There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
like the wideness of the sea;
there’s a kindness in God’s justice
which is more than liberty.
Frederick Faber, the author of this hymn text, was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1814. He was raised Anglican, and after his education at Oxford, took Holy Orders in the Church of England in 1839. Influenced by John Henry Newman, the father of the campus ministry movement, Faber was received into the Roman Catholic Church and served at parishes in London. Determined to bring the Anglican hymn tradition to the Catholic Church, Faber began writing hymn texts for his parishes. Faber’s hymn text, There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy, speaks to the mercy and kindness and love of God.
The tune accompanying this text in our hymnal Evangelical Lutheran Worship is LORD, REVIVE US, an early American folk tune, first used with the text “Savior, Visit Thy Plantation”, written by John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace.
