Here’s
a twenty-first century version of the Phos
Hilaron—the earliest Christian hymn (outside of the Bible) which is still
in use today. Known as the
“Lamp-lighting hymn,” it was traditionally sung as the evening lamps were
lit.
This
version comes from the Brummhart Publishing website. For more information on the original Greek
texts, along with a variety of translations, click here.
Twenty-first
Century Phos Hilaron
O God, who is light in the darkness,
we pray for those among us who
in the night hours work their shifts,
or those who
labor in places where light is dim.
Be for them and for us protection in the dark.
O God, who is the bright morning star,
we pray
for those among us who grieve the loss of loved ones,
the
tarnishing of innocence,
the
failing of health,
the
flight of security.
Be for them and for us a sure defense and the
promise of a new day.
O God, who is sight to the blind,
we pray
for those among us whose eyes are clouded,
who are
blind in soul, mind, or body.
Be for them and for us both courage and sight.
O God, who is strength to the besieged,
we pray
for those among us who are beset by temptation,
those
who are in danger,
those
whose enemies are close and whose help seems far away.
Be for them and for us a present fortress
against our foes.
O God, who is salvation to the lost,
we pray
for those among us who have never found your way,
or
who, having found it, have strayed from your path.
Be for them and for us the beacon that guides
safely home.
O God who is comfort to the fearful,
we pray
for those among us who live in fear of threats real or imagined,
whose
lives are torn by war,
whose
thoughts are confused by mental illness,
whose
souls and bodies are ravaged by abuse.
Be for them and for us consolation and surety
against anxiety.
Give us wisdom, O God, to turn to you in times
of stress, fear, and grief,
in
times of blindness, temptation, danger, and perdition.
Grant us patience to wait for you,
and
courage to be strong in your might,
through
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
~ posted on
the Brummhart Publishing website. http://www.brummhartpublishing.com/
