Psalter Hymnal (Gray) ‎#320

320. Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing

1 Lord, dismiss us with your blessing;
fill our hearts with joy and peace.
Let us each, your love possessing,
triumph in redeeming grace.
O direct us and protect us
traveling through this wilderness.

2 Thanks we give and adoration
for your gospel's joyful sound.
May the fruits of your salvation
in our hearts and lives abound.
Ever faithful, ever faithful
to your truth may we be found.

Text Information

• First Line: Lord, dismiss us with your blessing
• Title: Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing
• Author (attr.): John Fawcett (1773, alt.)
• Meter: 87 87 87
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1987
• Scripture:
  Numbers 6:24-26
  ;
  Luke 2:29-32
  ;
  Acts 20:32
  ;
  Acts 20
  ;
  Philippians 4:9
• Topic: Preaching; Close of Worship; Joy; Peace; Pilgrimage & Conflct; Thanksgiving & Gratitude; Victory

Tune Information

• Name: SICILIAN MARINERS
• Meter: 87 87 87
• Key: D Major
• Source: Sicilian melody, 18th century

Text Information:

Scripture References:
st. 1 = Num. 6:24, Luke 2:29, Acts 20:32

First published anonymously in A Supplement to the Shawbury Hymn Book (1773), this hymn text was attributed to John Fawcett (PHH 315) in the 1791 Harris hymnal A Collection of Psalms and Hymns. That hymnbook included three stanzas, but most modern hymnals print only stanzas 1 and 2. (Stanza 3 concerns parting at death.)

"Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing" is a prayer hymn to be used at the close of worship. It asks the Lord for a parting blessing (st. 1), praises the Lord for salvation, and asks for fruitfulness and obedience in our lives (st. 2).

Liturgical Use:
At the close of worship just prior to the benediction; or sing stanza 1 before and stanza 2 after the benediction.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook

Tune Information:

SICILIAN MARINERS is traditionally used for the Roman Catholic Marian hymn "O Sanctissima." According to tradition, Sicilian seamen ended each day on their ships by singing this hymn in unison. The tune probably traveled from Italy to Germany to England, where The European Magazine and London Review first published it in 1792. The tune was associated with the German Christmas carol "O du Frohliche, O du Selige." The tune also appears to have had an influence on the African American song “We Shall Overcome.”

SICILIAN MARINERS is a bar-form tune (AAB) with a florid soprano line and an active harmonization. Sing it either vigorously or reflectively; singing rather deliberately will increase the hymn's dignity. A traditional version of the tune includes dotted rhythms, which encourage a more meditative approach to singing.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook