Psalter Hymnal (Gray) ‎#278

278. Holy Spirit, Mighty God

Text Information

• First Line: Holy Spirit, mighty God
• Title: Holy Spirit, Mighty God
• Author: Calvin Seerveld (1983)
• Meter: 77 87
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1987
• Scripture:
  1 Corinthians 2:13
  ;
  1 Corinthians 2
• Topic: Comfort & Encouragement; Love: Our Love for Others; Preaching; Sickness & Health; Will of God; Word of God; Holy Spirit; Obedience; Sanctification; Wisdom
• Copyright: © Calvin Seerveld

Tune Information

• Name: LAUDS
• Composer: John Wilson (1967)
• Meter: 77 87
• Key: F Major
• Copyright: © 1979, Hope Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Used by permission

Text Information:

Scripture References:
all st. = 1 Cor. 2:13

Written by Calvin Seerveld (PHH 22) in 1983, "Holy Spirit, Mighty God" was first published in the 1987 Psalter Hymnal. The all unrhymed text is a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to help us hear the Word (st. 1), to move us to live the Christian life in deeds of love (st. 2), and to grant us the shalom of communion with God (st. 3). Each stanza ends with a request for wisdom.

Liturgical Use:
As a prayer for illumination; during Pentecost; whenever Christian worship focuses on obedience, comfort, wisdom, or other evidence of the Spirit's presence.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune Information:

Spritely and bright, LAUDS fits well with Seerveld's text. The melody features an effective tonal and rhythmic climax in the last phrase. Use light organ accompaniment to sing the tune in unison. Harmony singing works well too. Keep a dotted half note pu1se throughout. A descant by Wilson for this tune was also published in Hymns for Celebration and in the Agape (Hope Publishing Co.) Hymnal Supplement.

John W. Wilson (b. Bournville, Birmingham, England, 1905; d. Guildford, Surrey, England, 1992) composed LAUDS in 1967 to be published with James Montgomery's (PHH 72) text "Songs of Praise the Angels Sang" in the British Methodist supplemen¬tary hymnal Hymns and Songs (1969). The tune's name derives from the praise theme of that text. Ever since a 1972 hymn sing organized by the Royal School of Church Music, London, however, LAUDS has been associated with Brian A. Wren's (PHH 311) text "There's a Spirit in the Air." LAUDS was published with that text in the British collection Hymns for Celebration (1974). It was this latter combination that inspired Calvin Seerveld in 1983 to write another text about the Holy Spirit for this tune.

Wilson was a major force in the modern British "hymn explosion." After receiving an education in mathematics and physics at Cambridge University, he turned his attention to music and studied at the Royal College of Music in London. He was director of music at Charterhouse, a famous British school (1947-1965), and taught music at the Royal College of Music (1965-1980). Treasurer of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland from 1965 to 1990, he organized and directed the popular "Come and Sing" hymn festivals at Westminster Abbey. Wilson edited many British hymnals, including the Clarendon Hymn Book (1936) , Hymns for Church and School (1964), and, most extensively, the Methodist Hymns and Psalms (1983). In addition he contributed his editorial expertise to a number of hymnal supplements and his encouragement to various modern hymn authors and composers. His own tunes have been published in a variety of British and American hymnals. Wilson was honored as a Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada in 1985.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook