It’s late, I’m singularly unfocused at the moment, and I’ve decided to delve into Taizé prayer for this purpose. It’s Lent so “Per Crucem” seemed fitting.

The words are:

Per crucem et passionem tuam
Libera nos Domine, libera nos Domine, libera nos Domine, Domine

Per crucem et passionem tuam
Libera nos Domine, libera nos Domine, libera nos Domine, Domine

Per sanctam resurrectionem tuam
Libera nos Domine, libera nos Domine, libera nos Domine, Domine

Here’s a recording of it sung in canon.

I’ve been trying to find hymns on which I haven’t blogged but as this Lent is progressing, they’re getting more and more obscure. This is why I was happy to find that “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” was mentioned on the list for the lectionary readings from Sunday. (For the two people who are wondering, I’m using Oremus for this.)

Here are the words:

Come, thou fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
here by thy great help I’ve come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above.

Here is a video with Chris Rice singing it.

I’m more familiar from this hymn as a Lutheran. It would work well as a processional hymn.

The words are:

Blessed Jesus, at thy word
we are gathered all to hear thee;
let our hearts and souls be stirred
now to seek and love and fear thee,
by thy teachings, true and holy,
drawn from earth to love thee solely.

All our knowledge, sense, and sight
lie in deepest darkness shrouded
till thy Spirit breaks our night
with the beams of truth unclouded.
thou alone to God canst win us;
thou must work all good within us.

Glorious Lord, thyself impart,
Light of Light, from God proceeding;
open thou our ears and heart,
help us by thy Spirit’s pleading;
hear the cry thy church raises,
hear and bless our prayers and praises.

I was able to find a recording of it being sung in worship.

Daniel is refusing to sleep so I’m up past my bedtime blogging.

I thought I’d post some good music for Lent every Monday this year and in trying not to repeat what I’ve posted in past years, I’m picking “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds” as it’s not one I’m familiar with off the top of my head. I found it listed on Oremus while searching by the Lectionary readings. It was written by John Newton, the former slave trader and Anglican priest who wrote “Amazing Grace”.

Here are the words:

How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
in a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
and drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,
and calms the troubled breast;
’tis manna to the hungry soul,
and to the weary, rest.

Dear Name, the rock on which I build,
my shield and hiding-place,
my never-failing treasury, filled
with boundless stores of grace!

Jesus! my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,
my Prophet, Priest and King,
my Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
and cold my warmest thought;
but when I see thee as thou art,
I’ll praise thee as I ought.

Till then I would thy love proclaim
with every fleeting breath;
and may the music of thy Name
refresh my soul in death!

I couldn’t find a good recording of it sung in worship on YouTube so I chose this one.