In the Cross of Christ I Glory (An Anthem for SATB Chorus, divisi, a cappella) was composed in February 2006 and is warmly dedicated to my mother-in-law, Eileen Welshimer, on the occasion of her 24 March 2006 birthday and in memory of my late father-in-law, Ralph Welshimer (both of Canton, Ohio). The text for the anthem is by Sir John Bowring (1792-1872), a member of the British Parliament, British Consul at Canton and later Governor of Hong Kong. Fluent in many languages and said to be able to speak approximately one-hundred of them, Bowring was a prolific writer on many subjects. Today he is mostly remembered for his hymns, which includes not only his beloved In the Cross of Christ I Glory, but also Watchman, Tell Us of the Night. Both were published in an 1825 collection of his hymns entitled, Bowring’s Hymns. In the Cross of Christ I Glory is based on Galatians 6:14, the same scripture that inspired Issac Watts’s well-known hymn,
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Duration : ca. 2 minutes
Dan Locklair
March 2006
Winston-Salem, NC
Text:
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o’ertake me,
Hopes deceive and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me:
Lo, it glows with peace and joy.
When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By thy cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
John Bowring, 1825