Psalm 63

Psalm 63 (New Living Translation)

1 O God, you are my God;
    I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
    my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
    where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in your sanctuary
    and gazed upon your power and glory.
3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
    how I praise you!
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
5 You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
    I will praise you with songs of joy.
6 I lie awake thinking of you,
    meditating on you through the night.
7 Because you are my helper,
    I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
    your strong right hand holds me securely.
9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.
    They will go down into the depths of the earth.
10 They will die by the sword
    and become the food of jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God.
    All who swear to tell the truth will praise him,
    while liars will be silenced.

Calvary's Anthem

HEAVENLY FATHER,

Thou hast led me singing to the cross


      where I fling down all my burdens


        and see them vanish,


  where my mountains of guilt are levelled


    to a plain,


  where my sins disappear, though they are


    the greatest that exist,


  and are more in number than the grains


    of fine sand;




For there is power in the blood of Calvary


  to destroy sins more than can be counted


    even by one from the choir of heaven.


Thou hast given me a hill-side spring


  that washes clear and white,


    and I go as a sinner to its waters,


      bathing without hindrance


        in its crystal streams.


At the cross there is free forgiveness


    for poor and meek ones,


  and ample blessings that last for ever;


The blood of the Lamb is like a great river


    of infinite grace


  with never any diminishing of its fullness


  as thirsty ones without number drink of it.




O Lord, for ever will thy free forgiveness live


  that was gained on the mount of blood;


In the midst of a world of pain


  it is a subject for praise in every place,


    a song on earth, an anthem in heaven,


      its love and virtue knowing no end.


I have a longing for the world above


  where multitudes sing the great song,


  for my soul was never created to love


    the dust of earth.


Though here my spiritual state is frail and poor,


  I shall go on singing Calvary’s anthem.


May I always know


  that a clean heart full of goodness


    is more beautiful than the lily,


  that only a clean heart can sing by night


    and by day,


  that such a heart is mine when I abide


    at Calvary.

excerpt from The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett, p 314-315

Easter Day Prayer

Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.




From the Book of Common Prayer

Holy Saturday Prayer

Father,
Creator of heaven and earth,
Grant that as your son Jesus lay dead in the tomb,
on this holy Sabbath,
That we may wait along with him,
and the holy apostles
and blessed Virgin Mary,
for his glorious resurrection,
on Easter morning.
And, that along with all the saints,
grant us the grace
to boldly celebrate
his conquering of sin and death. Amen




By David Bennett, The ChurchYear.net Prayer Book

Freedom

O HOLY FATHER, thou hast freely given thy Son,
O DIVINE SON, thou hast freely paid my debt,
O ETERNAL SPIRIT, thou hast freely bid me come,
O TRIUNE GOD, thou dost freely grace me with
salvation.

Prayers and tears could not suffice to pardon
      my sins,
  nor anything less than atoning blood,
  but my believing is my receiving,
  for a thankful acceptance is no paying of the debt.
What didst thou see in me?
  that I a poor, diseased, despised sinner
    should be clothed in thy bright glory?
  that a creeping worm
    should be advanced to this high state?
  that one lately groaning, weeping, dying,
    should be as full of joy as my heart can hold?
  that a being of dust and darkness
    should be taken like Mordecai from captivity,
      and set next to the king?
    should be lifted like Daniel from a den
      and be made ruler of princes and provinces?
Who can fathom immeasurable love?
As far as the rational soul exceeds the senses,
  so does the spirit exceed the rational in its
    knowledge of thee.
Thou hast given me understanding to compass
    the earth,
  measure the sun, moon, stars, universe,
  but above all to know thee, the only true God.
I marvel that the finite can know the Infinite,
  here a little, afterwards in full-orbed truth;
Now I know but a small portion of what
    I shall know,
  here in part, there in perfection,
  here a glimpse, there a glory.
To enjoy thee is life eternal,
  and to enjoy is to know.
Keep me in the freedom of experiencing
  thy salvation continually.




from Valley of Vision, by Arthur Bennett, p. 100-101