The Hymnbook ‎#476

476. Forgive, O Lord, Our Severing Ways

1 Forgive, O Lord, our severing ways,
The rival altars that we raise,
The wrangling tongues that mar Thy praise.

2 Thy grace impart; in time to be
Shall one great temple rise to Thee—
One Church for all humanity.

3 White flowers of love its walls shall climb,
Soft bells of peace shall ring its chime,
Its days shall all be holy time.

4 A sweeter song shall then be heard,
Confessing, in a world's accord,
The inward Christ, the living Word.

5 That song shall swell from shore to shore,
One hope, one faith, one love restore
The seamless robe that Jesus wore.

Amen.

Text Information

• First Line: Forgive, O Lord, our severing ways
• Title: Forgive, O Lord, Our Severing Ways
• Author: John Greenleaf Whittier (1883; alt.)
• Meter: 8. 8. 8.
• Publication Date: 1955
• Scripture:
  Ephesians 4:4-6
• Topic: Church, The: Church Triumphant; Fellowship; Penitence; Unity; Church, The: Christian Fellowship
• Copyright: Words used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company, authorized publishers.

Tune Information

• Name: O MENSCH SIEH
• Meter: 8. 8. 8.
• Key: d minor
• Source: Bohemian Brethren's Gesangbuch, 1566