Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation

Christ is made the sure foundation,

Christ the head and cornerstone,

Chosen of the Lord and precious,

Binding all the Church in one;

Holy Zion’s help forever,

And her confidence alone.

To this temple, where we call Thee,

Come, O Lord of hosts, today!

With Thy wonted loving-kindness

Hear Thy people as they pray;

And Thy fullest benediction

Shed within its walls alway.

Here vouchsafe to all Thy servants

What they ask of Thee to gain:

What they gain from Thee forever

With the blessed to retain,

And hereafter in Thy glory

Evermore with Thee to reign.

Laud and honor to the Father,

Laud and honor to the Son,

Laud and honor to the Spirit,

Ever Three and ever One;

One in might, and One in glory,

While unending ages run.

LATIN HYMN (SEVENTH CENTURY)

Translated by John Mason Neale (1818–1866)

THIS HYMN IS DRAWN from a Latin meditation on the New Jerusalem. Some scholars think the original work may have been used as a dedication for a new church building. But in this translation, John Neale clearly identified the “temple” as the people of the church. This is where Christ lives, not in walls of stone, but in the hearts of people whose lives belong to Him.

Neale was a scholar in the Church of England. Though he had poor health, he ran churches, colleges, and charities. But his greatest contribution to the church was in hymnology. He unearthed a treasure trove of ancient Latin and Greek hymns, which he translated for church use. Many are widely sung today. In this way, Neale helped to “bind together” the church, new and old. Though his own body was a frail temple, he used it tirelessly to strengthen that other temple of God, the church.

You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. . . . As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

1 Peter 2:5-6