Continue in the Holy Word

Lyrics

Verse 1Continue in the holy Word,
The truth of Christ our risen Lord;
From childhood faith has heard His voice,
In Him alone our hearts rejoice.

Verse 2The Scriptures breathe the Word of God,
They lead us where the saints have trod;
Through them we learn salvation's way,
By grace through faith in Christ we stay.

Verse 3For teaching what is true and right,
For turning sinners from their night,
For training in the path of peace,
God's Word equips till labors cease.

Verse 4No human wit, no fleeting lore
Can save, or open heaven's door;
But Christ through Scripture speaks His grace,
And forms His people for their race.

Verse 5So keep us steadfast, Lord, we pray,
Your Word our guide by night and day;
Till face to face at last we see
The Word made flesh eternally.

Notes from Tom

This is the first song from Cantus Nua, the album that comes after I Am. The name is a mix of Latin and Irish and means "new song." Every song on it is new in at least one way: an old tune with new words, an old text with a new tune, or something new built with the flavor of the old Irish, Scottish, and American folk music I've been studying.

Continue in the Holy Word is a hymn text in the classic 8.8.8.8 meter, built on 2 Timothy 3:14–17. Paul is writing to a young pastor and telling him to stay with what he learned as a child, because "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." That's the whole song. Verse 1 is the command to continue. Verse 2 is why: the Scriptures make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ. Verse 3 walks through Paul's four uses of the Word. Verse 4 is the contrast with everything else that promises to save and can't. Verse 5 is the prayer, and it ends where every Kairos song is trying to end, with the Word made flesh.

A note on the music

This one starts small, a picked guitar with a cello underneath, and a single voice. It grows verse by verse. By the third verse the guitar is strumming hard and a second voice has joined in harmony, and it pulls back to a stop before the last verse begins alone again and the two voices meet on the final line.