Songs and Hymns for Christmas 2A (January 4th 2026)

It's still Christmas, so it's a good time to sing some favourite Christmas carols.

Jeremiah 31:7-14
Gathering the flock of Israel, redeeming them, and the celebration afterwards

• TiS474 / AoV1-012 / ATE 295 / CH623 / SFFS 2236 / HPP553 / A&M363 / GtG401 / G(II)539 / GC839 / GC(II)743 / G(3)848  / CP465 / W&R649 / Cha284 / SP175 / URW054 / Lau475 / LUYH529 Here in this place new light is streaming / Gather us in (Marty Haugen, USA)  Excellent words, very well known. “Nourish us well and teach us to fashion lives that are holy and hearts that are true”. Lyrics and lead sheet.
• AoV2-139 /  GA525 / SP&P045 Gather us O God Body spirit soul and mind (Monica Brown, Australia) Very simple song. Would work well as a gathering chant "Gather us O God, Body, spirit, soul and mind. Gather us, O God, One in union now with you. Also works at the end of the service "Send us out O God...". Lyrics and sound sample.
• MV007 Gather us in ground us in you (David Hann, Australia?) A simple chant which would be great for an invitation to worship. Sheet music.
• MV221 I am walking a path of peace (Janet Tissandier, Canada) A simple song for the end of the service; words can be altered to paths of love, grace, hope, joy etc. Lyrics. Good for kids.
• AoV1-071 / GA530 / GC(II)742 / G(3)837 / Lau462 Gather Your People (Bob Hurd, USA) Excellent eucharistic theology. Sound sample. Lyric and sheet music sample.
• TiS 647 / AoV2-012 / ATN 25 Comfort, comfort all my people (Robin Mann, Australia) Easy to sing, beautiful lyrics. Chorus is “Comfort, comfort all my people, with the comfort of my word. Speak ye tender to my people, all your sins are taken away”. Note that most sources only list 2 verses, but there are two additional (more challenging) verses you may wish to consider using; they were written for the Christmas Bowl in 1988. Thanks to Simon for alerting me to them. Lyrics (including additional verses), Lyric video. 
• AoVK-125 / ATW 489 Turn our sadness upside down (Leigh Newton, Australia) Good for kids, and adults too. Simple tune, but not so simple that it’s boring. Sheet music sample. 
• Iona (There is one among us) Lord you can turn all mourning into dancing (John Bell, Scotland) An excellent simple refrain “Lord you can turn all mourning into dancing, evenings of grief to mornings of great joy”.
• Online Resource / Tune In You in all our worries / All will finish well (Dave Brown, Australia) “In this world where injustice reigns, you are in the midst of pain”. Excellent words of reassurance in a difficult world. Sound samples, lyrics and free downloadable songbook.
• Online Resource / TiS 670 / SiS569 / AoVK-138 / ATE 258 / CH692 / Srce385 / MP376 Jesus put this song into our hearts (Graham Kendrick, England) A fun Yiddish tune that gets even more fun if you get faster and faster as you go. Try teaching your congregation a simple side to side “dance” step. If you teach them and make it clear that it’s okay, you’ll be surprised how many people will join in. Good for kids. Lyrics, sound samples, recordings, and sheet music for purchase. 

Psalm 147:12-20
God who grants peace and controls the wind and snow and rain

• ATE 216 / Iona (SBL) / CH126 / StJ / PH472 / G(II)365 / GC527 / RS 671 / CP417 / W&R15 / StF042 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 Portuguese or Spanish too; note that not all versions are inclusive. Sheet music samples.  Good for kids!
• GWA185 The Lord will listen to the broken-hearted (John Bell, Scotland) A very simple chant, which could be used for a time of healing, or lament. Video of John Bell teaching the parts.
• NCH Psalter (Psalm 147) Great is our God, and abundant in power (Elaine Kirkland). A simple and effective refrain. Can be used to a read or sung cantor part.
• Iona (M&G) / CH267 Blest be God blest be God for ever (Salvador Martinez, Philippines) Beautiful words to a beautiful, but quite tricky Filipino melody. This would be great to ask a small group to sing, if you have some good singers in your congregation. Sound sample.
• Online Resource / In Every Corner Sing / AA039 / GA192 For the bread and wine and blessing (Shirley Murray, New Zealand) Very straightforward tune. Good Eucharist song. Really good song of healing. Lyrics and sheet music.
• TiS 706 / Taizé / AoV2-142 / A&M600 / SFFS 2013 / GtG544 / PH224 / GC(II)576 / G(3)620 / CP360 / PfAS103C / SP194 / Src79 / URW377 / Lau813  Bless the Lord my soul (Jacques Berthier, France) A beautiful and very well known Taizé chant. Sound samples, sheet music. Good for kids.
• MV037 Each blade of grass / Circle of God (Keri Wehlander, Canada) Lovely words set to a familiar-feeling folk tune. Sheet music sample. 
• TiS 181 / AoV2-032 / GC(II)497 / G(3)577 / CP589 Come O God of all the earth / Sing Out Earth and Skies (Marty Haugen, USA) A very joyful song for cantor and congregation, or small group and congregation; this is a big favourite in our church. Sheet music, lyrics and sound sample.
• CH753 / SFFS 2078 / GtG589 / GC(II)271 / G(3)338 / PfAS147A Alleluia alleluia (Honduras) Simple and fun Alleluia that works well as a refrain for a reading of this Psalm. You could also use a different Alleluia. Good for kids.
• Online Resource / AoVK-24 / Iona (T1AU) / CH756 Bless the Lord / My sisters (Kenya) Simple and fun Kenyan call and response. "Bless the Lord there is no other God" Kids would really enjoy this, and with some African drumming, it would really be excellent. Lyrics and sheet music. Good for kids.
• MV095 How deep the peace (Lynn Bauman, Canada / Linnea Good, Canada) Simple song. Would work particularly well as words of assurance after the prayers of confession. Lyrics (a very short slide show).
• Online Resource / CH177 / A&M745 / SP300 O God of blessings all praise to you! / Soli Deo Gloria (Marty Haugen, USA) Majestic, and a touch schmaltzy, but really very good. Choral version sound sample, sheet music sample, and purchasing options.
• Online Resource / Resounding Voices Infinite beauty love that moves the Heavens (Susan Palo  Cherwien, USA / David Cherwien, USA) Excellent words about the beauty of God's created world and all that we can learn from it. Lyrics (scroll down). Free book download here.  
• Iona (SBL) / CH140 / MV181 / WoV727 / ELW554 / G(II)341 / GC495 / STB178 Lord Your Hands Have Formed This World / The Earth is the Lord's (Ramon & Sario Oliano, Philippines) Good words of creation to a lovely, and not too difficult, Filipino melody. This would be a nice song for a children's choir or for the offering. Lyrics and sample sheet music. Sound sample. 
• VU888 / LBW558 / ELW731 / PH458 / RS681 / CP358 / W&R642 / 82Hml-412 Earth and All Stars (Herbert Brokering, USA) Fun words of cosmic praise. I thought this tune was pretty straightforward, but our congregation struggled a bit with it. I really like the "boiling test tubes" bit, although this verse is not in all hymnals; the lyrics vary between sources, and not all are inclusive. One example of the lyrics. Good for kids, especially if sung with some humour

Ephesians 1:3-14
God as our loving adoptive parent and our new inheritance, of forgiveness

• BUC New Songs Sing sing with me (Julia Potter) This lovely song from a former member of our congregation is great fun, and includes the phrase "Jesus calls us, let's go see what we can be, as God's family" Good for kids.
• TiS 417 / AoV2-133 / ATW 448 / VU387 / StJ / WoV683 / ELW397 / AA94 / HPP237 / GtG293 / PH323 / CP657 / W&R135 / Cha244 / URW203 / StB220 / VF051 / LUYH793 Loving Spirit, Loving Spirit (Shirley Murray). There are about a zillion tunes set for this. I prefer FELICITY (by Colin Gibson TiS 417), but also like RESTORATION and OMNI DIE. Lyrics & sound sample. New words to old tunes (if that's what you choose) 
• Online resource Children of God (Bruce Harding) A simple two part chant. Will need to be taught. Free sheet music (note that the sound sample on this site is for a different song!).
• AoVK-119 We're God's family God's children (Trish Watts / Monica O'Brien) Good words. Catchy tune.  Good for kids.
• AoV2-037 Children Of God in one family (Christopher Walker) Great for kids. Sometimes we mess up, but God forgives. Lyrics and sound sample. Good for kids.
• TiS 465 / AHB 399 / ATA 115 / NCH279 / A&M271 / Iona (SBL) / CH116 / GA381 / Lau313 / StF004 Our God in heaven / Father in heaven / Loving Creator grant to your children (Elena Maquiso / Daniel Niles) I really like this hymn, especially the Philippino folk melody to which it's set. Newer versions of the hymn from the Christian Conference of Asia have altered the lyrics to "Our God in heaven / Creator God" in the first verse. Other versions, such as CH4 have "Loving Creator / Parent and God". Older style lyrics.
• TiS 163 / AHB 112 / NCH556 / UMH150 / LBW463 / ELW771 / GtG024  / PH268 / W&R644 / Cha651 / URW084 / 82Hml-580 God who stretched the spangled heavens (Catherine Cameron) Good words of creation of nature and cities and creative possibilities for the future. AHB has a Father and old language, but it works okay; TiS and other sources are better. There are many possible tunes. I like it best to HOLY MANNA as in the link. Lyrics and sound sample. New words to old tunes.  
• MV157 I am a child of God (Bruce Harding) A simple song with powerful words. Good for kids and adults alike. Very easy to learn. Sound sample. Sheet music sample. Good for kids (just the first verse probably). .
• TiS 180 / UMH105 / W&R58 / Cha013 God of many names (Brian Wren) If this is new it will need to be taught to your congregation as the tune is not intuitive, but it is worth knowing. The chorus is particularly appealing to kids. Lyrics
• NCH072 / UMH552 / VU362 / ELW530 / GtG311 / PH465 / CP534 / W&R597 / Cha278 / STB242 Here O Lord Your Servants Gather / Sekai no Tomo (Tokuo Yamaguchi) Beautiful song about being a community of faith seeking strength and courage. Lovely simple Japanese tune. The story of this hymn. Lyrics and sheet music sample.
• TiS 428 / AHB 340 Help us O Lord to learn (William Watkins Reid) Great challenging (but quite formal) words about being committed to learning the faith. Good for a New Year message. Boring tune though. I would sing it to ST THOMAS (TiS 271 / AHB 198) Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / Tune In Community (Dave Brown) A great and very easy-to-sing contemporary song about being welcomed and part of a community.  Free downloadable songbook, lyrics and sound samples. 

John 1:(1-9), 10-18 

The Word made flesh.
Again, Christmas carols (new or old) and Epiphany songs would fit well for this.

• NCH164 / VU79 / StS030 / WoV652 / LBW652 / ELW314 / PH411 / GtG744 / W&R231 / URW138 Arise your light is come! (Ruth Duck) Good general words of Christ coming to bring justice to the familiar tune ST. THOMAS (TiS 271) (or other tunes!). Lyric video (to another tune).
• VU886 Arise be clothed in the light (Lawrence Probes) A joyous refrain for a responsively read version of Isaiah 60. In this instance, it will work to just sing the refrain.
• SFFS 2005 Arise Shine for your light has come (Gary Alan Smith) A simple call and response. Good for an intro to worship. This would be great for the whole Christmas season.
• BUC Song Project We are love (Sheree Anderson) This is one of the new songs collated in 2009 at Brunswick Uniting. It's got a quite anthemic chorus "We are love, made in the image"....
• TiS 156 / AHB 91 / AoV1-135 / ATA 123 / CH212 / UMH145 / VU409 / ELW556 / GA537 / A&M545 / HPP267 / PH469 / G(II)546 / GC756 / GC(II)748 / G(3)855 / CP003 / W&R35 / Cha053 / URW186 / 82Hml-008 / Lau671 Morning has broken (Eleanor Farjeon) This song makes me smile every time. Here's Yusuf Islam (when he was Cat Stevens) in 1976 (love those green boots).
• TiS 447 / AHB 61 / CH112 / VU313 / LBW400 / ELW673 / A&M810 / CP560 / CP(E) 267 / 82Hml-371 / Lau887 God whose almighty word / Lord your almighty word chaos and darkness heard / Thou, whose almighty word (John Marriott) A good hymny hymn, very familiar, with the memorable “Let there be light” line at the end of each verse. TiS lyrics are fairly inclusive, but VU is better. One version of lyrics.
• TiS 477 / Iona (LFB, Common Ground) / CH510 / StJ / GA529 / A&M450 / CP059 / SP218 / URW056 Jesus calls us here to meet him (John Bell) Good words and a rollicking or gentle Celtic tune (depending on how you play it!). Lyrics (downloads an order of service) 4th verse (not in TiS, but in Iona sources) leads to communion. Lyric video.
• Online Resource / AA016 Christ is our peace (Shirley Murray) Wow. This one is excellent. Would also be good for the offering. Very simple Irish traditional tune. Lyrics and sheet music. 
• Iona (M&G) / CH359 / MV033 / GtG137 / ZSS54 / StJ / ELW253 / GA293 / SFFS 2085 / G(II)276 / GC370 / GC(II)364 / G(3)429 / CP368 / W&R402 He came down that we may have love/ Jesus came bringing us hope (Cameroon) A lovely simple song - you can make up words and have a lot of fun with this if you also use some drums. Lyric video. Good for kids.
• Online Resource / WoV768 / ELW737 / CP456 / W&R412 He comes to us as one unknown (Timothy Dudley-Smith) Great words to a very familiar hymn tune (REPTON). Lyrics.
• Online Resource / W&R104 / URW102 Hidden Christ Alive for Ever (Brian Wren) Wonderful and inspiring words of Christ in all things. Can be sung to HYFRYDOL or HOLY MANNA, so would be easily sung by most congregations. A good song for just after the sermon. Lyrics and sheet music.
• StS028 / WoV638 / A&M067 / G(II)275 / GC369 / GC(II)354 / G(3)443 / W&R199 / Lau148 Holy Child within the Manger / Carol at the manger (Marty Haugen) Lovely words and a simple gentle tune. Lyrics.
• TiS 666 / AoV2-113 / AoVK-126 / ATOK 409 / NCH526 / Iona (Common Ground, Freedom is Coming) / CH516 / VU646/647 / WoV650 / ELW866 / A&M483 / SFFS 2235 / HPP153 / GtG853 / G(II)357 / GC513 / GC(II)516 / G(3)594 / Cha442 / SP235 / Srce737 / StF483 / MP954 We are marching in the light of God / Siyahamba / Caminando (South African) A very popular chorus, with possible alternate verses, depending on your source. Sometimes people get anxious about the word "marching", but remember that this song comes from apartheid-era South Africa, where people were protesting so that they could vote in their own country. And the marching is toi-toing, much less militaristic than what you may imagine. A pretty impressive concert performance. Good for kids.
• Iona / CH317 / CP621 Before the world began (John Bell, Scotland / Graham Maule, Scotland) Excellent words from John Bell. Lyric video (instrumental).
• TiS 242 / AHB 183 / AoV1-018 / ATN 27 / CH404 / UMH261 / VU352 / A&M667 / HPP163 / GtG157 / PH302 / G(II)481 / GC708 / GC(II)689 / G(3)796 / CP(E) 468 / W&R118 / Lau765 / StF247 I danced in the morning / Lord of the Dance (Sydney Carter). You all know this one, right? Lyrics. Good for kids Oldy-but-a-goody.
• AoVK-123 / NCH3 / Iona (M&G) / UMH148 / VU308 / WoV794 / ELW837 / HPSS271 / G(II)338 / GC499 / G(3)911 / CP407 / W&R26 / Cha58 / URW232 / 82Hml-385 Many and Great O God are your works / Wakantanka Taku Nitawa (Joseph Renville) Good words. Simple tune. Sounds great accompanied by a good Native American-style drum beat, which is a great way to get people involved in music-making. Lyrics here.
• Online Resource / NCH401 / W&R388 O god in whom all life begins (Carl Daw) Excellent words of living as a community of faith. Sung to a simple English melody. Sheet music and lyrics. 
• NCH111 O loving founder of the stars (Latin 9th Century) Lovely translation of "Creator of the Stars of Night", to a plainsong-like tune. Plainsong is not as hard as people think.... Sheet music for a choral arrangement.  
• Online Resource / CH348 / StS001 / LBW196 / ELW843 / CP397 / W&R93 / SP304 / URW090 Praise the One Who Breaks the Darkness (Rusty Edwards) Good words of Christ's ministry to all. Can be sung to the familiar tune NETTLETON, or the less familiar and very lovely tune JOEL. Lyrics and sheet music.

What ideas do you have? Please share in a comment below!