Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost
Christopher Wordsworth was a 19th century teacher and priest who wrote numerous works of history and sermons on almost every subject in which the interests of the church or classical literature were concerned. Of his many works, however, the only one which claims notice from the hymnologist’s point of view is The Holy Year: Hymns for Sundays, Holidays, and Other Occasions Throughout the Year. This collection contains hymns, not only for every season of the Church’s year, but also for every phase of that season, based on the Book of Common Prayer. Wordsworth looked upon hymns as a valuable means of stamping permanently upon the memory the great doctrines of the Christian church. In fact, he considered it the first duty of a hymn writer “to teach sound doctrine, and thus to save souls.”[1]
In his hymn collection The Holy Year we find the hymn Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost. Drawn from the apostle Paul’s teaching of the spiritual gift of love in 1 Corinthians 13, this hymn is a prayer that the giver of gifts, the Holy Spirit, would bestow on God’s people the gift of love.
Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost, taught by thee, we covet most
Of thy gifts at Pentecost, holy, heavenly love.
As in Paul’s day, so in ours, many Christians are caught up in that which is more visible or attracts more attention, like the gift of speaking in tongues. Paul makes it clear that having the gift of tongues without the corresponding gift of love makes the speaking in tongues just so much noise (1 Corinthians 13:1). Wordsworth points out how Paul described why love is the greatest and the indispensable spiritual gift.
Love is kind, and suffers long, love is meek, and thinks no wrong,
Love than death itself more strong; therefore give us love.
Even the proclamation of the Gospel will one day cease, but living out of the overflow of God’s love will endure forever.
Prophecy will fade away, melting in the light of day;
Love will ever with us stay; therefore give us love.
One day there will be no need for faith or hope, because the eternal and promised blessings we are hoping and believing for will be seen and experienced in the presence of our Savior.
Faith will vanish into sight; hope be emptied in delight;
Love in heaven will shine more bright; therefore give us love.
While we live our mortal life on earth, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV). For however long our time on earth shall last, we cling to faith, hope, and love, “. . . these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV).
Faith and hope and love we see joining hand in hand agree;
But the greatest of the three, and the best, is love.
And so, Wordsworth concludes this hymn with a prayer that the Source of love, the One who is love, would give to his people the gift of “holy, heavenly love.”
From the overshadowing of thy gold and silver wing
Shed on us, who to thee sing, holy, heavenly love.
From the choir of the Collegiate Church of St. Mary, Warwick, England comes this presentation of Christopher Wordsworth’s hymn.
Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost
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If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
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[1] https://hymnary.org/person/Wordsworth_Christopher
