O Father of the Found and Freed

WORDS: Ryan Cornett, 2025

MUSIC: Arr. from George Frideric Handel

TUNE: BRADFORD (C.M.)

O Father of the found and freed,

Thy hand lifts up the least;

Thou callest strangers to Thy courts,

And paupers to Thy feast.

(1 Peter 2:9, Luke 14:21, 1 Corinthians 1:28, Psalm 113:7-8, Ephesians 2:12-13)

The orphan hears a Father’s voice,

A song of welcoming;

The wayward one, brought home, is made

A child of the King.

(Romans 8:15-16, Zephaniah 3:17, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 15:20-24, 1 John 3:1)

A wild shoot from a withered root

Is joined to holy stock;

The sheep once lost is sought and claimed

For the Good Shepherd's flock.

(John 15:5, Romans 11:17, Ezekiel 34:11-16, Luke 15:4-6, Psalm 1:3)

Thus grows Thy great and blessed house,

From many tribes, one blood;

A kindred from all lands and years,

The family of God.

(Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Corinthians 10:17, Revelation 7:9, Galatians 3:28, John 1:12-13)

Behold what names are on Thy scroll

In ink no time can fade!

What heirs of everlasting grace,

In royal robes arrayed!

(Isaiah 49:16, Luke 10:20, Romans 8:17, Revelation 3:5, Isaiah 61:10)

About the Hymn

I wanted to write a hymn based on the doctrine of adoption for years, and after many attempts I saw this one all the way through. I wanted to express how Scripture describes our grafting, gathering, and clothing not only as individuals, but as one family of God from every land and time.

The title line, "O Father of the Found and Freed," became the foundation for the tone of the hymn: reverent, grateful, and communal. I chose to set the text to BRADFORD for its hopeful and exuberant melody.