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This is part of Songs in the Desert, a collaborative audio project designed to explore the words and music of Christian hymnody and our responses to them.

Listen:

Ep 7 - "Here is love, vast as the ocean" (mp3)

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Today's episode comes from Matthew Mazzoni, Music Director at Central Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, Mo.

Matthew recorded himself by using the voice memo app on his smartphone. (Hint: you can do this too!)

The thing about this hymn, as Matthew says in the episode, is that "it's probably not in your hymnal."

1 Here is love, vast as the ocean,
loving kindness as the flood,
when the Prince of Life, our ransom,
shed for us his precious blood.
Who his love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing his praise?
He can never be forgotten
throughout heaven's eternal days.

2 On the mount of crucifixion
fountains opened deep and wide;
through the floodgates of God's mercy
flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
poured incessant from above,
and heaven's peace and perfect justice
kissed a guilty world in love.

William Rees (1802–1883)

Explore "Here is love, vast as the ocean" a bit more at hymnary.org, and do note the "appearance of this hymn in hymnals" chart(!).

Music in this episode was performed by Matthew Mazzoni.

Additional music used is "Reflections" by Lee Rosevere, distributed under a Creative Commons license.

Songs in the Desert began during the season of Lent 2017. You can read more about the project and learn how to submit your own reflection about any hymn you want at the Songs in the Desert homepage. Submissions are still being accepted!

Hymn numbers refer to the Episcopal Hymnal 1982.

Thank you for listening.

Labels: Songs in the Desert