2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14
Elijah taken up by a chariot, Elisha’s devotion and inheritance of the Spirit of God
Litury for the whole church p140 and p142 Elijah passes his mantle (Bock) A dramatic reading for three readers and a skit for two people with a narrator based on this reading.
AoV2-061 / ATE 249 As a dream receive your hist'ry (Tanner) A big favourite by a South Australian guy. There are actions too! I think this would work well with this reading if you think about the inheritance that we also receive from our forerunners in the faith. Lyrics here.
New Brunswick UC songs In Spirit we rise (Anderson) It would be great to sing this song about God's spirit working in and through us and good to do it again soon before the congregation forgets it. Sorry, this isn't available yet online or in a songbook.
TiS 711 / ATOK 334 / Iona (M&G) / VU383 / SFFS 2124 / G(II)330 Come O Holy Spirit / Wa Wa Wa Emimimo (Nigeria) This song is just fun. And very easy. Please try to sing it in its original language (Yoruba), it sounds a bit inane in English and it’s not hard!! Encourage your congregation to dance a simple side-to-side step to this; they will enjoy it even more. If we can’t go a little crazy on Pentecost, what hope is there for us, really? A good song to help us remember that our faith is global, and to think of the church and all people in Africa. There is a sample here (it's very white, and mostly in English, but it's all I could find!)
TiS 398 / AHB 310 / AoV1-118 / NCH289 / CH489 / UMH475 / VU367 / GA375 / LBW508 / ELW804 / HPSS313 / GC465 / GC(II)471 / RS617 / CP645 / CP(E) 175 / W&R330 / Cha582 / Srce100 Come down O Love divine (Down Ampney/Vaughan Williams) Old fashioned, but still inclusive and very well known. Words and tune here. Hymnals vary a lot in the lyrics with respect to thees and thys and words like "vesture".
TiS 422 / CH594 / CP(E) 179 Come Holy Spirit come inflame our souls with love (Forster / DIADEMATA) Excellent words to a well known hymn tune. Some small word substitutions are needed to make it gender inclusive for God.
TiS 419 / AHB 596 / NCH270 / CH592 / UMH544 / VU205 / WoV685 / ELW403 / HPP222 / HPSS314 / CP635 / CP(E) 185 / W&R327 / Cha245 Like the murmur of the dove's song Excellent words and a simple tune. Each verse ends with "Come holy spirit, come" . Lyrics and organ sample here.
TiS 409 / AHB 322 / CH595 / UMH543 / VU202 / StJ / Cha250 O Breath of life come sweeping through us (Elizabeth Porter Head)
NCH271 / UMH538 / VU196 / HPSS131 / CP249 / W&R333 Wind who makes all winds blow Excellent words. Familiar tune (ABERYSTWYTH).
Blow through me Breath of God (Miriam Therese Winter). I’m not sure of the source of this beautiful chant, but we have some photocopies of this at church and it’s very beautiful. It takes a few listens for the congregation to pick it up, or you could ask the musicians to play it as a prayer for the congregation. "Like a pipe, like a flute, like a reed making melody". This can be found in "Songlines, Hymns, Songs, Rounds and Refrains for Prayer and Praise,Crossroad, New York, 1996" or "Womantalk Woman Prayer" (1987)
Taize / MV075 Holy Spirit, Come to Us (tui amoris ignem) a joyful chant, no cantor required. Music and lyrics in many languages here. While listed here in Latin, it also sounds very beautiful in English.
Iona / GA377 Come Holy Spirit (Bell) A simple call and response chant.
GA183 Come Holy Spirit the spirit of Wisdom (Willcock) I just found this song, and it's really great! It's in 7/8 so has a real drive to it, and the words are also excellent about God-with-us and the coming of the Spirit of justice. I think it would really suit many congregations - even though it's in 7/8 it's not hard.
Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20
God hears us in our trouble, even though God has the power over the seas and the wind
VU791 God bend your ear and hear my prayer (Honore) A lovely simple and intuitive chant with an inclusive, responsive reading of this Psalm. Highly recommended.
Iona (LFB) Listen Lord (Iona / Bell) Beautiful chant-like chorus, can be used on its own or as a response, or used with the verses. Good to use for the intercessions.
TiS 741 / AoV1-017 / ATE 282 / LBW368 / ELW407 / GA431 / SFFS 2200 / G(II)410 / GC586 / GC(II)566 / Taize / W&R484 / Srce519 O Lord hear my prayer (Berthier) A simple and very well known Taize chant.
Taize / TiS 739 / AoV2-041 / ATOK 404 / VU290 / GA269 / SFFS 2054 / G(II)451 / GC639 / GC(II)626 / CP568 / W&R421 Nothing Can Trouble / Nada te turbe (Berthier) Excellent and quite well known Taize chant. Spanish lyrics are not too hard for non-Spanish speakers. Sheet music, sound samples, lyrics and translations.
CH570 / UMH512 / W&R495 When the storms of life are raging (stand by me) (Tindley) A good gospel song; one of those ones that clicks instantly. "God who rules the wind and water, stand by me". Hymnals have a range of translations, and it's public domain so you can make up verses too. For a more old-style version, lyrics are here.
Family resource I called to God for help (Whelan) My son Daniel (age 6) wrote his first song last week. It's about lightning hitting a tree, Daniel calling for help, and God helping when needed. A universal theme, I guess. Really, I'm just writing this for fun.
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Freedom and persistence. Works of the Flesh vs. Fruits of the Spirit. Triumph of the Spirit; being good neighbours.
Iona (Many & Great, There is One Among Us) /MV99 / GC(II)673 Stand O Stand Firm (Cameroons) I love having an excuse to sing this simple song from the Cameroons. Very easy for your congregation. You can make up cantor parts too “Oh my sisters…. Oh my brothers… Oh my children….” or you can name countries you are praying for in your intercessions. Melody line sheet music, lyrics and Scottish sound sample here (search for Stand Firm). Free sheet music from the World Council of Churches.
AoV1-061 / ATOK 355 / SFFS 2194 / G(II)521 / GC723 / GC(II)707 / ZSS110 / SgTJ1035 Freedom is coming Excellent and lots of fun, especially if you have a keen African-style drummer in your congregation. It's really worth teaching the parts to your congregation before the service. It can get a bit boring if the congregation don't know they get to listen to the other parts! Partial sheet music, sound sample (search for Freedom)
TiS 613 / ATOK 405 / NCH211 / CH166 / LBW469 / ELW765 / SFFS 2197 / HPP265 / GC578/ GC(II)560 / CP506 / CP(E)507 / W&R469 / URW179 Lord of all hopefulness Lord of all joy Excellent straightforward Irish tune (Slane), and beautiful words. Would be a good choice for the final song. Lyrics. Tune sample.
CH611 Holy Spirit fill our hearts (Unknown) A lovely simple song. Good to teach to kids in Sunday School perhaps.
GtB God is love and love is giving (Langmead) A simple kids' song about God's love. A round. We sang this a few months ago, but not since. It would be good to repeat it.
TiS 640 / AHB 561 / ATE 310 / NCH498 / UMH432 / VU593 / WoV765 / ELW708 / HPP446 / HPSS367 / G(II)296 / GC409 / GC(II)429 / CP504 Jesu Jesu fill us with your love / Kneels at the feet of his friends A very well known classic.
NCH401 / W&R388 O god in whom all life begins (Daw) Excellent words of living as a community of faith. Sung to a simple English melody.
AA123 / VU361 Small things count (Murray / Bray) Good simple morality song for kids. Easy to sing.
Unknown source But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy and peace (Unknown) This is a simple chorus I still remember from Holiday Club at the Lutheran church in the next town when I was in Primary School. It's probably from Scripture in Song, but I don't know. I'd love to know if anyone knows where I can track it down - not that you'd need the sheet music, really.
NCH286 / ATE 218 / VU375 / WoV684 / ELW396 / HPP239 / W&R326 Spirit spirit of gentleness (Manley) Lovely, gentle song. Very easy to sing, but can get slow and ponderous if you're not careful. Lyrics and kind of odd sound sample.
ATA 184 Spring follows winter (love is the law) (Mann) Lovely words to a familiar traditional English (?) melody. Mostly inclusive.
GGives2 The spirit produces love (Tolquhurst) A nice short boppy kids song directly quoting this passage.
ATA 202 / GGives1 We're gonna move when the Spirit says move (Boucher) Fun song. There's a lot of kid's songs for this passages (note that none of them list the "Works of the Flesh").
Luke 9:51-62
It's not easy to follow Christ; you can't put it off.
CH195 / AA061 Here to the house of God we come (Murray / Gibson) Good honest words and a simple, but unusual tune.
TIS 624 / W&R453 Christ be my leader by night as by day. Excellent words of following Christ in times of struggle to a traditional Scottish melody. Lyrics
ATOK 413 / Iona (HSNW) / CH533 / VU567 / StS039 / R276 / ELW798 / GA502 / SFFS 2130 / HPP317 / G(II)510 / GC700 / GC(II)687 / CP430 / CP(E) 622 / W&R350 / URW060 Will you come and follow me / The Summons (Iona / KELVINGROVE) A classic, but it has been overdone sometimes. Don't sing it too slowly or it really drags and takes forever!
TiS 686 / ATE 292 Lord Jesus we belong to you / Because we bear your name (Robin Mann). A straightforward and practical song asking God to help us to follow Christ well, with a refrain of "because we bear your name". Lyrics.
TiS 561 / AHB 467 / NCH494 / CH535 / CP(E) 621 Who would true valor see / valour see (Bunyan) A lovely old hymn, with old-world imagery. I think it still works OK. TiS and NCH have inclusive language throughout. CH and CP(E) do not have inclusive language, even for humanity. I really like the tune MONK'S GATE. Particularly nice with light instrumentation. A violin / flute and a drum may be all you need for this. Inclusive lyrics (loads a Word document).
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