Songs and Hymns for Proper 22C / Ordinary 27C / Pentecost +19 (October 3rd 2010)

Lamentations 1:1-6 and Lamentations 3:19-26
General desolation and God’s constancy
See also suggestions for the Psalm.
Tune In / NCYC '07: Forgive us now (Brown). “As we forgive may we be healed, as we reach out….” An excellent ballad seeking forgiveness in a sinful world. Lyrics and sound sample.
Tune In: Our God who weeps (Kate Scull) Very simple folk-like tune and challenging and hopeful lyrics. Reference recording, lyrics and songbook available here.
TiS 617 / NCH413 / UMH517 / WoV736 / ELW626 / HPSS342 / W&R75 / SP164 By gracious powers so wonderfully sheltered Wonderful words by Bonhoeffer. A range of tunes. The tunes BONHOEFFER (NCH) and O PERFECT LOVE work well. I'm not a big fan of the tune in TiS (HIGHWOOD). Lyrics. The 5th verse is omitted in some hymnals.
VU267 / W&R20 / SP288 Like a mighty river flowing (Perry) Lovely words about different aspects of creation being "the perfect peace of God". Sung to a familiar hymn tune. Lyrics (click on "English").
TiS 156 / AHB 91 / AoV1-135 / ATA 123 / CH212 / UMH145 / VU409 / ELW556 / HPP267 / HPPS469 / G(II)546 / GC756 / GC(II)748 / CP003 / CP(E) 260 / W&R35 / Cha053 / URW186 Morning has broken (Farjeon) Still good; this makes me smile everytime. I had the good fortune to hear Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) sing this in Melbourne a few months back, along with a couple of thousand other people at our Tennis Centre. Lyrics.
MV027 Creator God you gave us life (Snowdon) This song has beautiful lyrics and a very straightforward intuitive tune. The chorus is "Through hands that paint majestic skies, and voices chanting melody, with words that reach beyond the page, we comprehend your mystery". A good song for the start of worship.
HPP44 / W&R60 / Cha087 / ZSS21 I Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord (Fillmore) An old well-known chorus, which is actually OK even though the language is pretty old fashioned.
CP517 / W&R503 O God your constant care and love (Lanier) Quite good words about God's presence with us through our lives. Sung to a standard hymn tune. Lyrics and tune sample.
TiS 162 / AHB 114 Thank you for giving me the morning Good for kids. Needs a key change or two as you go or it will drive everybody crazy.
NCH370 / W&R685 / URW127 What gift can we bring? A good offering song.

Psalm 137
Refugees, those who have lost their homes, recent immigrants.
See also suggestions for Refugee Sunday.
Iona (Psalms of Patience Protest & Praise) URW343 Beside the streams of Babylon (Bell) Paraphrase of the Psalm, to a traditional Scottish tune which is very simple.
CH94 / VU859 / WoV656 / PH246 / RS543 By the Babylonian Rivers (Bash) Good poetic paraphrase of the first four verses of the Psalm. Latvian folk tune (KAS DZIEDAJA) which is haunting and minor. I prefer this version of the Psalm to TiS85 by Milgate, which uses the same tune. Some versions have 4 verses and some have only 3. Sample sheet music and lyrics. Keyboard sound sample.
TiS 708 / ATA 121 / VU858 / StJ / HPP569 / PH245 / CP294 / URW342 By the waters the waters of Babylon (Traditional) That old round. Could be quite effective as a meditation. VU and URW pair this with a responsive reading of the Psalm which would also work well. Sound sample and lyrics.
GC(II)573 By the waters of Babylon (Tate) A different, more contemporary, version. Quite peaceful; good words. Sheet music sample and lyrics. Sound sample.
ATA 117 By the rivers of Babylon (Farian, Reyan, Dowe and McNaughton) This is the Boney M version. Maybe this could work, but probably not. It's not really very mournful. I can't resist though... here's a video. It was originally recorded by The Melodians. An idea from "The Emergent Psalter" is to use the lines "may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight" as a Psalm refrain.
MV016 / StJ / ELW528 / GA430 / SFFS 2157 / HPP410 / G(II)398 / GC570 / GC(II)550 / RS710 / CP402 / URW378 Come and Fill our hearts/ Confitemini Domino (Berthier) A very familiar Taize chant. Sample and sheet music for practice.
TiS 667 / G(II)415 / GC591 How shall I sing to God? (Wren) Great words. The tunes for this are difficult (TiS has WEAVER MILL while Gather hymnals have HOPE), so will need to be taught. Try introducing to to your congregation this week, and maybe sing it together next week. Lyrics. Sound sample (HOPE).
TiS 689 / ATE 286 / GtB Lord hear my praying, listen to me / Sorrowing song. (Mann) Powerful words of prayer to a simple tune. Words are straightforward about asking difficult questions of God. Lyrics (loads a pdf).
AoV1-114 / HPP376 / G(II)430 / GC608 / GC(II)596 / RS 734 / W&R430 You shall cross the barren desert / Be not afraid (Dufford) Beautiful words. Well known (at least, the chorus). Verses may be tricky. Lyrics here.

2 Timothy 1:1-14
Do not be ashamed; rely on God; “guard the good treasure”.
Praise and Worship (I think) God has not given us a spirit of fear There’s a version of 2 Timothy 1:7 in an old “Praise and Worship” book. I know some very silly dance moves to it!
TiS 690 / CH259 / StS115 / SP237 / Srce54 Beauty for brokenness hope for despair (Kendrick) Themes of healing from personal and universal suffering and a rousing chorus. Lyrics.
MV 162 Christ within us hidden, Christ, in all and each (Leunig) Very simple tune with quite remarkable words based on a prayer by Michael Leunig. Why is this in a Canadian song book and not any Australian song books? Big sigh. “Christ within us hidden. Christ, in all and each. Christ, who comes unbidden. Christ, within our reach."
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. It is not gender-inclusive for God. Lyrics (downloads a pdf).
TiS 710 / CH758 / Iona (Enemy of Apathy) Come Holy Spirit gracious heavenly dove A beautiful and simple chant.
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. 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!)
AoV2-074 / GA399 / G(II)345 / GC491 From the corners of creation / Song at the Centre (Haugen) Good words of praise in creation and a simple folk-like tune. Partial sheet music sample, keyboard sound sample.
TiS 419 / NCH270 / CH592 / UMH544 / VU205 / WoV685 / ELW403 / HPP222 / HPSS314 / CP635 / CP(E) 185 / W&R327 / Cha245 / SP92 Like the murmur of the dove's song (Daw) Excellent words and a simple tune. Each verse ends with "Come holy spirit, come" . Lyrics and organ sample here.
TiS 414 / CH616 / UMH192 / VU582 / HPP134 / PH433 / GC550 / CP(E) 198 / Cha257 There's a Spirit in the Air (Wren) A good song of getting the business of following Christ done. Speaking out, caring for others, being changed. Good, joyful tune too. Sheet music sample. Keyboard sound sample.

Luke 17:5-10
The mustard seed.
God Gives 2: Faith is like a muscle use it and it will grow This is a great song for kids. And grown ups who like to be silly.
TiS 691 Faith will not grow from words alone Excellent strong words of a questioning faith to a familiar hymn tune.
TiS 474 / AoV1-012 / ATE 295 / CH623 / SFFS 2236 / HPP553 / G(II)539 / GC839 / GC(II)743 / CP465 / W&R649 / Cha284 / URW054 / SP175 Here in this place new light is streaming / Gather us in (Haugen) Excellent. Surely everyone knows how great this song is. Sample here.
MV174 Soil of God you and I (Hannah) Good lyrics of inclusion, unity and growth. Fairly straightforward tune.
NCH 540 We plant a grain of mustard seed A song about how human love is a taste of divine love. Great words to a fairly standard-sounding (but new) hymn tune. It would also work well with MORNING SONG (the tune for “Awake, awake to love and work”).
AoVK-28 / ATOK 376 Faith hope and love (Watts) This is so easy, and so cool. If you have some groovy musicians, this can even be a very funky rock song. Very easy, and great for kids and non-readers.
GGives 2 Don't just think about faith / Do it, do it, do it, do it (Boucher) Groovy kid's song about taking action. Lots of repetition so great for kids and non-readers.
ATA 181 Faith like a mustard seed (Prewer) A simple round. I would just sing the first verse.
WoV658 / ELW506 / URW078 The word of God is source and seed "The Word of God is source and seed; It comes to die and sprout and grow. So make your dark earth welcome warm; Root deep the grain God bent to sow." There's a very helpful commentary including the lyrics of the hymn here.