Sunday, October 17, 2021

The missing hymns

For years, the Lewis family attended a church near our old home. We loved the pastor, the congregants, the music, the worship. The church later had something of a shakeup after the pastor retired, and we found a new church in which to worship.

For years after leaving that church, two hymns stayed with me, but – frustratingly – I could not remember what they were called or even much of the tunes. They teased the edge of my mind and wouldn't leave me alone. I haven't heard them played or sung in any of the churches we've attended since.

This weekend I got serious about tracking down these missing hymns. "The first one had a boat," I said to Don. "I remember it was in 6/8 time. It was originally written in Spanish and we sang a translation." Beyond that, I couldn't remember anything else.

So, feeling I had nothing to lose, I typed "hymn 6/8 time boat" into a search engine and started scanning the results. After five minutes..."Got it!"

The song (in English) is titled "Lord, You Have Come to the Seashore." I sampled two dozen YouTube versions and found the one I liked best, sung by two talented young women with a simple accompaniment. This is a hymn, I feel, not as suited for mighty choirs or professional vocalists. Instead, it's a humble hymn for humble worship.


Here are the lyrics:

Lord, you have come to the seashore,
neither searching for the rich nor the wise,
desiring only that I should follow.

O, Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name;
all I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side, I will seek other shores.

Lord, see my goods, my possessions;
in my boat you find no power, no wealth.
Will you accept, then, my nets and labour?

O, Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name;
all I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side, I will seek other shores.

Lord, take my hands and direct them.
Help me spend myself in seeking the lost,
returning love for the love you gave me.

O, Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name;
all I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side, I will seek other shores.

Lord, as I drift on the waters,
be the resting place of my restless heart,
my life’s companion, my friend and refuge.

O, Lord, with your eyes set upon me,
gently smiling, you have spoken my name;
all I longed for I have found by the water,
at your side, I will seek other shores.

After some searching, I found the other hymn I liked. This one is called "I Was There to Hear your Borning Cry" and it covers life stages.

Here are the lyrics:

I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.

I was there when you were but a child,
with a faith to suit you well;
I'll be there in case you wander off
to find where demons dwell.

When you heard the wonder of the Word
I was there to cheer you on;
You were raised to praise the living God,
to whom you now belong.

If you find someone to share your time
and you join your hearts as one,
I'll be there to make your verses rhyme
from dusk 'till rising sun.

In the middle ages of your life,
not too old, no longer young,
I'll be there to guide you through the night,
complete what I've begun.

When the evening gently closes in,
and you shut your weary eyes,
I'll be there as I have always been
with just one more surprise.

I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
to see your life unfold.

Now the missing hymns are missing no longer.

19 comments:

  1. My late mother would sing "I Was There to Hear your Borning Cry" around the house... Bittersweet.

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  2. Among all of the things that are less than desirable about the InterWeb, its power to find something if you have even a little bit of information is amazing.

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  3. How beautiful! Thank you for sharing two hymns I, at 74, have never heard.

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  4. We used to sing those, years ago, in the church we belonged to for decades (before the denomination went liberal). I loved them then, I love them now. Thank you for sharing and bringing back memories.

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  5. I’ve been reading your blog for several years now, so imagine my surprise to see the 1st video from my home church in northern KY! It’s a beautiful song, one of my favorites.

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    1. Then you have a chance to tell these two talented singers their voices are beautiful.

      - Patrice

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  6. My mother was a church organist for almost my entire life and the second song is burned into my memory. Thank-you for sharing
    Tiffany

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  7. Have you and Don been able to find a good, solid church after your move? I've been wondering and meant to ask sooner.
    The darker the world becomes and the more divisive, the more important it will be to be part of a small group of people who are absolutely committed to Christ and His Word.
    If you don't know the Lord, folks, I encourage you to learn the God of the Bible. He is our only hope and joy!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that was one of the first things we did when we moved here.

      - Patrice

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    2. Yay! Glad to hear it. Blessings to you.

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  8. Firstly, let me just say that I have followed and enjoyed your blog for some time now.
    You may have already heard of him, but in case you haven't, I highly recommended Fernando Ortega. He has some wonderful content on YouTube, singing various hymns.

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  9. Since many of you believe in the power of prayer, I’m asking that you pray for a little one in need. Baby M. choked on a toy Sunday morning and was without oxygen for thirty minutes. She is in a coma. I can’t imagine what her family is going through, and my heart breaks for them. This has taught me what “pray without ceasing” means. This is on my mind in all that I do throughout the day.

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    Replies
    1. Little M is whole and in the arms of Jesus.

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    2. (wince) May God grant comfort to her family.

      - Patrice

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    3. Just now seeing this, Grammy. I'm so very sorry for your loss of little M. May the Lord draw near and grant peace to the parents and family of this sweet baby as they walk this hard road of loss. God bless.

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  10. As a person that speaks Spanish I just had to hear the hymn in it's original Spanish, called Pescador de Hombres or fisherman of men. Quite lovely in both languages.

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  11. Lovely~ don't recall ever hearing either one.

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