The Church’s One Foundation
Text: S. J. Stone (1866)
Tune: AURELIA, Samuel Wesley (1864)
Musical notation (PDF)
The church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the Word:
from heav’n 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 ev’ry 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 ev’ry grace endued.
Though with a scornful wonder
the world sees her 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 forevermore;
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blest,
and the great church victorious
shall be the church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
with the 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,
May live eternally.
Numbers 6:24-26
The LORD bless you and keep you.
The LORD make his face to shine on you
and be gracious to you.
The LORD lift up his countenance upon you
and give you peace.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen!
Allabreve in D Major BWV 589
Johann Sebastian Bach (1765-1850)
Ruth Pfister, organ