Website of the Week

Sunday, 15th September

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and 15th Sunday after Trinity (Creationtide)

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Faced with tuberculosis and the knowledge of his impending death, 54-year-old Henry Francis Lyte used his time of illness as an opportunity to write one of the most beautiful and best-loved of all hymns, “Abide with Me”. Not surprisingly, it has become a popular choice for funerals. The fact that Lyte was so close to death’s door makes this reflection on mortality and his personal relationship with God all the more powerful.
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However,  the song appeals not only to those nearing the end of their days, but also to mourners who are facing the end of life with their loved one’s presence. Even as “the darkness deepens,” God answers the heartfelt request he remain near.

Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, Ooh
Oh! hush thee, my baby
The night is behind us
And black are the waters that sparkled so green
The moon, o'er the combers
Looks downward to find us
At rest in the hollows that rustle between
Where billow meets billow
There soft be thy pillow
Ah, weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee
Nor shark overtake thee
Asleep in the arms of the slow-swinging seas
Asleep in the arms
Of the slow-swinging seas
​​Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, Ooh