I sing a song of the saints of God,
patient and brave and true,
who toiled and fought and lived and died
for the Lord they loved and knew. And one was a doctor, and one was a queen,
and one was a shepherdess on the green;
they were all of them saints of God, and I mean,
God helping, to be one too.
They loved their Lord so dear, so dear,
and his love made them strong;
and they followed the right for Jesus' sake
the whole of their good lives long. And one was a soldier, and one was a priest,
and one was slain by a fierce wild beast;
and there's not any reason, no, not the least,
why I shouldn't be one too.
They lived not only in ages past;
there are hundreds of thousands still.
The world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus' will.
You can meet them in school, on the street, in the store,
in church, by the sea, in the house next door;
they are saints of God, whether rich or poor,
and I mean to be one too.
"I Sing a Song of the Saints of God"
Text: Lesbia Scott
Music: John H. Hopkins, GRAND ISLE
You can listen to a congregational version on YouTube. in case you've forgotten what it sounds like!
Have you heard this hymn sung at Truro before? Probably on All Saint's Sunday, which would be this Sunday, November 4, 2012. All Saints Sunday is usually the Sunday after All Saints Day on November 1. (Thanks Wikipedia, for this info on All Saints)
I like this hymn, despite its slightly cheesy words! The melody is fun, and you know what - you can meet saints at all the places the hymn talks about! I think its especially fitting for a Baptism Sunday as we practice one of the sacraments that links us together as saints in heaven and on earth.
(Thanks again Wikipedia) I found this hymn also made the Anglican Desert Island Hymn list of 2003 .
And yes, one of my favorite memories will always be the staff chapel when our current youth ministry staff was first introduced to this piece. I think they were laughing so hard they were crying :)
