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And may the promise of Advent be yours this day and always.

Gracious Spirit, give your servants

Representative Text

1 Gracious Spirit, give your servants
joy to set sin’s captives free,
hope to heal the brokenhearted,
peace to share love’s liberty.
Through us bring your balm of gladness
to the wounded and oppressed;
help us claim and show God’s favor
as a people called and blessed.

2 Word made flesh, who gave up glory
to become our great high priest,
taking on our human nature
to redeem the last and least:
let your courage and compassion
shape and guide our ministries;
as our Savior and our Shepherd,
lead us to the truth that frees.

3 Loving God, who birthed creation
from the nothingness of space,
kindling life where all was empty,
turning chaos into grace:
when we feel confused and fruitless,
dawn upon our restless night;
give us faith’s imagination,
hope’s renewing, love’s delight.

4 Triune God, eternal Being,
never ending, unbegun,
boundless grace and perfect justice,
righteous and forgiving One:
so enfold us in your mercy
that our wills and yours unite;
through us may the world behold you,
find your love, your truth, your light.

(This is the only representative text available.)^ top

Author: Carl P. Daw

Carl P. Daw, Jr. (b. Louisville, KY, 1944) is the son of a Baptist minister. He holds a PhD degree in English (University of Virginia) and taught English from 1970-1979 at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. As an Episcopal priest (MDiv, 1981, University of the South, Sewanee, Tennesee) he served several congregations in Virginia, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. From 1996-2009 he served as the Executive Director of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Carl Daw began to write hymns as a consultant member of the Text committee for The Hymnal 1982, and his many texts often appeared first in several small collections, including A Year of Grace: Hymns for the Church Year (1990); To Sing God’s Praise (1992), New… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Gracious Spirit, give your servants
Author: Carl P. Daw
Meter: 8.7.8.7 D
Language: English
Publication Date: 1997
Copyright: © 1997 Hope Publishing Co.

Tune

HYFRYDOL

One of the most loved Welsh tunes, HYFRYDOL was composed by Rowland Hugh Prichard (b. Graienyn, near Bala, Merionetshire, Wales, 1811; d. Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, 1887) in 1830 when he was only nineteen. It was published with about forty of his other tunes in his children's hymnal Cyfaill y Cant…

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ABBOT'S LEIGH

Cyril V. Taylor (PHH 286) composed ABBOT'S LEIGH in May of 1941 when he was working for the Religious Broadcasting Department of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The BBC had received complaints about the use of AUSTRIA (tune for the Austrian national hymn) during this time of war, a tune…

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Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 3 of 3)
Page Scan

New Wine In Old Wineskins #24

TextPage Scan

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism #569

Text

Wonder, Love, and Praise #782

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