar;
Time, meeting with Prophecy, opens her page,
And bids all the nations adore.
Roll on, blessed Star, fill the world with thy light,
The saints are expecting thy rays;
Bid the latter-day morning ascend in its might,
And shine on our incense of praise.

Text from Mercer's Cluster, 1810
Tune recommendation: SAMANTHRA

[Haruo]

Sound over all waters (in Spanish)

Subid a los montes, alzad la canción.
El coro de voces prorrumpe en son.
Cantad el pregón que el cielo cantó:
¡El hijo de Dios en pesebre nació!

Tocad las trompetas, cantad de la paz.
Llevad a los pueblos completo solaz.
Contadles que Dios a su hijo mandó
al mundo, porque a nosotros amó.

Llevad esperanza, sanad con amor.
La noche termina, empieza el albor.
El mundo espera, brillad cual el sol.
Con gozo cantadles, "¡La Luz ya llegó!"

Words: John Greenleaf Whittier, tr. Barbara Mink, © 1988 Herald Publishing House.
Tune recommendation: ST. DENIO

[Haruo]

... with a tune by our own Jim...

this one is too long for me to retype, so for that reason as well as to make the music readily available, here it is in JPEG:

[Dave Roberts]

Haruo, I love what you are sharing for Advent. You are a man of spirit in many ways.

[Haruo]

Thanks, Dave. I'm enjoying the exercise.

[William Thornton]

I am filling in at a small, very traditional church this month.

We sang "The Old Account Was Settled Long Ago" out of the "Church Hymnal - Shaped Notes Only - Tennessee Music & Printing 1951" yesterday.

[Dave Roberts]

[Haruo]

I don't know where my copy is, alas, and don't have time to look.

[Haruo]

How splendid shines the morning star,
God's gracious light from darkness far,
The root of Jesse blessèd.
Thou David's son, of Jacob's stem,
My bridegroom, King, and wondrous Lamb,
Thou hast my heart possessèd;
Sweetly friendly O thou handsome,
Precious ransom
Full of graces
Set and kept in heav'nly places.

Though circled by the hosts on high,
He deign'd to cast a pitying eye
Upon his helpless creature;
The whole creation's head and Lord,
By highest seraphim ador'd,
Assum'd our very nature;
Jesus grant us, through thy merit,
To inherit
Thy salvation;
Hear, O hear, our supplication.

Rejoice, ye heav'ns, thou earth reply,
With praise, ye sinners fill the sky,
For this his Incarnation.
Incarnate God, put forth thy pow'r,
Ride on, ride on great conqueror,
Till all know thy salvation;
Amen, amen! Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Praise be given
Evermore, by earth and heaven.

Words: Philipp Nicolai ("Wie schön leuchtet"), ca. 1600; tr. v. 1 Anonymous; vv. 2-3 William Mercer, 19th century
Tune recommendation: MORNING STAR, from Walker's "Southern Harmony", melody of Irish folk origin

[Haruo]

It will probably work just fine to Nicolai's original tune (WIE SCHÖN LEUCHTET), but I'm partial to shapenote tunes these days...

[Jim]

Surfed by and saw Christmas hymns being remarked. On this site: are a number of hymns, some 20 or so of which are for Christmas. Few are engraved but most are legible enough to print. Feel free to use any of them.

[KeithE]

[Haruo]

God from on high hath heard:
Let sighs and sorrows cease;
The skies unfold, and lo!
Descends the gift of peace.

Hark! on the midnight air
Celestial voices swell;
The hosts of heav'n proclaim
"God comes on earth to dwell!"

Haste with the shepherds; see
The mystery of grace:
A manger-bed, a child,
Is all the eye can trace.

O child, thy silence speaks,
And bids us not refuse
To hear what flesh would shun,
To spurn what flesh would choose.

Fill us with holy love;
Heal thou our earthly pride;
Be born within our hearts,
And ever there abide.

Text: Charles Coffin, 18th c.; tr. James Russell Woodford, 19th c.
Tune suggestion: (scroll down).