This page is provided so that you can hear the tunes of items which we use in church. Mostly they are written by the vicar. Please note that they are copyright - we are very happy to give permission to you to use them, but we would like to hear about it. Please include any use on your Christian Copyright Licence returns.
Down this page:
- the words,
- the story,
- the sheet music,
- media player.
Faith
Faith
Faith is the 'here and now' of what we hope,
It is the proof of things we cannot see.
Faith is the hidden goal t'wards which we grope,
It is the link between my God and me.
Lord Jesus, Son of God, our Saviour true,
Help us to grow in faith and love for you.
Faith is the_unknowable which yet I know,
and the intangible which yet I hold.
Faith is the certainty that seeds will grow,
the firm believing in a tale once told.
Lord Jesus ...
Faith is the power to see the start and end,
It is the certain hope that heaven is here.
Faith is the happy journey with a friend,
It is the perfect love that casts out fear.
Lord Jesus ...
Faith is the knowledge of the Unknown God.
It is the core of peace within the strife.
Faith is the journey on the road he trod:
The infinite within this finite life.
Lord Jesus ...
Words copyright © Pam Gidney 2007.
Music copyright © John Hartley 2007.
Story behind the song
Pam Gidney says she wrote this poem as a response to Hebrews 11:1, which is one of her favourite bible verses. It was an attempt to convert the abstract into the concrete. At that stage it was in four-line verses without any refrain, and she put it in her booklet "Bread of Heaven" (a collection of poems). It was written before 1972, but we aren't exactly sure when.
I came across the poem in "Bread of Heaven", and straightaway thought it merited being turned into a hymn. I think it reminded me a little of the first adult song which I ever wrote ("Faith, the certainty" which I wrote for a lyrical challenge), for Hebrews 11:1-3 is one of my favourite bible passages as well. It seemed to me that it needed a refrain, and I'm afraid I dictated the shape of the refrain in the tune I wrote. However, Pam kindly wrote a suitable refrain when I asked - and she also made one or two comments about the tune to improve it.
It's our prayer that the song might help people to grasp more clearly the nature of faith, and to flesh out the content of the verse in Hebrews.
John Hartley.
Windows Media Player. When you click the left-hand "play" button your computer should have started to play the tune. If it didn't, you might be able to get the tune by clicking here, or by right-clicking the link, choosing "save target as", saving it onto your computer, and then opening it with a music-playing program.
Please remember that a midi file of a tune isn't supposed to be a state-of-the-art musical arrangement - it is only supposed to give a basic idea of how the tune goes. Any reasonable organist / keyboard player / music group could make it sound far better.