Hymn: God of Grace and God of Glory
This hymn was written by Baptist minister Harry Emerson
Fosdick for the opening of Riverside Church, New York City, in 1930. The hymn
was sung at the dedication services in February 1931 and was published the
following year. Paul Westermeyer writes, “Of this prayer for wisdom and courage
in the face of warring madness, pride, selfish gladness, and poverty of soul,
Fosdick said, ‘That was more than a hymn to me when we sang it that day—it was
a very urgent personal prayer. For with all my hopeful enthusiasm about the new
venture there was inevitably much humble and sometimes fearful apprehension.’”
Fosdick sought to make the church ecumenical, serving the needs of different
social classes and ethnic groups.
Hymn: Jesus Calls Us O’er the Tumult
From The Psalter
Hymnal Handbook: Cecil Alexander wrote this text for St. Andrew’s Day. The
appointed gospel reading for that day in the church year concerned Jesus’
calling of Simon Peter and Andrew. The thread that binds the stanzas together
is the call of Christ. Just as Jesus called the fishermen to be his disciples,
he still calls us today to be his followers and obedient servants. His call is
for total commitment, a “follow me” that overrides all our earthly “cares and
pleasures.”
Hymn: Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing
This closing hymn is attributed to John Fawcett, an English Baptist minister. The tune, SICILIAN MARINERS, gained its name after the tradition of Sicilian seamen ending each day on their ships, singing the tune together.
This closing hymn is attributed to John Fawcett, an English Baptist minister. The tune, SICILIAN MARINERS, gained its name after the tradition of Sicilian seamen ending each day on their ships, singing the tune together.
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