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Author: Brian Wren Meter: 8.8.8.8.8.8 Appears in 2 hymnals Lyrics: 1 Not only acts of evil will, But bland routine and good intent, Can hurt and harass, starve and kill The outcast and the innocent. In such a world, and in God's name, We seek a gospel to proclaim. 2 Our normal, ordinary ways Of doing business, getting more, Entrap the poorest in a maze Of hunger, debt, disease, and war. In Christ we would make good our claim, And find a gospel to proclaim. 3 The heart that's given to the Lord Will pray and work to understand The ills that sabotage the good In trade and credit, wealth and land, And will not turn aside its aim, A smaller gospel to proclaim. 4 The beauty, bondage, joy and fear of every billionth being born are always in God’s eye and ear, as near as breath, as sharp as thorn, and we are born again to share that fierce, impassioned, healing care. 5 And so, in Christ, we drink our fill of daring, deep, determined love, and practice to unite the skill of wily snake and peaceful dove, as, loving earth in Jesus’ name, we live the gospel we proclaim. Topics: God's Care; Justice; Living Christ; Sharing Used With Tune: VATER UNSER

Tunes

Tune authorities

VATER UNSER

Meter: 8.8.8.8.8.8 Appears in 194 hymnals Composer and/or Arranger: Johann Sebastian Bach Tune Key: c minor Incipit: 55345 32155 47534 Used With Text: Not Only Acts of Evil Will

Instances

Published text-tune combinations (hymns) from specific hymnals

Not Only Acts of Evil Will

Author: Brian Wren Hymnal: Worship in the city #97 (2015) Lyrics: 1. Not only acts of evil will,but bland routine and good intentcan hurt and harass, starve and killthe outcast and the innocent.In such a world, and in God’s namewe seek a gospel to proclaim.2. Our normal, ordinary waysof doing business, getting more,entrap the poorest in a mazeof hunger, debt, disease, and war.In Christ we would make good our claimand find a gospel to proclaim.3. The heart that’s born again from Godwill pray and work to understandthe ills that sabotage the goodin trade and credit, wealth and land,and will not turn aside its aim,a smaller gospel to proclaim.4. The beauty, bondage, joy, and fearof every person ever bornare always in God’s eye and ear,as near as breath, as sharp as thorn,and we are born again to sharethat fierce, impassioned, healing care.5. And so, in Christ, we drink our fillof daring, deep, determined love,and practise to unite the skillof wily snake and peaceful dove,as, loving earth in Jesus’ name,we live the gospel to proclaim. Topics: Violence Poverty Languages: English

Not Only Acts of Evil Will

Author: Brian Wren Hymnal: Worship in Song #289 (1996) Meter: 8.8.8.8.8.8 Lyrics: 1 Not only acts of evil will, But bland routine and good intent, Can hurt and harass, starve and kill The outcast and the innocent. In such a world, and in God's name, We seek a gospel to proclaim. 2 Our normal, ordinary ways Of doing business, getting more, Entrap the poorest in a maze Of hunger, debt, disease, and war. In Christ we would make good our claim, And find a gospel to proclaim. 3 The heart that's given to the Lord Will pray and work to understand The ills that sabotage the good In trade and credit, wealth and land, And will not turn aside its aim, A smaller gospel to proclaim. 4 The beauty, bondage, joy and fear of every billionth being born are always in God’s eye and ear, as near as breath, as sharp as thorn, and we are born again to share that fierce, impassioned, healing care. 5 And so, in Christ, we drink our fill of daring, deep, determined love, and practice to unite the skill of wily snake and peaceful dove, as, loving earth in Jesus’ name, we live the gospel we proclaim. Topics: God's Care; Justice; Living Christ; Sharing Tune Title: VATER UNSER

People

Authors, composers, editors, etc.

Brian A. Wren

b. 1936 Person Name: Brian Wren Author of "Not Only Acts of Evil Will" in Worship in Song Brian Wren (b. Romford, Essex, England, 1936) is a major British figure in the revival of contemporary hymn writing. He studied French literature at New College and theology at Mansfield College in Oxford, England. Ordained in 1965, he was pastor of the Congregational Church (now United Reformed) in Hockley and Hawkwell, Essex, from 1965 to 1970. He worked for the British Council of Churches and several other organizations involved in fighting poverty and promoting peace and justice. This work resulted in his writing of Education for Justice (1977) and Patriotism and Peace (1983). With a ministry throughout the English-speaking world, Wren now resides in the United States where he is active as a freelance lecturer, preacher, and full-time hymn writer. His hymn texts are published in Faith Looking Forward (1983), Praising a Mystery (1986), Bring Many Names (1989), New Beginnings (1993), and Faith Renewed: 33 Hymns Reissued and Revised (1995), as well as in many modern hymnals. He has also produced What Language Shall I Borrow? (1989), a discussion guide to inclusive language in Christian worship. Bert Polman

Johann Sebastian Bach

1685 - 1750 Harmonizer of "VATER UNSER" in Worship in Song Johann Sebastian Bach was born at Eisenach into a musical family and in a town steeped in Reformation history, he received early musical training from his father and older brother, and elementary education in the classical school Luther had earlier attended. Throughout his life he made extraordinary efforts to learn from other musicians. At 15 he walked to Lüneburg to work as a chorister and study at the convent school of St. Michael. From there he walked 30 miles to Hamburg to hear Johann Reinken, and 60 miles to Celle to become familiar with French composition and performance traditions. Once he obtained a month's leave from his job to hear Buxtehude, but stayed nearly four months. He arranged compositions from Vivaldi and other Italian masters. His own compositions spanned almost every musical form then known (Opera was the notable exception). In his own time, Bach was highly regarded as organist and teacher, his compositions being circulated as models of contrapuntal technique. Four of his children achieved careers as composers; Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Chopin are only a few of the best known of the musicians that confessed a major debt to Bach's work in their own musical development. Mendelssohn began re-introducing Bach's music into the concert repertoire, where it has come to attract admiration and even veneration for its own sake. After 20 years of successful work in several posts, Bach became cantor of the Thomas-schule in Leipzig, and remained there for the remaining 27 years of his life, concentrating on church music for the Lutheran service: over 200 cantatas, four passion settings, a Mass, and hundreds of chorale settings, harmonizations, preludes, and arrangements. He edited the tunes for Schemelli's Musicalisches Gesangbuch, contributing 16 original tunes. His choral harmonizations remain a staple for studies of composition and harmony. Additional melodies from his works have been adapted as hymn tunes. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)