Anthem text
Except the Lord build the house,
they labor in vain that build it.
Happy are they that dwell in thy house,
they shall be always praising thee.
Happy are they that put their trust in thee,
they shall be always praising thee.
For a day in thy courts is better
than a thousand in my own room;
and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God
than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.
How lovely is thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
My soul hath a desire and longing to enter the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
Christ is made the sure foundation
Christ the head and cornerstone,
chosen of the Lord and precious,
binding all the church in one,
Holy Zion’s help forever,
and her confidence alone.
All that dedicated city,
dearly loved of God on high,
in exultant jubilation
pours perpetual melody:
God the One in Three adoring
in glad hymns eternally.
To this temple where we call thee,
come, O Lord of hosts, today:
with thy wonted lovingkindness,
hear thy people as they pray,
and thy fullest benediction
shed within its walls allway.
Here vouchsafe to all thy servants
what they ask to thee to gain,
what they gain from thee forever
with the blessed to retain,
and hereafter in thy glory
evermore with thee to reign.
Laud and honor to the Father,
laud and honor to the Son,
laud and honor to the Spirit,
ever three and ever one:
one in might and one in glory
while unending ages run!
-Psalm 127:1; para. of Psalm 84;
“Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation,” Latin hymn, tr. John Mason Neale, 1861.
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