DOCTRINES >> SABBATH
SDAH 383
O day of rest and gladness,
O day of joy and light,
O balm of care and sadness,
Most beautiful, most bright,
This hymn appears in:
Get the hymn sheet in other keys here
For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: O Day of Rest and Gladness (MENDEBRAS)
The familiar words from SDAH 382 appear again here, this time set to MENDEBRAS, a graceful German melody arranged by Lowell Mason in 1839. Known for his influence on American church music, Mason paired this tune with “I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord” in his Modern Psalmist. The alternate setting offers a more flowing, contemplative feel, inviting worshippers to reflect deeply on the blessings of the Sabbath rest.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
For the words, see previous hymn SDAH 382.
MENDEBRAS is an arrangement by Lowell Mason (1792-1872; see Biographies) of a German melody. In his Modern Psalmist, 1839, is was with the text “I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord.”
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
O day of rest and gladness,
O day of joy and light,
O balm of care and sadness,
Most beautiful, most bright,
On thee the high and lowly
Before th’ eternal throne
Sing, “Holy, holy, holy,”
To the great Three in One.
2
Thou art a port protected
From storms that round us rise;
A garden intersected
With streams of paradise;
Thou art a cooling fountain
In life’s dry dreary sand;
From Thee, like Pisgah’s mountain,
We view our promised land.
3
A day of sweet reflection
Thou art, a day of love,
A day to raise affection
From earth to things above.
New graces ever gaining
From this our day of rest,
We seek the rest remaining
To mansions of the blest.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
See 382
Author
Christopher Wordsworth (1807-1885), alt.
Year Published
1862
Hymn Tune
MENDEBRAS
Metrical Number
7.6.7.6.D.
Arranged
Lowell Mason, 1839 (1792-1872)
Tune Source
German Melody
