Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" is one of those great, sweeping hymns that immediately lifts the spirit of a congregation. Charles Wesley's text asks for the Holy Spirit to enter our troubled hearts and set them at liberty, making it an incredibly powerful prayer for renewal. When we sing this in the choir loft, especially to W. P. Rowlands' soaring tune "Blaenwern," you can feel the energy build with every phrase.

We often bring this out as an entrance or recessional hymn, particularly during seasons when the liturgy focuses on the Holy Spirit or the boundless compassion of Christ. The melody has a wonderful, steady march to it that supports the weight of the words. By the time we reach the final lines of the third verse, asking to "glory in thy perfect love," the harmonies naturally swell, encouraging the whole church to join in with full voice.

Rehearsing this piece is usually a joy because the voice parts flow so logically, but the real magic happens on Sunday morning. It is a hymn that asks God to fix His humble dwelling among us, and as the voices blend across the pews, it truly feels like that prayer is being answered right there in the Mass.