God be with Ye
God-be-with-ye
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles,
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
according to thy word;
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
To be a light to lighten the Gentiles,
and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Choir sang the Nunc dimittis to close our worship every Sunday morning in my growing up years. Always a capella, the same haunting Anglican Chant harmony. The tune, the harmony, their singing, is still and always part of me.
Another that will never leave is the close of Sunday worship at First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville my freshman year at Florida. We always sang “God be with you till we meet again.”
- God be with you till we meet again,
By His counsels guide, uphold you,
With His sheep securely fold you,
God be with you till we meet again.
- Refrain:
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
- God be with you till we meet again,
’Neath His wings securely hide you,
Daily manna still provide you,
God be with you till we meet again.
- God be with you till we meet again,
When life’s perils thick confound you,
Put His arms unfailing round you,
God be with you till we meet again.
- God be with you till we meet again,
Keep love’s banner floating o’er you,
Smite death’s threat’ning wave before you,
God be with you till we meet again.
Lots of congregations sing that as their amen song when they leave each other on a Sunday morning. Sentimental or not, it signifies life’s uncertainty. We sang it at Trinity, Apalachicola the Sunday morning our local national guard unit was to leave for Desert Storm. Oddly, coincidentally, their vehicles rolled by right outside the church windows even as we sang.
Brightman and Bocelli ...
Time to say goodbye.
Paesi che non ho mai
veduto e vissuto con te,
adesso sì li vivrò.
Con te partirò
su navi per mari
che, io lo so,
no, no, non esistono più,
it's time to say goodbye.
Time to say goodbye. Places that I've never seen or experienced with you Now I shall, I'll sail with you upon ships across the seas, seas that exist no more, it's time to say goodbye.
Goodbyes need to be said. Or sung. Whispered, murmured, prayed. Our closing prayers at campfire every 1940s and 1950s summer evening at Camp Weed are Anglican classics still and always. One is said to date from the fifth century, the second from John Henry Newman, an Anglican priest before becoming a Roman cardinal.
Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night, for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in thy mercy grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last.
With his sheep securely fold you. Put his arms unfailing round you. Smite death’s threatening wave before you. God be with you till we meet again.
In heart and mind this early morning, someone who is closer than a friend.
Tom+