Fear Not, Rejoice and Be Glad

Versifier: Priscilla Wright

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• Scripture References

Scripture References:
ref. = Joel 2:21, 28-29
st. 1 = Joel 2:22-24 Joel 3:13a
st. 2 = Joel 2:26 Joel 3:18
st. 3 = Joel 2:27-28

Priscilla Wright (b. Dallas, TX, 1928) based this song on Joel 2:18-32 and 3:17-21, passages that record the blessings God promises to his repentant people: the blessing of a bountiful harvest and the blessing of his Spirit. Because the apostle Peter used part of Joel's prophecy in Acts 2:16-21, the Spirit's outpouring becomes the controlling theme of this song and finds effective expression in the refrain. Wright wrote that she composed the song in 1971 as "an expression of joy for what the Holy Spirit was doing among the body of believers of which I was a member, [at] the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Houston, Texas." It became popular when The Fisherfolk recorded it (1972), and it was published in Sound of Living Waters: Songs of the Spirit (U.S. edition, 1974).

Wright studied at community colleges in Denver and Dallas and also studied theology at Christ for the Nations Institute of Biblical Studies in Dallas. She worked in inner-city social services for the Church of the Redeemer in Dallas and was the house director for the Dallas Ronald McDonald House, a residence for families of hospitalized children. Wright cites her association with the Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal) as the most prominent influence in her life: “There was always the awesome awareness that God was orchestrating a new thing [in charismatic Christian worship], and in retrospect it is evident that the renewal which took place there was a catalyst for renewal in many other parts of the world."

Liturgical Use:
Pentecost; Thanksgiving; mission services.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

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