Songs, Hymns and Music for Easter 7B (12 May 2024)

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26  

Seeking God’s guidance to choose a leader (Matthias)

• Taizé / TiS 747 / ATE 214 / Iona (M&G) / GtG842 / PfAS027A / URW393 The Lord is my light, my light and salvation (Jacques Berthier) A simple and very popular Taize chant. Note that this is really easy on recorder if you have a kid in your congregation who is learning it. Try to be brave and sing this without hymnsheets, overheads or projected lyrics. I think it's better that way and it's not like it has lots of words. Good for kids. Youtube.
• NCH355 / UMH648 / VU514 / GtG303 / PH523 / W&R149 God the Spirit guide and guardian (Carl Daw) Excellent, inclusive Trinitarian lyrics of God's guidance and blessing on leaders in the church community. Set to a variety of well known hymn tunes including HYFRYDOL (my favourite!), JEFFERSON, BLAENWERN and BETHANY. Lyrics and sheet music. New words to old tunes.
• TiS 569 / AHB 478 / NCH18/19 / CH167 / UMH127 / VU651 / LBW343 / ELW618 / StF465 / A&M652 / HPP432 / GtG065 / PH281 / CP565 / CP(E) 455 / W&R501 / Cha622 / 82Hml690 / StF465 / Lau960 / MP201 Guide me O thou great Jehovah / Redeemer (William Williams) A rousing hymn of God’s presence and strength and making it to the other side. "Bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore." Lyrics. Oldy-but-a-goody.
• NCH497 / SFFS 2208 / GtG741 / PH354 / G(II)508 / GC707 / GC(II)684 G(3)780 / CP513 / ZSS141 Guide my feet while I run this race (African American) An excellent civil rights song. Would work well as a meditative prayer for guidance or as an uplifting call to action at the end of the service.You could also make up your own lyrics. Lyrics. Good for kids.
• NCH416 / UMH464 I will trust in the Lord (Traditional Gospel) Traditional gospel song, that could work well with this passage. I like how it includes lyrics for Brother, Sister and Preacher. Maybe even “Let us trust in the Lord” for a congregation that is making decisions – except that “’til we die” bit doesn’t seem quite right. Lyrics.
• MV142 / SP&P209 Oh a Song must rise (Paul Svenson) A song that speaks of voices being raised from around the earth, from all people. A good song of unity. Quite straightforward to sing, and a good prelude to Pentecost next week. "From the voices of our leaders...". Lyrics.
  

Psalm 1

They who trust in the Lord shall be like a tree planted by the water with roots in the stream and will fruit even in drought.

• Online resource Blessed are those who trust in God / By the stream (Christopher Grundy) Oh my... this is just gorgeous! Best sung by a soloist for the verses. The recording is so beautiful - it's easy to pull my heartstrings with a cello and a mandolin... Youtube. Purchasing options.
• NCH Psalter001 My delight is in the law of God (Judy Hunnicutt) A very simple refrain and chanted Psalm.
• Online resource Like a tree by the flowing water (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) Lovely simple words of connectedness, and a simple chorus. Good for kids. Lyrics, sound sample and purchasing options.
• Linnea Good Strong as living Trees (Linnea Good) A lovely haunting chant. Good for kids and adults alike.
• StS116 I saw a tree by the riverside / The Tree Song (Ken Medema) A great kid’s song about roots growing down to the water, and leaves growing up to the sunshine, and bearing fruit, and all that great stuff. Good for kids. Lyrics and chords.
• Online resource Like a tree by the flowing water (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan) Part of a series of songs based on Psalm 1, I think the chorus of this is probably my favourite. In Australia, you might want to use only the chorus because the word "rooted" means something quite different over here. Sound samples, lyrics and purchasing options. Good for kids.
• NCH313 Like a tree beside the waters (James Martin) Good congregational words of richness from the waters. Tune is a little bit tricky, so will need to be introduced. It can also be sung to the more familiar HYFRYDOL. Sheet music (go to page 3 of PDF). New words to old tunes.
• CP462 The hidden stream that feeds (Thomas Troeger) Good for the end of the service "We leave this watered place to work on rocky ground, Yet even there the streams of grace sustain our daily round. Lord, through our lives may others hear your living waters drawing near." Lyrics (scroll through document).
  
• TiS 607 / AoV2-126 / ATN 95 / CH528 / VU684 / StJ / A&M725 / SFFS 2171 / HPP406 / GtG753 / G(II)524 / GC726 / GC(II)721 / G(3)828 / CP(E)519/ W&R587 / Srce 462 / Lau898 / StF707 / MP456 Make me a channel of your peace (Sebastian Temple). Lovely. Nice if you can just start a capella... Youtube video of Sinead O'Connor singing it and lyrics 
  
• URW223 Happy are they who delight (Hal Hopson) A responsively read Psalm with an African-American spiritual refrain "Like a tree that's planted by the water, we shall not be moved". I like it. New words to old tunes.
• NCH438 / UMH377 / LBW346 / ELW785 / HPP390 / GtG840 / W&R428 / Cha561 / Srce784 / MP757 When peace like a river / It is well with my soul (Horatio Spafford) An older American hymn. Hymnals vary in how old fashioned the lyrics are, and only some include the chorus. Lyrics and tune.A nice recording by Audrey Assad.
• AoV2-006 / The tide has turned Deeper River / There's a river running deep within the silence of our souls (Digby Hannah) An excellent song of restoration for tired desert-like souls. Lyrics and sound sample.
• PfAS001B Happy are they who trust (Robert Thompson) A simple psalm response that can also be used as a round. Good for kids.
• PfAS001E How blest the people / Feliz la gente (Juan Espinosa) This will take a little while to learn, but the chorus is very simple, so perhaps use a cantor to sing the verses. Sound sample (in Spanish).
  
• TiS 1 / PfAS001C Happy are they who walk in God's wise way (Erik Routley) Excellent tune from Thailand. Words are a reasonable paraphrase and slightly old fashioned but quite fine. Sound sample.
  
• PfAS001F / URW224 Happy is the one (John Bell) Quite straightforward and good hymlike paraphrase of the Psalm. Youtube. 
• Public Domain Well I'm on my way to heaven / I shall not be moved / We shall not be moved  Standard old folk song. You may also like this Johnny Cash version. History. Lyrics & chords. Thanks to Mark Kleiner for this suggestion!

1 John 5:9-13
“Whoever has the Son has life”

You could sing any joyful “Alleluia” for this reading.

• Online Resource Come O God and visit us sick we pray / Your abundant life (Dave Brown) A joyful song "Lead us into your abundant life". This has been sung frequently by the musicians at BUC, but not by the congregation! Free downloadable songbook.
• AoV2-068 / VU695 God is passionate life (Colleen Fulmer) Good simple round with a peace and justice focus. Easy to learn and sing. Great for kids and adults. Sound sample.
  
• VU260 / CP428 God who gives to life its goodness (Walter Farquharson) Good words to a well known tune (ABBOT'S LEIGH) New words to old tunes Lyrics and sheet music sample.
• Traditional / ATA 124 / SLW42 / UMH494 / GtG472 / PH338 / W&R487 / Cha590 / PfAS079A Kumbaya, my Lord (African American Spiritual) I think this song is really beautiful sometimes. Sometimes it’s really awful too, unfortunately. If we sing this as a song from an enslaved community seeking the presence of God, it is much more meaningful than if we sing it as a 1960s folk song. My thoughts and some helpful links.

John 17:6-19
Christ’s prayer for the protection of his followers (?)

• NCH047 O Christ Jesus sent From heaven (James Crawford) Formal words about church unity; rich imagery. Sung to a standard hymn tune (WESTMINSTER ABBEY) New words to old tunes.
• TiS 468 / NCH309 / PH436 We are your people Spirit of grace (Brian Wren) I really like the lyrics to this one, but the tune is a bit funny and the hymn is quite long. It needs something to stop people plodding through it; maybe split the singing into male/female or different sides of the congregation. Sheet music and lyrics.
• TiS 420 Holy Spirit go before us (Elizabeth Smith) Great words of evangelism and justice to a simple lilting melody. If you think your congregation can't cope with a new tune this week, it can be sung to AUSTRIA (TiS 93). Frilly sound sample. New words to old tunes.
• Taizé / MV075 / StS079 / SFFS 2118 / GtG284 / GC(II)479 / G(3)547 / SP99 / URW395 Holy Spirit Come to Us / Veni sancte spiritus / Tui amoris (Jacques Berthier) Gobsmackingly beautiful if you have a cantor, but it works well if you don't, too. Sheet music (not the chanter part), translations, sound samples.
• Online Resource / TiS 749 / AoV1-154 / AoVK-131 / ATE 305 / NCH360 / Iona (SBL, Freedom is coming) / CH800 / UMH497 / VU572 / WoV773 / ELW809 / GA493 / A&M481 / HPP340 / GtG746 / G(II)484 / GC677 / GC(II)674 / G(3)776 / W&R713 / Cha447 / SP234 / StF782 Send me Jesus / Thuma mina (South African) You all know this one, right? If you don't - it's great - simple, repetitive, and meaningful.Good for kids. Sound sample, sheet music sample, purchasing options.
  
• ATOK 412 / Iona (SBL, Common Ground) / CH250 / MV212 / A&M482 / GtG747 / SFFS 2184 / Lau855 / StF239 Sent by the Lord am I / Sent out in Jesus name / Enviado soy de Dios (Traditional Cuban) Great rhythm, good words and not too hard to sing (provided you sing it a little slowly the first time!) I prefer the MV translation "Sent out in Jesus' name". Good for kids. Lyrics. 

What will you be singing? Please add your thoughts in a comment below!