Eternal light, shine in my heart

Eternal light, shine in my heart. Christopher Martin Idle* (1938- ). First published in HFTC (1982), this hymn was written in 1977. It is based on a prayer of Alcuin of York*, the English scholar who became Abbot of Tours in 796. His prayer can be found in Daily Prayer (ed. Eric Milner-White and George Wallace Briggs*, 1941). Stanza 3 line 1 contains a phrase of Dietrich Bonhoeffer*, ‘costly grace’ (opposed to ‘cheap grace’). The hymn is found in British books, such as A&MCP, A&MRW, and Praise! (2000), and in H82, where it is set to the Lutheran tune ACH BLEIB BEI UNS and to a tune by the American composer, Jane Manton Marshall*, called JACOB. It is also found in ICH5 , set to...