Happy the Home

Heather Allington

Heather writes for Sunday Song Book on behalf of the The Salvation Army Oshawa. As a lifelong member of the Army, she has loved these familiar - and some less familiar - songs for many years, and enjoys researching and writing about their origins. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and retired elementary school teacher who likes trying her hand at watercolour painting and poetry writing.

Happy the home when God is there
And love fills every breast,
Where one their wish, and one their prayer,
And one their heavenly rest.

Happy the home where Jesus’ name
Is sweet to every ear,
Where children early lisp His fame
And parents hold Him dear.

Happy the home where prayer is heard
And praise is wont to rise,
Where parents love the sacred Word,
And live but for the skies.

Lord, let us in our homes agree
This blessèd peace to gain;
Unite our hearts in love to Thee,
And love to all will reign.

It may seem strange that included in our Song Book is a hymn by a member of the Unitarian church, since its beliefs about Jesus are quite different from those of the Salvation Army and other mainstream Christian churches. However, the ideas about God and home expressed here certainly coincide with ours and add to our thoughts as we celebrate Mother’s Day this week.

In 1812 Henry Ware graduated from Harvard University, which, at that time in history, was largely a Unitarian school. He became a Unitarian pastor in Boston, Massachusetts, before becoming a professor of pulpit eloquence and pastoral care in the Cambridge Theological School from 1830 to 1842. Henry also was the editor of the Christian Disciple for some time. He was a mentor to Ralph Waldo Emerson until their theological beliefs diverged, and each wrote or preached messages in opposition to the other’s views. In spite of much controversy in theological circles, Henry Ware clearly believed in the importance of harmony in individual homes, as the above song shows.