Sing this great hymn of the church a capella! Then, find a recording of Upon This Rock by John Ness Beck! Try to find one with brass, percussion, organ, and choir! It rocks!
The Church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is his new creation by water and the word:
from heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her, and for her life he died.
Elect from every nation, yet one o'er all the earth,
her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses, with every grace endued.
Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed,
by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed;
yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, "How long?"
and soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.
Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war
she waits the consummation of peace for evermore;
till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blessed,
and the great Church victorious shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union with God, the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won.
O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we
like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with thee!
Words: Samuel John Stone (1839-1900)
Music: Aurelia, Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
I couldn't find the version I wanted...but here is an alternate one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gShdy...eature=related I've sung in hundreds of services in this church. This is a ministry which should be studied very, very carefully. There is much which is good...and then there's the rest of the story.
Here is an alternative wording to the hymn tune Aurelia, commonly known as The Church's One Foundation:
Live out Thy life within me! O Jesus, King of kings!
Be Thou Thyself the answer to all my questionings!
Live out Thy life within me! In all things have thy way!
I, the transparent medium! Thy glory to display!
The temple has been yielded, and purified of sin!
Let Thy Shekinah glory now shine forth from within!
And all the earth keep silence! The body hence-forth be
Thy silent, gentle servant, moved only as by Thee!
Its members every moment, held subject to Thy call!
Ready to have Thee use them, or not be used at all!
Held without restless longing, or strain, or stress, or fret,
Or chafings at Thy dealings, or thoughts of vain regret!
But restful, calm, and pliant, from bend and bias free!
Awaiting Thy decision, when Thou hast need of me!
Live out Thy life within me! O Jesus, King of Kings!
Be Thou the glorious answer to all my questionings!
Tune: Aurelia by Samuel Wesley (1810-1876)
Words: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)
If you haven't already noticed, hymn tunes are really poems! It's fun to just read them as poetry, without singing them! I think so, anyway!