Hymns From The Greek Office Books

O destitute of all defence, We bow before Thee now; In mercy let Thy mercy come, For merciful art Thou.

Our trusting souls in quiet repose Would rest Thy love within;— O be not angry with us, Lord, Nor think upon our sin.

But from Thy high abode look down, With tender love the while, And save us from our foes who would Our wayward hearts beguile.

For, verily Thou art our God, And we Thy people all;— Hear us, the creatures of Thy hand, When on Thy name we call.

To God the Father, God the Son, All praise and glory be; And to the Spirit, Three in One, To all eternity.

Within Thy courts my praise shall rise, O Saviour of the world, to Thee; And while I bow, will lift mine eyes, Unconquered Might, Thy face to see; At eve, at morn, at noon, alway, All blessing Lord, to Thee I’ll pay.

Here in Thy courts, O Lord, we bow, And soul and body worship give; Hear us, Thy faithful servants now, Eternal God in Whom we live; And Thou the Unbeginning Son, And Holy Spirit Three in One.

Why do we fade? Who Thine own image bear, Who life immortal share,— Why do we fade?

Why did we err? And leave the food of life, To eat the bread of strife,— Why did we err?

Why thus deceived? And robbed of life divine, That precious gift of Thine? Why thus deceived?

All human things decay, For all is vanity, The silver and the gold; The glory of the great, The wealth of high estate, None can for ever hold.

Death with his icy hand, Severs each earthly band, And bears us all away; Vain are our earthly dreams, Shadows our substance seems, And nothing lasts for aye.

Immortal Christ, we cry, O let our prayers come nigh Thy throne of heavenly grace; Rest him whose form we miss, Grant him in endless bliss A lasting dwelling place.

Thou, Lord, hast power to heal, And Thou wilt quickly aid, For Thou dost deeply feel The stripes upon us laid:— Thou Who wast wounded by the rod Uplifted in the hand of God.

Send speedy help, we pray, To him who ailing lies, That from his couch he may With thankful heart arise; Through Her, whose prayers availing find Thine ear, O Lover of mankind.

Oh, blinded are our eyes, And all are held in night; But like the blind who cries, We cry to Thee for light; In penitence, O Christ, we pray, Give us the radiant light of day.

The radiance of the brightness Of beauty shed by Thee, Descend on us who hymn Thy name, Sole ruling Trinity.

Victorious nature hymns Thee, Thou orb of triple ray; For Thou hast hallowed it through grace And borne its sin away.

In faith we laud the Father, The Spirit and the Son, One Nature, One Divinity, One God, yet Three in One.

To Thee our God be glory, O Holy Trinity, Both now, and while the ages run To all eternity.

Thy mighty word commanding, The heavens were settled high, And earth to Thee responding Was spread beneath the sky.

O God of power, Thy servants Would seek Thy power divine, That they their hearts to love Thee May evermore incline.

And gazing on the glory That shines in triple ray, Our souls shall feast with gladness On Thy sweet light alway.

And of Thy glory shining, And of Thy ruling light, From age to age Thy servants Shall hymn both day and night.

To Thee be lasting praises, Immortal Three in One,— Thou Father, Son, and Spirit,— Now, and while ages run.

The early dawn awakes, The morn triumphant breaks, See, see! the brightening sky, The Saviour from on high Is with us here.

And we who sat in night, Rejoicing see the Light; The shadows now are past, The Dayspring come at last And day is near.

For we have found the Truth; The Son of Virgin youth, The Saviour hath been born This glorious festal morn, And joys appear.

Before Thy Cross we take our place, With all our load of guilt, And plead forgiveness of Thy grace Because Thy blood was spilt.

For Thou, to free us from our foes, Didst bear that cruel Cross, And by its agony and woes Bring gain for all our loss.

Therefore we raise with one accord Our songs right thankfully, For joy and peace, O Christ our Lord, We owe in full to Thee.

O Christ, Who art the peerless Light, Come with Thy presence ever bright, And from the Father’s throne above Descend to hearts that own Thy love.

Thy Cross no shame to mortals brings; The world with joy its glory sings; And men, O Christ, before Thee bow— All hail! Thy Resurrection now.

Ah Thou, our Lord, the Shepherd good, Upon that Cross poured forth Thy blood, And with Thy last expiring breath Didst save Thy flock from endless death.

And death of all his power is shorn, And men to joy and peace are born, For from their sins’ oppressive sway Forgiveness bears their souls away.

Glory to Thee, O God, we bring, And to the Son, our Heavenly King, And to the Holy Ghost always, Now, and throughout the endless days.

All hail, life-bearing Cross, The trophy of the good, Thy bloom is fragrance on our way, Thy fruit our heavenly food.

Entrance to paradise, Strength of all faithful souls; The Church’s fortress when the foe His banner grim unrolls.

By thee the curse is gone, And death no terror brings; We cast his power beneath our feet, And rise to heavenly things.

O shield of our defence, And foe of all our foes; The glory of the saints of God, Their crown for all their woes.

Who follow Christ the Lord, Their beauty find in thee; Their harbour of salvation thou, Now and eternally.

Come, mortals, come behold! He hangs upon the tree, Who made the rolling sea The new formed earth uphold.

See! He is crowned with thorns, The King of angels great, Who in His high estate A glorious crown adorns.

Derided, see Him wear A robe of purple dye, Who robes the noon-day sky With clouds that float on air.

The Bridegroom of the Bride, The Son of Virgin born— With nails His hands are torn, With cruel spear His side.

O Christ the God, Who art our life, Thou from the sealèd tomb didst rise, And where Thy sad disciples mourned, Appeared to them with glad surprise.

Because Thy mercy, Lord, is great, And all Thy word to them is true, Come with its power even as of old, And every sinful soul renew.

All glory to the Father be, And to the Saviour, Christ the Son; All glory to the Holy Ghost, Now, and while endless ages run.

The Lord ascended into heaven That He might from above Send down the promised Paraclete On mission of His love.

And there the Father for His Son Had decked a glorious throne; And clouds, His chariots, bore Him up, That He might claim His own.

O strangest wonder e’er beheld, Since ages hoar began, The angels saw the highest place Given to a Son of Man.

“O all ye angels praise the Lord,” The Holy Spirit commands, “Lift up your gates, ye princes high, Ye nations, clap your hands.”

To God the Father throned on high, And to the Son be praise, And to the Spirit—Three in One, From age to age, always.

Blessed art Thou, O Christ, our God, Who to Thy followers gav’st The wisdom they have shed abroad By which the world Thou sav’st.

Thou gav’st to them the Holy Ghost As Thou hadst promise given, When came the day of Pentecost, As breath of God from heaven.

And now by them, Thy faithful few, The world Thou gatherest in,— As by the net those fishers drew,— From all the woes of sin.

To Thee, O Father, glory be, To Thee, O Christ, the Son, And to the Spirit, One in Three, While endless ages run.

O Mystery, hidden from the world Through all the ages past— Even to the angel hosts unknown— Is manifest at last; And thou, Theotokos, hast given Incarnate God, from highest heaven.

God in His fulness wears our flesh, And from our sin and loss Redeemed us by His pain and death Upon the awful Cross. Save us, through Him who cast away The bands of death, we humbly pray.

Even as thou said’st, O Christ, The Holy Spirit came, And now our hearts possess The knowledge of Thy name.

For Thou hast richly poured Thy Spirit on our race, To teach the Father’s will, And magnify Thy grace.

Forth from the Father, Thou Cam’st to our human needs, And from that Source of Life The Holy Ghost proceeds.

All glory to our God, And to the Christ, His Son, And to the Holy Ghost, Eternal Three in One.

Hail, full of grace, Virgin Theotokos, Harbour of all who on the billows toss; Refuge of those who helpless seek Thy grace, Hopeless and sin-stained of our fallen race.

From thee the Lord Incarnate came to free Those who are held in bands of misery. Hail! Virgin Mother, for alone thou art Blessèd for ever, by each human heart.

Say to the Christ that strife of sin should cease, That to this world should come the bliss of peace. Hail! full of grace, Virgin to thee be praise, Now and for ever through the endless days.

Tossed on the sea of life, And sick and sore distressed, I lift my cry to Thee, O Lord, Who giv’st the troubled rest.

There, where the waters yawn, And cruel monsters grin, My comrades sink to depths below, All in a sea of sin.

My earnest cry I raise, Hear Thou the prayer I make, And from the dark abyss of death My soul in mercy take.