Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find, In
deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea.
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

O Sabbath rest by Galilee,
O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with Thee
The silence of eternity,
Interpreted by love!

With that deep hush subduing all
Our words and works that drown
The tender whisper of Thy call,
As noiseless let Thy blessing fall
As fell Thy manna down.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm!

Of the thousands of hymns written throughout the ages are many by distinguished writers of poetry or prose. This week’s hymn is by a well-loved, 19th-century American writer and editor from New England. John Greenleaf Whittier. Though respected and admired for his poetic gifts, he was also an influential political activist. He was fervently involved in the anti-slavery movement and one of the founders of the Republican Party.

Throughout his life, Whittier remained in touch with his rural roots and maintained an empathy with the common man. He wrote almost 100 hymns reflecting his Quaker, Christian perspective. Perhaps his most popular is Dear Lord and Father of Mankind – The Hymn of the Week!