The Cyber Hymnal ‎#4036

4036. Let There Be Light, Lord God of Hosts

1. Let there be light, Lord God of hosts,
Let there be wisdom on the earth;
Let broad humanity have birth,
Let there be deeds, instead of boasts.

2. Within our passioned hearts instill
The calm that endeth strain and strife;
Make us thy ministers of life;
Purge us from lusts that curse and kill.

3. Give us the peace of vision clear
To see our brothers’ good our own,
To joy and suffer not alone,
The love that casteth out all fear.

4. Let woe and waste of warfare cease,
That useful labor yet may build
Its homes with love and laughter filled;
God give thy wayward children peace.

Text Information

• First Line: Let there be light, Lord God of hosts
• Title: Let There Be Light, Lord God of Hosts
• Author: William M. Vories (1908)
• Meter: LM
• Language: English
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: William M. Vories: I wrote it in 1908, together with some verses about War. These I did in an ironical vein, and the hymn came as a reaction of relief. I have always been interested in hymnology, and am a strong believer in the power of hymns to affect the lives of people. I began a collection of hymnals when a high-school boy.

Tune Information

• Name: PENTECOST
• Composer: William Boyd (1864)
• Meter: LM
• Incipit: 33333 21433 33221
• Key: A♭ Major
• Source: First pub­lished in Thir­ty-two Hymn Tunes Com­posed by Mem­bers of the Un­i­ver­si­ty of Ox­ford, 1868
• Copyright: Public Domain