Heralds of Christ

406 Heralds of Christ

1 Heralds of Christ, who bear the King's commands,
   Immortal tidings in your mortal hands,
   Pass on and carry swift the news ye bring;
   Make straight, make straight the highway of the King.

2 Through desert ways, dark fen, and deep morass,
   Through jungles, sluggish seas, and mountain pass,
   Build ye the road, and falter not nor stay;
   Prepare across the earth the King's highway.

3 Lord, give us faith and strength the road to build,
   To see the promise of the day fulfilled,
   When war shall be no more and strife shall cease
   Upon the highway of the Prince of Peace.
                         Laura S. Copenhaver
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not a very popular hymn, only occurring in around fifty hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

3 Where once the crooked trail in darkness wound
   Let marching feet and joyous song resound,
   Where burn the fun'ral pyres and censers swing,
   Make straight, make straight the highways of the King.

</idle musing>