The choir of Lichfield Cathedral sings the lovely advent hymn "Lo! He comes with clouds descending". Words by Charles Wesley rewritten from the original text by John Cennick . Note the beautiful descant by the choristers during the last verse. All pictures are of Lichfield Cathedral.
Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for favoured sinners slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending,
Swell the triumph of His train:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Christ appears on earth to reign
Every eye shall now behold Him
Robed in dreadful majesty;
Those who set at naught and sold Him,
Pierced and nailed Him to the tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
Shall the true Messiah see.
Those dear tokens of His passion
Still His dazzling body bears;
Cause of endless exultation
To His ransomed worshipers;
With what rapture, with what rapture
Gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, amen; let all adore thee,
High on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory;
Claim the kingdoms for thine own:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Thou shalt reign, and thou alone.
Greetings from Wordwise Hymns. The hymn tune Helmsley (used by the Lichfield Choir) is certainly beautiful. But it seems to convey a restful, almost pastoral mood--unsuited to the dramatic action of the second coming of Christ as Matthew describes it (Matt. 24:29-31). Regent Square is s sturdy tune that, to my mind, is better suited to the text of the hymn.
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