All Gracious God’s Light!
Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: Hanover - "O Worship the King"

All gracious God’s Light, sheer brightness that shines
Unending delight, unto us inclines!
Lord, shine in our lives, pure and dazzling and best!
Shine Jesus most holy! Shine Jesus most blessed!

We sing of the light God’s glory proclaims,
Of holy delight in Christ Jesus’ name,
From morning’s awaking through all the day long,
Till sunset and nighttime, to God we belong!

O Christ, Son of God, O Giver of days,
You, Jesus, are worthy at all times of praise;
So sing, happy voices! Sing unto the Lord,
O come glorify Him throughout the whole world!

All praise unto God! All praise to the Son!
To Spirit sing praise, to God, Three in One!
Sing praise from the dawning unto vesper rays,
Forever, forever O give God all praise!


(After two ancient hymns, “The Phos Hilaron” and "The Eventide Hymn" or "The Hymn for the Lighting of the Lamps”).


Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

God, Renew Us by Your Spirit!

God, Renew Us by Your Spirit!
Nurturing and Renewing

Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: RESTORATION
Meter: 8787 with Refrain


God. renew us by Your Spirit!
Come in gladness, hearts console!
Grant us joy so we may share it!
Oh, restore us; make us whole!

God, revitalize our mission!
Bless Your church from pole to pole!
May we overcome division!
Oh, restore us; make us whole!

God, revive each congregation!
Be our center and our goal!
Help us join in adoration!
O restore us; make us whole!

God, refresh your whole creation!
Timeless is salvation’s role!
Grant us boundless celebration!
God, restore us; make us whole!


(Appears as Selection #604 in The Covenant Hymnal)

Copyright © 1992, John A. Dalles

Available for one-time use in worship, according to the above guidelines.

Please let me know if you use this hymn!

O Seek the Lord in Prayer

O Seek the Lord in Prayer
Healing in Affliction

Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: MARION
Meter: S.M. with refrain


O seek the Lord in prayer
And fall down at Christ’s feet,
As two or three are gathered there
Entreaties shall Christ meet!
Be whole! Be well! Be holy in the Lord!

Though we were reckoned lost
And numbered with the dead,
Christ came to suffer on the cross
To grant us life, instead!
Be whole! Be well! Be holy in the Lord!

The touch of Christ brings strength,
Makes well and makes alive;
All who are languishing in pain,
Christ ventures to revive!
Be whole! Be well! Be holy in the Lord!

Be calm and do not fear;
Be thoroughly restored!
May joy replace each anguished tear:
The joy of Christ the Lord!
Be whole! Be well! Be holy in the Lord!


This appears as selection # 478 in The Covenant Hymnal


Copyright © 1993, John A. Dalles

Available for one-time use in worship with this copyright notice,

according to the guidelines listed above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn!

John A. Dalles Hymn Texts in Print

Among the published hymn texts of John A. Dalles, are these...

HYMN TEXTS IN DENOMINATIONAL HYMNALS:

The Presbyterian Hymnal (two hymns)
Presbyterian Church USA, 1990; ISBN 0664101100
#127 "Come, O Spirit!" BOUNDLESS MERCY (or DIADEMATA)
#418 "God, Bless Your Church With Strength!" ICH HALTE TRULICH STILL (or ST KEVIN)
c.f. The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion; LindaJo McKim, editor, Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993. ISBN 0664251803

The New Century Hymnal (two hymns)
United Church of Christ, 1995; ISBN 0-8298-1050-1
#265 "Come, O Spirit!" BOUNDLESS MERCY
#586 "Come to Tend God's Garden!" KINGS WESTON

The Moravian Book of Worship (four hymns)
Moravian Church in America, 1995; ISBN 1-878422-16-2
#389 "All Who Have Gone Before Us" WIR PFLUGEN
#443 "May God's Love Be Fixed Above You!" LAUDA ANIMA
#632 "God, Renew Us By Your Spirit" RESTORATION
#665 "Bless All Those Who Nurture Children" HYMN TO JOY

Worship Together (three hymns)
Mennonite Brethren Churches, 1995;
#231 "Love Has Come In Christ" TRYGGARE KAN INGEN VARA
#410 "Come, O Spirit, with Your Sound" ST. KEVIN
#676 "O God of Love, Grant Us Your Peace" KINGSFOLD

The Covenant Hymnal (eight hymns)
Evangelical Covenant Church, 1996; ISBN 0-9104-5280-6
#274 "Come, O Spirit" BOUNDLESS MERCY
#478 "O Seek the Lord in Prayer" MARION
#543 "As Christ the Little Children Blessed" CHRISTMAS CANDLES
#580 "God Bless Your Church With Strength!" DIADEMATA
#604 "God, Renew Us By Your Spirit!" RESTORATION
#607 "Change Your Church, O God" ST. GEORGE'S WINDSOR
#618 "Bless the Ones Who Nurture Children" PROMISE
#669 "May God's Love Be Fixed Above You" PRAISE MY SOUL

The Book of Praise (three hymns)
Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1997
#233 "Come, O Spirit, with Your Sound!" BOUNDLESS MERCY
#251 "God Bless Your Church with Strength!" ICH HALTE TRULICH STILL
#435 "May God's Love Be Fixed Above You!" TANTUM ERGO
c.f. Sampler for General Assembly, June 1996

The Australian Book of Praise II (one hymn)
# 694 "The Scream of Police Cars' Sirens" MUNICH

HYMN TEXTS IN OTHER BOOKS, HYMNALS AND ANTHOLOGIES (a partial listing):

Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration, and Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities (Year C)
By Thomas A. Greisen, Kathleen Harmon, Joyce Ann Zimmerman, Thomas L. Leclerc
Liturgical Press (2006); ISBN 0814627447
"We Blew No Trumpet Blasts" (quoted in part)

Celebrating the Eucharist: Sacred Song 2005
Liturgical Press, Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville MN 56321
#583" Come O Spirit"

Sing to the Lord No Threadbare Song: New Hymntunes of Alfred Fedak
By Alfred Fedak
Selah Publishing Co. (2001)
#24 "Vain Our Lives and Small Our Strivings"

Teach Our Hearts to Sing Your Prasie: Hymns Tunes and Carols
By Randall Sensimeier
GIA Publications, Inc. (2001); ISBN 1-57999-157-2
"All People Join to Sing One Song"
"Because Christ Lives"
"Though We May Speak in Tonges of Earth and Angels"
"May God's Love be Fixed Above You"
"Come to Tend God's Garden"

Is It a Lost Cause?: Having the Heart of God for the Church's Children
By Marva J. Dawn
Wm. B. EerdmansPublishing (1997); ISBN 0802843735
"Bless the Ones Who Nurture Children"

Daniel: 26 Fun-Filled Learning Activities on Bible Characters
By Phyllis Vos Wezeman, Judith Harris Chase, Anna Leichty
Kregel Publications (1998); ISBN 0825439639
"Blessed Be Your Holy Name, O God"

Esther: Twenty-Six Learning Activities for Children
By Phyllis Vos Wezeman
Kregel Publications (1998); ISBN 0825439612
"God, Could It Be?"

Peter: Twenty-Six Learning Activities for Children
By Phyllis Vos Wezeman, Judith Harris Chase, Anna Leichty
Kregel Publications (1998); ISBN 0825439620
"When Life's Storms are Too Insistent!"

Sing Justice Do Justice!
Selah Publishing Co., Inc, Pittsburgh, PA, 1989
"O Justice Giver, Make Us Just!"

New Songs of Rejoicing
Selah Publishing Company, 1994
#145 "Vain Our Lives and Small Our Strivings"

Singing for Peace
Hope Publishing Company, Nancy Rosenberger Faus, editor, 1986
#18 "O God of Love, Grant Us Your Peace"

Celebrating Holy Week
Educational Ministries Inc, Henry Rust, editor, 1993
"If You Will Be My Followers Now"
"When Trials Encompass You"
"Now, The Betrayer"
"We Heard Christ Say 'I Will'"
"It Was the Choice of Pilate"
"They Brought Jesus to Golgotha"
"The Lord Appealed Mid-Afternoon"

Hymn Stories for Children: The Lord's Prayer
Kregle Publishing, Phyllis Wezeman, 1996
"Command Us What You Will, O Lord"
"Rule, Loving God"

Hymn Stories for Children: The Ten Commandments
Kregle Publishing, Phyllis Wezeman, 1996

HYMN TEXTS IN BOOKS DEVOTED TO THE WORK OF JOHN A. DALLES ONLY:

Swift Currents and Still Waters: 65 Hymn Texts
By John A. Dalles
GIA Publications (2000); ISBN 1-57000-095-9

Come O Spirit: 52 Hymn Texts for Today's Worship
By John Dalles
Educational Ministries, Inc. (1992) (Out of Print); ISBN 1-877871-40-0
Contains 52 of the earliest hymns of John A. Dalles. You might find this on line.

Introduced in July of 2010.

We Turn To God: 53 New Hymns for Worship

by John A. Dalles

Wayne Leupold Editions (2010); ISBN 978-1-881162-36-0

A collection of many never before published hymns.

God Is the Singer's Friend: 52 New Hymns for Worship

A second collection of John Dalles hymns from Wayne Leupold, published in 2013. 

John Dalles Hymn Texts Set as Anthems...

Several hymn texts by John Dalles have been set as anthems for choirs:

With Bob Moore:

- "O God Behold Your Family Here" an anthem for Thanksgiving. Text by John Dalles, music by Bob Moore. For Voices: SATB. Instruments: B trumpet, Bass (instruments required). Piano. Choral Sacred. Level: easy. 14 pages. Published by GIA Publications. (G-5588). To preview:

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_inside.html?cart=338549249712900713&item=4615457&page=01

- "Make Music for Your Lord to Hear" an anthem for music-related celebrations. Text by John Dalles, music by Bob Moore. For Voices: SATB. Instruments: Horn in F, bass (instruments optional). Piano. Choral Sacred. Level: easy. 10 pages. Published by GIA Publications. (G-6075)

Both set to music by composer Bob Moore, director of music ministry for the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine (Florida). Both are featured on GIA's CD "Like a Whisper in the Heart". http://www.giamusic.com/scstore/P-558.cfm

* * *

With John Ferguson:

- "Easter Proclamation" Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Choral Music Series. Choir, brass and organ in a triumphant dialog. Text by John A. Dalles, SATB, organ, brass quartet (14-E) G-6172 $1.60. Music by composer John Ferguson, Elliot and Klara Stockdal Johnson Professor of Organ and Church Music and Cantor to the student congregation at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. The anthem is featured on GIA Publications' CD "Hidden in Humbleness", recorded at St. Olaf College, home of one of the most respected church music programs in the country. http://www.giamusic.com/scstore/P-594.cfm

* * *

Book of 65 John A. Dalles Hymn Texts with Music

Also from GIA:

- Swift Currents and Still Waters by John A. Dalles, is a remarkable compilation of hymns that are fresh and inspirational. This book contains 65 hymn texts by John Dalles, including some of his best-known hymns: "Come O Spirit" (for Pentecost), "Bless the Ones Who Nurture Children" (for Teacher Dedication) and "God Bless Your Church with Strength" (An Anniversary Celebration Hymn), as well as multiple detailed indexes including: Liturgical, Topical, Metrical, Tune, First Lines and Common Titles.

http://www.giamusic.com/scstore/P-5366.cfm

For more about these, visit http://www.giamusic.com/

* * *

With Donna J. Butler:

- "Celebrate the Lord" By Donna Butler. Arranged by Donna Butler. Text: John Dalles ("Celebrate the Journey"). For Keyboard accompaniment. (SATB). Sacred. Level: Medium Adult. 12 pages. Duration 3 min, 25 sec. Published by Hinshaw Music Inc. Item No.: HMC1957 (This piece is energized by a consistent rhythmic drive and is perfect for celebrating the past, present and future. Excellent for Reformation Sunday or any celebration).

Preview page: http://hinshawmusic.com/pdf/HMC1957.pdf

- "God of Wonder" Composer, Butler, Donna J. MorningStar Music. Product Number 50-9096; Price $1.75; Voicing: SATB, Keyboard. Difficulty: Medium. Exuberant message in celebrative musical setting. Especially suitable for events focusing on the vision of a church. Composite text edited by Donna Butler, combining hymn texts by Jane Parker Huber and John A. Dalles. [94] SATB and Keyboard. M F-98

For more information:
http://www.morningstarmusic.com/viewitem.cfm/item_id/50-9096

(Donna J. Butler Douglas has served as Director of Music Ministry at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church of Overland Park, Kansas since January, 2002).

* * *

With Glenn Rudolph:

- "You Know the Way" (2002) Publisher: Oxford University Press, Inc. (2003) Catalog No: ISBN 0-19-386744-3. Anthem for SATB choir and organ, text by John A. Dalles, music by Glenn Rudolph. Based on John 14:1-7. Commissioned in memory of Marilyn D. Carroll, longtime member of Parkwood Presbyterian Church choir, Allison Park, PA.

Not yet published...

- “Draw Near in Peace,” an anthem for Palm Sunday. Anthem for SATB choir, string quartet and organ on a new text by John A. Dalles. Commissioned by the Worthington Presbyterian Church, Worthington, OH. Premiered Palm Sunday, April 1, 2007.

- “Christ the Branch of Jesse’s Tree,” a hymn for Palm Sunday.

Both are by composer Glenn Rudolph, Choir Director at Beaver United Methodist Church in Beaver, PA., with text by John Dalles, commissioned for the Palm Sunday, April 1, 2007 celebration in honor of the ministry of Dr. Phil Hazelton, at the Worthington Presbyterian Church (OH).

You may listen to them at the church's website: http://www.worthingtonpres.com/wpc/wpc.nsf/vwsubpages/Anthem+Details?open

Also by Glenn Rudolph and John Dalles...

- "I Came from Light" for chorus and electronic soundscape, commissioned by the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh in celebration of their 70th anniversary. "I Came from Light" uses a new text by John A. Dalles and an electronic soundscape composed entirely of sounds produced by virtual instruments. Premiered December 13-14, 2003.

Glenn Rudolph has audio samples of these and other works with John Dalles at:

http://www.reindeermusic.com/documents/56.html

* * *

With Dorothy J. Frisch (coming soon!)

"O God, Our Lives are Parched and Dry"

Voicing: SATB; from GIA Publications, Inc

(for a sample of the text, see below)

* * *

Thanks for visiting!

Some Work Today is Mine!

Some Work Today is Mine!

A Simple Hymn of Dedication

Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: ST CECILIA
Meter: SM

Some work today is mine,
A work for God to do,
God be in the design,
God make it good and true!

Some word today is mine,
A word of God’s to share,
God, make my message fine,
Filled with Your grace and care!

Some prayer today is mine,
A prayer for those in need,
I know God will incline
And offer help, indeed!

Some song today is mine,
A song that I may sing,
To cast the clouds away,
God’s hope and peace to bring!

A word and work, maybe;
Perhaps a song, a prayer;
Some gift that God gave me;
A gift I am to share!


Copyright © John A. Dalles, 2024.

Permission granted for one time use in worship as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

O Lifter of Downhearted Souls!

O Lifter of Downhearted Souls!

Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: ST JAMES
Meter: CM

O Lifter of downhearted souls,
We bring our prayer to You,
That You might make the wounded whole
And grant us life anew!

O Savior of humanity,
Who bore our sins alone,
Whose death is life, who sets us free,
Come, make us all Your own!

Dear Prince of wisdom, Source of joy,
Good Shepherd of the sheep,
Your mercy and Your love, employ,
Our souls to guard and keep!

O Guiding hand along life’s way,
O Fisherman of all,
Help us to greet You, here this day,
And answer when You call!

Great Cultivator of all life,
Good Guardian of desires,
O send Your Spirit, ending strife,
With cleansing tongues of fires!

Copyright © John A. Dalles, 2024.

Permission granted for one time use in worship as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

O Monarch of the Glorious Saints!

O Monarch of the Glorious Saints!
A Hymn for Christ the King Sunday

Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: ST DAVID
Meter: C.M.

O Monarch of the glorious saints,
Whose empire knows no end—
No north or south, no east or west—
In You, all regions blend!

And far more vast than all the seas,
Your fount of mercy flows,
And even to the least of these,
Your great compassion shows!

Faith without limits is Your gift
And love without an end;
The fallen ones, You gently lift
And call them “child” and “friend”!

O Monarch of the glorious saints,
Whose empire knows no end,
From all the earth, draw us to You,
Till all our praises blend!

Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one-time use in worship, as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

The Spire on the Seine

The Spire on the Seine
A Hymn for The American Church in Paris

Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: AMERICAN
Meter: 64646664

The spire on the Seine
Soars toward the sky!
Drawing us here again,
Hearts lifted high.
This sacred rendezvous,
Is where we meet with You,
To share the good, the true,
We glorify!

The spire on the Seine
Heightens our prayer:
Praise mingles, each amen
Rings through the air.
Dear friends and neighbors new,
Here, are made one, in You!
United us through and through,
In Jesus’ care!

The spire on the Seine
Stands for our aims,
To serve the world’s children,
Christ calls and claims.
Help us to live simply,
Care deeply, love kindly,
And to give generously,
In Jesus’ name!

Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted to the American Church in Paris.

Permission granted for one time use in worship as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

Now Receive God's Blessing!

Now Receive God’s Blessing!
A Benediction Hymn for St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London

Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: ST. MARTIN
Meter: SM

Now receive God’s blessing,
And Christ’s love unceasing,
May the Spirit’s presence
Light your way with reverence!

Joys, your life to lengthen,
Trials, your life to strengthen,
Woes to keep you caring,
Hope to make you daring!

Friends to be your neighbors,
Means to meet your labors,
Zeal to point you forward,
Faith to lead you onward!


(Repeat first stanza as the final stanza)

Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

To Live a Life of Joy!

To Live a Life of Joy!
Christ Church, Dublin. Hymn

Text: John A. Dalles
Tune: CHRIST CHURCH
Meter: 6.6.6.6.8.8.


To live a life of joy!
Lord, show us what to do
Our powers to employ,
In love that comes from You.
From morning light to evening star,
May we reveal Your love afar!

To live courageously!
Lord, make us more alive!
Your distant goal we see:
So toward it may we strive!
To lift the fallen, find the lost,
To risk our best, nor count the cost!

To live as ones reborn,
Anew and from above,
With light our lives adorn
With lustrous chords of love!
Lord, by your glory may we shine;
Let us proclaim Your way, divine!



Copyright © John A. Dalles, 2006.

Permission granted to Christ Church, Dublin.

Permission granted for one time use in worsihp as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

We Look Outward, God of Blessing!

We Look Outward, God of Blessings!

In Honor of Carnegie Samuel Calian

- President of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary -
On the occasion of his retirement – January 26, 2006

Meter: 8.7.8.7.D. – Suggested tune: BEECHER

I.
We look outward, God of blessing, as we seek to serve and teach!
Guiding learners, leading leaders; help us, God, extend our reach!
May we join with Christ in doing, deeds of kindness, acts of care!
Aim us higher, peace perusing: This, our promise! This, our prayer!


II.
We look inward, God of ages, Your great gift of joy to find!
You delight life’s serried stages, You enlighten humankind!
Jesus, fill us, Jesus lead us, till Your freedom, all may know;
Thankfulness, that You provide us, is for us to share and show!


III.
We look back, God of creation, not with sorrow or regret,
But with deep appreciation, for the days none will forget!
Give us all a holy yearning, to embrace what we receive,
Boundless blessing, love and learning: Ours to hold! Ours to believe!

IV.
We go onward, God of Glory, grateful for Your witnesses;
All who clasp and claim Your story, with compassion’s selflessness!
Give us their determination! May we live as salt and light:
Light, to banish trepidation. Salt, to season with delight!.

V.
We look forward, God of Heaven, to a time beyond today;
For, the hope that You have given, points to the ascending way!
As our faith forms each endeavor, may our acts, this world, restore;
Grant us, God, to waver never: We go forward, evermore!


Copyright © 2006, John A. Dalles.

Permission for use in worship is granted to Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and to Dr. Calian.

Permission granted for one time use in worship as noted above.

Please let me know if you sing this hymn text.

With the Dawn's First Dazzling Ray!

With the Dawn’s First Dazzling Ray!
Morning Praise

Text: John A. Dalles, December 10, 2005
Tune: MESSIAH
Meter: 7.7.7.7.D.

With the dawn’s first dazzling ray, You awaken us to day!
In this light that You have made, new-found wonders are displayed!
As the night to morn gives way, while we worship, praise and pray!
Joy and gladness now employ; lift our hearts, God, spread Your joy!

You who said, “Let there be light!” shine like sunrise in our sight!
Daybreak, like creation’s start, brightens every waiting heart!
May Your Word show us Your Way, as we follow You, this day!
With uplifted hands and voice, we Your people now rejoice!

Banish dismal doubt and sin, shine on us, without, within!
While unfolding moments bring, insights and awakenings!
May our efforts match Your grace, everywhere, in every place!
As we give and share from You, all that’s gracious, good, and true!

In Your daylight, may we live; unto Christ our praises give!
Cheer us, till each happy soul, thrills to hear Your daily goal!
Long this day, or short, may seem—all of life, a fleeting dream!
Guide us toward eternal day, With Your sure and dazzling ray!


Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Above the Sleeping, Silent Hills!

Above the Sleeping, Silent Hills!
Christmas

Text: John A. Dalles, December 16, 2005
Tune: ANTWERP
Meter: LM (8.8.8.8.)


Above the sleeping, silent hills,
Where shepherds tended flocks by night,
An angel of the Lord appeared,
Dazzlingly brilliant, rapt in light!

Wonderful news, the shepherds heard,
Heralding Christ the Savior’s birth:
Glory to God in heaven, adored!
Peace and goodwill to all on earth!

Gloria! Glory! Gloria!
Hear what the host of angels sang!
Gloria! Glory! Gloria!
Earth trembled as the heavens rang!

Those who first heard, received the news,
Hurried to Bethlehem to find,
The infant Jesus in the mews,
With Joseph and His Mother, kind!

Kneeling, they worshiped reverently,
Humble and hopeful, poor and plain!
Grant that our praise like theirs may be,
Modest and eager, yet again!

Gloria! Glory! Gloria!
Now with the angels, may we sing!
Gloria! Glory! Gloria!
Tremble, O earth! O heavens, ring!



Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one time use in worship, as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

Quiet Our Minds

Quiet Our Minds
Based upon Dean Charles R. Brown’s Spiritual Discipline

Text: John A. Dalles, April 7, 2006
Tune: EVENTIDE
Meter: 10.10.10.10.


Quiet our minds, O God, who gave us thought!
Help us let go of ways with worries fraught.
Easily do what we alone cannot:
Quiet our minds, O God, who gave us thought!


May perfect rest renew us inwardly,
So that from anxious troubles we are free!
All that You give, may we hear, trustfully:
May perfect rest renew us inwardly!


Patiently waiting with an inner calm;
May we be still, unshaken, without qualm.
Make us serene, O sooth us by Your balm!
Patiently waiting with an inner calm!



Copyright © 2006, John A. Dalles.

"Cerca Trova"

Great is the Lord! Recall God’s Splendor!

Great is the Lord! Recall God’s Splendor!
Remembering – Psalm 145:3-7

Text: John A. Dalles, May 10, 2006
Tune: “LUGN VILAR SJON” by Heinrich Pfeil (1835-1899)
Meter: 98.988

Stanza One – Psalm 145:3

Great is the Lord! Recall God’s splendor!
The Lord is greatly to be praised!
God’s loving-kindness, we remember!
Yet, how unsearchable God’s ways!
Yet, how unsearchable God’s ways!


Stanza Two – Psalm 145: 4 & 5a

We praise Your works – one generation! –
Declares Your mighty acts and deeds,
Remembering with exultation,
Your glorious, splendid majesties!
Your glorious, splendid majesties!


Stanza Three – Psalm 145:5b-6

We meditate upon Your glory!
Announce Your greatness far and near!
We live to share salvation’s story:
Proclaim Your praise, so all may hear!
Proclaim Your praise, so all may hear!


Stanza Four – Psalm 145:7

O, celebrate abundant goodness!
Join every voice, God’s fame to bless!
Come sing aloud, with joy and boldness,
Remembering God’s righteousness!
Remembering God’s righteousness!




Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one time use in worship, as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

Your Steadfast Love, O Lord
Rejoicing – Psalm 36:5-9

Text: John A. Dalles, May 11, 2006
Tune: NUN DANKET
Meter: 65676666


Verse One – Psalm 36:5-6
Your steadfast Love, O Lord,
Extends to highest heaven!
Your faithfulness, O Lord,
As billowed clouds is given!
Your righteousness, O Lord,
Soar as the mountain’s peak!
Your judgments true, O Lord,
Are oceans vast and deep!


Verse Two – Psalm 36:7-8
Your precious love, we sing!
Your people’s haven, ever!
Beneath Your shadowed wing
We find a home forever!
We feast on all that’s good,
And drink Your water pure,
You give abundant food,
Your love is swift and sure!


Verse Three – Psalm 36:8b-9
This day, we all rejoice,
Your love will fail us, never!
Your rivers of delights
Like fountains, flow forever!
For You are God today,
As always You have been,
And You our God shall be,
forevermore, Amen!



Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one time use in worship, as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

Give Ear, O People, to God's Word!

Give Ear, O People, to God’s Word!
Recommitting – Psalm 78:1-7

John A. Dalles, May 11, 2006
Tune: SHAKELFORD
Meter: CMD

Give ear, O people, to God’s Word!
God’s treasured teachings, bear!
O may we sing all we have heard
For truth is ours to share!
Veiled sayings are uncovered, now;
Deep secrets shared of old,
The truth we’ve heard, the truth we know,
The truth our parents told!

Give ear, O people, praise God’s might!
God’s wonders we extol!
So, may our message be a light
To lead to heaven’s goal!
We cannot hide truth from a child
Each generation, tell!
Declare the deeds the Lord has done
Proclaim salvation, well!

Give ear, O people, Jacob’s heirs!
God’s law in Israel thrived,
So they could give God all their cares,
And heartfelt hope survived,
That they might keep God’s covenant,
Might honor God’s commands,
Might as an offering, present
Their gifts, their lives, their lands!

Give ear, now, people, recommit
Your lives to Christ today!
By grace, God makes you wholly fit
To live the Christ-like way!
Give ear, O people, to God’s Word!
God’s treasured teachings, bear!
O may we sing all we have heard
God’s truth is ours to share!


Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one time use in worship, as noted.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

O God, Help Us Forgive, Forget!

O God Help Us Forgive, Forget!

Text: John A. Dalles, May 12, 2006
Tune: LONDON NEW
Meter: LM

O God help us forgive, forget,
And love our enemies;
We have not reached Your kingdom yet,
Nor done as You would please!

Help us commend to every land
Your strength in humbleness,
By policies of outstretched hand,
And words to heal, to bless!

Your perfect peace, may we achieve,
And share with all, as well,
One with another may we thrive,
In harmony to dwell!

Forgiveness is the final form
Of love made real and right—
The calm that waits behind the storm,
The dawn that follows night!

Move us, to get beyond today
Beyond what we once were,
To grow into that brighter day
You promise is in store!

Help us, O God, see Your way clear;
Your goal, when vision fails!
No longer foes, no more in fear,
But neighbors after all!


* The title line is after Wm Shakespeare - "King Lear", Act 4 scene 7:

“Pray you now, forget and forgive.”

Copyright © 2006, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one time use in worship as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

Proclaiming the Gospel of Grace!

Proclaiming the Gospel of Grace!

Text: John A. Dalles, May 16, 2006
Tune: BETHESDA IS FREE
Meter: 11.8.11.8. with refrain.


Say, what is this singing? This marvelous sound?
Proclaiming the gospel of grace!
The door is wide open, so joy may abound,
Proclaiming the gospel of grace!
Refrain:
All you who are here! All you who draw near!
All you who would look on His face!
Come give God Your promise! Give Jesus your praise!
Proclaiming the gospel of grace!

For once we were lonely and once we were lost
All wanderers, worn and afraid!
Yet, Jesus Himself paid the terrible cost,
So we could return to God’s ways!
(Refrain)

No night is so dismal that Jesus won’t bear
Our troubles and hear when we pray!
No day is so brilliant that Jesus can’t share
More sunlight to spread on the way!
(Refrain)

The poor and the wealthy, the young and the old,
The sorrowing, soul-sick and sad,
When blessed by God’s welcoming wonders untold,
Are guided and grateful and glad!
(Refrain)



Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one time use in worship, as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

I've Never Known the Calm of Galilee

I’ve Never Known the Calm of Galilee
“The Sailor’s Song” - Based on a remark made by Rev. Terry Ransom
At the Church of the Ascension, Cadenabbia, Lake Como

Text: John A. Dalles, July 13, 2006
Tune: EVENTIDE
Meter: 10.10.10.10.


I’ve never known the calm of Galilee,
The quietness that comes at early morn,
I’ve never known the calm of Galilee,
But God has brought me safely through the storm!


My life has been as lone as it can be,
The work I’ve done has taken many forms,
I’ve never known the calm of Galilee,
But God has brought me safely through the storm!


At times, so far from friends and family,
From places that are comfortable and warm,
I’ve never known the calm of Galilee,
But God has brought me safely through the storm


My talks with God are brief and whispered pleas,
Amid the waves and winds that are life’s norm,
I’ve never known the calm of Galilee,
But God has brought me safely through the storm!





Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one time use in worship as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

Hear the Message of Our Lord!

Hear the Message of Our Lord!

Text: John A. Dalles, July 25, 2006
Tune: SALZBURG
Meter: 7777D

Hear the message of our Lord:
“You are salt for all the world!”
Fresh and stunning, it may be,
That for all eternity,
From the moment of your birth
You are blessed with matchless worth!
Hear the message of our Lord:
“You are salt for all the world!”

Hear the teaching of our Lord,
“You are salt for all the world!”
You, who thought your gifts were small,
Learn the lesson of Christ’s call,
To give savor and to serve,
To delight and to preserve!
Hear the teaching of our Lord,
“You are salt for all the world!”

Hear the pleading of our Lord,
“You are salt for all the world!”
All too many view each days,
With despair and disarray.
What’s distasteful, come and save,
Give God’s children what they crave!
Hear the pleading of our Lord,
“You are salt for all the world!”

Hear the promise of the Lord
You are salt for all the world!
With Christ’s saintly work to do,
With eternal life, endued,
Now be shaken, by Christ’s hand,
Stirred to season every land!
Hear the promise of the Lord
You are salt for all the world!

Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Inspired by a visit to Salzburg in 2006.

Permission granted for one-time use in worship, as noted above.

Please let me know if you sing this hymn.

Dear Lord, How Shall We Greet You?

Dear Lord, How Shall We Greet You?

Text: John A. Dalles, July 25, 2006
Tune: INNSBRUCK (by Heinrich Isaac)
Meter: 7.7.6.7.7.8.

Dear Lord, how shall we greet you?
And where, Lord, will we meet you?
Upon the narrow way?
Where your good word shall guide us,
And you will walk beside us,
Dear Lord, come walk with us this day!

Dear Lord, how shall we greet you
And where Lord will we meet you?
On lofty mountains high?
Where we shall see your glory,
And view creation’s story,
Dear Lord, come lift us to the sky!

Dear Lord, how shall we greet you?
And where, Lord, will we meet you?
Amid the city’s din?
Where humble ones, distressing,
Cry for our hand of blessing,
Dear Lord, the lost ones let us win!

Dear Lord, how shall we greet you?
And where, Lord will we meet you?
Where gilded treasures call?
Your love is purer, precious,
And all our life, has blessed us,
Dear Lord, O may we give our all!

Dear Lord, how shall we greet you?
And where, Lord, will we meet you?
If not, O Lord, today?
Our hearts revive, acquire,
For life and service higher,
Dear Lord, upon Your upward way!

Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles.

Inspired by the city of Innsbruck for which the tune is also named: the first verse, its main street in the Aldstat, the second, the high mountain views, the third, the people, the fourth, the Golden Roof, and the last, its freshness and beauty. Motivated by a visit there in the summer of 2006.

A Garden Blessed by Dappled Shade

A Garden Blessed by Dappled Shade

Text: John A. Dalles, July 25, 2006
Tune: LONDON NEW (by Isaac Watts)
Meter: C.M.

A garden blessed by dappled shade,
From thriving trees above,
With stillness, calm as Eden’s glade,
And fenced around by love!

In such a place, O may we meet
The One who made each leaf,
And whose unswerving task, complete,
Has brought the end of grief!

Who comes to tell us of God’s grace,
Who proves it by His word,
Who shows it on His lovely face,
Who points us heavenward!

Whose every word is charged with truth,
Whose every act is right,
Whose sacrifice for us is proof,
That God dispels death’s night.

The first who found Him there alive
Thought Him the gardener;
And so He is! In Him we thrive!
God’s great life-giving Son!

Mid quiet pools of verdant light,
From stones as old as time,
Come mark the end of death’s dark night,
This morn of love divine!

Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles.

Inspired by a visit to Bunhill Fields, London, in the summer of 2006.

Permission granted for one-time use in worship, as noted.

Please let me know if you sing this hymn text.

Dear Lord, We Sing Your Praise!

Dear Lord We Sing Your Praise!
In Memory of Donald B. Taylor 1934-2000

Text: John A. Dalles, July 27, 2006
Tune: ARTHUR’S SEAT
Meter: 666688


Dear Lord we sing your praise
In worship on this day.
Now and forever we shall raise
Our hymns along the way.
Lord meet us here, your truth proclaim.
Dear Lord we sing and praise your name!

By you we live and move.
Each day is yours to give.
Vain are our lives, till by your love,
Eternally we live!
Raise us, O Lord, to life anew.
In newness, may we honor you!

Dear Lord we seek to serve.
Go where you send with zeal.
Engaging others to observe
The message you reveal.
As you have done and as you live,
You call us, Lord, to do and give!

Love ever more shall reign.
O see what love has done.
Rejoicing saints, come and proclaim
Redeeming grace has won!
In every age, God’s truth, adore.
Praise God, now and forevermore!


Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one-time use in worship, as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

Feed the Flock of God Among You

Feed the Flock of God Among You
Church Officer Commissioning – Based on I Peter 5:1ff

Text: John A. Dalles, July 28, 2006
Tune: OXFORD (STAINER)
Meter: CM


Feed the flock of God among you,
Oversee them with restraint,
Willing minds, not seeking profit,
Selfless serve, without complaint.

Elders, share in Jesus’ glory,
Witness to Christ’s suffering,
May you bear the Gospel story,
All your finest talents, bring!

Never lord it over others,
By proud words or pompous ways,
Live as one, as sisters, brothers,
Models of Christ’s love and grace.

When the Shepherd, great and glorious,
Shall appear upon that Day,
He shall grant a crown victorious,
Which will never fade away.

So, be subject to each other,
Clothed with Christ’s humility
God will bless the pure and humble
Now unto eternity!

Copyright © 2024, John A. Dalles

Permission granted for one-time use in worship, as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn text.

Jesus Shares This Promise with Us
Mark 11:22-26

Text: John A. Dalles, July 28, 2006
Tune: Westminster Abbey
Meter: 878787

Jesus shares this promise with us
Grants us faith eternally,
So we may share all He gives us,
And live in community!
Fill us, Lord, O come unite us,
Pure and peaceful may we be!

Who shall say unto this mountain,
“Be removed, cast in the sea,”
Deep within the heart, not doubting,
But believing: It shall be.
Jesus shares this promise with us:
Grants us faith eternally!

Whatsoever you require,
When you turn to God and pray
Trust God grants your heart’s desire,
Yours, it shall be, for always.
Jesus shares this promise with us:
Grants us faith eternally!

When you pray, forgive each other,
Of offences you have done,
For, forgiving one another,
God forgives and makes you one!
Jesus shares this promise with us:
Grants us faith eternally!

Copyright © 2024 John A. Dalles.

Permission granted for one-time use in worship as noted above.

Please let me know if you use this hymn.

Sing of Proud Banners!

Sing of Proud Banners!
Highland Cathedral Hymn
For Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan

Text: John A. Dalles, January 19, 2007
Tune: HIGHLAND CATHEDRAL*
Meter: 10.10.10.10. with refrain

Sing of proud banners - unfurled and acclaimed!
Praising the heritage by which we’re named!
Sing of the faith transmitted and proclaimed!
Sing, all assembled here, with hearts aflame!

(Refrain, after every verse):
Gladly praise Christ’s majesty!
And worship Jesus joyfully!
Make our Kirk, forever dear,
A highland cathedral, here!

Dream of the thistle, heather, loch and hill!
Sing with the pipes that make our spirits thrill!
Sure of a future that shall hold no ill!
Praising a history that holds us, still!

Faith tells more than eye can see!
And hope extends courageously!
Love shall make our Kirk so dear,
A highland cathedral, here!

God, who will bless us now and evermore,
Build Your cathedral in our hearts, once more,
In every Kirk, on every far-flung shore,
As we proclaim You, God, whom we adore!

*(Written to the tune by Ulrich Roever and Michael Korb)

Copyright © 2007. John A. Dalles.

Permission is granted to churches for a Kirkin' o' the Tartan,

for one-time use in worship with proper attribution.