There's a Wideness

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
Like the wideness of the sea;
There’s a kindness in God’s justice,
Which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner
There is grace enough for all
There is mercy for the lost ones
Who can turn and heed the call

But we make God’s love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify its strictness
With a zeal God will not own.
Forgive us, Lord.

For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of our mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more simple,
We should take Him at His word;
And our lives would be illumined
In the presence of our Lord.

But we make God’s love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify its strictness
With a zeal God will not own.
Forgive us, Lord. 

LINER NOTES

“Even though I'd sung this hymn many times throughout my childhood, the first time I heard Greg play this song in our living room, it was as though I was hearing these words for the first time. For me, this song serves as a reminder of God's broad unending mercy as well as a caution about deciding when and to whom God's love is extended. God's great love is available to all, and in that love we can find freedom. May we extend a simpler, wider, kinder grace to those we encounter as a reflection of this great love.” - Kristina

Greg – Guitar, Lead Vocals; Kristina – Harmony Vocals; Jackson - Bass; Justin Yoder – Cello

Text: Frederick W. Faber, 1854, ed. Gregory J. Yoder; Music: Gregory J. Yoder, 201