NeuroDivine

Saints | St James the Brother of our Lord | 23 October

From mother's womb God called his name,
Saint James, in days of old;
A beacon by the western sea,
A witness firm and bold.

2.
Like hazels by the river's edge,
Whose roots drink living grace,
He stood where wisdom, faith and love
Found shelter, strength and place.

3.
When voices rose in sharp dispute
And paths seemed hard to trace,
He sought the Spirit's wiser way
And led with patient grace.

4.
The circling knot of grace and truth
He held with careful hand;
That strangers too might find a home
Within God's holy land.

5.
Not birth nor blood alone define
The family of God;
But all who hear and do God's will
Walk one baptismal road.

6.
Through bog and hill, through wind and rain,
Where curlews wheel and cry,
Christ gathers folk from every shore
Beneath His open sky.

7.
Lord, plant us by the living streams
Where James once walked in faith;
May justice, mercy, love shine forth
Till dawn fulfils your dream.

Hymn information

First line: From mother’s womb God called his name
Text: Michael McFarland Campbell
Metre: CM
Tune: St James
Scripture: Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 1; Acts 15:12-22; and Mark 3:31-35
NDH-0359

© Michael McFarland Campbell. 2026.
Permission granted for local church or parish use with attribution. Not for commercial reproduction.