The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period.
September 2007, Page 6.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(September 2007)
Prosperity,
Question,
Venite,
Harmony?
O come, let us sing out
O come, let us sing out to the Lord.
Let us rejoice in the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his face,
thank him for his grace,
cry out and celebrate,
let us dance and sing,
for the Lord is king,
for the Lord our God is great.
The mountains and summits are the Lord's,
and all the depths of the seas and their foundations.
Let us draw near to his throne,
worship him alone,
call on his holy name;
let us kneel and bow,
come before him now,
give him honour and acclaim.
When you hear his voice today,
don't deny the truths he'll say:
don't be hardened in your heart,
or your world will come apart!
Your ancestors put the Lord God to the test:
a whole generation cut off from his rest.
All judgements and verdicts are the Lord's,
and his commandments are right for all the nations.
Let us hear his voice today,
listen and obey,
focus and understand:
for we are his sheep,
he will safely keep
all the people of his hand.
Words and tune copyright © John Hartley 2007.
Based on Psalm 95.
The “Venite” (Psalm 95) was set as an opening canticle for Morning Prayer in the Book of Common Prayer. But the compilers of the Alternative Services Book 1980 felt that verses 8-11, which challenge the readers about not being hard-hearted when hearing God's word, were out of keeping with a canticle to introduce worship - so they cut out that bit and tacked on a bit of Psalm 96 instead.
It’s true that the end bit has a different feel - so I wanted to write a lyric which would point up this difference. We need to know there is a slight "sting in the tail" about rushing into God's presence - he expects us to pay attention to what he says. And yet the words are meant as an encouragement rather than a condemnation - so I wanted to finish by returning to the positive note of the earlier part of the psalm.
John Hartley