Almighty God of Boundless Love
(Original)
 Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks London, England Photo: Pawel K Długosz. used by permission |
Original version written for the ancient Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks in London, England
Almighty God of boundless love,
We plead before thy throne above,
Thy heavenly purpose we may know,
And truly serve thy Church below.
With Mary, Virgin Mother blest,
We bow to thee, our faith professed;
Purge thou our hearts from fear and sin,
And let thy grace shine clear within.
Confessor of thy Son who died
Is Nicholas, our saintly guide,
Whose feast with double joy is filled,
As birthday of this ancient guild.
His golden gifts bring to the fore
In each of us a wondrous awe,
That yet new mercies we believe
His supplication shall achieve.
Then grant, 0 Lord, that e'er may we,
Who hold our office but for thee,
Show for our brethren love combined
With right concern for all mankind!
To God the Father, God the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
All honour, praise and glory be
From age to age eternally. Amen.
Text: P. A. Sutherland, b. 1943
Tune: WAREHAM LM
Musical notation PDF
Originally written for The Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks, chartered by Charles I in 1865 and 1868. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of the Company and all parish clerks. The hymn is sung at the Company's annual patronal festival.
Last verse adapted from The English Hymnal and reproduced by kind permission of Oxford University Press.
From Hymns in Honour of Certain Saints: under whose Blessed Patronage some Fraternal Bodies exist, words composed by Paul Sutherland, published by Paul Sutherland at "Risegate," The Crescent, Hadley Common, Barnet, Herts. EN5 5QQ. There is no objection to free use being made of this hymn, provided that the permission of Oxford University Press is acknowledged. Reproduced on the web by permission.
Mp3 file courtesy of Jennifer Wolfe and the Hope College Music Department.