Children of the Heavenly Father

Although Children of the Heavenly Father is
generally thought of as a funeral hymn, I remember
singing it in Sunday school as a child. I flnd both
the words and the simple tune comforting, perhaps
because of my paternal Swedish heritage. The
arrangement travels through several keys before
returning to E major with a nod to that most
consoling of composers, Brahms. Although the
melody is passed around from one part to another,
the partwriting is deliberately simple, with no
divisi except at the very end in the basses.

TEXT

Tryggare kan ingen vara
Än Guds lilla barnaskara,
Stjärnan ej på himlafästet,
Fågeln ej I kända nästet.

Herren sina trogna vårdar
Uti Sions Helga gårdar,
Öfver dem han sig förbarmar,
Bär dem uppå fadersarmar.

Gläd dig då, du lilla skara,
Jakobs Gud skall dig bevara.
För hans vilja måste alla
Fiender till jorden falla.

Ingen nöd och ingen lycka
Skall utur hans hand dem rycka
Ty han älskar sina vänner
Och de sinas nöd han känner.

Hvad had tar och hvad had gifver,
Samme fader han förblifver,
Och hans mål är blott det ena:
Barnets sanna väl allena.

Children of the heavenly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish,
From all evil things He spares them,
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Every foeman must surrender.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy