Ecumenism
For His Friends Christ Jesus Prayed

(John 17/21)

Tune:  DIX  77.77.77

arr. William Henry Monk 1823-89

from a chorale by Conrad Kocher 1786-1872

 

1. For his friends Christ Jesus prayed

That they all might be as one

So the world might all believe         *

In the work Christ had begun.

But that hasn’t yet occurred

Nor is what is most preferred.

 

2. With great vigour we may sing

There’s one Church, one Faith, one Lord

But the ways things really are

Churches differ on the Word,

Birthing doctrines that compete

With the ways Christ leads their feet.

 

3. Dialogue with other faiths

Should avoid dogmatic claims,

That assert their faith is best

Based on truths that it contains.

Dialogue is two-way flow

That enables each to grow.

 

5. In a world of mix and match

All the faiths hold truth and dross

Each one needs its own reform

Choosing what is gain or loss.

But the truth that we now claim

May not set all hearts aflame.

 

6. If as mystics still proclaim

Life is bound together well

Every sage should honour find,

Sacred books still cast their spell

As each page of history

Is transformed by mystery.

 

*John 17/20-23

        Text © William Livingstone Wallace

 

Click Here for Sheet Music – For His Friends Christ Jesus Prayed

Click Here for MP3 – For His Friends Christ Jesus Prayed

Click Here for Full Index to William L. Wallace’s Series Hymns “Cosmic Mystery”

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William (Bill) Livingstone Wallace is a retired New Zealand Methodist Minister and one of our most prolific contributors. Bill says that his work springs from communicating with the fire in his gut and his observation of both the internal and external aspects of the Cosmos. Since an early age, he has been both sympathetic to and critical of the church, announcing at the age of 13 his belief in evolution. In his youth, he struggled with the disconnection between art and spirituality in his own and other denominations and with the way in which all of the liturgies prior to the sermon were regarded as preliminaries and longer sermons were viewed as superior to more concise ones.

He holds a B.A. in philosophy and a Dip. Ed. and is the author of nine published collections of his hymns as well as other resources on our website. His aim is to help people be empowered by the divine within them and the Cosmos and to work to overthrow the forces of personal and institutional greed which destroy both the ecosystem and human society.

Click Here for a Full Biography of William L. Wallace

Click here for a complete list of his work on ProgressiveChristianity.org