O Christ the Same (through all our story's pages)

This is a hymn of thanks for Christ's eternal nature. 

It was written by English Anglican bishop and hymn-writer Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926-2024), and first published in the USA by Hope Publishing in 1984.

With meter 11 10 11 10 D, tunes it has been set to include

• LONDONDERRY AIR: This is the most commonly used tune, best known as the tune of "Danny Boy". The original composer is unknown.
• RED HILL ROAD by American Lutheran composer Carl F. Schalk (b. 1929)
• SALVATOR MUNDI by Kenneth Coates (b 1917)
• An unnamed tune by Roger Jones

Downloads

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Downloadable choir arrangement with organ, by Ephrem Feeley

Examples

High school choir - choral arrangement:

Choir with organ, tune LONDONDERRY AIR - professional recording

Congregation with piano, recorded live in a church-service:

Cantor with backing track:

Choir with band - tune RED HILL ROAD

Choir with organ, tune RED HILL ROAD

Instrumental - piano with words on-screen:

Lyrics

The lyrics are copyright so cannot be reproduced here. But they are currently available on this website - although this is restricted to residents of the USA and Canada. A rough outline is:

1 O Christ the same, through all our story's pages ...

2 O Christ the same, the friend of sinners sharing ...

3 O Christ the same, secure within whose keeping ...

See more ...

• Hymns about Christ
• Hymns of thanks

KEEP IN CASE ORIGINAL IS REMOVED, BUT DO NOT DISPLAY
O Christ the same, through all our story's pages,
our loves and hopes, our failures and our fears;
eternal Lord, the King of all the ages,
unchanging still, amid the passing years:
O living Word, the source of all creation;
who spread the skies, and set the stars ablaze;
O Christ the same, who wrought our whole salvation,
we bring our thanks for all our yesterdays.

O Christ the same, the friend of sinners, sharing
our inmost thoughts, the secrets none can hide,
still as of old upon your body bearing
the marks of love, in triumph glorified:
O Son of Man, who stooped for us from heaven,
O Prince of life, in all your saving power,
O Christ the same, to whom our hearts are given,
we bring our thanks for this the present hour.

O Christ the same, secure within whose keeping
our lives and loves, our days and years remain,
our work and rest, our waking and our sleeping,
our calm and storm, our pleasure and our pain:
O Lord of love, for all our joys and sorrows,
for all our hopes, when earth shall fade and flee,
O Christ the same, beyond our brief tomorrows,
we bring our thanks for all that is to be.