Hymn of the Month: In the Beauty of Holiness

         The writer of this month’s song is Robin Mark, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he lives with his wife Jacqueline and children, Catherine, David, and James. From Mark’s website, relative to Days of Elijah,  comes the following: “Although raised a Methodist, I attended a lot of Brethren or Gospel Hall meetings as a small boy and somehow the theology of Old Testament stories being, either as themselves or by their actions, ‘types’ or ‘examples’ of Christ and the Church got stuck in my head.”

        He occasionally leads musical worship at his home church, Christian Fellowship Church (CFC) Strandtown; he is a partner in an acoustics company, F.R.Mark and Associates; and he has lectured in acoustics at Belfast’s Queen’s University. His biggest commitment seems to be his international ministry in song, including his recent tour of Canada, a virtually sold-out performance in the Grand Opera House in Belfast on February 16, 2013, and a U.S. tour coming up later in 2013.

        He is well known for such songs as Days of Elijah, All for Jesus, Revival, How Great Are You Lord and many others. He has published 13 albums, with sales of over two million worldwide. My personal favourite album is Revival in Belfast (1999), but the following song comes from Come Heal This Land (2001). The latter album “was recorded live at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Northern Ireland, said to be the site of St. Patrick's mission in the fifth century.” Listen to the song and you can’t help wanting to join Mark in bringing “all that we possess to lay at Your feet.”

In the beauty of holiness
We see You Son of righteousness
So we bring all that we possess
To lay at Your feet.
In the place where Your glory shines
Jesus lover of all mankind
You have drawn us
With love sublime
To make us complete.

So I pause at Your gates once more
As my heart and my spirit soar
And I wish I could love You more
My God and my King.

Is there tribute that I could bring
Was there ever a song to sing
That could ever express, my King
The work that You've done.
Could I ever conceive of this
All the depths and the heights
And breadth of the riches
I now possess because of Your love.

So I pause at Your gates once more
As my heart and my spirit soar
And I wish I could love You more
My God and my King.

 Words and music by Robin Mark

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