Songs, Hymns & Music for Proper 4B (9) / Pentecost +2 (June 2 2024)

1 Samuel 3:1-10, (11-20)  
Samuel is called by God

• Online Resource / Tune In Tune in (Natalie Sims) A simple kid’s song. “Tune in, tune in, there’s a message coming in.” Encourages kids to look and listen for signs of God’s love. Good for kids. Free downloadable songbook.
• Online Resource / TiS 749 / AoV1-154 / AoVK-131 / ATE 305 / NCH360 / Iona (SBL, Freedom is coming) / CH800 / UMH497 / VU572 / WoV773 / ELW469 / 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 and sheet music samples and purchasing options. Youtube.
• Online Resource / TiS 658 / AoV1-090 / ATE 296 / CH251 / UMH593 / VU509 / WoV752 / ELW574 / GA496 / A&M494 / HPP541 / GtG069 / PH525 / G(II)492 / GC(II)671 / G(3)777 / CP(E) 470 / W&R559 / Cha452 / Srce328 / Lau865 / StF663 / MP857 I the Lord of sea and sky / Here I am Lord (Dan Schutte) Song of God searching for us and our response. Very slow sound sample. Lyrics and sample sheet music. Purchasing options.
  
• Online Resource / W&R584 / Cha454 Come Celebrate the Call of God (Brian Wren) Good words to a lilting intuitive tune. This song is written to recognise a commissioning or the gift of a particular person's call, but it can also be sung with "our" instead of "her" to make it a song for a whole congregation to recognise their own call. Lyrics and sheet music.
• Online Resource / NCH604 / MV167 Hush hush somebody's calling my name (Traditional African-American) I really like this song. I'm not sure how it would work as a congregational song, though, since I've never been in a congregation that has sung it. I know some musicians who would love to sing it though - especially that deep "Hush" bit. Youtube version from a Ry Cooder album. Sheet music for purchase with sample. 
• NCH495 / HPP443 / GtG761 / PH343 / W&R581 / Cha453 Called as partners in Christ's service (Jane Parker Huber) A good song of commitment - particularly good if you are commisioning people to new roles this week, and good for any other service too. Sung to a standard tune (BEECHER). New words to old tunes. Lyrics.
• Online Resource / MV161 I have called you by your name (Dan Damon) This is a great song for confirmations, ordinations, commissionings, but also ordinary Sundays. Easy, natural tune and good words about having courage to follow where God leads. Sheet music & lyrics. 
• ATAR672 Hey Hey Samuel (Jonathan Rundman) A very simple song, which is good for kids. Probably better for Sunday School than for a worship service. Sound sample. Good for kids.

Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18
 God knows us better than we know ourselves.

• Online Resource God speaks us into being / Fearfully and wonderfully (Gabi Caidenhead) New for 2024! Powerful words. This is wonderfully positive and healing, with beautiful nonbinary Trinitarian imagery. I'm not sure how to get sheet music for this, so you may wish to simply play the music, provide the words, and invite the congregation to join in the two refrains: "We are fearfully and wonderfully made, we are lovingly and intricately made, we are knit together in each other's wombs. We are fearfully and wonderfully made" and "Scarred and holy" when they occur. Youtube. Sheet music.
  
• Online Resource / AoV2-031 / ATW 424 / CH97 / A&M747 / GtG029 / GC(II)509 / SP301 / StF728 / Lau779 O God, you search me and you know me (Bernadette Farrell). My favourite version of Psalm 139, which fits this reading too. The tune flows effortlessly and it has a nice little hook at the end of each verse. Sound sample and music for purchase. Lyrics.
• TiS 87 / CH096 / VU862 / GtG028 / PH248 / PfAS139D You are before me, Lord, you are behind (Ian Pitt-Watson) Excellent words, set either to the chant-like tune SURSUM CORDA or the Scottish tune HIGHLAND CATHEDRAL. The words are directly from the Psalm and are very beautiful. Sound sample. New words to old tunes.
• CH145 God made me as I am (Bernadette Farrell) A lovely little song.  "God made me as I am, part of creation's plan. No-one else can ever be the part of God's plan that's me". Good for kids. Youtube with gestures (maybe American sign language?).
• PfAS139C Lord you have searched me and you know (Hal Hopson) A very simple refrain for a responsive reading or chanted reading of this Psalm. 
• NCH Psalter 139 (Jane Marshall) is a very simple refrain for this Psalm which is worth a look.
• ATOK 320 / NCH351 / VU645 / StJ / WoV770 / ELW740 / SFFS 2051 / GtG488 / HPP516 / W&R680 / Cha075 I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry (John Ylvisaker) A song of God’s presence in all stages of life. Very simple tune to sing. Lyrics, and a nice (slow) sound sample. 
• SP&P084 You know my words before they’re said / All My Days (Laurie Zelman) A good contemporary version of this Psalm. It would be good sung by a soloist at first.  Youtube recording.  
• Worldmaking.net God of My Breathing (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan). Excellent words to a well-known hymn tune. Sample and lyrics.  New words to old tunes.
• ATW 487 Make your home in me (Fay White) A simple beautiful invitation by Melbourne songwriter and teacher. “If you fly to the point of the day’s sunrise or westward across the sea, if you travel to the uttermost ends of the earth, there I will be; Make your home in me as I make my home in you. I am everywhere that you can be. Make your home in me”. This is quite different to the Vineyard / Josh Young version you can find all over the internet. Sound sample.
• Taizé / TiS 725 / ATE 275 / AoV2-167 / ATE 275 / StJ / GA538 / GtG678 / G(II)553 / GC763 / URW391 In our darkness there is no darkness in your sight, the deepest night is clear as the daylight (La tenebre) (Jacques Berthier) Also translated as "Our darkness is never darkness". Sample music and lyrics.
• ACS948 / NCH274 / CH118 / SFFS 2046 / GtG003 / CP390 / Cha014 Womb of Life and source of being (Ruth Duck) Feminine trinitarian imagery. An easier tune, listed in some hymnals is IN BABILONE. Others have LADUE CHAPEL which is a little less intuitive. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• STB008 Come Lord Jesus Christ / Esho hae Probhu (Bangladesh) (Bart Shaha) A good chant to sing in times of darkness. It has words in English and Bengali. The tune will need to be taught. Midi sample (very quick!) (search for Shaha).
• URW349 Search me O God (Jane Marshall) A good and simple Psalm refrain. Great if you can add some additional parts
• Online Resource / ATOK 394 Search me O God (Leigh Newton) Set to Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique, this is really beautiful, and has wonderful words. Thank you Tanya for this suggestion! Free music and sound sample.
  
• StF109 In the darkness of the still night (Margaret Rizza) Good words connecting God's creative love with our own lives and concerns. The tune is gentle, but not simple. I suggest encouraging the congregation to join in on the line "Creator God you are there" during the verses for the first time it is used (but let them know that the tune is a little bit different in the middle of the verse, compared to the end of the verse). Lyrics. 
• URW416 Listen to the song of the wind (Thomas Turner) This is quite lovely, and you could choose whichever verses are most appropriate for any service. Lyrics. Good for kids.
• VU623 Dear weaver of our lives' design (Nancy Dorian) Beautiful imagery of God as the Weaver. Sung to the familiar tune REPTON. New words to old tunes. Lyrics.
• VU384 / SFFS 2052 / HPP229 / PH320 The Lone Wild Bird in lofty flight (Marty Haugen) Familiar tune and excellent words. First 3 verses and tune sample. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / Resounding Voices / VT044 We long to know her the maker of heaven (Jacque Jones) Rich feminine imagery of God as creator, wisdom and bringer of justice. Sung to a tune that may be familiar (STAR OF THE EAST). Free book download here. New words to old tunes.
• Online Resource / AoV2-079 / GA081 How Rich Are The Depths (Christopher Willcock) A good Cantor and refrain version of the Psalm. Sound sample, sheet music sample and purchasing options.
  
• Music by Heart 15 Darkness is not dark (Eric Law) A simple round, with optional cantor part. Good to teach to your congregation without lyric sheets or projections. Would be appreciated by kids, as it is simple. Good for kids.
  
• Worldmaking.net Open unto me light for my darkness (Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan). This is really lovely and meditative. Sample here.
• MV131 You, Creator God, have searched me (George Mulrain) Get out the maracas for this one! This joyous calypso chorus for this Psalm is so refreshing. I think it’s really good fun, and very catchy! Good fun for kids. Lyrics. Good for kids.
• Online Resource / ATE 224 Lord you've searched me / Where could I run from you? (Paul Gioia) So here's a funny story. The first time I looked at this song the lyrics gave me a bit of a creepy stalker vibe, but a member of our congregation (Hi Ruth Sandy!) mentioned how much fun it is and how much she loves it. So I'm listing it now because really, it is a lot of fun and very catchy, and it's not really creepy, it's just based on the Psalm; a good reminder that everyone responds differently! Lyrics and purchasing options.
  
• ATW 423 Examine my heart, explore my mind (Robin Mann) This is a bit tricky, but if familiar to your congregation would be great to sing. Lyrics
• Online Resource Search me O God (David MacGregor) A simple devotional song. It works well with the verses, or just use the chorus as a reflective refrain on its own. Sheet music.
  

Alternative Hebrew Scripture Deuteronomy 5:12-15 
The sabbath; O blessed day!

• Online Resource For the good of our being / we rest (David Bjorlin / Sally Ann Morris) An excellent, restful song that takes the call to rest seriously - for ourselves and for our planet. Sound sample. Sheet music sample, lyrics and purchasing options.   
• Online Resource Some days / Sabbath Song (Marion St / Gabi Cadenhead) This is great at connecting restful practice with protest and how it's challenging. Recorded music. Sheet music.
• Online Resource Let there be rest (Hannah Brown / Benjamin Brody / Adam Tice) This song, which focuses on sabbath as a time of rest is very beautiful and I think would be great if you choose to focus on the practice of resting. Sheet music sample and purchasing options.   
• VU305 Into the unshaped silence (S Curtis Tufts) Lovely words of a new day, a day of rest, and care for the earth. You could choose just one verse and sing it as a round. Lyrics.
  
• FFS37 In the quiet of the day (Shirley Murray) A simple tune, and beautiful words about moving into a time of worship, and the peace that time apart gives us. Lyrics.
• StF150 This is the day of rest to use as God intended (John Bell) A hymn with excellent words about the Sabbath, as gift from God, feast of Christ, and time for the Spirit to bring change. The tune is new and will need to be taught, but should be picked up fairly quickly. Sound sample (tune only).
• AoV1-056 / CH217 / GA541 / G(II)551 / GC761 / GC(II)750 / G(3)859 / URW201 / Lau881 God of Day and God of Darkness (Marty Haugen) This song is specific for evening services, but lovely words and set to a familiar tune (BEACH SPRING). I often think this is only good for an evening service, but the image of darkness and night doesn't have to be taken literally, and the call to rest at the end of the last verse would be good for those who take the celebration of Sabbath as a call to rest. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• W&R655 / URW202 Come Away from Rush and Hurry (Marva Dawn) Excellent words of resting in a sacred space to the familiar tune BEACH SPRING (TiS 493). Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• CH716 / VU374 / FFS10 / SFFS 2128 / W&R477 / Cha575 Come and find the quiet centre (Shirley Murray) A good song for the beginning of worship. We usually sing it to BEACH SPRING (TiS 493). Lyrics. New words to old tunes.

Psalm for the Deuteronomy Reading Psalm 81:1-10
God provided Israel with everything, but they didn't listen; God still offers finest wheat and honey from the rock.

• Emergent Psalter I hear a voice I had not known (Isaac Everett) A simple bluesy refrain. Sheet music (refrain only).
• PfAS081A O be joyful (Malawi Traditional) A simple and joyful refrain for this Psalm which could be chanted or read. Energy! Sound sample.
• Taizé / GC(II)533 Sing to God with joyful hearts / Singt dem Herrn (Jacques Berthier) A joyful round. Works well in English and German, and probably other languages too. / Sound samples, sheet music and lyrics. Good for kids.
• TiS 658 / AoV1-090 / ATE 296 / CH251 / UMH593 / VU509 / WoV752 / ELW574 / GA496 / A&M494 / HPP541 / GtG069 / PH525 / G(II)492 / GC(II)671 / G(3)777 / CP(E) 470 / W&R559 / Cha452 / Srce328 / Lau865 / StF663 / MP857 I the Lord of sea and sky / Here I am Lord (Dan Schutte) Song of God searching for us and our response. Very slow sound sample. Lyrics and sample sheet music. 
• PfAS081A You satisfy the hungry heart (Omar Westendorf) Refrain only arranged as a Psalm response. Pretty nice. Sound sample & lyrics.
• TiS 43 Sing to the Lord a new song (Christopher Willcock) Good energetic refrain. Nice time signature! Good words.

2 Corinthians 4:5-12  
Light in our hearts; living in God.

• AoV2-003 / ATOK 313 / CH543 / StJ / GA404 / A&M042 / ELW715 / GtG314 / GC(II)512 / G(3)590 / SP13 / URW114 / Lau883 / StF706 Longing for light we wait in darkness / Christ, be our light (Bernadette Farrell) One of my favourites, especially if someone can sing or play the descant line in the later verses. Sound sample and lyrics. Good for kids.  
• TiS 548 / VU629 / A&M014 / PH340 / CP(E) 415 / W&R418 / SP003 / 82Hml-465 Eternal light shine in my heart (Christpher Idle) 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. Lyrics.
  
• Online Resource / AoV1-053 / AoVK-82 / GA256 Receive The Light of Christ (Erica Marshall) Simple round "Receive the light of Christ, May (it) shine within our hears, May the Christ Light fill us with joy and peace".  At Brunswick, this song might be good to be sung each week as we light the candles for the kids to go out to Sunday Morning Programme. Sound and sheet music samples, and purchasing options. Good for kids.
• HiOS033 Glorious are you (Colin Gibson) Beautiful words about the Trinity; wonderful images. The tune is new, and will need to be taught, but is light and joyful. "You are the symphony of the stars and planets, you are the music of the atoms within us"... You may have sung this last week, and it would be good to repeat it. 
• ATFG540 / NCH499 / CH726 / UMH356 / VU581 / ELW639 / HPP342 / GtG822 / PH400 / G(II)474 / GC666 / GC(II)650 / G(3)756 / W&R415 / Cha536 / URW174 / URW175 / URW176 / StF485 / Lau906 In all our living / When We Are Living / Pues Si Vivimos (Mexican traditional) A simple and lovely song, in English and Spanish (though not all hymnals include the Spanish lyrics). Translations vary widely, so check yours. URW has two translations (URW174 and URW175). Sound sample.
  

Mark 2:23-3:6
The Sabbath, and whether to keep it or not.

• Online Resource For the good of our being / we rest (David Bjorlin / Sally Ann Morris) An excellent, restful song that takes the call to rest seriously - for ourselves and for our planet. Sound sample. Sheet music sample, lyrics and purchasing options.   
• Online Resource Some days / Sabbath Song (Marion St / Gabi Cadenhead) This is great at connecting restful practice with protest and how it's challenging. Recorded music. 
• Online Resource Let there be rest (Hannah Brown / Benjamin Brody / Adam Tice) This song, which focuses on sabbath as a time of rest is very beautiful and I think would be great if you choose to focus on the practice of resting. Sheet music sample and purchasing options.   
• VU305 Into the unshaped silence (S Curtis Tufts) Lovely words of a new day, a day of rest, and care for the earth. You could choose just one verse and sing it as a round. Lyrics.
• FFS37 In the quiet of the day (Shirley Murray) A simple tune, and beautiful words about moving into a time of worship, and the peace that time apart gives us. Lyrics.
• StF150 This is the day of rest to use as God intended (John Bell) A hymn with excellent words about the Sabbath, as gift from God, feast of Christ, and time for the Spirit to bring change. The tune is new and will need to be taught, but should be picked up fairly quickly. Sound sample (tune only).
  
• AoV1-056 / CH217 / GA541 / G(II)551 / GC761 / GC(II)750 / G(3)859 / URW201 / Lau881 God of Day and God of Darkness (Marty Haugen) This song is specific for evening services, but lovely words and set to a familiar tune (BEACH SPRING). I often think this is only good for an evening service, but the image of darkness and night doesn't have to be taken literally, and the call to rest at the end of the last verse would be good for those who take the celebration of Sabbath as a call to rest. Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• W&R655 / URW202 Come Away from Rush and Hurry (Marva Dawn) Excellent words of resting in a sacred space to the familiar tune BEACH SPRING (TiS 493). Lyrics. New words to old tunes.
• CH716 / VU374 / FFS10 / SFFS 2128 / W&R477 / Cha575 Come and find the quiet centre (Shirley Murray) A good song for the beginning of worship. We usually sing it to BEACH SPRING (TiS 493). Lyrics. New words to old tunes. 
  
• Online Resource / Full of the Spirit Jesus, barrier breaker / Radical for love (Heather Price) Gutsy pop song about how Jesus was not a rule maker, but a rule breaker! Highly recommended. Sound sample and music for purchase. Good for kids.

What ideas do you have? I'd love to hear them, and incorporate them next time we have these readings. Please share your ideas in a comment below!

Updated in 2024 in Glasgow.