DOCTRINES >> SABBATH
SDAH 394
Far from all care we hail the Sabbath morning;
O’er waving fields and from the distant sea
Swell notes of praise in harmony resounding
As all creation turns her heart to Thee.
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For Worship Leaders
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Hymn Spotlight: Far From All Care
Written by SDA physician Douglas Aufranc after a quiet Sabbath by the sea, this hymn captures the contrast between worldly stress and Sabbath peace. Each stanza draws us deeper into the joy, beauty, and worship of the sacred day. Rooted in personal experience and Adventist heritage, it invites us to leave the noise behind and rejoice in the gift of rest and reverence.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
Both words and music of this hymn were composed by Douglas Albert Raoul Aufranc (1892-1980), a Seventh-day Adventist physician and dentist. After a period of intense work and strain in the rush and bustle of the great city of London, he spent a short holiday at Pevensey Bay, between Hastings and Eastbourne on the Sussex coast in England. The peace of this quiet place, especially on the Sabbath day, contrasted vividly with the noise of the city, and the idea of the hymn had its roots there, although words and music were written after he returned to London. Notice the recurrence of the Sabbath theme in the third line of stanzas 2, 3, and 4.
Aufranc, of Swiss Huguenot descent, was a grandson of one of the first converts of John Nevins Andrews in Switzerland.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Far from all care we hail the Sabbath morning;
O’er waving fields and from the distant sea
Swell notes of praise in harmony resounding
As all creation turns her heart to Thee.
2
Though man alone, Lord, of Thy great creation
Fails now to laud Thee for Thy love and power,
Yet still a remnant love Thee and remember
Thy holy law and each sweet Sabbath hour.
3
Lord of the Sabbath, Savior and Creator,
Calm now the throbbings of each troubled breast.
Speak to our hearts the peace of Thy commandments,
Breathe on each soul fair Eden’s hallowed rest.
4
Strong in Thy might and quiet in Thy meekness,
May we Thine image bear from day to day.
Then may we enter pearly gates eternal
And sing redemption’s song each Sabbath day.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(b) Rev 12:17 (c) Mark 2:28; Isa 48:18 (d) Rev 22:14
Author
D.A.R. Aufranc (1892-1979)
Hymn Tune
PEVENSEY
Metrical Number
11.10.11.10.
Composer
D.A.R. Aufranc
Year Composed
1940
