Music in the service of the church in the service of the world
Alleluia, alleluia; Boundless in joy
1. Alleluia, alleluia;
Boundless in joy with one accord
Choirs and congregations all,
Daily rejoicing, praise the Lord.
Ever before us is his might
Filling our senses with delight.
2. Glory and grandeur mark his deeds:
His righteousness forever stands.
Imprinted on our minds, we see
Justice and peace flow from his hands,
Keeping his covenant that he
Lavished on us so graciously.
3. Manifest are his mighty acts,
Nations are his to predispose.
Ordered and faithful are his paths,
Perfect the precepts he bestows.
Questionless is his word, and sure:
Righteousness his for evermore.
4. Saving redemption he provides;
Timeless, his covenant endures.
Unendingly his love abides,
Vouchsafing all his grace assures.
Wisdom begins in awe of God:
eXtol the honour of the Lord.
Coda
You are our God! We evermore
Zealously sing: alleluia.
A paraphrase of Psalm 111.
The Hebrew text is alphabetic acrostic, 22 lines,
reflecting a complete, all-encompassing trust.
That same "A to Z" principle is conserved in this
close paraphrase into our alphabet of 26 letters.
(Alas, a viable X-word is a stretch too far.)