Like a Sea without a Shore / Maranatha Come Lord Jesus Come

This is a folk-style Advent hymn. It was written by English Roman-Catholic convert, physiotherapist, and later teacher and hymn-writer Estelle White (1925-2011).

It was first published in the 1976 20th Century Folk Hymnal Volume 3, and again in the 1977 Hymns Old and New - a Hymnal for the Irish Church.

Sheet music is currently available in

• Celebration Hymnal for Everyone (McCrimmond Publications), 
• Some editions of Hymns Old and New (Kevin Mayhew Ltd).   
• Used copies of 20th Century Folk Hymnal Volume 3 (sometimes available from Amazon.co.uk) 

The opening phrase, a simile to express the extent of God's love, was used in a poem "The Purple Heather" by Margaret Farrand (ref) in 1913 / 14.

Downloads

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Lead sheet (melody + guitar chords) - download from the link below the video

Examples

Small group with guitar-led band, professional recording:

Small group with keyboard:

Solo singer with light keyboard - excellent for learning the tune:

Instrumental - electronic music style:

Lyrics

The words of this hymn are copyright so cannot be reproduced in full here.   But they are currently available on this website.

The song has three verses, each with four lines, and a two-line chorus is repeated between each one. A rough outline is:

1  Like a sea without a shore, love divine ...

Chorus: Maranatha! ... Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

2  So that we could all be free ...

3  Death where is your victory? ...

See more ....

• Folk-style hymns
• Hymns for Advent 

KEEP IN CASE ORIGINAL IS REMOVED, BUT DO NOT DISPLAY Like a sea without a shore,
love divine is boundless.
Time is now and evermore,
and his love surrounds us.

CHORUS
Maranatha! Maranatha! Maranatha!
Come lord Jesus, come!

So that we could all be free,
He appeared among us,
Blest are those who have not seen,
Yet believe his promise.

All our visions all our dreams,
Are but ghostly shadows
of the Radiant clarity
waiting at life's close.

Death, where is your victory?
Death, where is your sting?
Closer than the air we breathe
Is our risen King.