The Church by the Bridge - 100 Years of Good News
12th April 2024
Last Sunday we sang this wonderful Hymn, composed by Bessie Porter Head in 1920, and called ‘Spiritus Vitae’, or ‘Breath of Life’ in English. Bessie Porter Head was married to Albert Alfred Head who, apart from being a London Insurance Broker also – as an Anglican – seems to have been chairman of the Keswick Convention at the time.
When looking through an online search engine it is encouraging to see how most Christian Denominations mention in particular the hymn we sang last Sunday:
O Breath of life, come sweeping through us,
revive your church with life and pow'r;
O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us,
and fit your church to meet this hour.
O Wind of God, come bend us, break us,
till humbly we confess our need;
then in your tenderness remake us,
revive, restore, for this we plead.
O Breath of love, come breathe within us,
renewing thought and will and heart;
come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us,
revive your church in ev'ry part.
O Heart of Christ, once broken for us,
'tis there we find our strength and rest;
our broken, contrite hearts now solace,
and let your waiting church be blest.
Revive us, Lord! Is zeal abating
while harvest fields are vast and white?
Revive us, Lord, the world is waiting,
equip your church to spread the light.
It just seems to epitomise nature as we look out of the window and see everything abounding afresh and anew making our hearts sing with joy as see the wonderful diversity and beauty, warmth and light.
However it speaks of more than nature. In a very gentle way it has this prayer at its heart that is also so dear to us, that of renewal by the Holy Spirit sweeping through us and the land to water the land that is so parched and dry.
Revive us, Lord, we need you, the world is waiting, equip your church to spread the light!
Have a blessed week
Kai