As the March for Life and other commemorations of the iniquitous Roe v. Wade decision approach, I thought I would repost this hymn that I wrote two years ago:
I suggest the tune Beach Spring
1. At the dawning of creation, God divided light from shade,
And He made us, male and female. In His image we were made.
(Refrain) And the life that God created we will honor and defend
From conception to the heavens; from beginning to the end.
2. God the Father called a people, and He drew them by the hand
And He led them through the desert and into the Promised Land.
3. In His saving Incarnation, Jesus bore a human frame
To restore the sacred Image hidden by our sin and shame.
4. And He walked among the people, healed the sick and raised the dead,
And the poor rejoiced at hearing the appealing words He said.
5. On the Cross, our gracious Savior Jesus laid His body down,
Dying as the Man of Sorrows; giving humankind a crown.
6. And He sent the Holy Spirit for forgiveness of our sins.
Even now God dwells among us; even now, new life begins.
7. When we share the Holy Myst’ries in the Eucharistic food
We are filled with life eternal: Jesus’ Body and His Blood.
8. When He comes again in glory, all the dead shall rise again,
And our human eyes shall see Him in the splendor of His reign.
c. 2008 by Kathleen Pluth. Anyone may use this hymn freely.
3 comments:
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No need to have rhyming word endings. Every firstand third could rhmy. Every second and fourth as well.
Some of the words in lyrics do not exactly work..
"heaven" in the first line...not everyone gets there.The poor
"hearing the appealing words". Were the words of Our Lord appealing? Truthful might be a a better word
Hymns have to be theologically sound..not ambiguous.
"giving humankind a crown" what crown is that? remember not everyone gets to heaven...
Rhyme is standard in English hymnody, unless the tune supports a non-rhymed text. An example of such a tune is ISTE CONFESSOR.
Milton, on the other hand, thought rhyme inevitably weakened meter. He wrote his Paradise Lost in unrhymed, metrical verse, and explains why in the introduction to that work.
For the "appeal" of the Lord's words, see Luke 4:22a: "All spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth." In another translation we read "all marveled at the appealing discourse." And their amazement comes at hearing of his anointing to preach glad tidings to the poor.
I agree that hymns must be theologically sound--but perhaps a quick scan cannot entirely decide soundness.
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