Songs and Hymns for Proper 27C / Ordinary 32C / Pentecost +24 (November 7th 2010)

Haggai 1:15b-2:9
Take courage, God’s promise is the same as when bringing Israel out of Egypt. Image of God shaking the treasures out of the nations and building something beautiful.
Tune In: The desert will spring to life / Making things new (Anderson). A catchy pop song. Great for kids, and excellent imagery. Sound sample, lyrics and songbook.
AoV1-095 / G(II)324 / GC459 Envia Tu Espíritu (Hurd) My favourite holy spirit song. A catchy latin rhythm; verses are in English and the chorus is Spanish – not too hard for non-Spanish speakers, though. Sheet music sample and lyrics. Midi sound sample. Lyrics in Spanish.
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. Careful not to let it get too schmaltzy. Lyrics.

Psalm 145:1-5, 17-21
God is excellent
TiS 100 / AHB 3 / NCH17 / CH147 / UMH62 / VU217 / LBW527 / ELW835 / GA395 / HPP261 / HPSS455 / GC534 / GC(II)523 / RS 670 / CP(E) / 250 / W&R23 / Cha022 All creatures of our God and King (Francis of Assissi) A good classic sing! Hymnals vary in how inclusive (or not) the lyrics are. Hymnals do this by using only "Alleluia Alleluia" or "Sing your praises", instead of the masculine "Oh praise him". NCH has "To you, O God, all creatures sing" and eliminates all kingly language. ELW has "All creatures worship God most high". Lyrics and sound sample.
TiS 132 / AHB 65 / NCH277 / CH111 / UMH64 / VU315 / LBW165 / ELW413 / HPP243 / HPSS138 / G(II)332 / GC474 / GC(II)483 / CP001 / CP(E) 202 Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty (Heber / NICAEA) Many sources have good inclusive language for people and God (e.g. CH4 and TiS, but others don't so check your source!)
TiS 152 / NCH4 / UMH89 / VU232 / LBW551 / ELW836 / HPP22 / HPSS464 / GC529 / GC(II)520 / CP425 / W&R59 / Cha002 / URW065 Joyful joyful we adore thee Note that this hymn is not always very inclusive. I prefer more modern translations (e.g. TiS, VU, NCH, GC(II) ). Older version lyrics and tune sample.
VU267 / W&R20 / SP288 Like a mighty river flowing (Perry) Lovely words of the presence of God in nature. Some of them are here.
MV176 Three things I promise (Wren / Damon) Beautiful words of seeking to live faithfully from Brian Wren. The set tune is unfamiliar, but very beautiful, and if not familiar to your congregation would make a good reflective piece (for the congregation to sing in later weeks). You could also sing it to one of the suggested alternate tunes PROSPECT and WAREHAM if you like.

Alternate Psalm: Psalm 98
All of creation singing a new song. Oh, there are a lot of songs about this...
Tune In: We will sing a new song to the world. An energetic song about the gospel. Sound sample and lyrics here.
MV 180 Sing, Sing Out! (Sing a new song). An excellent two-part round from Jim Hannah. It’s worth teaching it to your congregation so they can sing it with confidence and break into two parts. Alternately, you could have a small group sing it in canon with the rest of the congregation.
TiS 166 / AHB 102 / StB 35 Sing a new song sing a new song (McAuley/ COSMIC PRAISE) Excellent inclusive words and fun to sing. Verse 6 may be construed as a bit heterosexist and could be omitted.
AoV2-143 / G(II)86 / GC1 / GC(II)55 / RS 135 All The Ends Of The Earth (Haugen/Haas) Good refrain; verses require a good cantor, or a reader. Sound, sheet music and lyrics here (search for "earth").
HPSS274 O God of Earth and Space (LEONI) Terrific words by Jane Parker Huber to a well known Jewish hymn tune. "Wherever freedom reigns, where sin is overthrown, Where justice fused with mercy rules, there you are known. Give us the courage clear, to make the earth a home, For all to live in harmony, in Christ’s shalom." Highly recommended. Lyrics here.
TiS 181 / AoV2-032 / GC(II)497 / CP589 Come O God of all the earth / Sing Out Earth and Skies (Haugen). A big favourite in our congregation. Sheet music, lyrics and a nice sound sample here.
TiS 72 / AHB 42 / NCH27 / CH146 / UMH101 / HPP36 / HPSS229 / CP344 From all that dwell below the skies (LASST UNS ERFREUEN / OLD HUNDRED) A very old hymn, known by many, which is entirely inclusive in its language for God, save for one Lord which you can replace with God if you like. Lyrics and sound sample of Lasst Uns Erfreuen and other tunes here.
AoV1-019 / CH151 / G(II)340 / GC493 / GC(II)498 All You Works of God (Haugen) Joyful cantor and response. Sheet music, lyrics and a slightly silly sound sample with lots of kids singing here.
VU888 / LBW558 / ELW731 / HPSS458 / RS681 / CP358 Earth and All Stars (Dexter) Fun words of cosmic praise. An easy hymn-like tune. I really like the "boiling test tubes" bit. Not all versions are inclusive. Inclusive lyrics are here.
ATE 216 / Iona (SBL) / CH126 / StJ / ELW555 / HPSS472 / G(II)365 / GC527 / RS 671 O sing to the Lord / Cantai ao Senhor / Cantad al Señor (Traditional Brazilian) A good, fun and simple song that is easy to learn in languages other than English too (Portuguese or Spanish). Sound sample.
AoV1-080 / ATA 150 / G(II)384 / GC538 / GC(II)544 Sing a New Song Unto the Lord (Schutte) Good, joyous words and a simple joyous tune. A few simple pronoun substitutions will make the language for God inclusive. Sound, sheet music and lyrics here (search for the whole title).
Taize / GC(II)533 Sing to God with joyful hearts / Singt dem Herrn (Berthier) A joyful round. Works well in English and German, and probably other languages too. / Sound samples, sheet music and lyrics here.
NCH36 / HPSS219 To God compose a song of joy (Duck / KEDDY) “The God of Justice comes to save; let earth make melody; For God will judge with righteousness and rule with equity” Beautiful words. I prefer this sung to the tune in NCH – the standard hymn tune RICHMOND (TiS 425)

More Alternates: Job 19:23-27a and Psalm 17:1-9
See Proper 13A for Psalm 17.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17
Looking forward to Christ’s return. Stand firm; don't get led astray.
Iona (M&G, T1AU) / MV99 / GC(II)673 Stand O Stand Firm An excellent, strong, and simple chorus from Cameroon. Free sheet music.
TiS 590 / AHB 165 / AoVK-117 / NCH506 / UMH526 / VU663 / LBW439 / ELW742 / HPP408 / PH403 / CP532 / W&R473 / Cha585 / Srce 776 What a Friend we have in Jesus There is a bit of masculine language, but the song has so many other good things about it. I like both tunes. AOVK has different lyrics, written specifically for kids, which I think are worth singing.
TiS 272 / AHB 200 / NCH122 / CH472 / UMH196 / VU2 / LBW30 / ELW254 / HPP89 / HPSS001/2 / GC323 / GC(II)345 / RS 496 Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus (Stuttgart / Hyfrydol) Words are fine and quite inclusive, but old fashioned. If you want to eliminate thees, thous and thys, you can do it yourself. The New Century Hymnal replaces the kingly language in verses 3 and 4 with something less (um….) kingly.
TiS 674 / Iona (Common Ground, Heaven Shall Not Wait) / CH253 Inspired by love and anger Powerful lyrics, simple English folk tune. Lyrics (search for "inspired").
TiS 665 / AoV2-008 / Iona (Common Ground) / CH360 / VU117 / StJ / SP246 Jesus Christ is waiting (Bell) A good and well known hymn. Lyrics here (scroll down just a little bit).
TiS 412 / AHB 324 / ATE 251 / G(II)328 / GC468 / CP651 / W&R130 God sends us the Spirit to befriend and help us / Spirit Friend I like this song collected from Malawi by Tom Colvin, but the lack of inclusive language for God sometimes drives me a bit crazy especially since Tom's book "Come Let us walk this road together" uses more inclusive language than many hymnals. That is, he writes “God sends us the Spirit” instead of “God sends us His Spirit” and "Spirit of our Maker" rather than “Spirit of our Father”. Less inclusive lyrics and a strange sound sample.
Iona (M&G) / CH359 / StJ / TF37 / ELW253 / GA293 / SFFS 2085 / G(II)276 / GC370 / GC(II)364 / CP368 / W&R402 He came down that we may have love (Traditional Cameroon) A simple, repetitive song. Make sure you sing the triplets or it gets boring. Great for kids and for some drumming, too. Sound sample. Sheet music sample.
VU718 / PH431 / W&R620 O Lord You Gave Your Servant John (Patterson) Terrific words contrasting the wealth and poverty contrasts in earthly cities with the Holy City. Sung to ST. PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE or CANDLER.

Luke 20:27-38
Strange question about woman marrying 7 brothers, and what happens in the afterlife. God of the eternal.
TiS 90 / AHB 44 / UMH60 / VU867 / PH253 / CP346 / CP(E) 473 / W&R79 / Cha20 I'll praise my Maker while I've breath (Watts) A great classic hymn. Most sources are not inclusive; Voices United is! Lyrics and sound sample.
ATOK 320 / NCH351 / VU645 / StJ / WoV770 / ELW732 / SFFS 2051 / HPP516 I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry. A song of God’s presence in all stages of life. Very simple tune to sing. Lyrics, and a nice (slow) sound sample.
TiS 182 / AoV2-010 / NCH11 / CH134 / VU268 / SFFS 2047 / HPP13 / CP395 Bring many names beautiful and good (Wren) This is a beautiful song, but it's very long (especially if sung too slowly). Try singing one verse unison, then one women, one men, then all together again, to keep people interested in what they are singing. Lyrics.
TiS 548 / VU629 / HPSS340 / CP(E) 415 / W&R418 Eternal light shine in my heart I really love this beautiful inclusive and ancient prayer. It is not familiar, but would be beautiful sung by a soloist until your congregation grows to know it.