This morning, my prayer book called for the hymn Eternal Father, through your Word. It was written in 1543. I wondered how to sing it. Here is the text:
Eternal Father, through your Word
You gave new life to Adam's race,
Transformed them into sons of light,
New creatures by your saving grace.
To you who stooped to sinful man
We render homage and all praise:
To Father, Son and Spirit blest
Whose gift to man is endless days.
None of my hymnals contained the hymn. So I googled it. I never did find it, but I found a similar hymn that brought me to tears. This is the hymn that the orchestra on the Titanic played while the ship was sinking. They played this hymn in an effort to keep people from panicking. Imagine them playing this knowing they were doomed.
