OK here's a new one.
We're doing Back to Church Sunday in my churches this year, and I've been struggling with how to deal with the gloria in the Eucharist. The setting we usually use isn't great anway, and it's unlikely that any new people will know it, so it wouldn't be very welcoming to sing it the way we usually do. On the other hand, in a service with lots of lovely hymns it seems a shame to say the gloria. One option is to choose a hymn of praise that could replace the gloria (all perfectly legal under common worship), or to use a metrical setting of the gloria that goes to a well known tune.
Can I find a decent metrical gloria? No, I can't! When I started trying to write one myself, I realise why: it's actually quite a tricky one to convert to verse. I've had a go below and would welcome feedback. I'm not happy with it. It's clunky and clumsy, but it's also late and I'm tired, so here it comes anyway... (the tune is 'immortal invisible' on the grounds that it's well known and repetitive enough for people to pick up).
We join with the angels, our voices we raise,
To give you the glory, and sing forth your praise.
We pray for the peace you alone can bestow,
To fall down like rain on your people below.
O Lord God almighty, and heavenly King,
Accept the thanksgivings and praises we bring,
For though you are mighty, the Lord God above,
For us you are also the Father we love.
Christ Jesus, Messiah, and God’s only Son,
The Lamb who was slain, who now sits on heavn’s throne.
You death conquered evil and cancelled our sin,
In mercy, receive all the prayers that we bring.
All glory to God in the highest of heaven,
The Father, the Son and the Spirit be given.
To you and you only our praises we sing,
Our Lord God and Father, our heavenly King.
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
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