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132

Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days

Full Text

1 Lord, who throughout these forty days
for us did fast and pray,
teach us with you to mourn our sins
and close by you to stay.

2 As you with Satan did contend,
and did the victory win,
O give us strength in you to fight,
in you to conquer sin.

3 As you did hunger and did thirst,
so teach us, gracious Lord,
to die to self, and so to live
by your most holy Word.

4 And through these days of penitence,
and through your Passiontide,
forevermore, in life and death,
O Lord, with us abide.

5 Abide with us, that through this life
of doubts and hope and pain,
an Easter of unending joy
we may at last attain!

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Scripture References

Thematically related:

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Stanza 5 ends by speaking of an “Easter of unending joy,” stirring the hope and confidence expressed so beautifully in Our World Belongs to God, paragraphs 56-58.

132

Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days

Introductory/Framing Text

We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes.
This ancient sign speaks of the frailty and uncertainty of human life,
calls us to heartfelt repentance,
and urges us to place our hope in God alone.
Almighty God,
you have created us out of the dust of the earth.
May these ashes remind us of our mortality and penitence
and teach us again that only by your gracious gift
are we given everlasting life
through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
Amen.
[Worshipers are invited to come forward to receive the imposition of ashes. During the imposition,
suitable hymns or psalms may be sung, or worshipers may keep silence. A worship
leader marks the forehead of each person with the ashes, using the following words.]
Remember that you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.
—from Genesis 3:19, NRSV
[or]
Consider yourself dead to sin
and alive to God in Jesus Christ.
—from Romans 6:11, NRSV
After all who desire the imposition of ashes have received them, the following prayer may be said.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
 
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Call to Worship

Brothers and sisters in Christ,
every year at Easter,
during the time of the “Christian Passover,”
we celebrate our redemption
through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lent is a time to prepare for this celebration
and to practice with discipline daily repentance,
our daily dying and rising in union with Christ.
We begin this season
by acknowledging our need for repentance
and for the mercy and forgiveness
proclaimed in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Holy and loving God,
as we worship you today,
we long for your Spirit to both comfort and challenge us,
to help us become more holy and more loving.
In a world that does not understand repentance,
we pray for new understanding, humility, patience, and discipline
that will help us die to sin and live for Jesus. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Confession

During his whole life on earth,
but especially at the end,
Christ sustained
in body and soul
the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race.
In response to his sacrifice, let us confess our sins to God.
—based on Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 37
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
God of comfort and mercy,
you sent your prophets to proclaim,
“Make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.”
We confess we have not done as you asked;
instead, we have sinned in thoughts, words, and deeds
by what we have done and by what we have left undone.
[silent confession]
In your mercy, forgive us, O Lord;
help us to proclaim your message.
Equip us to walk more faithfully in the footsteps of Christ,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Most merciful God
whose Son, Jesus Christ, was tempted in every way, yet was without sin,
we confess before you our own sinfulness;
we have hungered after that which does not satisfy;
we have compromised with evil;
we have doubted your power to protect us.
Forgive our lack of faith; have mercy on our weakness.
Restore in us such trust and love that we may walk in your ways and delight in doing
your will. Amen.
[John Paarlberg in Reformed Worship 34:6]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Assurance

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
He was wounded for our transgressions
and bruised for our iniquities.
Upon him was the chastisement
that makes us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd
and gather the lambs in his arms.
—based on Isaiah 40:11; 53:4-5
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
During his whole life on earth,
but especially at the end,
Christ sustained
in body and soul
the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race.
This he did in order that,
by his suffering as the only atoning sacrifice,
he might deliver us, body and soul,
from eternal condemnation,
and gain for us God’s grace,
righteousness, and eternal life.
—Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 37
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Blessing/Benediction

May God, who by his power
raised from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ,
hold you in his love,
surround you with his presence,
give you grace for every need,
and present you whole and holy
in the day of Jesus Christ. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
May the Lord of all compassion
satisfy you in the morning with his steadfast love,
so that you may rejoice and be glad all your days.
May the favor of the Lord our God be upon you,
and may the work of your hands prosper. Amen.
—from Psalm 90:13-17
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Penitent and forgiven,
may you step forward from this hour
in the assurance that God is
ever old, ever new, always hidden, always present.
May you step forward now in the blessed assurance
that you can never step out of God’s abiding love. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
 
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two

Additional Prayers

The following is a guide for extemporaneous prayers for services that remember Jesus’ transfiguration.
The pattern provides a suggested text for the opening and closing of each part of
the prayer and calls for extemporaneous prayers of thanksgiving, petition, and intercession.
Jesus Christ,
glorified and risen Lord,
though you could have stayed on the mountain,
you chose to descend, knowing the agony that lay ahead to bring our salvation.
We thank you for your redemption, that can be seen even now in
creation . . .
the nations of the world . . .
world leaders . . .
our nation . . .
our community . . .
the church universal . . .
our church . . .
the life of . . .
our own lives . . .
Yet knowing that many in this world
are not willing to acknowledge you as God and Savior,
or are unable to pray,
we offer these prayers on their behalf:
for creation and its care . . .
for the nations of the world . . .
for our nation and its leaders . . .
for our community and those who govern . . .
for the church universal, its mission, and those who minister . . .
for this local congregation and its ministry . . .
for persons with particular needs . . .
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ,
our glorified and risen Lord. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
3 Lord, our God, you are full of compassion.
As we enter this season of Lent,
send your Spirit so that we may
grow more and more aware of our need for a Savior,
turn away from our sinful habits regularly and genuinely,
resist temptations great and small,
and remember with confidence
that our Lord Jesus conquered sin and death. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Covenant God of love and mercy,
we come to you at the beginning of these forty days,
remembering how Jesus fasted and prayed
for forty days in the wilderness.
We remember how he steadfastly set his face toward Jerusalem,
obedient in living and dying, even through death on a cross.
We too would walk these next forty days in humble obedience,
following our Savior, Jesus Christ,
in our everyday lives
at home, at work, and in your world.
Prepare us anew, we pray,
to keep our hearts and minds fixed on Jesus,
ready and willing from now on to live for him. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
6 Faithful and loving God,
as we walk this Lenten journey,
help us to choose the path of obedience and life.
Help us to see clearly the way ahead
and to be confident that your commands
are sweeter than honey, more valuable than gold. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
Maker of heaven and earth,
you are our help; we lift our eyes to you.
As we walk this Lenten journey,
you watch over our coming and our going
both now and forevermore.
You are our shade and our protection;
you keep us from all harm.
We ask that you strengthen and guide us
as we do your work in your world.
Convict us of our disobedience,
and enable us to obey your call in our lives.
Open our ears to the cry of the poor.
Teach us to seek and to do justice,
to stay in the path of understanding,
to pursue righteousness and love
in the strong name of your Son, our Savior. Amen.
—based on Psalm 121
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
 
3 God of all times and places,
as we leave this place of worship,
help us to know that there is no place we might go
that will separate us from you.
With this sure knowledge,
give us Spirit-inspired courage and imagination
to discern faithful ways of responding
to every person we will meet this week
and to every situation we will encounter.
May our Lenten vows of faithfulness
lead us to joyful obedience all week long. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
God of grace and glory,
in this season of repentance and hope:
Help us to turn away from evil and turn toward you.
We pray that your people everywhere
will receive the courage
to turn away from evil and turn toward you.
We pray for the leaders of the nations and all people,
that they may turn away from evil and turn toward you.
We pray for every ministry of our community,
that as we minister in your name,
we may turn away from evil and turn toward you.
We pray for each of us as we live among
neighbors, people whom you love:
help us to turn away from evil and turn toward you.
We pray that even now as we worship you,
your Holy Spirit will be at work,
teaching us how to turn away from evil and turn toward you.
[After a brief silence, the leader concludes:]
Lord Jesus Christ,
in this Lenten season,
we hear your call to repentance.
We pray for a generous outpouring of your Holy Spirit
to help us resist evil in all its forms
in our individual lives and institutions.
Help us turn toward you,
eager to receive the fullness of all you promise. Amen.
[The Worship Sourcebook]
— Worship Sourcebook Edition Two
132

Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days

Tune Information

Name
MORNING SONG
Key
f minor
Meter
8.6.8.6

Recordings

132

Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days

Hymn Story/Background

Marion J. Hatchett has traced this tune to John Logan’s Sixteen Tune Settings, 1812, where it is named “Consolation” and printed in a four-part setting. The next year it was included in Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second in a three-part setting without the alto. The tune, now usually named MORNING SONG, was included in numerous nineteenth century collections and is one of a very few early USA melodies to be included in recent British hymnals. 
 
United Methodist Hymnal Companion, Abingdon Press, 1993, p. 490
— United Methodist Hymnal Companion

Author Information

Claudia Frances Hernaman, (1838-1898), was born in Addlestone, Surrey, England, the daughter of an Anglican priest. Her husband was a minister and school inspector.  She took an av­id in­ter­est in child­ren’s re­li­gious ed­u­ca­tion, and some of her trans­la­tions of Latin hymns were spe­ci­fic­al­ly for child­ren. She composed more than 150 hymns, a great proportion of which are for children, and also some translations from the Latin. Her publications include: The Child’s Book of Praise; A Manual of Devotion in Simple Verse (1873), Christmas Carols for Children, (1884, 1885), and Hymns for the Seven Words from the Cross (1995).
— Hymnary.org

Composer Information

Elkanah Kelsey Dare (1782-1826) was born in New Jersey but moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania sometime before 1818.  He was a Methodist minister and very possibly the music editor for John Wyath’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second (1813), a shaped-note collection that includes more than a dozen of his tunes.  
— Emily Brink
David Ashley White (b. 1944) is a seventh-generation Texan, born in San Antonio, and he both studied and taught in Texas throughout his career.  He majored in oboe at Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, in composition for his Masters in Music at the University of Houston, and received a DMA from the University of Texas at Austin.  Since 1977 he has been on the faculty of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, teaching theory and composition.  White is a widely published composer of many types of compositions and has received many commissions.  Selah Publishing Co. published three collections of his hymns.  
— Emily Brink
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