Of the Father's Love Begotten

For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son. John 3:16

One of my favorite hymns is “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”. The words were originally a poem written in Latin by Aurelius Pruditius in the 5^th Century and later was translated to English and set to music using a hauntingly beautiful plainsong from the 13^th Century. Singing this hymn in my hometown church each Christmas as I was growing up gave me a sense of awe and wonder. The free flow of the melody, with its stepwise progression up and down, gives the feeling of the Holy Spirit moving gently among God’s people and the text reminds us of God’s presence in all times and in all places, from the beginning of the world to eternal victory.

        Of the Father's love begotten, ere the worlds began to be,
        He is Alpha and Omega, He the Source, the Ending He.
        Of the things that are, that have been and that future years shall see,
        Evermore and evermore.

        Oh, that birth forever blessed, when the Virgin, full of grace,
        By the Holy Ghost conceiving, bare the Savior of our race,
        And the Babe, the world's Redeemer, first revealed His sacred face,
        Evermore and evermore.

        O ye heights of heaven, adore Him; angel hosts, His praises sing;
        Powers, dominions, bow before Him, and extol our God and King.
        Let no tongue on earth be silent, every voice in concert ring,
        Evermore and evermore.

       Christ, to Thee, with God the Father, and, O Holy Ghost, to Thee
       Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving and unending praises be,
       Honor, glory, and dominion, and eternal victory,
       Evermore and evermore.

Prayer: Dear Lord:  We thank you for the gift of music and for the way You inspire words and musical notes in such a special way as to give us a sense of your presence ….. evermore and evermore. Amen

Patty Niemann (reprinted from 2009)