Songs and Hymns for Lent Part 2 Hymns and Confessions

What makes a song or hymn particularly Lenten? We probably all have our own ideas about the question. We may think of songs focused on the cross, or on walking with Jesus, or submission to God’s will and direction. We may be drawn to songs of sacrifice, or mission, or compassion, or transformation. All of these components, and many more, likely weave together in our sung contemplations, prayers, and encouragements.

Here is a list of some of our favorite hymns and other liturgical pieces we sing during Lent (but of course, they’re not limited to the Lenten season). These musical expressions help us to settle into Lent as a time of focus and reflection on the atoning and reconciling work of Christ, and encourage us in our journey as we walk with Christ on the way of the cross, seeking to be ever more like Him, increasingly formed into His image and filled with His heart and mind.

Category (Part 2): Hymns, Doxologies, and Songs of Confession
(Some of these are available in the Music Room.)

In alphabetical order, with snippets of each:
 

Hymns and Doxologies

Gloria Patri
    Cantor:
    Lord, open our lips, and our mouths shall proclaim your praise.
    All:
    Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
    As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever,
    Forever.  Amen, amen, amen.
    Copyright ©2009 Ellen Koehler. All Rights Reserved
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

Of the Father’s Love Begotten
    Christ, to Thee with God the Fa*-ther,
    And, O Holy Ghost*, to Thee,
    Hymn and chant and high thanksgiv*-ing,
    And unwearied prai*-ses be:
    Honor, glory, and domin*-ion,
    And eternal victory,
    Evermore and evermore*.
    A*-men.
    Text: Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, 5^th C.
    transl. by John M. Neale and Henry W. Baker
    Hymn tune: DIVINUM MYSTERIUM, Plainsong, 11^th century
    Arr: Copyright ©2013 Ellen Koehler.
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

Psalm 25
    Refrain (sung):
    To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
    O my God, in You I put my trust.
    Copyright ©2010 Ellen Koehler. All Rights Reserved
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
    Ye chosen seed of Israel's race,
    Ye ransomed from the fall:
    Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
    And crown Him Lord of all.
    Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
    And crown Him Lord of all.
    Words: Edward Perronet, 1779; last verse: John Rippon, 1787
    Hymn tune: CORONATION, Oliver Holden
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

Be Thou My Vision
    Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.
    Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
    Thou my best thought in the day and the night;
    Both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.
    Ancient Irish hymn text. Hymn tune: SLANE
    trans. Mary Byrne, 1905; versified by Eleanor Hull, 1912
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

Beneath the Cross of Jesus
    I take, O cross, thy shadow
    For my abiding place;
    I ask no other sunshine
    Than the sunshine of His face.
    Content to let the world go by,
    To know no gain or loss;
    My sinful self my only shame,
    My glory all the cross.
    Words: Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1868.
    Hymn tune: ST. CHRISTOPHER, Frederick C. Maker, 1881
 

Blessed Assurance
    Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
    O what a foretaste of glory divine!
    Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
    Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
    Words: Fanny Crosby, 1873.
    Hymn tune: ASSURANCE, Phoebe P. Knapp, 1873
 

Blest Are the Pure in Heart
    Lord, we Thy presence seek;
    May this our blessing be:
    Give us a pure and lowly heart,
    A temple meet for Thee.
    Words: John Keble (1819); Mitre Hymn Book (1836).
    Music: Ellen Koehler. Copyright ©2013 Ellen Koehler.
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

Christ Be Beside Me
    Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
    Christ be behind me, King of my heart.
    Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
    Christ be above me, never to part.
    Text: St. Patrick’s Breastplate; adapt. by James Quinn.
    Tune: BUNESSAN;  Public Domain
 

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
    Hitherto Thy love has blest me,
    Thou hast brought me to this place.
    And I know Thy hand will bring me
    Safely home by Thy good grace.
    Jesus sought me when a stranger,
    Wandering from the fold of God;
    He to rescue me from danger
    Bought me with His precious blood.
    Text: Robert Robinson, 1757
    Hymn tune: NETTLETON; traditional American melody,
    John Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, 1813
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

Fairest Lord Jesus
    Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
    O Thou of God, and man the Son;
    Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
    Thou my soul’s glory, joy, and crown.
    Anon. German hymn Münster Gesangbuch, 1677;
    transl. source unknown, vs 1-3; vs 4, Joseph A. Seiss.
    Music Schleische Volksleider, 1842
 

Grace Greater Than Our Sin
    Grace, grace, God’s grace,
    Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
    Grace, grace, God’s grace,
    Grace that is greater than all our sin.
    Words: Julia H. Johnston, 1911.
    Music: Daniel B. Towner, 1910
 

Great is Thy Faithfulness
    Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
    Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
    Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
    Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
    CCLI Song #18723 ©1923, 1951 Hope Publishing Company
    Text: Thomas O. Chisholm. Music: William M. Runyan
 

Here Is Love
    Of Your fullness You are pouring
    Your great pow’r and love anew,
    Without measure, full and boundless,
    Drawing out our hearts to You.
    You alone will be our glory,
    Nothing in the world we see.
    You have cleansed and sanctified us,
    You Yourself have set us free.
    William Rees (vs. 1-2); transl. from Welsh by William Edwards (1900)
    verses 3-4 attributed to William Williams; Tune: Robert Lowry, 1876
 

Holy, Holy, Holy
    Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
    Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
    Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
    Perfect in power, in love and purity.
    Words: Reginald Heber, 1826; Music: John B. Dykes, 1861
 

Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
    This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
    It keeps my dying faith alive;
    Which makes my soul in haste to be
    With Jesus Christ the apple tree.
    Words: from Divine Hymns or Spiritual Songs,
    compiled by Joshua Smith, New Hampshire, 1784.
    First published in London by “R. H.” in 1761.
    (The best known tune is by Elizabeth Poston (1905-1987), 1967,
     but there are other settings.)
 

Jesus, Lover of My Soul
    Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
    Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
    All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
    Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing.
    Words: Charles Wesley, Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1740.
    Hymn tune: Aberystwth (Parry). 1879
 

A Mighty Fortress is Our God
    A mighty fortress is our God,
    A bulwark never failing;
    Our helper He amid the flood
    Of mortal ills prevailing.
    Words and hymn tune: Martin Luther, 1529.
    Transl. from German to English  by Frederic H. Hedge, 1853
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

My Faith Looks Up to Thee
    My faith looks up to Thee,
    Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior divine.
    Now hear me while I pray;
    Take all my guilt away;
    O, let me from this day be wholly Thine.
    Text: Ray Palmer, 1830.
    Hymn tune: OLIVET (Mason), Lowell Mason, 1830
 

Near the Cross
    Jesus, keep me near the cross,
   There a precious fountain;
    Free to all, a healing stream
    Flows from Calvary’s mountain.
    Words: Fanny J. Crosby, 1869
    Hymn tune: W. Howard Doane
 

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus
    O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
    Love of every love the best;
    ‘Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
    ‘Tis a haven sweet of rest.
    O the deep, deep love of Jesus,
    ‘Tis a heav’n of heav’ns to me;
    And it lifts me up to glory,
    For it lifts me up to Thee.
    And it lifts me up to glory,
    For it lifts me up to Thee.
    Text: Samuel Trevor Francis, 1875.
    Hymn tune: Thomas J. Williams, Ebenezer, 1890
 

Open My Eyes That I May See
    Silently now I wait for Thee,
    Ready, my God, Thy will to see.
    Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.
    Text and music: Clara H. Scott, 1895
 

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
    Praise to the Lord,
    Who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
    Shelters thee under His wings,
    Yea, so gently sustaineth!
    Hast thou not seen how all thy longings have been
    Granted in what He ordaineth?
    Words: Joachim Neander, 1680; transl. by Catherine Winkworth, 1863.
    Hymn tune: Lobe den Herren, 1665
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

The Solid Rock
    My hope is built on nothing less
    Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
    I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
    But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
    On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
    All other ground is sinking sand.
    All other ground is sinking sand.
    Text: Edward Mote, c. 1834;
    Tune: William B. Bradbury, 1863
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
    Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
    Look full in His wonderful face.
    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
    In the light of His glory and grace.
    Text and music by Helen H. Lemmel, 1922
 

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
    Were the whole realm of nature mine,
    That were an offering far too small.
    Love so amazing, so divine,
    Demands my soul, my life, my all.
    Text: Isaac Watts, 1707. Music: Lowell Mason, 1824
 

Wondrous Love
    What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul?
    What wondrous love is this, O my soul?
    What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
    To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
    To bear the dreadful curse for my soul?
    American Folk Hymn; William Walker’s Southern Harmony, 1835
 

Songs of Confession

Agnus Dei
    O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
    Have mercy on us.
    O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
    Have mercy on us,
    Have mercy on us.
    Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy.
    (repeat)
    O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
    Grant us peace.
    O Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
    Grant us peace, grant us your peace.
    Copyright ©2011 Ellen Koehler. All Rights Reserved
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

Agnus Dei
    O Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world;
    Have mercy on us.
    O Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world;
    Have mercy on us.
    O Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world;
    Grant us peace, Grant us peace.
    ©2001 Arr. ICS, UBP. Setting Jim Hart
 

Agnus Dei
    Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
    Have mercy on us.
    Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
    Have mercy on us.
    Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
    Grant us peace.
    ©1997 Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.
    James MacMillan
 

Create In Me
    Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    And renew a right spirit within me.
    ©1984 Sparrow Records. Keith Green
 

Create in Me a Clean Heart
    Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, my God,
    And renew a right spirit within me.
    CCLI Song #96927 ©1982 Bases Loaded Music
    Brown Bannister
 

The Jesus Prayer
    Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
    Have mercy on me, a sinner.
    Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison.
    Kyrie eleison, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me.
    ©2002 Petaluma Music; Setting by David Baker
 

Kyrie Eleison
    Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
    Have mercy on me, a sinner.
    Kyrie eleison, Lord Jesus Christ.
    Kyrie eleison, have mercy on me, a sinner.
    Have mercy on me, a sinner.
    CCLI Song # 4091787 ©2003 Mail Train Music.  Phil Madeira
 

Lamb of God
    Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world;
    Have mercy on us.
    Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world;
    Grant us peace; grant us peace; grant us peace.
    CCLI Song #3204324 ©1989 Celebration. Betty Carr Pulkingham
 

May the Mind of Christ, My Savior
    May the mind of Christ, my Savior,
    Live in me from day to day,
    By His love and power controlling
    All I do and say.
    Words: Kate B. Wilkinson, 1912.
    Hymn tune: ST. LEONARDS, Arthur Barham-Gould, 1925
    Available in the Music Room. Click on title.
 

O Lord, Hear My Prayer
    O Lord hear my prayer,
    When I call answer me.
    Copyright ©1982 Ateliers et Presses de Taizé
    71250 Taizé, France
 

A Pure Heart
    A pure heart, that’s what I long for,
    A heart that follows hard after You.
    CCLI Song #452695 ©1992 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music
    Rusty Nelson
 

Purify My Heart
    Purify my heart,
    Touch me with Your cleansing fire;
    Take me to the cross,
    Your holiness is my desire.
    CCLI Song #1314323 ©1993 Maranatha Praise, Inc.
    Jeff Nelson
 

We Confess
    Almighty God, we confess our sin;
    What we have done, what we have left undone.
    We have not loved You with a whole heart.
    We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
    Have mercy, have mercy on us.
    CCLI Song #6476506 ©2013 Integrity Worship Music
    Glenn Packiam, Ian Morgan Cron

Image credit: Anonymous, Young Boy Singing, c. 1650.

Copyright ©2021 Ellen Koehler.  All Rights Reserved.