“Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain
Could give the guilty conscience peace or wash away the stain.
But Christ, the heavenly Lamb, takes all our sins away;
A sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they.
My faith would lay its hand on that dear head of Thine,
While, like a penitent, I stand, and there confess my sin.
My soul looks back to see the burdens thou didst bear
When hanging on the cursed tree; and know my guilt was there.
Believing, we rejoice to see the curse remove;
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice and sing his bleeding love.”
–Isaac Watts
This is the first Lenten hymn I am going to work on with the girls. I used to sing this to them as a lullaby. The tune I am familiar with (Leonard Payton’s) is very sweet and soothing, and remembering those sentimental moments makes me smile. We’ll start another, one we actually sing in church, in a few weeks.
Wow. Your girls are rock stars. All Henry will do is make a muscle whenever I get to the “they are weak but He is strong” part of Jesus loves me.
They are also 3 and 4.5, no comparison! They will probably learn the first two verses, since these ones are short, but generally only learn the first.
Lexi really only sings “I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb” and “Jesus I My Cross Have Taken” (as far as hymns go.) Kate can pick them up pretty well. She learned Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, Hark the Herald, O Come O Come Emmanuel and Away in a Manger during Advent and Christmas. They work on a hymn each month during children’s church so we try to sing them at home from time to time to help her really learn them.
Do you have a good place to get the tune for this hymn? It’s not one I’m real familiar with, and I’m SO not musically gifted.
i would like the tune, as well.
what other hymns will you teach during lent? i’m going to teach the girls some lenten hymns, but i need ideas.
I couldn’t find the tune online. Will email interested parties an mp3 of me, singing it. Yikes!
oh, thanks! we just learned the song together after dinner, listening to your sweet voice to learn the song. i wrote the music down, so maybe i can pass that on, if anyone wants it.
thanks again!
I do have the melody line on pdf, if anyone else needs it :)
Other Hymns (traditional):
O Lord Throughout These Forty Days
Create In Me a Clean Heart
From Depths of Woe I Raise to Thee
Nothing But the Blood of Jesus
(RUF/RMC):
Weary of Earth, Myself & Sin
God Be Merciful to Me
One of my favorites of Leonard’s tunes. :)