HYMN VERSE:
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.

LEADER:
The Lord is our light and our salvation;

CONGREGATION:
whom shall we fear?

LEADER:
The Lord is the stronghold of our lives;

CONGREGATION:
of whom shall we be afraid?

LEADER:
Though enemies come,

CONGREGATION:
our hearts are steadfast.

LEADER:
Though wars break out,

CONGREGATION:
we are confidant.

HYMN VERSE:
I fear no foe with thee at hand to bless, ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

LEADER:
One thing we ask, one thing we seek,

CONGREGATION:
that we may live in your presence for all our days,

LEADER:
for all our days!

CONGREGATION:
Lord, to gaze upon your beauty.

LEADER:
to seek you in your temple,

CONGREGATION:
hide us in your shelter and set us high upon your rock.

HYMN VERSE:
I need thy presence every passing hour. What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like thyself my guide and strength can be? Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.

LEADER:
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!

CONGREGATION:
Wait for the Lord;

LEADER:
be strong and let your heart take courage;

CONGREGATION:
we will wait for the Lord!

Abide With Me
Words by Henry Francis Lyte (1847); Music by William H. Monk (1861)