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Download the 8:50 a.m. Service bulletin

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Bulletins are uploaded on the Friday before these Sunday services.

by Joshua L. Mazur, Director of Music 

Hymn 711: Seek Ye First 

Few hymns express the priorities of the Christian life as simply and memorably as "Seek Ye First." Written in 1972 by Karen Lafferty and paired with its familiar tune LAFFERTY, this beloved hymn is woven almost entirely from the words of Holy Scripture. Its enduring appeal lies not in poetic complexity, but in its direct invitation to place God above all else. 

The hymn begins with Christ's own command from the Sermon on the Mount. 

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, 

and his righteousness." 

Those words establish the theme of the entire hymn. The Christian life is not first about acquiring wealth, success, or security. It is about seeking the reign of God and trusting that everything else will find its proper place beneath His loving care. 

Each stanza continues this scriptural conversation. We are invited to ask, seek, and knock. We are reminded that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled. Throughout, the repeated "Alleluia" becomes the joyful response of God's people to His abundant promises. 

The tune is as unpretentious as the text itself. Its gentle melody is easily sung by young and old alike, allowing the words of Scripture to remain at the center. Sometimes the Church's greatest songs are not those of the greatest musical complexity, but those that quietly invite the whole congregation to sing God's Word together. 

This hymn speaks beautifully to this Sunday's appointed lessons. In the Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to a treasure hidden in a field and to a pearl of great price. In both parables, those who discover the Kingdom gladly surrender everything else in order to possess it. Jacob's years of labor for Rachel in Genesis remind us that what is truly precious is worth waiting and sacrificing for. St. Paul then offers one of Scripture's greatest assurances, declaring that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Together these lessons invite us to treasure Christ above every earthly possession, trusting that His Kingdom alone endures forever. 

That is precisely the invitation of this hymn. To seek God's Kingdom first is not to neglect the ordinary responsibilities of life. It is to allow every decision, every relationship, and every ambition to be ordered by the lordship of Christ. When He becomes our greatest treasure, everything else is seen in its proper light. 

As you sing this hymn on Sunday, notice how naturally its words become your own prayer. Christ is not asking us merely to admire His Kingdom from afar. He invites us to seek it with our whole hearts. 

As you sing, consider this question: 

What treasure am I seeking most, and does it lead me closer to the Kingdom of God?